#i had to find a book passage ok

[crowleysgirl56]

Ok, so I wanted to do a deeper dive into this particular passage of Good Omens:

For context, this is at the climax of the book, they’re at Tadfield airbase, the horsemen have been dispensed with, Aziraphale has his body back, and Satan is about to claw his way out of the pit.

In most of the proceeding chapters involving Crowley it talks a lot about how scared Crowley is. He is very scared of Hell.

One could perhaps say maybe he is scared of them due to The Arrangement, but that is never explicitly stated. I think it has more to do with Hell is bad, and Crowley has spent the majority of the book being yelled at by some entity through the radio or TV telling him how he’s going to be in super amounts of trouble when they get their hands on him. He is just scared of what will happen. When he comes across the book shop burning he doesn’t cry for his lost friend. He curses Aziraphale, and I think it’s because the one person who may have been able to keep him safe and protected from Hell is now gone.

So when he thinks to himself (as shown in the above screen shot) that there is now nothing left for him to lose, this is why I never thought (upon reading the book the first time that is) there were any romantic feelings between him and Aziraphale. I know that technically he had already lost Aziraphale. But by this point he was back again, and back in his body. If there truly were romantic thoughts between them surely the idea of losing him again would come up.

I have read so much fanfiction, some old, some new, and what they all have in common is the detailed inner monologue of Crowley’s turmoil over his feelings for Aziraphale and how he doesn’t feel like he can act on them. In the book we get nothing of the sort, from either character. Even when they’re separated there is hardly ever any description of them thinking of the other except occasionally to frame a short reference to something. Reading the book I never got the impression that there was anything more than two ethereal beings spending time and proximity to each other and doing work for each other for no other reason than they’re essentially a bit lazy.

I think they’re only queer coded for the fact that there’s the line about Aziraphale appearing “gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitric oxide”, and Crowley is, well, very Freddie Mercury coded. Them being seen as gay together and all the gay slurs in the awful racist scenes of Aziraphale body hopping about in culturally indigenous people after the bookshop fire has more to do with the very typical 80’s/90’s trope of “being gay = comedy gold”, than them actually being together romantically.

I think the reason why they were shipped so much after the publication however is for the same reason we ship so many male couples (or female couple) in modern media, why we’ve always shipped them: because of the complete and horrid lack there of, of proper queer representation.

If you’ve ever seen the magnificent Russel T Davies TV series It’s a Sin, there is a wonderful scene where the character Ash starts a job in a school library and the headmaster asks him to go through all the books and find any book that has queer love scenes so they can be removed. Ash then gives a most beautiful and impassioned speech (albeit it turns out the speech is just in his head) of how there is nothing. Absolutely nothing. There is nothing to the point where they are nonexistent. They are invisible. They are not seen. (Or like, something to that effect. I tell you though, it’s bloody brilliant).

So I think that’s rather the point really. You have two iconic characters, albeit supporting bit characters practically, and I think a lot of our minds automatically get drawn to wanting to put them together because of the sheer lack of queer couples. People have been doing it for years from Frodo and Sam, to Harry Potter and Draco (or Ron I guess), to Sherlock and Watson (even before the Benedict Cumberbatch show. Also as an aside let’s not get into how obsessed people got about Sherlock Holmes back in the day when those books were first published. The obsession was the reason Doyle killed the character off the in first place, then after getting letters from people telling him they were literally going to kill themselves, the reasons why he resurrected him again. Don’t tell us that modern day nerds are weird and obsessive. We’ve ALWAYS been like this).

It’s for this reason why queer representation is so god damn important. Why I still support the idea of Good Omens season 3. Because regardless of how the characters were originally intending to be represented in the book, it’s very clear now that they are so much more than “Just friends”. And we NEED that! Whether you subscribe to the idea that they will be physically intimate with each other, the fact remains is they love each other. They love each other immensely. And that comes from years of Terry Pratchett (and the other guy) accepting that canon and telling fans that it’s true. Because Michael Sheen made a choice and held a belief about how he saw his character and then David Tennant followed suit. That literally tens of thousands of fanfiction writers have decided the same.

So that’s my take. I don’t think loving each other was ever intended that way in the book, but in the last 35 years their story has morphed into the ineffable husbands that we now know.

What are your thoughts? Have I rambled on long enough to make any sense? Do you agree? Have I missed something completely obvious and gotten it all wrong? Keen to hear thoughts.

[midnightorchids]

hey babe- I sucks so much that your sick and stressed. Maybe some soft Jason HCs will help. - Jason will highlight and annotate lines or passages in his book that remind him of you. He will say them to you late at night when both of you are tucked away in bed to make it seem like he made it up himself. You know he's lying since you have read all of his books but you indulge him. That adorable proud smirk on his face is too kissable not too. - Both of you have scheduled reading dates once a month where you'll spend most of the day just reading on the couch. Your head in his lap or his head in yours. You spend supper that night talking about your separate books. - He loves it when you slightly tug on his hair or gently scratch his skin (non-sexually). It's like a reminder to him that he didn't make you up and that he can still feel you so closely. He's dead asleep as soon as his head connects with your chest and your hands tangle in his thick black hair. He'll smile and giggle like a little kid as you kiss the white tuft of hair tangled over his forehead. - If your a hero/vigilante yourself, he coordinates his patrol times so that you'll start patrol together. He only takes his mask off during patrol time when he's with you on a secluded roof-top or warehouse. The first thing he always asks is 'you ok hun? anything happen?' - After patrol, he's always antsy to pamper you first. He helps you out of ur uniform, sweeping you up into his arms to be placed in the bath. The warm water, scented at your request, settles your nerves, the tension leaving your muscles as Jason starts washing down your shoulders and chest. He settles behind you, your body trapped against his. His legs on either side of you and his thick arms holding you tightly against his chest. His chin usually rests on the top of your head as you ramble about your evening. He'll press soft sweet kisses under your ear and along the curve of your neck, making you giggle. - He'll help you step out of the bath and wrap you tightly in a towel, giving you one of his shirts to change into as he finds his sweatpants. You fall asleep on top of him, nestling into the safety of his arms. Both of you are cozy and extremely sappy. But it's just a fraction of the love that he pours into you and your relationship. Jason falls asleep smiling, knowing that he has the most important person in his life wrapped up and safe tangled in his arms.

You don’t understand, this genuinely just made my whole day, week even!! Thank you!!! These are the sweetest headcanons ever, I would die for soft Jason. I had the stupidest grin on my face reading the first one, he’s such a loser, but in the best way possible. And because of that, I’d also like to add on to that one…!

You know when a song comes on that you know really well and you just can’t help but sing along? I think there would be a time in your relationship where he’d recite you a verse from his favourite poem, acting all high and mighty like this is his own work. You’ll look at him with a small smile on your face, trying to hold yourself back from reciting along with him, but you can’t help it!! Once you start, he’ll stop and get this really cute, sheepish smile, knowing that he’s been caught.

You’ll both let out a giggle and to tease him further, you’ll tell him he’s an amazing writer and that you’re a big fan of his works. This will end in one of two ways, he’ll tackle you and smother you with kisses or he’ll tickle you until you’re both a laughing mess. Either way, this doesn’t stop him from reading out his favourite lines to you and pretending like they’re his own.

The scheduled reading dates one also has me on such a chokehold. I want to be bundled up in a cosy sweater with big blanket and have him lay his head on my lap, while I play with his hair and read to him (I suck at reading out loud, he’d probably make fun of me LMAO).

I also want him to tell me about the books he’s reading, his eyes wide, full of life and beaming with passion.

This is when he looks the prettiest. He’s so excited, he’s waving his hands around gesturing to things, pacing around the room, trying to explain this crucial point in his story to you. You can’t help but stare at him in awe, he’s just so so pretty like this.

[thequeenofcupps]

Sal fisher x shy fem! reader college au!

A/N: Anon requested this!

Warnings: mentions of getting drunk, puking, mentions of sex and virginity loss, getting high and thats all of it

Also I don’t know much about how college works that much so sorry, also Larry is like 26, sal is like 23, your like 1 year younger than sal.

Larry + cousin!reader and Sal Fisher x shy fem!Reader

Back ground!

 ♫ You grew up around Larry half of your childhood, you guys were practically best friends. You’ve been shy all of your life, but thankful Larry has always been there for you like help you ask his mom for something, asking for help from a staff member etc

But unfortunately when you were 10 your parents decided they didnt want to live in that Nockfell ghost town so you all moved, leaving your favorite cousin behind

 ♫ Fast foward to like a couple years you moved back to Nockfell because you found a pretty good college there, and you see your cousin Larry moving boxes into a dorm room across from you

Meeting Sally! 

 ♫ After catching up with Larry and helping him with the boxes you see a person with blue hair and a mask? Walk into the room. But thankfully after Larry introduced you both you both hit it off quite well!

 ♫ you and sal ended up being friends surprisingly fast due to your shy nature, sometimes if you guys have days off from school you both like to go the closest cafe near you, hell even sometimes you guys go to frat parties out of bored but because you were shy you usually just sat in the corner drink what ever the fuck you could find. most of the time sal sat next to you and the both of you just sitting and chatting about how school was going, hobbies, music taste etc.

 ♫ sometimes larry likes to “break” into sals dorm room to smoke zaza when his roommates gone, sal usually asks you to come smoke with them

 ♫ As your friendship deepened, you began to show a more playful side. It started with like subtle teasing during your guys hangouts, you  would quietly mock Sal's choice of snacks or pretend to be unimpressed by his ghost stories. Sal would retaliate with exaggerated dramatic acts , which always earned a giggle from you.

♫  The first time she showed affection through biting was a bit unexpected, you guys were studying together in the library, heads bent over textbooks and notes, when you leaned over to point out a passage in his book. In a playful moment of distraction, you playfully bit his shoulder , causing Sal to jump slightly in surprise.and smirking with a mischievous glint in your eyes.

♫ at this point sal started to develop a crush on you, thinking about the late night talks you both had, the hangout sessions, getting coffee and such, Sal found himself constantly drawn to your presence, your quietness, and the playful banters you both shared

♫ one day for a break from college you and the rest of his friends and Larry decided to go to the lake to go camping and swim. It wasn't until a quiet moment by a lakeside, when everyone was asleep and neither of you could sleep and decided to sit by the lake, that you both finally acknowledged each other's  feelings for each other, you shyly admitted how much you enjoyed your guys time together, and how he would add brightness to her days when on campus. Sal, with vulnerability, confessed how much he valued your presence as well.

The start of dating!

♫ each time you guys are passing classes you like to sneak kisses or sometimes just flat out skip classes and makeout in his dorm

♫ theres a high chance you both barely study and you guys just cuddle and watch stupid ass movies that come up on the tv or just pillow fight each other

♫ on the low chance you guys actually do study, you both help try and help each other, and as a reward you guys go out to get ice cream

♫ you know how I said you both go to frat parties? Yeah ok but this time you guys are just holding hands while sit

On rare occasions when you get drunk hes usually there by your side whether you need to puke or get headache medicine due to your hangover

♫ whenever you guys go to class you always have to link pinkies cuz I don’t think you both like to be the super pda typa couples 

♫ speaking of pda its like a forbidden object in your guys relationship, your shy and hes shy to kiss in public or hold hands in public, you guys just stick to kisses, cuddles, hugs and such to your guys’s rooms 

You may or may not lost you virginity to him :X

♫ sometimes Larry third wheels like you, him, and Larry go hang out like at the mall and stuff you and sal are like flirting and Larry fucking pops out of no where and just says “what are we flirting about ;>?”

♫ the first time sal shows you his face hes fucking shaking like those 16 year old crusty ass white dogs that every mexican family has (including me lmao)

But when he does you caress his cheek gingerly and quietly say “oh sal, your so pretty :,c” he starts fucking bawling a fucking water fall

♫ also whenever you and Larry hangout you teasing you saying stupid shit like “when are you getting married?” or like “when am I getting Nieces or nephews?”

♫ you affectionately bite him or nibble him and at first he was like “what the hell are you doing to me” and later he got use to it 

♫ you know that one stupid tiktok thing like “by boyfriend bought me pads with wings” and its actually just pads with chicken wings (auntie lisa gives him a little advice about pads)

High sex lmao

A/N: I took so long trying to write this I hope its ok!

[the-boney-rolls]

Can we talk about Daytime Nighttime Suffering for a second?

It’s another example of a Paul song that is mostly about one sort of obvious mundane idea then out of nowhere comes a completely unrelated and possibly very meaningful verse

The song starts like this

It’s a “pro-woman song” Paul said. “It’s like the plight of women.” Ok, a classic Paul song empathizing with the lives of the average woman. We love to see it. Except what’s that bit about the river? Odd.

Then the middle eight. 

This is interesting to me for two reasons. First, what do these lyrics have at all to do with the rest of the song? Almost nothing. That’s not an unusual move for him, he’s known to combine two songs together, look at The Pound is Sinking for an extremely apt comparison. But the story behind this song is that it was written very quickly, in one weekend. 

And not only is the verse unrelated to the rest of the song, it also includes a perspective change. Suddenly, he’s singing from the first person. To me this is glaring and immediately makes me think of “And I Love Her.” I think it’s entirely possible that this shift into first person is itself a subtle signal to John – hey remember this move we pulled? When I do this, it’s the part that actually means something to me.

Interestingly, he does make one connection of these lyrics to the woman in the narrative with that first verse. It doesn’t make much sense, but he is connecting the “I” of the stream and the river to the woman. Perhaps just an attempt to make the middle eight make sense, but whether intentionally or not, he is connecting the woman’s story with his own. 

The second thing that interests me is, what do these lyrics mean, exactly? They’re very grandiose, almost mythic. I couldn’t find any explanation (shocking) or previous lyric it could be referencing. What I did find, though, while this question was running through my head, was this passage of the book I happen to be reading right now, Mythos by Stephen Fry:

“As for their spirits – well, Pyramus was turned into the river that bore his name for millennia and Thisbe into a spring whose waters run into it.”

At this point I have to say, without an ounce of sarcasm – which could mean nothing. I just had to include it because the coincidence was too wild to ignore! And because it does fit in with Paul aligning himself with the role of the woman in the story. 

Ok but wait there’s one more thing convincing me that Paul is talking to John here.

A reference to John calling Paul’s music “pizza and fairy tales”? Who knows, Yoko!

Really these lyrics just make me consider all of the references between John and Paul that we’ll never understand because they’re a part of their secret language that they haven’t made us privy to. It doesn’t make sense in the context of the song but it feels extremely meaningful.  

And if Paul is calling out to John and saying he feels like the woman in the song, ugh!

[blorger]

Hello and welcome back to the series where I pontificate on the beauty and complexity of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy's tumultuous relationship in the hp books (see: pt.1 and pt.2).

Today I'm going to over-analyze the official beginning of Draco and Harry's rivalry. If the two of them had an enemy anniversary it would probably be celebrated on this, the day of the Remembrall Incident:

We left off last time just as Harry leans of the impending Gryffindor-Slytherin joint flying lesson. As previously discussed, our dear Harry is currently very preoccupied with not making a fool of himself in front of Draco, the guy he's been having a one-sided feud with in his mind.

In this passage we also hear that Malfoy's boasting, though uniquely annoying to Harry, is just a drop in the bucket in the sea of braggadocious firsties. Hearing Harry tell of it, every first year ever (bar Hermione and Neville) is constantly waxing rhapsodics on their flying skills (yet somehow there's only one guy he's worried about flying in front of).

Before the flying lesson, Harry takes time out of his busy day to notice that Draco has once again received a package from home

Two things to note here: 1) how does Harry know that Draco notices? Has he been looking at Draco (two tables away btw) every morning? and 2) how does one open a package gloatingly? Is Draco looking back at Harry (again, from across the great hall) to see if he's watching? Has Draco been putting on a mail-based production as a show of wealth or is this still all in Harry's head? Are these two even capable of being normal about each-other? (no)

Harry's attention is quickly diverted by Neville's shiny new Remembrall and he's not the only one who's taken notice: enter undersocialized gremlin Draco Malfoy, who does not know how to show curiosity in a healthy manner.

Because Harry and Ron are Reasonable Fellows, their very first instinct is to throw hands. At this point in the story it's safe to say that Draco lives rent-free in their head (remember how Draco has yet to do any bullying and has said zilch to Harry since the train? Don't worry, that's about to change).

I tend to take Draco as his word here because, while he did behave in a shockingly rude manner, he does not appear to have had any ulterior motive in grabbing the Remembrall. Let us remember that, since the train incident, he still hasn't spoken directly to Harry (or Ron or Neville for that matter) and we all know Draco loves to talk (Draco is exactly the kind of villain that would interrupt a moment of glory in order to perform a monologue).

As the flying lesson begins, we once again find Harry and Ron in a somewhat savage mood, rejoicing in Draco's mild failure.

This, by the way, is pretty much the same thing Draco just did in potions class (see pt.2). So, like, Draco is Evil for laughing at Harry but it's ok for Harry to do the same? This is some jkr bullshit, right here.

Enter one Neville Longbottom, pursued by broom.

After hurricane Neville has come and gone all that's left to remember him by is his brand spanking new Remembrall, gleaming invitingly on the quidditch field. Draco starts things off by putting on a little performance for his fellow Slytherins (like the attention seeking diva we all know and love):

But the call of the Remembrall is too strong and, like a moth to a flame, Draco is hooked.

Enter local vigilante Harry Potter, eager for a confrontation. Draco is not exactly covering himself with honors here but he's still just behaving like a kid, a little shit of a kid, sure, but nothing that would usually warrant an intervention. What I think is happening here is that Harry's overactive bully-meter -which he's been keeping a close eye on since he associates Draco with Dudley - is going off and Harry cannot let an injustice pass (it's, as Hermione will later say, part his saving people thing).

Draco, never one to back down from a challenge, escalates the situation (because how dare you not play along with my hilarious theatrics Potter?).

Besides the obvious pigtail-pulling aspect of Draco's actions, I think there's also an other factor at play here and that is Draco's ever-present desire to show off, especially in front of Harry. I like to imagine that, in Draco's mind, this expert demonstration of his flying prowess would have resulted in Harry going all "oh my god Malfoy, I was so wrong to deny you my friendship. you are obviously the most talented, most specialest boy who's ever lived. Please take me back" at which point Draco would go all "too late, loser!".

In reality, however, the scene plays quite differently:

This passage is very important in that it allows us to understand Harry's state of mind thus far. He's been feeling out of his depth compared to his classmates raised in the wizarding world (and Hermione, who ate all the books in the curriculum and absorbed their strength), possibly he's been doubting his ability to find a place for himself in the shiny new world he's just been dropped in.

I think this explains some of the resentment he's been feeling towards Draco, a walking, talking reminder of the wizarding status quo.

Another very telling exchange: Draco was not planning on a confrontation. We see throughout the books that Draco is not one for one-on-one fights and violence in general, he does in fact go out of his way to avoid them.

Draco has probably just realized that Harry has escalated the situation in ways he wasn't planning on. I maintain that, up to this point, Draco was not trying to actively make an enemy out of Harry. He was probably planning on acting dismissively towards him in a passive-aggressive attempt to show just how much better Draco Malfoy is than stinky Ron Weasley, until Harry either came to his senses or admitted defeat.

Again, Draco wasn't planning on a confrontation. Draco Malfoy does not do physical fighting (he probably does not know how at this point), so he tries to de-escalate the situation in the only way he can think of: by physically putting distance between himself and Harry.

After the Remembrall Incident, Draco's humongous ego is now smarting from being shown up at flying (and being confronted in general, also the train thing) so he's now looking to retaliate. Harry, meanwhile, is now more convinced than ever of Draco's Evilness but also, most importantly, he's just found a neat new label for Draco: Draco Malfoy has just become Harry Potter's Nemesis

(from Hark! a vagrant by Kate Beaton)

That's all for today folks, Tune in next time for a brief overview of Harry and Draco's interactions for the rest of year 1.

xoxo

[thatfoxnamedfinley]

LO, REAPER aka Red Rising thoughts

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

Lettsss GOoooOOooOOoO

I like how ruthless Darrow is. I was reading a review about the book and one person was like "the MC is too intense and cruel. I can't continue to read the series." Meanwhile I'm sitting here like

Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders and Captain Flint from Black Sails are two of my favorite characters ever; if you know then you know. I won't say I like cruelty in characters, but I find the capacity for cruelty to be fascinating in characters we are supposed to be rooting for. Darrow grows to care for some of these people and I actually think he cares for less people than readers think at this point. He knows that to be an effective leader you must be feared AND loved and he almost seems to FAKE his care for most of them. It doesn't stop him from taking steps on his mission. The fact that (DON'T CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG) I believe Darrow will not only be a Peerless Scarred, but an Iron Gold by the end of this story is exciting. He's a great MC. I also like moody, broody characters so LMAO he fits the bill.

Sevro is a baby boi. A feral baby boi, but a baby boi. The fact that he's like this little wild child that runs around in a smelly wolf pelt stabbing people's eyes out and follows Darrow so loyally is endearing. I want to know more about where he comes from.

Especially at the end when Darrow had Sevro cut together the footage of the invasion at the Institute and when he heard Darrow say "bloody damn" Sevro was whistling like "its so crazy, the wind was just so LOUD and it was just HARD to make out your words so I just....DELETED them. 😇" I'm like you CHEEKY LITTLE BOI! He knows exactly what's going on and has respect and love for Darrow despite it. Without him and his Howlers, many of Darrow's plans wouldn't have been able to happen.

I don't like Cassius. Never did. I understand his plight and I'm empathetic in a way because his brother was killed. He sees Darrow as manipulative because they were close so he feels...betrayed I guess? However...didn't he also kill someone in The Passage? And joked about it? So...

I think he's an INTERESTING character, I won't lie. I look forward to his arc, but at the moment I don't like him. Wait til he finds out Darrow is a RED kekekekekekekekkekekeke

Jackal is crazy, don't know too much about him though besides his lineage. I knew he would cut off his own hand, there was no way he WASN'T with the hints here and there throughout the story. I do know this boi is going to be a problem tho.

Roque is interesting, still don't know much about him. I was happy he wasn't dead though. He seems to be valuable on the intelligence front so I wonder if he will come into play when doing tactical planning in the future. I'm on the fence with Tactus because I thought he was going to have to be killed like Titus (I also GASPED when we found out). Even after the whipping incident, I'm wary about him because I could see him being

A.) Loyal as fuck

B.) Betraying snake

So, we'll see. I kiiiiinda like him, but I'm also fully prepared to be disappointed by him XD

Mustang... O, Mustang. I don't think she's been developed super well but I like her only because I was like Darrow and thought once we found out her lineage that she had betrayed them all. When we found out she was the Jackal's twin sister I literally smacked my forehead and was like

But she pulled up with him bound up and I was so shocked that she got a +2 with me from that alone. I look forward to her character development.

Lots of people say this book is one of the weakest which is good news I suppose. At first I wasn't fully on board how great Darrow was at everything but ya know...? I remember feeling the heat of rage before about something much less important as Darrow's loss and I was like ya know what, ok. I get it. I can suspend some disbelief here that maybe his rage (which is something I like, that he has anger issues) CAN fuel him further than others. My man shanked Apollo in the eye while they were grappling mid air. I mean DAMN bro.

I have high expectations and Book 1 was good.

On to Book 2!!

Side note: I wanted him to go be with Lorn au Arcos at the endddddddddd not Nero. EWWWwwwWWwww

Side, side note: I want to see an Iron Rain SOOOO BADDDDDD

Side, side, side note: I have a bad feeling about Karnus, Jackal and Cassius. I really do.

[lavalais76]

Jon & Sansa | Winter in my Heart

I am simply obsessed with these 2. All the Metas and Fan Fiction from you beautiful kindred souls makes me feel so alive! I appreciate each and everyone of you. @istumpysk and @esther-dot @starwarsprincess1986 @sherlokiness @stormcloudrising , you guys give me LIFE with your Metas.

I'm more of a book fan because the show did these characters no justice. We all know WHY. I hope you guys are ok with me posting all these sappy videos. Im sort of new to Tumblr, and I love it here. When I heard about the Kit and Sofie movie set at the time of "war of the roses" I became even more obsessed with Jon and Sansa.

They are obviously giving it away with this movie and trying to get the "Anti's" to get comfortable with the fact that these 2 are inevitable. Before Sansa appeared at Castle Black and even before the show begin I always wondered what the deal was with these 2. It just didn't make any sense, or as someone else put it: "Jon and Sansa are the LOUDEST SILENCE". I ALWAYS had that feeling that the girl in grey would be her. There isn't a single doubt in my mind.

I think something horrible will go down in the Vale and the Blackfish will help Sansa some sort of way to get to Jon. I read many Metas where they say Jon will come back from the dead a mindless beast, and he will have no POV. That's just impossible. Our main character/HERO a mute stuck in a wolf.

First of all I don't think Jon is dead AT ALL. I believe he is hanging on by a string due to blood loss and shock and possibly in a coma like Bran was at the beginning of the series. He will warg Ghost and find out many things about himself through Ghost while his friends (the wildings) nurse him back to life. Though VAL is not one of my favorite characters, some say she is a healer. That could be good for Jon.

Melsandra will probably burn Shrinee anyway because she thinks Stannis is dead. I also think Jon was drugged before the stabbings. The way he spoke of clumsily trying to retrieve LongClaw, and he just gave me a weird vibe. I DO NOT TRUST Satin guys. I know everyone loves him but if Jon were drugged, Satin always provided the drinks. Maybe I'm reaching too far, but that's just my gut feeling. Satin is Judas.

Cerci Lannister had plans on taking Jon off the Chess Board as well, so there is no telling if she orchestrated the whole thing or not. Whatever happens, it's gonna be real UGLY when Jon wakes up. Jon Snow as we knew him is definitely DEAD and died in the snow. The real BEAST is what we will have left of Jon. He will make the Hound look like a little poodle dog.

I do also believe he will be in those woods as Ghost while Sansa is being chased by Ramsay's hounds. He will definitely kill them all including whomever is with the dogs. There was a passage in the books if I remember correctly how when Ghost was a pup, and he was eating. A dog approached to try and steal his prize. Jon said the Dog was much bigger than Ghost, but all Ghost had to do was look at her and she ran away. Ghost got right back to his prize.

I've always wondered if that was a foreshadowing for Ghost fighting the hounds. Another thing, WHERE do Ghost go when Jon wonders of his whereabouts? Well, I'm almost done here Jonsa family. I hope I'm not boring you guys to death with this long book of a post I am writing.

I DO believe Sansa is the Girl in Grey and I'll die by that. I also think that after Ghost!Jon saves her, Brianne and Jamie or Brianne and Company will get her to Castle Black. The dying horse in my opinion is not a real Horse. It could be a person. We've already had the real dying horse with Alyas. Sansa doesn't have to be dressed in Grey either because so many other things links her to Grey.

I remember she had a green cloak in Kings Landing that belonged to the hound and if I'm not mistaken she also got on the boat with LF with that cloak on. Where is it? I do not know.

Anyway, Sansa will arrive at Castle Black shortly after Jon wakes up from his coma (refuse to believe he died and actual death) People will SAY he rose from the dead as they did Sansa when she left Kings Landing. It will be a myth, but people will believe it. Jon will NOT be the same. I believe he will have all of his memories which preserved in Ghost but he will become "THE BEAST" After he has "killed the boy." He would have tapped into his powers and possibly converse with Bran and Bloodraven.

Jon will probably forget what happened in the woods and in his wolf dreams but he will have the shock of his life to see Sansa Stark of ALL people come through those gates. She's come to the end of the world to seek HIM out. He will realize it was the wrong sister he almost got murdered behind.

Everyone will fear him at Castle Black. He will be a cold blooded killer with no humanity left until she walks through those gates. It's a craving Jon had (to see her again) but he kept that to himself. We know this from Ygritte, Alays and Val. He was looking for Sansa in all these women, and now the real deal stands right before him.

I'm not saying it's going to be an easy journey, but she will be the ONLY ONE to calm the beast. Jon will protect her of course (or steal her) but he will be mean to Sansa at first. He will eventually fall madly in love with her and vice versa. She will sing to him, annoy him, anger him, pacify him and Jon won't know what hit him.

They will fall in love because of what they both endured. Jon will be OVER protective of Sansa in the books, possibly locking her up in a tower like Stannis has Val, but this time there is a real princess in the tower that Jon WANTS to steal. I know I've reached my limits here. I am sorry for rambling or any errors, I'm just so happy to have ran across you fine people. If I didn't tag someone is because I don't remember the names and I'm still fairly new on Tumblr.

You guys are the BEST!

[sweet-self-indulgence]

Who’s teaching me magic?

Found this head cannon that I wrote forever ago and forgot to post, enjoy!

If I’m in the Seduce Me universe I’m definitely learning magic. Cause magic is awesome and who wants to feel helpless when there’s so much demon nonsense going on?

James

He’s that genius who legitimately doesn’t understand why others struggle with ‘simple’ things.

What do you mean you don’t fully grasp it after reading about it once??

He’s patient, but since his learning capacity is on another level he has no idea how to actually teach

Would give great book recommendations. The specific passages are marked and annotated.

4/10 good for helping you find background reading, but shit at teaching you anything practical

Erik

Erik is by far the best teacher.

He’s patient and good with words.

You do have to deal with his constant flirting. It can be frustrating when you can’t tell if he’s genuinely impressed by your progress or just  wants to get into your pants.

9/10  great at communicating and the flirting is more fun than anything else

Sam

Ehh? He’s ok.

He’s had a lot of experience with trainers/mentors so he has a basic understanding of how to teach.

His magic skills are the least refined so he simply has less to offer in that department.

Gets defensive when a lesson goes poorly

6/10 if you’re satisfied learning combat techniques and basic magic going to Sam will work fine

Matthew

Completely flattered that you asked him to teach you. It’s the highlight of his day and he goes through a lot of effort planning out what he wants to show you

Matthew’s connection to magic is almost innate/unconscious so he can’t verbalize it well

Pretty good at showing you how he’s doing things, but instructions sound like, “and then you add some *finger wiggles and whooshing noises*”

8/10 progress is kind of trial and error for both of you, but you get there eventually (maybe if you got some reading from James…)

Damien

He’s learned basically everything from having the knowledge blasted into his brain. So, like James, he struggles with the concept of someone who thinks differently than himself

Also why reading is hard for him to learn, the visual component is outside of how he processes everything

Gets really frustrated with himself when he can tell you don’t get something

He has the capacity to be an amazing teacher but needs to build those skills quite a bit still

5/10 if you’re patient you can learn a lot from him, but it takes a while for his tutoring to show any results

[ryxiez]

Sick Day

Satan x gn!Reader

Fluff/sickness comfort

1.2k words

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

Of course it had to be like this. You ended up catching a cold the day after you ventured into Devildom with Beel. The weather however, seemed to be way to cold for your human body to handle, but you went outside anyway. You did not expect any of the repercussions that would follow suit.

It started when Lucifer asked you to assist Beel with the trip to the grocery store. He had to the the shopping that wee and your job was to make sure he didn't eat anything off the shelf’s or buy unnecessary snacks. So you obligated and obeyed his orders.

However, you've been experiencing symptoms since. Having shivers, cold sweats, fevers, and headaches. It seemed to never stop. You prayed that this would all just go away and to be normal again. You swore to never take berating through your nose for granted for the rest of your life. But it didn’t seem to work.

It was so hard to even get out of bed let alone get ready for school. No matter how hard you tried to push youself, your body felt weaker by the minute. You knew your final limits and decided it would be best to stay in your comfortable bed.

You were sure the brothers were confused about your current absence at breakfast and how it wouldn't be long until Lucifer or Mammon came knocking at your door. Speaking of the devil you heard some lights knocks on your bedroom door a few seconds later.

"Ughhh…, come in..!" You managed to slightly call out from your bed as your voice was noticeably raspy and strained.

The door finally creaks open to reveal your favorite blonde demon, Satan, as concern was written all over his face.

He shuts the door behind him quickly yet silently rushes to your side, "MC, what's wrong? Why didn't you come to breakfast?!" He asked as he turned on the light next to your bed, finally allowing him to see the state you were in.

You were sweaty with a slightly red face. In your mind, you thought you could not look any worse right now. But of course Satan had to be the one to see you like this.

"Uhh, I- Im not sure, but I definitely have some kind of sickness..." You mumbled as you refused to make eye contact with him. Sinking into the sheets even deeper, you wanted to escape the uncomfortable situation.

"Ok, ok." Satan tried to reassure you as paused to think. As he held a hand out to touch your forehead, he was really panicking on the inside.

"I'll call Lucifer and let him know about this, but please stay still and get some rest, I promise I will be right back." He explained still trying to stay as calm as possible.

You nodded your head as much as you could as he hurriedly left your bedroom. However, it only took a few minutes for him to come back with stacks of books in one hand and a cup of tea/ (other drink) in the other.

A small smile made its way across your face when you saw Satan enter once again. You sat up in bed with his help, an arm supporting your back after he placed the tea on your nightstand and the books at the end of your bed.

He then started too quietly sort through the thick books to find one that would be most beneficial to him.

You drank your drink with small sips as you watched him. You couldn’t tell if your heart rate was abnormal because of him or your physical state.

"Ah, here it is." Satan said in relief as he turned around to face you one on one now as he silently read the passage to himself.

"It seems like you're just dealing with a human sickness, nothing you got from a demon. You would have been in a worser state if you contracted any of the Devildom sicknesses." He explained as caressed your cheek with the palm of his hand.

Satan continued, "However, we don't have many remedies for human sicknesses here. I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a little while before Diavolo can grant us permission. We can’t go to the human world whenever we want."

You nodded as you set down your now empty cup back on the nightstand. You were honestly disappointed, but you understood that they can't just waltz into the world you came from all willy nilly.

"Y/n.. is there anything, and I mean anything, that I can do to make you feel better? I know humans can be really uncomfortable when sick and I don't want you to go through that." He offered as he took your hand in his, rubbing his thumb over your palm in a soothing matter.

You blushed, but thank god you could cover it up as a fever. "Can you just.. stay with me? I don't want to be alone right now. …Maybe you could just read me something as I hopefully go back to sleep?" You offered shyly, scared that he would say no, but deep down you knew he wouldn't.

"Of course, always." He agreed as he climbed into your bed with you. He sat behind you resting his back on the bed frame so he could sit up with you in between his legs.

He pulled you closer as he guided your head to lay on his chest. Your face felt hotter than it ever has before, but in this position you could hear Satan's heartbeat. You could tell he wasn't as calm as he was letting on.

"Which book would you like?" he asked as he pointed to a self with minimal amount of books compared to his room that was located right above your bed.

"(Favorite book) please." You answered as you snuggled into him more, loving the warmth he provided to your cold yet hot body at the same time.

Satan blushed as he looked down at you and stroked your messy bed head a few times, you hummed in response to the attention. Not soon after he cleared his throat and began to read your requested book. However, after only one page was read to you, you were already asleep.

Satan let out a soft chuckle as he looked down at you yet again and set aside the book next to the cup on your nightstand. Then he moves downwards, trying to lay down next to you but his movement were slow, he didn't want to wake you.

He managed to do so and now you both were facing each other. Satan smiled as he brushed the hair out of his own face and planted a soft kiss to your hot forehead before wrapping his arms around you.

He brought you in close so his chin rested on top of your head as he let out a content sigh.

He hated seeing you in such a state and would make sure you always got better.

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

[it-was-funeral-grey]

Moving nowhere (Al Haitham x F!Reader)

Masterlist Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

Summary: you’re finally back home, so things should be back to normal, right?

Warnings: reader's parents (mother and father), anxious reader, a scream, blood, death (not F!reader or al haitham)

Word count: <3.4k

Inspired by: -

Author's note: i'm back! i'm thinking of setting up a writing schedule, and make writing a habit again.

Please give criticism! Also, if i missed any warnings, do tell me so i can add them!

Up until a month ago, owning books for personal use was against the Akademiya's rules. So, things like storybooks and guidebooks weren't a thing that most people grew up with. Books were considered items only used by Akademiya students or teachers (and record keepers)- untouchable and unnecessary for the common folk. Who needed books, anyway? The Akasha Terminal had everything, after all.

Oh, but you were different. And so much better off for it, so you'd like to believe.

Your mother was a trader- a rather adventurous one, at that. Instead of trading by Port Ormos, waiting for business to come her way, she'd set sail with her wares to the seven nations. And when she came home, she brought back all sorts of souvenirs.

One day, after a particularly long trip to Liyue, she came home carrying a mysterious brown squarish thing. 

"They call this a book," your mother had told you, gently placing the item in your hands as she closed the door behind her. "Open it and take a look!"

Taking the item from your mother, you slowly turned it in your hands, running a finger along its unbound side- the concaved, pressed pages bound by leather. 

"Records of... Jun- no, Jui-"

"Records of Jueyun," your mother corrected. "It's a storybook."

"What's that?"

"Why don't you open it?"

You cautiously pulled the hardcover and were greeted by pages upon pages of writing. But these writings were different from the passages you had to read at the village school. 

Words- both new and familiar, were placed together in ways you have never seen before, creating beautiful pictures in your mind. 

"...The merciful Geo Archon granted their request and made them as such. The end."

"Wait! That's it?!" you exclaim, desperately trying to find another page to turn. But all there was the brown, empty book cover. "That's all?"

"This is only the first volume," Your mother chuckled, patting your head gently as she took the book back. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll try to bring the next one another time, alright?"

"...Alright, but can I keep it?" you reached out, trying to take the book.

There was a pause from your mother as she pulled the book away from your reaching hands.

"Pleaseee?"

"Only if you promise to keep this a secret, alright?" Your mother squatted to your eye level, her tone serious. "You have to keep this book a secret, ok? No one can know that we have this."

"Yes! I will!" 

"Alright, now go put the book at the bottom of your toy box. And then let's go help Daddy cook some dinner!"

At that time, your enthusiasm distracted you from the seriousness in your mother's tone. As a young child, you didn't think about why you weren't allowed to tell anyone about your new possession- or why your mother had removed her Akasha Terminal when she spoke of the book. All you could think of were brave stone beasts and a magical land called "Liyue".

As tough as it was, you managed to keep the secret until the Matra barged into your home many years later (though the Personal Books Act was abolished by then). In those years, however, your obsession with books only grew- and was wholly encouraged by your parents. You learned how to read and to learn through reading. As a result, the Akasha Terminal you had received from the Akademiya when you turned 18 had been useless to you- what could it tell you that your precious books could not? The information you wanted was sometimes beyond what your credentials allowed you anyway. Besides, you loved the process of reading and reading and reading even more before you finally found what you wanted to know. What was the point of having information beamed into your mind when you could learn that and way more through books and research? 

"The world doesn't just consist of Sumeru," your mother had told you two years later on the day you moved out with your secret massive (and illegal) collection of books. "Go, look further than Vimara Village. Explore! Your books can only tell you so much."

"I know, Mum," your voice strains as you place a crate packed with books shrouded in cloth into your new home. In the interest of saving money, you hadn't moved far- just about a kilometre from your parents' house. It's a little bigger than your family home, which means more places for you to store (hide) your books. "But Liyue's Law School is expensive, and I want to save up as much as I can for it."

"You're an intelligent young woman," your father dusts off his hands. "I'm sure there are bursaries and scholarships that you can apply for. And if money is an issue-"

"Thank you, Dad, but it's fine. I want to be able to go there using my own money- if I don't learn to save and make my own Mora, when will I ever learn how to?"

"We understand, dear," your mother sighs, looking at you. "We just don't want you to waste your youth away toiling away when you could go to Liyue and learn and enjoy yourself now. You'll have all the time in Teyvat to work when you're older."

"And what I want is for the two of you to enjoy your retirement and explore Teyvat," you smile at your mother. "Don't worry about me! I'll learn lots from the work experience! It's like you always say, Mum..."

"Book learning alone is not enough to cultivate intelligence. All those scholars from the Akademiya are prime examples."  

If you're being honest, you don't want to leave your house. But if you don't head out now, you'll miss the only opportunity to buy groceries from Bahram until tomorrow morning. You don't think the onion (half an onion- Al Haitham ate the other half) from yesterday can sustain you till then.

You shut the door again, sighing as you stretched your sprained ankle. It doesn't hurt as much as yesterday, thankfully. But your stomach does, as it growls yet again.

One more minute. One more minute, and you'll head out.

You stare at your feet as you clutch your door handle, pulling it slightly open again. 60, 59, 58…

Your heart pounds. For some reason, the sounds outside your door seem sharper now. You hear every footstep, every laugh, every shuffle-

40, 39, 38…

There are people outside. So, so many people.

The moment you step out, you know you'll be under fire. Everyone thinks you had kidnapped the Acting Grand Sage, after all.

What are they saying about you now?

30, 29, 28…

Your reputation is probably in shambles right now. Getting arrested was pretty much social suicide. Falsely accused or not, it doesn't matter. The village gossipers don't care.

Maybe it's better to stay at home. No one can see you here. You can't hear the things they'll say about you here.

They'll all stare at you if you go out. Angry, disgusted stares. All pointed at you.

20, 19, 18…

Yeah. Home doesn't sound too bad. Food? Technically, paper is made from trees, yes? And trees are kind of like vegetables. You'll have a damn healthy diet if you eat your books. Thankfully, you have no shortage of them.

10, 9, 8…

Yep. Home is where the heart is, and your bookshelf can be your new food pantry.

5, 4, 3…

You remove your hand from the handle. One light push and your door will close- shutting you from the world.

You'll be safe.

You'll be alone.

You place your hand back on the handle, ready to push.

2, 1-

But just as you are about to push, fingers wrap around the edge of the open door and push back against you, forcing the door wide open.

Zero.

Al Haitham was supposed to head back immediately after settling things with Dilawar. That was the plan. He had no time to waste hanging around anywhere other than his office.

That was the plan. 

Thanks to her directions, he managed to find Dilawar's house not long after he left her home. He had pounded on the man's door relentlessly till he opened up.

And when he finally did, Al Haitham went off.

Al Haitham had let him know the full extent of his frustrations regarding the lack of response to his letters. And let Dilawar know how appalled he was when he came to the port to find it completely deserted- how could he, the main trade supervisor, let that happen?

"But Acting Grand Sage Al Haitham, be reasonable! There was nothing for the workers to do-"

"It is one thing to cut down on staff. It is a whole other thing to call it quits the moment things go south and lay everyone off," Al Haitham ranted. "I sent the first letter three months ago a day after the Port Ormos crash. The fact that I heard nothing back- and that I found that letter completely unread and on your desk alongside the others in your office shows that you immediately abandoned your post," Al Haithan sighed heavily. "According to the reports I received, merchant ships were still coming in when the Wikala Funduq shut down. Trade could have still gone on- however inefficiently- had you and Ms Gauhar not caved."

It wasn't like Al Haitham to go on and on like this about things that have already happened and cannot be changed. But he can't help it. The Port Ormos issue has been one of his biggest headaches that has been going on for three months now. And all because two flimsy trade supervisors can't do their job right the moment their Akasha Terminals couldn't help them. The reason for the Port Ormos Crash was internal- which made him all the more upset.

By the time Al Haitham finished dealing with Dilawar, night had fallen. He was exhausted- but not so much that he would have taken Dilawar's guest room. All he wants is to recharge in peace. Alone. In silence.

Turning the noise cancellation on his earpieces, he slowly walked out of Dilawar's house and turned towards the village dock. But just as he looked ahead to see where he was going, he saw something glowing softly below in the distance.

Squinting his eyes, Al Haitham took a step forward- what in Teyvat is that? Now that he thinks about it, won't this direction head towards her home? All he'll have to do is take the slope back down, and she'll be right there.

Ah, wait. That is her home- and if he focuses hard enough, he can see that whatever is glowing is coming from her home. The pieces start to click- it's candlelight. She's lighting candles around her home. The Matra destroyed everything- even her lanterns. 

Peering over the ledge, Al Haitham silently observes a single, flickering orange orb float from one end of her home to another- slowly illuminating room by room in a gentle glow. It's so much easier on the eye than the other houses with obnoxiously bright white lanterns.

Through the now backlit curtains, he sees her silhouette- and he watches her as she blows out the candle in her hand. He watches her graceful movements as she slowly makes her way across the room, running her hands along what he recalls to be one of her bookshelves- the one where she told him to place her law books. 

She runs a finger slowly down the spine of one of her books, and Al Haitham feels a shiver go down his- snapping him out of whatever trance he was stuck in. 

Archons, he must be exhausted. What is he, a creep? Staring at someone in their own home??

Gathering himself, he looks around. It's 15-minute walk back to the dock. With no guarantee that there's anyone still awake to take him back to Sumeru City.

Might as well spend the night here. The more he entertained the thought, the more appealing it sounded.

Oh, whatever, Al Haitham caves. He's too tired, and the ambience is too comfortable to resist. Finding what seems to be a nice tree, he settles himself down, leaning his head against the solid wooden bark as he watches the gentle glow of the distant candlelights lull him to sleep. 

And if his eyes ever drifted to the woman still picking out a book to read? Well, that'll be a secret between him and imaginary Kaveh (unfortunately).

"Are you alright?"

Out of anyone who you thought would bust into your house today, he wasn't one of them. You were expecting more of an angry mob- or one of those angry-Acting-Grand-Sage-fanatic that had missed the notice that you were innocent and was going to kill you in revenge for kidnapping the Acting Grand Sage (yeah, you've read too many Mondstadt romance novels).

"Al Haitham?" you stabilise yourself, taking a step towards him. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"

"Ah, of course," you say, realising at that moment that the now fully open door left you fully exposed to the outside world. "Come on in!" You invite, before promptly shutting the door behind him.

He's carrying something, you notice as you turn back to face him. Alongside his overnight bag, he's got a paper bag filled with stuff.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes," he replies calmly, looking around your home- his eyes lingering along a candlestand attached to your wall. "I just came by to pass you these," he hands over the paper bag to you. "Some groceries."

"Oh, you shouldn't have-"

"If I haven't, would you have gone out to get them yourself?" Al Haitham interrupts. "I saw you hover your door for over an hour."

"Ah, you saw that," you respond sheepishly. 

"I did. You opened the door just to close it every time."

"Well..."

"What are you afraid of?" Al Haitham cocks his head towards the door. "Your neighbours?"

When you don't reply, Al Haitham sighs.

"How's your ankle?" He changes the subject, motioning for you to sit on the couch.

"It's much better than yesterday! Just a bit of aching, but I'm fine," you reply hastily, grateful for the subject change. You don't want to talk about what could be awaiting you outside your door.

"That's good," Al Haitham sits opposite you, glancing at the book you've left on the armrest. "'Sumeru Law 203". I'm impressed you managed to get ahold of an Akademiya textbook."

"Oh!" Now this, you want to want to talk about. You've never had anyone to enthuse with about your book collection before. "I bought it from an Akademiya student passing by Port Ormos a couple of years ago! He kept saying that he wanted to quit and was throwing a whole fit at the docks!" you chuckle, remembering the scene. You had tried to calm him and encourage him, but it seemed his mind was made up, so you offered to buy the book from him. It took quite a bit of convincing since it was very illegal for Akademiya-associated individuals to sell their books to non-Akademiya individuals. But when you showed the student that you were willing to pay quite the sum, his determination wavered and eventually gave in.

"You're very lucky the Matra found you after the Personal Book Act was abolished," Al Haitham looks at your packed bookshelves as he flips to a page in the textbook. "All these books would have given you... at least a fifteen-year sentence- and your textbooks," he gives the one he holds a little shake in your direction while glancing at you, "would have been a separate sentence- easily ten years per book and-"

"The sentences would have been ordered to run consecutively, not concurrently," you finish his line. He looks up from the book, and you think he almost looks impressed. "I have seven Akademiya textbooks. In total, I would have sat in jail for no less than eighty-five years."

"...That's right."

"I could have spent an entire lifetime behind bars."

"You could have."

"Do you think I was stupid, then? To take a risk just to read books when I could have asked the Akasha Terminal and have all the knowledge beamed into my head instead?"

Al Haitham shuts the book gently and hands it back to you. His response is almost immediate.

"No. If anything, I think you are all the more brilliant for doing so."

Al Haitham spends the rest of the morning chatting with her about books. He gave his honest comments on those he had read before and took note of the ones she recommended. It was refreshing, to say the least.

This was the first time he'd ever spoken to someone so enthusiastic about reading. Any reader he had come across before this were all Akademiya students- who mostly did read begrudgingly just so they could say they fulfilled their book annotation coursework in the House of Daena. The only other person who even had the slightest chance of matching her current enthusiasm was Kaveh- and he didn't even like reading as much as he liked spewing out his opinions in whatever architecture book he was annotating.

But her- she enjoyed it, reading. She liked getting confused by the words, and looking them up in a (Al Haitham hardly gets surprised by anything, but this did) actual, paper dictionary. She likes jumping back pages to re-read that one sentence she did not understand, but they referenced it later so she has to. She liked finding out that one book said this, and the other said that- so she could think about both and try to figure out which made more sense to her.

The effort. The focus. The occasional paper cut. She loved all of it.

It was a whole experience watching her talk about what she had read. Hearing what she thought about it- telling her what he thought about it- pushing each other's horizons just that little bit further.

He loved it.

"I mean, I think it's valid for Risha to think like that," she states, pointing out a passage in a novel. They had moved on from non-fiction to fiction- from the bookshelf near the main door to the one at the back wall. "But her reaction wasn't justified- Ona doesn't deserve that at all! She didn't know!"

"I agree," Al Haitham prepares to rebut. "But-"

A shrill scream pierces through the calm atmosphere, and she nearly falls out of her seat.

"What happened?!"

"It sounds like it's coming from the houses above," Al Haitham hears a flurry of footsteps leading towards the slope. "Let's go."

By the time you reach the top of the slope, you're not far behind Al Haitham. Panting, you look up. Everyone's gathered around Mr Dilawar's house- and is someone crying?

"Get behind me," Al Haitham whispers to you. "Is your ankle-"

"My ankle's fine. I'm just- just out of shape," you pant. "That's Mr Dilawar's house."

"I met him there yesterday," Al Haitham slowly pushes past the crowd. "I stayed with him till the late evening, before I-"

"What-"

You've suddenly spun around, facing away from the house.

"Al Haitham?! What are you-" You turn your head to face back, but he blocks your vision with a quick step.

"How comfortable are you with blood?"

"Blood? What do you mean-"

"Human blood. In large quantities."

A shiver goes down your spine.

"Al Haitham, what happened to Mr Dilawar?"

Just as Al Haitham was about to reply, a loud voice from the house yelled at the crowd to give way. You step aside, guided by Al Haitham, as a makeshift stretcher quickly carries something covered by a red-stained tarp away from his house. The smell is unmistakable- it's blood.

You turn to face the house, and this time Al Haitham doesn't block you. You're instantly greeted by a world of red- which you're sure extends further into his house if only you have the guts to check. 

"Who was the last person to see him?" A man sobs- Mr Azmas. "That must be who killed my brother! Find him now! Get the Matra!"

"I met him there yesterday," Al Haitham had pushed past the crowd. "I stayed with him till the late evening, before I-"

You have a bad feeling about this. A shiver, now threatening to break into full-blown trembling threatens to take over your body as you turn to face the green-clad man slowly.

"Al Haitham, what happened with Mr Dilawar?"

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[differenteagletragedy]

New Our Life AU just dropped!!! It may not be everyone's cup of tea but IT IS OK to do a little something for yourself sometimes and if no one else wants this then I can just put it in my diary tysm lmk

You sat at your desk, idly twirling your pen in your hand and staring straight ahead. You should be taking notes -- this was one of your hardest classes and the final was coming up quick -- but at that moment, you couldn't find the willpower to focus. Not when your professor was standing at the front of the room, rolling up the sleeves of his immaculately fitted button-up with graceful fingers, exposing lean, toned forearms. You saw a small mole on his wrist as he brought up his hands to smooth out the front of his shirt.

Professor Ward was painfully beautiful, you noted, just as you'd noted hundreds of times over the course of the semester.

His deep, smooth voice was something you registered as he gave his lecture, though his actual words weren't coming through. And that was unfortunate, because when he stopped talking and made eye contact with you, a smirk making his face somehow even more handsome, you knew you'd been caught.

"I'm sorry, what?" you asked, sitting up a little straighter.

His smirk got a little more devious as he sauntered towards your desk. You tried not to give an audible gulp -- Professor Ward was tough, known for teasing his students, never cruelly but enough to make the more sensitive ones nervous about it. When he was standing in front of you, he leaned down slightly and put one hand on your closed textbook.

"This may help," he said, still with that smug grin. He glanced up at you, warm brown eyes lit up behind the black hair that swooped elegantly across his forehead. You watched as he brought a hand up to open the book and flip towards the correct passage. He was close enough that you could smell his cologne.

"Now," your professor continued, turning to walk back to the front of the room. You watched his long legs move under the pants you just knew had to be tailored, they fit him that well. He opened his mouth, but as you were preparing for the worst, he glanced up at the clock and stopped.

"It appears that class is over for today," he announced. As your classmates began packing up their things, he slid his hands into his pockets, and his eyes met yours. You quickly looked back down, gathering your own items and shoving them in your bag so you could get out of there as quickly as possible before you could embarrass yourself further.

Just as you were about to reach the exit, Professor Ward called your name. You did gulp this time -- the crush you had on him was honestly a little too intense -- but you stopped and looked at him expectantly.

"I was wondering," he asked. "Do you have a bit of time before your next class? I was hoping we could speak about your performance lately. It appears you've been a bit ... distracted."

"I have time," you told him, "but I'm fine. I'm sorry about today, I'll try to focus more."

"Is everything all right?" he asked, and you thought you saw a bit of concern cross his expression. "Not to pry, of course, but if there's something I could do to accommodate you, that could be arranged."

You tried to fight it, but you felt your cheeks get hot and you knew you were blushing. You had such a crush on your professor that he thought something was legitimately wrong with you -- if you could melt into a puddle and evaporate, you would.

He noticed the blush -- of course he did. The smirk came back.

"Actually, I forgot, I do have to go," you said quickly, adjusting your bag and looking for anything to focus your eyes on that wasn't him. "But I'm ok, thanks."

"Of course," you heard him say as you moved towards the door. "But do stop by my office if you need to discuss anything."

You nodded, shooting one more glance back at him before you left. He'd started moving back towards his own desk, hands still tucked into his pockets, and when he felt your eyes on him he looked up. He didn't say anything, and you didn't either.

You looked away first, mumbling something about how you were fine and an apology for not playing closer attention today. You were almost gone when you heard him say, "I have office hours this afternoon. Come by if you'd like."

Somehow you managed to stifle your groan until you were out of earshot from his classroom. Because, as you were acutely aware, you would very much like to see as much of him as possible.

[infinite-criseas]

Remus stared blankly across the pages of his book. He had read the same passage a couple times, not actually comprehending anything. His mind was stuck on the same question that had been perplexing him all morning. “Why didn’t he invite me?”

….

Earlier that day, Remus was enjoying breakfast while reading about his latest fascination - high wizard society and its history. A subject which his boyfriend Sirius seemed to have infinite knowledge about, albeit not learned willingly. James ran in, sweaty after quidditch practice.

“Moony!! Want to find tuxes together this afternoon?”

“What for?” Remus replied, confused.

“The Black family gala of course!” James replied, “my parents might also have some extra suits we can try on, they might look a bit dated but I’m sure you can make dated work considering u dress like an old geezer already” James said jokingly

“I- I don’t think I’m going” Remus replied, suddenly embarrassed of himself. Sirius never said anything about a gala. Why wouldn’t he want him there? Many reasons came to mind, but he avoided thinking about them as to not spiral immediately.

“WHAT?! You have to come Mooony, Sirius will be devastated! And the whole gang is coming… Peter, Marlene, Lily, Dorcas…” James whined.

“No- I- Sirius didn’t invite me.” Remus said quickly, slammed his book shut, and ran out into the hall, leaving behind a stunned James. Remus kept running, as the spiraling thoughts began to set in. Was his boyfriend embarrassed of him? Did Sirius not want to invite a werewolf to his family? After all who would want a violent beast at such a royal event? Or was it because he wasn’t a pureblood? Did Sirius even love him as much as he thought? Tears welling up in his eyes, Remus ran into the woods.

…

Meanwhile Sirius walked into the common room, flowers in hand, excitedly searching for Remus.

Two nights ago, Remus showed him some muggle movie- the name he can’t remember- but there was a cute scene where the guy extravagantly asks the girl to be his date to the dance. Remus explained to him that muggles from across the pond had a dance in their upper levels called “PROM” and they’d ask their dates in very elaborate “prom-posals”. Sirius fell in love with the idea.

When he found out about his family’s gala, he decided to ask Remus to be his date with a “prom-posal” of his own. He consorted with Lily to get learn a spell to write out “Be my date to the gala?” in the air. James of course helped him practice the spell during which they cause a couple small fires (none deadly). And he got Peter to help him find these absolutely beautiful golden flowers, which matched the glisten in Remus’s eyes.

Sirius looked for Remus, only to find the room empty. James ran through the entrance, completely out of breath, “oh Merlin, I’ve been looking for you Pads. I’m an idiot, I accidentally told Moony about the gala and now he thinks you don’t want him there. The map says he’s somewhere in the forest” James blurted out, gasping for breath at the end, “I’m so sorry for ruining the surprise Pads”

Anger. Confusion. Reassignment. “Ah its ok Prongs we all know you’re lips are as loose as your arsehole” Sirius joked, patting James across the chest as he ran off to find Moony, once again leaving a stunned James Potter behind.

Sirius found moony under a tree, open book in his hand, tear stains streaking his face. “Oh Moony, babe” Sirius puts down the flowers and runs his arm around Remus, embracing him. Remus instinctively buries his face into his boyfriend shoulder. Sirius rubbed his hand across Remus’ back comforting him.

“I didn’t invite you to the gala because I wanted to surprise you with a promposal”

Remus looked up innocently “like the movie we watched?” He whispered softly in surprise.

“Exactly, my love” Sirius cast the spell, which began to write out “Be my date to the gala?” in sparks of colorful flames across the air. He picked the flowers off the ground next to him and gently offered them to his boyfriend who was once again in tears. Remus started giggling through the tears.

“It’s beautiful, Pads” he sniffled “I love you” Remus clasped Sirius’ face in his hands and brought their lips crashing together. The flowers fell to the floor again, as their kisses deepened each pulling the other one closer.

“So will you?” Sirius asked when the finally pulled apart for air.

“Will I what?” Remus asked

“Be my date to my cursed family’s stupid gala?” Sirius laughed

“I couldn’t possibly say no”

[dontmindmeimjusthereforthesequel]

Ok, wait. Im currently on my third relisten of TMA and I'm at Mag 107 Third Degree. Jon is poking around America following Gertrude's trail and he just found out about Gerry's death and subsequent skin book entry.

And that has always bothered me to a degree.

I just couldn't figure out why Gertrude would do that. It seemed unnecessarily cruel and oddly pointless. At first I thought it was because she needed him for something or just didn't want to lose him, but when Jon interviews him he doesn't seem to have much in the way of information, and Gertrude doesn't strike me as the overly sentimental type; and if she needed him, why would she leave America without his page? She was able to talk herself out of being arrested, and she had plenty of determination and resources as well as a good six months before her own death if she wanted to get the book back, but it just... didn't happen. I just didn't understand why she would go to all that trouble to put him in the skin book and then just... leave him there.

And then... I had a thought.

Did... did Gertrude put Gerry in the skin book to prevent him from coming back as an avatar? Because Gerry died of a serious brain tumor and Trever Herbert had lung cancer when he gave his statement and died in the institute and then just got up and went about his business. And dying is sort of a right of passage into becoming a fully fledged avatar, right? Was Gerry becoming an avatar??? His entire life he was constantly surrounded by fear, (first as a child with Mary and her Leitners, then as an adult with Gertrude at the institute) so there is no way he wasn't affected by all that. The guy had a reputation! He was constantly interacting with people who were marked or in some kind of trouble! even if he wasn't in it to scare people, he was still around them while they were experiencing that terror. There is no way he didn't attract the attention of ONE fear entity that entire time.

And if he was becoming an avatar, what entity was he aligned with? I know The Eye seems like the obvious choice, what with his tattoos and working at the institute, but I'm not sold on the idea. Gertrude and Mary (and presumably Gerry as well) were very careful to walk the tightrope between entities, never giving themselves over to just one, and if Gerry was eye aligned I would think that Gertrude would not approve. To me the tattoos seem almost like a preventative measure of some kind? Connecting himself to Beholding to prevent another fear from sinking its claws into him. Personally, I feel it is more likely he was part of The Hunt (tracking down Leitners for Mary and rituals for Gertrude) or The Desolation (destroying things that are precious to other avatars like the Leitners or rituals). Hunt seems more likely in the long run, especially since we find Gerry's page with two avatars of the hunt. Just saying.

Idk. Maybe this has already been discussed at length somewhere in the community, but if it was I certainly missed it, and it has been bothering me for years.

tl;dr - Gertrude put Gerry in the skin book to prevent him being reborn as an avatar

I need to go lie down

[randomingoftherandomness]

Fic: you've got the key to my heart (Qiubing)

A/N: I forgot I get motion sickness. Oh, Gab, how did you forget you get motion sickness? Answer is, because I'm a dumbass sometimes and am occasionally prone to the miseries :S

Tagging @snicker-doodles @xinyuehui 💖 @wuxia-vanlifer as well if you are OK with me tagging you 💗

--

"Why?"

Qiu Qingzhi doesn't look up from where he is writing out his report with his uninjured hand. It's due in a month, but might as well get a head start on this and all the non-urgent paperwork.

Anything to give him enough reason not to look Li Bing in the eyes.

"Good evening, Vice Minister Li. I do hope you didn't sneak into my residence just to ask me a question without context."

He feels Li Bing's scowl more than he sees it - - a sort of familiar wavering in the air that tickles an old instinct in him to appease and soothe over whatever that has made the other man unhappy.

"Do not play the fool with me, Qiu Qingzhi, I know you better than that," Li Bing seethes, taking a half step forward. The shadow he casts looms over the wet glint of the drying ink.

Qiu Qingzhi sighs.

"Why do any of this?" He asks around a tired chuckle. Settling the pen brush on its holder, he grunts a little as he unfolds himself from his sitting position, revealing to Li Bing the extent of his injuries.

Li Bing is wide eyed when their gazes meet. It's a dirty trick to get him to stop being upset, but it's one that Qiu Qingzhi knows would work. As much as he is an open book to the other man, Li Bing is to him, too.

He stands as still as possible when he takes a full stride to him. Then a step, tentative and careful. A hand raised, tenderly, slowly. Dark eyes look into his own, waiting for a slight tip of his head before moving again to touch.

Honestly, it looks worse than it feels.

Qiu Qingzhi hadn't hesitated even for a beat to pull Li Bing out of harm's way today. There had not been any thought, only instinct. Some things can't be shaken off in the passages of time, and for Qiu Qingzhi, he'll always be first in line to put his body and soul down to protect his most precious person.

"You're bleeding through the bandages," Li Bing murmurs, tracing the puckered edges of the dressing that has started to darken with red.

"I can change it out after you leave," Qiu Qingzhi says, equally as hushed. The curious curl of hurt in Li Bing's eyes is a surprise.

"Do you... Want me to leave?"

Despite his better judgement, he finds himself saying, "Will you even want to stay?"

The touch that brushes over his skin turns insistent. "Why did you save me today?"

It's a test. Qiu Qingzhi has never been fond of tests.

To tell him the truth would ruin everything he had planned. Every sin, every single ruinous thing he has ever done, every regrettable outcome, every time he tore his soul in two in the hopes of keeping him safe. Every step he had taken to protect this man before him would be in jeaprody if he knew...

If he only knew how much Qiu Qingzhi loves him. Has loved him since the day he shared a plate of biscuits with a runaway slave and protected him. Has loved him through the days and the months and the years, and has never once stopped.

He would give up more than an arm if it means Li Bing could be safe and hale.

But for his bravery on the battlefield, he has no words. Nothing pretty to string together that could be worthy of the truth. So, Qiu Qingzhi carefully takes the hand on his collarbone and brings it over his heart. "You ask me why, but have you ever stopped to ask yourself that? Why are you here, if you don't already know the answer?"

"I..." Qiu Qingzhi tightens his careful hold on Li Bing's hand, shivering a little under the intensity of his gaze. "You have the keys to my heart. You are the only one I have adored most ardently, and I... I..."

Li Bing surges forth, wrapping him up in his arms in a tender hold. Mindful of his injuries, he tucks his face against Qiu Qingzhi's neck lips to his pulse. The sensation burns and the General exhales with a shudder.

"I never asked for this."

"I know," Qiu Qingzhi croaks out, heart hammering in his chest. "I know and I am sorry."

"You fool," Li Bing hisses, pulling back. The corners of his eyes are red-rimmed. "You should have said something earlier..."

"I had to prove myself worthy of you," Qiu Qingzhi manages, willing him to understand. He has no defence against this man. Not when he is smiling back at him, knocking their foreheads together.

"You were always worthy to me."

[potol0ver]

MC with DID

DID; Dissociative Identity Disorder, a disorder characterized by the presence of two or more personalities, usually formed as a result from trauma to avoid harmful memories.

A/N; I have DID and my brain keeps wanting to write headcannons about the bros and everyone else with an MC with DID- so this is what this post is! It’s extremely self indulgent but I’ll try my best to involve as much of the differences of personal accounts with DID as possible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They’d all feel surprised by a condition like that. It would be a thing that’s more frequent in humans and very rare in angels and demons, they’d probably even show differently to, so needless to say they’re all intrigued in their own way.

All of them will probably ask about your alters, how many there are, how frequent (if at all) you switch alters, what personalities each alter has, etc.

Lucifer and Satan would definitely see the similarities of DID with the birth of Satan. Which leads to both of them shivering with the thought of being stuck in the same body as each other.

But for that reason they’d both feel like they have a deeper connection with you, even if it’s not the same, it’s similar enough to bond over it.

Levi and Satan would definitely find characters in their respective fiction stories that look/act like your alters.

Asmo would give your alters different wardrobes, makeup looks, and nail arts. He hast to make sure you all know he loves each and every one of you equally!

Beel would test you and see which alter likes different foods, he even makes it a game to see which alter is fronting just by what you eat.

Belphie would be the chillist, it’s not like he doesn’t care about you, he just takes it as “oh cool, that’s something I didn’t know, whatev’” although he would secretly pick up on the voice changes between your alters, even if they’re subtle. He’d even figure out which alters they belong to and call you by that alter name, just to tease you a little bit.

Mammon would brush it off as no big deal, which it truly isn’t to him, but he’ll make it his life goal to know which alter is fronting when ever he’s near you. Like it’s his right of passage as your “first”, it’s honestly just a sweet gesture. He will get mad that Belphie picked up in the voices faster than he did tho-

Satan it’d probably be a thing he didn’t realize could happen and now he’s deep diving in book and over all knowledge about DID, he hast to know! It’s intrigues him so much, besides his human has it, that’s enough reasoning for him. I can see him getting slightly worried about what MC went through to have this, but overall impressed by how resilient the human brain is.

Barbatos, Diavolo, and Simeon would think the same. They’d all secretly praise you and maybe even look up to you about how strong you are. (All if them would but these three especially.)

Luke, he’d want to draw all of your alters, no matter what they look like, and if it’s take awhile because of how many there might be. In the end you’ll have the drawings pinned on your wall collage style.

Solomon probably heard about it at one point or another, but never really looked into it. He’d become like a walking question air. He means it respectfully of course, he also wonders if it’ll have affect on your magic. Well now he knows what your next lesson will be.

All of them would help you remember stuff, I know for me I forgot small every day stuff, like the last time I showered, or if I had eaten. So they’d all remind you, maybe even have you write down when you’d last eaten and stuff on a note pad you carry around to help you. (If you’re ok with that idea of course. Knowing me I’d lose it 24/7)

If you have little alters, they’d love them to. Lucifer, Barbatos, and Simeon’s more paternal sides come out with them and definitely become a sort of parental figure towards them. Mammon would be the protective older brother towards them, Beel and Belphie would be the chill siblings to them, always down to cuddle and happily snack with them. Satan would read them books, Asmo would dress them up, and Levi would find games they both can play.

If you switch rapidly/out of no where, they’d all at first a little startled at how out of no where it could be, but it quickly falls into the normal. If you’d forget stuff between the switches, they’ll rewind a little and continue the convo like nothing happened.

Let’s be honest, there’s such a wide range of people here that your alters would come out more with certain people. So they’d all at one point realize this when you’re talking rather profoundly with Mammon and Levi, then on a dime acting similarly to Barb when he, Dia, and Lucifer come around. They’d all try to figure out which alter hangs around them more.

[misc-obeyme]

Do you think Satan annotates his books? On one hand I can kind of see it… yet I’ve heard multiple people talk about giving him bookmarks or him also having way too many of them which suggests that he doesn’t dog-ear the pages... which can lead to (in general) less ‘vandalism’ of books. There is also the fact that his books are probably cursed, ancient relics, one really really really rare copy for a certain reason which are going to be kept in as pristine condition as possible.

Ok—well, the real question here is whether Satan thinks that books are shrine that has to be preserved and or a shrine that is to be lived in. I honestly can’t make up my mind on this answer and I feel like it can go both ways.

Yet I feel like it can be really funny to mess around with both these head cannons. I would love to just mess around with a Satan that makes sure that not a bit of ink gets spilled on his pages, and then just opening one of my own books and then highlighting or underlining a passage while looking him straight in the eye and giggling maniacally just to annoy him.

Or if he is for annotation, I can just imagine MC and him both starting a book at the same time. They are both too busy/impatient to wait until the end/ have different reading paces so they don’t want to spoil. So instead they annotate their notes and ideas in the margins, highlight passages and leave little notes for each other. Then in the middle of the day or whenever they pass by each other they just swap books and look at the other’s annotations and add comments to those annotations while still continuing to read from the page where they left off. So that means that in each book there’s one conversation going on…

Soon enough there’s not enough space in the margins so post-it notes start appearing in the books, and by the end of it all both books would have gotten thicker from the amount of post-it notes, the sides of the pages would’ve also started to turn neon from the amount of highlights.

And can you imagine how this would look to other students at RAD or the brothers? Like it’s a really busy week for some reason yet they can’t help but watch whenever MC passes Satan. They don’t even need to stop to swap books, they just do it like a fly-by and no words are exchanged because they’re already in the book.

OH! IMAGINE IF EITHER INE OF THEM GOES A CERTAIN STREET OR HALLWAY JUST TO CROSS THE OTHER AGAIN BECAUSE THEY REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE OTHER THINKS OF A CERTAIN PART THEY JUST READ.

AND IF IT’S A SPICY BOOK????

THEN THEY START TEASING EACHOTHER AND LITERALLY FLIRTING IN THE MARGINS AND SOON THE TENSION RISES AND THEIR HANDS START BRUSHING WHENEVER THEY SWAP BOOKS AND THEY CANT EVEN LOOK EACH OTHER AT A TABLE WITHOUT BLUSHING LIKE AHAJAHAAHHAJAMSMDFJFJR. AND WHEN THEY FINALLY GET HOME AND HAVE TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT NORMALLY AGAIN!?

I SERIOUSLY CANNOT WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS.

HAVE A NICE DAY.

-Anon (I am so tempted to have an anon name yet I’m still thinking about it lol)

Anon, you don't even need me. All of these ideas are perfection and I LOVE THEM. (Please feel free to choose a name if you like, but no pressure!)

Turns out I myself am a book person. I collect books to such a degree that I had to build a library in my house just to hold them all. And before I had the library, I kept them in stacks around the house, frighteningly similar to the stacks we see in the art for Satan's bedroom. Some of his stacks are taller and I certainly have never had any magical floating books, but man if it isn't reminiscent of my own book habits.

So I can tell you that I have opinions on annotation in general.

The thing about books is that most of them are worthless. Even really old books that you find at a used book store usually aren't worth anything, which is why they sell them for like five bucks. This means that their value exists solely in the writing they hold. It's the content that makes books special.

Now this isn't to say that expensive first editions or signed first copies or whatever don't exist. And certainly ancient books become more valuable due to their age and rarity. But that's like museum quality stuff. And since Satan likely does have magical books, that might change the value part as well. Since I would think magical books, especially rare ones, might be worth more.

However, considering how many books Satan has, I'm thinking the majority of them aren't super valuable. He probably has a different way of handling the books that are rare. He seems like the kind of demon who would preserve those types of books and I don't think he would annotate them. He might keep a separate notebook of notes, especially if they're like... scholarly tomes or something.

But novels? Or books that are pretty common that he could buy another copy of at any time?

I do think Satan could go either way with the annotation of those kinds of books. I think he would consider the content to be just as important as the monetary value, so he might see a book as a shrine to preserve, as you put it. (I love that, by the way.) However, I also think that Satan often has lots of thoughts about what he reads. He's also said in canon that he doesn't use bookmarks - not because he dog ears pages, but because he just remembers where he left off.

Solomon, on the other hand, strikes me entirely as the kind of guy who writes all over his books. And we know that Satan and Solomon have had discussions about books in the past.

So I kinda have a headcanon that Satan didn't annotate books before, but he does now because Solomon introduced him to it. Or somehow talked him into it. Convinced him of the benefits of doing it. Reminding him that these cheaper books don't need to be preserved, they're made to be lived in.

Now I love the idea of MC and Satan sharing books and writing back and forth to each other. I think a lot about the concept of people falling in love with each other through some form of writing and reading. Whether that's a letter exchange or a writer and their reader or through book annotations...

Even if you're dealing with a platonic relationship between Satan and MC, I think it's a fun idea. Like if they're reading a mystery together and MC writes something in the margins about who they think did it and Satan writes back with something like you're insane it's clearly this other character and the margins just devolve into argument.

Of course, the spicy book option is also a fantastic idea. Would they discuss it when they're finally alone? Or would they just pretend nothing was going on? Either way, the tension!

I kinda think if MC indicated that they wanted to discuss spicy stuff, Satan would be ready with a thorough analysis of it. Like if it was badly written, you can expect a scathing review lol. (I'm just imagining Satan's opinion of lines like "She breasted boobily down the stairs.") But if it was good well... that could very easily lead to a suggestion of attempting to recreate the scene, don't you think?