#i will not/nor do i want to pursue this in any way though. shes too young for me (22) & im currently dating someone i really really like

[animezinglife]

I understand it, too.

I genuinely do find Solas attractive, albeit in a different way. I would love to romance him with a different character someday---I just wish we got Solas for who he truly was from the start of that romance or that the truth had come out earlier. I'm good at avoiding spoilers, and I hadn't known he would betray the Inquisitor, nor had I even known you couldn't romance him as a human. I had actually gone in fully expecting Mira to flirt with him a little (I knew nothing about Cullen's romance at the time and had always heard Solas was the way to go), but that's simply not how their dynamic played out anyway.

I have no doubt his and Lavellan's is an enthralling story in DA:I, and I would at some point like to experience it. I fully understand the appeal. I would fully be there myself with the right character and mindset.

Solas is captivating. He's someone you could talk with for hours on end about the most abstract concepts, but there's always that small sense of him keeping his distance (even before the topic ever comes up). Even I knew there was more he wasn't saying by the way he dodged questions and some of the dialogue between him and other companions. Though for someone who didn't know better, that could've simply meant he was far more powerful than he let on, knew more than he let on, likely older than he seemed, and wanted to protect himself. The whole, "elven god of lies" thing was a bit more of a twist than I'd anticipated. A secret, ancient elf hiding some things I can do, especially if those layers get peeled back over time. I'm less sure about elven Loki.

I think it truly would've been interesting had it gone a bit more in the direction of Children of Fallen Gods/Mother of Death and Dawn (which, some have noticed, draws some considerable parallels to Solavellan in ways that can't be considered coincidence). Without bringing too many spoilers to the forefront of the conversation, there is some...mutual awareness and corruption that occurs between Totally-Not-Solas and Totally-Not-Lavellan. The power dynamic's more balanced and decision making more...comparable to some degree.

(I am not, by the way, blaming Solas or pointing any fingers at anyone regarding their power dynamics in DA:I).

Solas is the guy whose beauty (if you lean that way at all) isn't quite as noticeable until you get into a really deep discussion with him and realize your heart's beating a little too quickly and you're definitely sitting closer to him now than you were before. He draws you in. He piques your curiosity a bit too much.

I truly do not factor in looks at all (within reason---I'm blatantly partial to humans, elves, fae, vampires, etc.) when I play games with romance options. Solas (in theory; I played as a human, which negates the option) would've been every bit as high up on my to-romance list as Cullen. In truth, he was higher just because he was the one I knew so many were obsessed with. Just because Cullen caught my eye faster didn't mean he and my Inquisitor would've been a good match.

But wow, were they.

I easily lean more towards the "Solas-is-attractive" camp in general. Honestly, I love the fact that the romance options in DA:I were so different and unique from each other. Any players who chose to pursue a romance could find one that suited their characters perfectly. I like that there are a range of personalities, dynamics, and looks, and that there's good variety.

For me personally, nothing in that particular game will ever top Cullen's just because it's so incredibly hyper-specific to every little thing I love and value most even in real life. It's perfect for Mira's story; she is, admittedly, a lot like me. I couldn't believe a romance like that even existed in a game (and you already know why/the many layers I'm referring to).

Yet I also know there are plenty who wouldn't like his romance at all and vastly prefer Solas (or someone else in general).

That's the beauty of it, though.

But, yeah..."ugly?" That's not even a word I'd consider for Solas at all.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard | ▶ dev. Bioware

[alice-in-hotel-land]

Oct. 15th, 2024

I was a little too high when I got to work tonight and my manager (whom I'm pretty sure thinks I'm cute and/or has a crush on me cause she lowkey acts flirty with me) was wearing a hella attractive fit with a new top that I haven't seen her wear yet & tbh she was serving hot eccentric corporate femme realness. I literally was just so focused on how good she looked & practically tuned out the work stuff she was filling me in on. All I could think was "She looks so fucking good I'm such a fucking lesbian oh my god...."

"Ok good to know," As soon as it was my turn to talk I didn't even bother addressing whatever work thing she was conveying to me and gave the blouse a quick look up, saying, "I just want to say I love that shirt btw! You look.....really nice in it." (had to pause for a second because my high ass opened my mouth to say like "you look good as hell/you look hella good" which i knew would be a little too inappropriate to say, especially considering one of the pm desk girls, May, was standing like 4 feet away from us at the other desk, and she hates Alice and is also a gossip so...) After i said that, her face immediately lit up with a beaming smile, she started saying 'thank you' and other stuff while sputtering, then she goes "I could kiss you for that!"

When I tell you it shocked me so hard and was so unexpected that my face instantly turned into the 😳 emoji, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. I could feel my face getting flush (I turn pink really easily when I'm too warm, doing extraneous physical work, anxious, embarrassed, flustered etc. so its not like i could hide it from her.) Like exCUSE ME??? What was that, ma'am??? What to run that by me again?

I think she noticed my shock and the fact that it got quiet for like .5 seconds and she laughed loudly, backpeddeling, saying like "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!!! I'm so sorry, no seriously, I'm just joking. You're face was so funny though haha 😅" I'm just standing there shocked and trying to recover from that curveball, but in hindsight like.....it's ok girly, if you're gonna say it then say it with your chest. Like I'm sorry, what was that? I don't think I heard you very well. You're gonna have to speak up, don't be shy lmao. When she started apologizing I actually opened my mouth to say "It's ok even if you weren't joking haha," but I clamped my mouth shut because, again, gossipy coworker just feet away from us and I'm not trying to get Alice or myself in trouble. Needless to say that's what it took for me to finally be aware that like, oh shit maybe she actually has been flirting with me for months??

[ddollfface]

Can I please request a Yandere Hanayama Kaoru head canon?

𝐀 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦

𝙆𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙪 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙢𝙖 𝙔𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙣

Warnings; reader is afab/described a girl, yandere behaviors, stalking, I talk a lot, lots of ramblings, probably doesn't make any sense, bad writing, more stalking, Tumblr is trying to silence me, ngl Hanayama is growing on me... If I missed anything, then please let me know ♡ Bro, I'm so sorry that this is super rushed, seeing as I hit the word limit??? I'm super confused because I barely wrote anything, but whatever. A lot of my headcanons are based around @yandere-writer-momo. Also, sorry for being offline for so long lol, kinda forgot I had Tumblr ngl :/

Okay, to start this off, I think that realistically, it'd be very, very, very hard to get Hanayama's attention. He's shown to be stoic and stone-faced, only showing respect and warmth toward specific people (Baki and Shiba included). And I think it's important to mention that the people he does respect is due to their fighting spirit and/or strength, that or they were there during his childhood (like Kizaki and his mama).

And that's just for him to show basic affection toward them, not even accounting for being loving. For you to catch his attention, I think that you'd have to be either a really strong fighter (meaning having impressive skills of some sort) or have a strong will, either one will work. (Though, a lot of the time, both go hand-in-hand).

When I say a strong will, I don't mean you get up after being punched over and over, instead, it can just be standing up for others. Similar to Katsumi, I can see Hanayama being attracted to a person who's selfless, in the sense that they're brave. Someone who's willing to push through their fear and do it, whatever it is. Now, that catches his attention.

There's a never-ending list of cowards who'll run with their tails between their legs at the sight of discomfort, willing to abandon everything just for their own gain, and Hanayama encounters these men all the time. Let's just say that it gets boring, annoying even. So when you see someone who's spitfire, ready to jump into danger for themselves or others. Now, that's impressive.

Whether or not they can actually carry through doesn't matter too much, it's the fact that they got back up, not letting their dignity lay to rest. Personally, I find that Hanayama would be far more interested in someone who's genuinely acting selfless in this way, acting from the heart.

Going more into his childhood, I think this type is rooted in Hanayma's relationship with his mother. Though I haven't read the manga, from the wiki, I've gained that he was close to his mother, loving her very much. We don't know much about her. Hell, we don't even know her name, but we do know that she was kind.

That's the only information we're given, but even from that, I can make an analysis. From this, I know that Hanayama was likely a Mama's boy, though still being trained to be a Yakuta. I don't mean Mama's boy in the traditional sense, I mean it in the way that she was his peace, his way out of the Yukuta world, his destiny. Being raised in a gangster lifestyle isn't easy, nor is it soft, so just imagine the damage that type of environment can put on a child's brain?

Horrible, huh? So I like to think that Hanayama's mama, before she passed, was far softer to him, giving him some sense of security. this is possibly why he felt such sorrow after she passed, discarding the natural pain we feel when our mama dies (seeing as there's a primal connection we have with our mama, but that doesn't matter too much at the moment).

Hanayama is a very monotone kind of guy, who, I imagine, doesn't like people with some type of alternate motive. Like, y'know how politicians or businessmen talk? Like they're hiding something from you? Yeah, Hanayama loathes those kinds of people, especially if they're trying to pursue him. I belive that he wants someone who'll keep his life steady; be his calm, if you will.

He wants someone who will be upfront, express themselves clearly, and won't keep what they're thinking from you. To him, this is a breath of fresh air. Hanayama is constantly surrounded by lackeys trying to kiss up to him, speaking with a hidden motive (which isn't really hidden in retrospect). If they're not trying to appease them, then they're quacking in their boots, ready to piss themselves.

But you're not like that, no, not at all. You're different. Hanayama can tell, you aren't some coward, instead, you're someone to respect. He can imagine you sitting next to him, all pretty as a Yakuza's wife. Yeah, he likes the sound of that. Well, the only problem is that you don't know who he is, not yet at least.

I imagine that you wouldn't know who Hanayama is, at first, seeing as he never spoke to you. He likely witnessed you acting selfless in some type of way, expressing your kindness by helping a grandma get across the street, something like that.

You didn't notice him, but he sure noticed you. At first, it wasn't anything too special. Hanayama just found you interesting, wanting to see what you'd do next, so he had one or two of his men keep a tab on you--nothing serious. It continues like that for quite a while, and Hanayama learns more and more about you. He knows that you like to sing when you cook, tapping your feet to the beat, and swaying side-to-side. It's cute, he thinks. And Hanayama feels closer to you, as if you know each other, like you're friends.

But then one of his men reports that you're not at home, not following your usual schedule. Instead, you were at some dingy cafe, drinking crappy coffee with another man, some slumbag who looked like he hadn't showered in a hot second. For some reason, which Hanayama doesn't know, he gets ticked off.

Someone as sweet, kind, and damn pretty as you shouldn't associate with someone like him, someone so gross.

He doesn't do anything, no, no yet. It'd be too brash, and too stupid. And Hanayama isn't stupid. No, Hanayama can keep himself composed, now knowing that he needs to get your attention. Afterall, he can't have you running around with other men, not when he's right here! Well... you don't know that, yet.

Few weeks pass, and you've completely forgotten the trashy date you had gone on, but Hanayama hasn't. You begin to notice new outfits appearing in your closet, clothing you certainly didn't have previously. They're far too expensive, too revealing for you to own.

You'll be confused, especially when these dresses, heels, and coats are no longer just appearing, but instead, being presented. Now, instead of being hung up or nicely folded in your closet, they're being laid out on your bed, accompanied by a pretty, black leather box with silk insides. A little note is stuck on top of the shimmering dress, causing you to gulp, looking around as a shiver racks through your body.

Who the hell is buying you a dress? (though, it looks far more like lingerie, seeing as you'd never be able to wear it out in public). You don't know, but you can't help but feel the heat rise to your cheeks as you lift the velvet cloth, feeling the lace slip through your fingers. Once you tried it on, listen, you couldn't help but feel curious, you gawked at how it fit you like a glove, hugging your curves, and accentuating your hips and bust.

It's fucking creepy, that's all you can think, but it gets worse, way worse. Throughout the weeks, you notice more and more gifts show up at your doorstep. The dresses get severely revealing, much to your discomfort. So do the notes. They get too detailed and too accurate to your day-to-day. By now, it's clear that you have a stalker, a rich one at that.

I'd have to say that this is the worst part of being with Hanayama: the courting. It's hella weird! You'll never feel alone, always having someone watching you, mostly Hanayama. He doesn't have his lackeys watching you anymore, seeing as he's far too jealous for that. He doesn't want someone as low at them to see you in such an innocent, vulnerable state. No, that's only for him to see.

Don't be surprised when he shows up at your door, your last hookup's head in hand and a bundle of roses in the other. After all, it's time for you to come home, no?

[ninyard]

hello I would like the kevallison smut ?? Please

The promised kevallison headcanons (aka how the two of them figure out what the other person is into + how they might go about doing it)

When they start hooking up it’s all pretty standard stuff. Allison gets him off after a game. Kevin eats her out if there’s ten minutes free in between classes and an empty dorm room. They’re a booty call before, during or after a night out, or a no-strings-attached way to get some frustration off their chest. Their friends-with-benefits situation is more often than not just a quick fuck when they’re bored. But it's kind of just… that? It's just fucking. It's a handful of different positions, in a handful of different places, but nothing more than fucking, finishing, and leaving. They don’t feel a need to bring it any further though, in some ways hesitant that the other will catch feelings if it gets too intimate. But from the get-go their agreement is clear - if either starts to get attached, or jealous, or even thinks that it might be worth pursuing, they stop. It doesn’t happen, of course, but in the beginning they really try to err on the side of caution until they know that for certain.

There’s one of two ways that their casual hook ups becomes more... interesting every now and again: one) accidentally. two) intentionally.

If it is accidental, I think they stumble upon the other’s kinks by the Grace of God. It's a quick fuck that turns into something more because one of them picks up on how the other's demeanor changes and they realise oh. oh. That did something for them. The moment when it happens is so intoxicating and sexually charged; So intense at the realisation of how turned on the other person is, that they’re just waiting for someone in the dorm room over, or outside the bathroom at a party, or in the almost-empty parking lot to ask did anyone hear Allison and Kevin fucking last night? For either of them, single and used to quick fucks with strangers that don't mean anything nor have the longevity for experimenting with, getting to dip into their fantasies is unparalleled pleasure.

If it’s accidental, it’s a pleasant surprise for them both, and Kevin and Allison have that in common - they are both incredibly, heavily turned on by their fuck-buddies feeling satisfied. It happens, where sometimes Kevin just wants to be blown without returning the gesture, or where Allison wants to come without having to put in the effort it takes to give back. More often than not, though, whether it be with each other or with other people, they're most satisfied when the other person is satisfied, too. So when the topic of kinks and turn ons is broached, or accidentally revealed, it doesn't matter that it's Kevin, or that it's Allison. When they've been fucking for long enough that they find themselves discovering these things, they're comfortable enough with each other to not feel embarrassed about what happens when they have sex. If it makes her wet, and it keeps him hard, then it doesn't matter. They don't talk about their sex lives outside of when or where it happens - a kink or two isn't going to change that.

For Kevin, sweet submissive baby boy who just lives to be praised - oh, when Allison finds out, it opens this door for changing their dynamics that she hadn't even realised existed. Kevin gets so turned on that he practically melts, and Allison eats it up like it's the hottest thing she's ever laid eyes on.

They've found themselves standing up against a wall in a bathroom at a party somewhere, too many suggestive looks across the room leading to a desperately desired handjob or two, and Kevin is fumbling with the buckle of his belt. He struggles with it for a second, before pulling the black leather out from it's square frame and Allison offhandedly says good job with a laugh as she trails kisses up his neck and her fingers down his stomach. She feels his reaction to her words before she notices how his eyes glaze over with the thoughts in his head; how he stills at her words, how he's yearning through his sigh when she follows with a knowing whisper of oh, you want me to tell you how good you're being?

Him in her hand, the long acrylic nails of her free hand dragging lines down his neck, Allison feels how needy he is and softly purrs in his ear to tell her how much he wants it. It's not lost on him how she plays with him like putty between her tender fingers, but still he looks into her eyes with his eyebrows knitted into each other, too close to argue; The please that escapes his lips trapped in between a gasp and a moan is rebutted with her sultry say it again. I want to hear that pretty voice beg. It takes the stalling of the rhythm in her working hand before he finds the ability to whimper out his desperate please, please, please. She's using her free hand to hold his face still, their eyes locked together, while he can barely keep himself in one piece. Her thumb is soft over his lips, brushing over little gasps and short breaths, holding him while she whispers a question and he falls apart in her hands.

If Kevin loves to be topped by strong women, Allison loves to hear a man moan. And she’s never heard him like this before, his lips drawn apart just inches from hers, one hand steadying himself against the wall and the other tugging and pawing at the skin of the small of her back. She doesn't let him look away as she guides him to climax with her soft words of gentle praise. How pretty he looks when he's trying his hardest to be quiet, how well he's doing at keeping himself composed.

Allsion doesn't care that she's accidentally unlocked this submissive side of Kevin; firstly, he's hot as hell when he's this desperate, and it's not as if she's going to be leaving that bathroom and calling him a good boy on the court, because that's not how this works. She's fucked him angry and she's fucked him needy - the passion of fulfilled fantasy only working on a different level to anything else.

(When he's caught his breath and started to clean himself up, she washes her hands and admires her work; his rosy cheeks burning up as she watches him in the mirror. She pushes herself up onto the vanity, and when he can finally bare to look at her again, she says I'm proud of you with a playful smile. Kevin covers his face to laugh in semi-embarrassment, his head shaking as he finds himself in between her legs. They don't talk about it too much before he returns the favour.)

Then there's, Allison, sweet Allison, who's interests work in harmony like a perfect composed song. We knows she loves to hear the men she sleeps with, but there's two things that really get her going that more often than not go hand in hand - rough sex, and loud sex. Living in dorms, it's hard to indulge, especially the second, but usually she'll just pull him close, with his lips to her ear or hers to his. Allison gets off on hearing the person she's fucking, and Kevin is not an exception to that.

They've somehow had a stroke of luck - an empty house in Columbia and some time to kill. Kevin is on the edge of the bed, and Allison is facing Kevin while sitting on his lap, her knees resting on either side of him, in a skirt that is already so short that it's barely even there. They're making out, and Kevin isn't really thinking, but he slaps her ass - something he'd done once or twice before, but never that hard, never that loud. Allison sits back, hands on his shoulders with her mouth open wide. She doesn't get the chance to finish her questioning what are you doing? Before his mischievous smile curls around, what, this? as he laughs and does it again. When she stands up off of him in a half-protest, shaking her finger at how close he was getting to really getting her going, he follows her up. He stands in front of her with feigned apologies for his boldness. She leans into his kiss, with arms wrapped tight around her waist, but instead of pouting his lips, he picks her up and throws her back onto the bed while she scream-laughs.

Body over body, on top of her then, a hand finds it's way in between strands of shiny blonde. A hand that she takes into hers, guiding his fist to grasp a handful of her hair. When he doesn't hold it hard enough she tugs it gently, keeping his fist closed with her hand around it. Looking down at her, he purses his lips with an oh that pauses his other hand while it pushes up her skirt to touch her over her panties. Reading him while waiting for the laugh that never comes is agonisingly long, as she braces herself for the mortifying conversation that he was not going to be entertaining it. Instead he waits for her hand to trail away before pulling her head, hard, back into the bed. And when she shuts her eyes and parts her lips in pleasure, he is quick to bring his hand up to her chin, tilting her head back. The two smallest of his fingers fingers tuck themselves neatly behind her ear, the other two tight between her jawline and her cheekbone. The ball of his thumb is resting on her chin. She doesn't stop him when his thumb trails down from her cupid's bow and into her mouth. She doesn't stop him when he takes it out hold it around her throat, either. Kevin is careful to scatter wet bruises down her chest where they won't be seen. When he's standing back to take off his pants and she’s lifting her top over her head, he asks, you want it hard? and she responds do you even fucking have to ask?

Her skirt is up over her hips and her thong down her thighs. He’s on his knees with her legs over his thighs, maybe he’s pinning her hands down above her head with one big hand over her little wrists. Headboard banging, unrestrained volume, handprints on ass cheeks and scratches across spines. Allison gets sex-drunk when he manhandles her. It’s sloppy, it’s messy, it’s loud, it’s so hot that it’s on fire. It’s eye-rolling, being in a daze afterwards type of fucking. It’s mascara running down cheeks, how the fuck am I supposed to look anyone in the eye after having that done to me type of fucking. It’s needing to have a shower immediately afterwards type of sweaty, messy fucking.

(It’s probably one of the only times they almost/kind of get caught. Not because of the noise, or the sex itself but because of the aftermath. Andrew and Neil clock INSTANTLY the missing and changed details when they regroup - how Kevin’s hair is freshly washed, how Allison has taken her heavy makeup off leaving only a fresh coat of mascara and some lipgloss remaining. How they can barely look at each other in case it reminds them of what has just happened. Their puffy lips, their general daze. Yeah, they fly a little too close to the sun that time - not enough time afterwards to recuperate from an absolutely dirty, filthy, fucking.)

If it's an intentional thing, a discussion about what they're into, and they know before getting into it/it's a conscious choice/it's intentional/some sort of discussion/WHATEVER? There's a few ways I could potentially see it possibly coming up.

A game of Never Have I Ever or some other drinking game with the group and the discussions of kinks come up; Kevin drinks when somebody mentions a praise kink, or being dominated. Allison drinks when somebody mentions liking it rough. Their looks to each other are quick but knowing, Kevin's raised eyebrows when Allison drinks to say she doesn't mind being degraded, the flick of her eyes when he drinks to say he doesn't mind begging for it.

They don't hang around after hooking up, usually. Clean up, get dressed, and leave. That's the routine. But they're talking afterwards for a little while, and the subject of fantasies comes up, and while shes fixing her makeup and tying up her hair she asks him what's the one thing he'd go crazy for. he considers it for a little bit but then gets embarrassed because it's a way harder thing to talk about when you're not actively turned on or drunk. They offer each other tiny pieces as they joke about it, starting tame before they eventually just say it out straight. (she calls him princess when she's leaving and he calls her a slut before she shuts the door.)

They ask each other outright. Kinda similar to accidentally figuring it out but they ask each other for it instead of the other person just doing something and stumbling upon it. Maybe Kevin asks her to tell him how good he feels and she asks why, are you into that? and they like. talk through it . Do you like it when I ask you this? Can I call you this? Do you like it when I tell you you're doing such a good job? Talking through sex can be so hot and even hearing the questions out loud sets the imagination off on a fucking marathon. Maybe Allison asks can you choke me? and he asks her how she likes it before agreeing. Do you like it when I hold you like this? Do you want me to spit in your mouth? Do you want to shut the fuck up and listen to what you do to me? It's a much more thorough discussion than them simply going oh, i think the other person has [blank] kink, so i'm just gonna go ahead and do that. It's a request, instead. Both of them knowing what they want and knowing how to ask for it? Yeaaaahhhh

[bunniekittiee]

Hello ! Hope you're doing well! I really loved your headcanons of Bi-han's S/O relationship with his brothers it was so cute ❤ I'm curious what you think the relationship becomes if you take in account the story mode events ( Bihan's "betrayal ") because I'm sure s/o would stik by her husband and support him so how those three interact afterward? Thanks ~

Hi! I am doing okay, I hope you are doing well too! Y’all are so nice here woo hoo

I will answer this in headcanons. Bi-Han x Fem. Reader by the way! Also kind of a little sad :(

Finding out what Bi-Han had done was like a knife to the heart.

She was so close to his brothers that they were her own, as they too viewed her as a sister.

She was definitely distraught knowing that her family was ripping itself apart.

But, she could not just leave Bi-Han. She had married him, but she also married the Lin Kuei when she said her vows.

Leaving him would only result in more anguish.

She would have to support Bi-Han’s decision either way, even if she had her doubts or believed that he was actually losing his sanity.

Bi-Han never fully discussed all the details, but he would tell her the big important ones such as the development of the Cyber Initiative and how they were close to overpowering the Shirai Ryu.

It pained her greatly, but she would smile and congratulate Bi-Han on his success. That was all she could do unfortunately as arguing with Bi-Han about his betrayal was like speaking to a brick wall.

Bi-Han believes that his brothers have betrayed him rather than the other way around. He is delusional lol.

He is blinded by his own anger and thirst for power.

It is argued whether he truly wants to kill his brothers or just wants them to stand down and let the Lin Kuei thrive.

Sometimes, she is never so sure if he really wants to kill his brothers in cold blood. In his eyes, she can see the glimmer of murderous intent, but then it will form into something else.

Like he had lost something important to him.

It was definitely arguable. She had hoped that Bi-Han would never be that cruel.

She could not bear to see any harm come to Kuai Liang and Tomas.

If she somehow ever came across them, whether it was at an event or some different way, she would feel like crying.

She would hug her boys close.

They would hug her back, joyful to be reunited with her.

They know she is not to be enemies with as their fight is with Bi-Han, not his wife.

Even though Bi-Han has stated that family is not off limits in their war, Kuai Liang cannot bring himself to harm her, nor can Tomas.

They know how much she means to Bi-Han, and he would go to the depths of the Netherrealm to protect her.

When those three reunite, it is usually quick as they cannot stay long. If Sektor or Cyrax were to catch a glimpse of them, they would be in trouble.

The brothers understand that she has to support Bi-Han no matter what, yet sometimes they feel that she is not trying enough to reason with him.

But again, they understand that reasoning with Bi-Han is something that cannot be achievable.

Once he is passionate and confident in something, he will continue to pursue it.

Just like he is passionate about overthrowing the Shirai Ryu and teaching his brothers a lesson.

Bi-Han hardly lets her leave the premises. He does not trust soldiers to go with her, and he does not have his brothers.

So only Sektor or Cyrax are really supposed to go with her, sometimes both of them will go with.

They are nothing like Kuai and Tomas though, which saddens her.

They have different personalities, and they put on the soldier face to prevent others from attempting to mess with them.

It is mainly for intimidation. That was something Kuai and Tomas hardly ever did unless it was truly needed.

Trips with Sektor and Cyrax are quick and usually not that fun. They are disconnected from her as they do not want attachments to the Grandmaster’s wife.

Supporting Bi-Han may be difficult in this because her loyalty also stands with his brothers, but since Bi-Han exiled them from ever being mentioned, her loyalties were forced to change.

She had to fully be loyal to Bi-Han and support his decisions. Just as Sektor and Cyrax supported them.

They were almost like the “replacements” for Kuai Liang and Tomas. That’s what Bi-Han tried to show her by sending them with her when she needed a break from the Arctika.

Replacements that were never going to fulfill the places of the brothers.

She dearly misses them. She does not have much contact with them and she thinks about them often.

She thinks about her old life often, truthfully.

If Bi-Han had a change of heart, they could be reunited and happy like they once were.

Kuai Liang and Tomas give her the offer of staying with the Shirai Ryu, even though they both know Bi-Han would rip the realms apart for her.

If she is too scared of Bi-Han or he is doing worse things, they want to make sure that the door is open for her.

She can be part of their clan and live a happier life. One that is not full of darkness and evil.

But they do not pressure her or try convincing her because deep down, they know that her place is with the Lin Kuei.

She is shackled by them, she will never be able to leave unless in death.

[thechaoticdruid]

[Firsts] (1/2)

Pairing: Astarion x Named F!Tav

Plot: Astarion's been acting way too flirty lately. Seriously it was starting to weird Winnie out. She knew the man flirted with pretty much everyone in the group, but lately since she'd given him a taste of her blood it seemed much more targeted at her and very aggressive. Could he actually be attracted to her? Pfft! No way!

Content/Warnings: Sexual themes, sexual humor, light smut, no actual sex yet, making out, dry humping, groping, violence, blood, death, Winnie has very low self esteem, Astarion being a perv, Virgin MC, Astarion bullies Gale, Gale has one sided crush on MC, oblivious MC, Astarion being Astarion, body issues.

Second part: [2/2]

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Things had kinda been weird for Winnie ever since she'd discovered one of her companions was a vampire. Astarion had always been rather flirtatious with the members of their merry band of weirdos, but now it was different. Ever since he'd gotten a taste of her blood his flirtations seem much more targeted towards her. 

Winnie would most often brush them aside. It didn't mean anything after all. Either Astarion was just a naturally flirty person or he wanted to butter her up so she'd be more likely to let him have more of her blood. The female druid was certain these flirtations weren't anything serious. 

Men like Astarion did not pursue women like Winnie. The human female wasn't exactly sure anyone would ever pursue her, but it definitely wouldn't be someone as breathtakingly beautiful as the pale elf. 

Winnie glanced around the blighted village before pushing through the door of an old abandoned house as she began to remember something one of the elder druids in her circle said when she was a child. “She's nothing but a weed amongst the flowers.” The old bitch had said.  Winnie rolled her eyes with a sigh as the others scouted the area.

“This looks like a suitable place to make camp.” Gale stated, looking around.

“It'll serve.” Lae'zel added and dropped her pack on the ground near an old fireplace. 

“It'll be nice to at least have a roof over our heads for once.” Shadowheart chimed in as she walked over and glanced over an arrangement of books that littered one of the walls. 

“Pft, if you can even call it that! This hovel is practically crumbling!” Astarion exclaimed.

“If you'd prefer to sleep elsewhere, be my guest.” Winnie replied before setting her own things down.

Wyll looked over the fireplace and checked around the house for any fire wood, but unfortunately there didn't appear to be any in sight. 

“We might want to go find some wood to build a fire before nightfall.” He suggested.

“I can do that.” Winnie stood up, “I'll see if there's anything else we can scavenge nearby.” 

“I'll go with you. It would only be the gentlemanly thing to do, accompanying a lady.” Gale piped up.

“Yeah sure, come if you want.” Winnie shrugged before turning and leaving the ruined house.

Gale followed after her before the two were also accompanied by Astarion.

“I’m coming too.” He said, sauntering up behind Winnie. 

“I'm surprised Astarion. I didn't think manual labor was your forte, nor yours either Gale.” The druid female hummed.

“Well I'm not about to let you go and do all the work alone!” The wizard added.

“And I never said I was going to help, watch Gale fail miserably to impress you perhaps, but I am certainly not going to risk damaging these nails for firewood.” Astarion sassed looking over his pointed vampire spawn claws with a pout.

Winnie rolled her eyes, ”good gods, might as well have let me go alone.” The druid female muttered, walking off ahead of the two men. Her eyes scanned the blighted village. The place was crawling with goblins and even though they let the party pass through on the count of them being ‘True Souls’ Winnie wasn't very convinced that they would be friendly enough to offer her group supplies. 

Her and the boys continued to search about, Astarion seeming all too pleased to give Gale a hard time today. Eventually after passing a large gate and strolling towards the edge of the ruined village the three adventures came across a shed.

Winnie stepped towards it, immediately coming to a halt as she began to hear low grunts and moans coming from the other side of the door.

“Oh dear….” Gale exclaimed, a look of horror adorning his bearded face.

“Do I even want to know…?” Winnie turned pale with disgust.

“I do! Sounds absolutely disgusting heh heh heh..”Astarion chuckled with a mischievous glint in his crimson red eyes. 

“You want to take a peek be my guest, but don't expect me to rush in after you.” Winnie rolled her eyes looking back at Astarion. 

“And here I thought you'd be interested in joining the fun, darling.” Astarion gave Winnie a wink before swinging the door open, a giddy shit eating grin spreading across the pale elf's face. 

“Oh gods….” Winnie gasped as she and Gale looked forward seeing a bugbear and a lady ogre in the ahem doggy style position. The two humans' faces were filled with horror and disgust while Astarion still had that same stupid grin on his face.

“WHAT THE HELLS ARE YOU DOING!?” The bugbear screamed as he pulled away from his lover. 

“Uh…. I'm very sorry! W-We were just leaving!” Winnie said nervously, face turning red in embarrassment.

“You two make a lovely couple by the way!” Gale said, trying to deflect any tension, but the two lovers did not seem to appreciate the compliment.

“Kinky.” Astarion clicked his tongue with a smirk. 

“MOMENT RUINED! I SMASH YOU!” The ogre suddenly pulled out a huge club and slammed it down right in Winnie's direction. Luckily the druid was able to leap back just in the nick of time. 

The bugbear began to charge in her direction only to receive an arrow to his shoulder, swiftly shot by Astarion who’d quickly climbed atop some nearby crates.  Winnie quickly unsheathed her scimitars from her back, rushing the bugbear and slashing him across the chest.  The she-ogre growled and took another swing at Winnie, prompting Gale to cast magic missile hitting both the ogre and bugbear. 

The bugbear let out a loud scream of pain before dropping down onto the ground.

“NO GRUKKOH!!!” The ogre shouted, tears welling up in her eyes before she glared at Gale with pure hate and rage. “YOU WILL DIE!!!!” 

Quickly before she can move to smite Gale with her club Astarion is quick to notch an arrow and fire it, hitting the ogre right in the left eye. Gale hits her with a bolt of lightning before Winnie makes a dash to run behind her. She then turns and uses her druidic magic to summon a vine from her hand and lasso the ogre’s leg, yanking on it hard. The beastly female tumbled back letting out a cry as she fell to the ground. 

Winnie then took the opportunity to leap up on top of her and slam her scimitars right down into the ogre’s chest, piercing her heart. Blood splattered upon the druid as she pulled her blades out of the she-beast’s chest, getting on her face and shoulders. She panted and hopped down off the large corpse. Astarion's ears turned a bit pink as he glanced over at the blood drenched female.  Honestly he had to admit…..That was kind of hot…

“A pity we had to put an end to the two lovers.” Gale spoke up.

“Better them than me.” Winnie said wiping a bit of blood off her face.

“Darling, hold on a moment. Allow me to help.” Astarion said, quickly rushing over to where the human female stood. Her strange fushia colored eyes looked back at him with curiosity. The vampire ran his thumb over her cheek, collecting a bit of blood before all too eagerly sucking it off his digit. His thumb pulled out of his mouth with a wet pop. “That was a very….enticing display you know?~” He purred seductively in her ear just quiet enough for Gale not to hear. 

“Uh…Thanks…” Winnie looked off to the side checks turning bright red. 

“Ahem! Well shouldn't we return to work? The sun’s nearly gone and we have yet to find some firewood!” Gale piped up, trying to change the subject before stepping in between the rogue and druid.

“Actually darling, I think our dear druid should probably take a rest. She did most of the fighting after all.” Astarion put his hand on Gale’s shoulder.  “And offering to get the firewood for her would definitely be the gentlemanly thing to do.” 

“You're not going to offer to help me are you?” Gale rose an eyebrow.

“Oh gods no! My dear wizard, you can't expect me to leave this sweet little thing all by herself?” Astarion said before moving piece of Winnie’s messy brown locks out of her face.

“I'm perfectly fine guys….I can actually just go get the wood by myself….” Winnie said feeling Astarion's hungry eyes leering at her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Why was he being so aggressive with his flirting today?

Winnie wasn't exactly too worn out, but at the same time she really didn't feel like feeding this overgrown mosquito tonight. Partially because she had been getting devoured by actual mosquitoes left and right since they’d wondering the wilderness. 

“I'm not sure if it's wise to leave a lamb alone with a wolf.” Gale gave Astarion a suspicious glare. 

“Hey! If anyone’s a wolf it's me!” Winnie pouted and crossed her arms. She was rather offended Gale didn't seem to acknowledge her most used wildshape.

“A wolf and a panther then.” Gale said.

“How dare you! I would never lay a finger on our darling leader!” Astarion crossed his arms.

“Okay, I think we've wasted enough time already.” Winnie said before wild-shaping into a black bear and wandering off to collect the wood herself.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~• 

Later that evening after Winnie had brought back the firewood she shifted back into her human form and hid herself away from the others, making herself comfortable in what was left of the ruined house’s bedroom.  She glanced up at the mirror beside her, studying her face. Dark circles colored underneath her eyes, left by sleepless nights. Messy brown locks that never behaved no matter what she did.  A scarred lip from her first real battle. And her body oh how she despised it. It was far too plump for her tastes.

"Nothing but a weed amongst the flowers."

“Why would anyone ever fall in love with you? You're disgusting!”

“Just as fat as a deep rothé and twice as ugly!”

“She's definitely gonna die alone.”

Winnie’s brows knitted together before she stood up and slammed the mirror into the wall, shattering it into a million tiny pieces. She breathed in and out, taking a moment to process what she had just done. The young druid honestly had no idea what had come over her. Why were these tormentful thoughts all coming back now?

Surely there were better things to be thinking about!? The disgusting parasite in her brain for one! She needed to get it together, or risk turning into something much more grotesque.

Winnie needed to get some air. She left the house through the back entrance and stepped off into the nearby forest, breathing in and out slowly. She closed her eyes and just took a moment to listen to all the soothing sounds of nature. Frogs croaking, crickets chirping, an owl hooting above the trees and footsteps…

Wait, footsteps!?

Winnie quickly turned around, her hand reaching into her pack for a blade when she noticed a familiar pair of red eyes looking back at her.

“I was hoping I'd finally be able to get you alone.~” 

“Astarion? Look, I'm really not in the mood to give you blood tonight. Maybe tomorrow?” Winnie sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Oh, I'm not here for that darling. I'm here for you.” Astarion approached, eyes looking her up and down as his perfect pretty lips formed a painfully fake looking smile.

“You need my help with something?” Winnie tilted her head in confusion.

“In a manner of speaking. I've grown rather attached to you if I'm honest.” Astarion placed a hand on his hip.

“Ah, well that's sweet of you to say. I'm really glad to have made some friends on this journey.” Winnie said with a smile. 

“Oh my sweet. I'm not talking about friendship. I'm talking about desire.~” Astarion leaned a bit closer. His breath hit Winnie’s face as he slightly towered over the short female.

“I…. Don't follow….” Winnie said awkwardly. Astarion blinked and then proceeded to pinch the bride of his nose.

“Oh for gods sake. SEX. Darling, I'm talking about sex.” Astarion said with annoyance, crossing his arms. Winnie’s face turned bright red as he finally spelled it out.  It finally explained why he seemed so aggressive with his flirting lately. But at the same time Winnie just couldn't believe Astarion was actually making a pass at her. Her of all people!

“You're joking, right?” Winnie chuckled nervously.

“Why would I be?” Astarion gave her a confused look.

“Wouldn't you rather spend a night with one of the others? Lae'zel or Shadowheart? Or maybe even Wyll?” Winnie asked.

“Ha! Please. As if I'd waste my time with one of them! I have standards, dear.” Astarion said sassily.

“I'm just…You have seen me right?” Winnie said, looking away shyly. Astarion couldn't help but frown for a moment. Winnie seemed very....well insecure. It was clear she didn't seem to believe he could in any way find her attractive. He was however quick to resume his flirty persona.

“Indeed, I have and I find you to be rather delectable looking.~” 

“Yeah, yeah stop messing with me, okay. It's not funny.” Winnie rolled her eyes and turned to leave. Astarion internally panicked. Fuck. He couldn't let her leave. It would completely ruin his plans! 

“I'm not! I crave you!” Astarion quickly grabbed hold of her and pinned her to a tree. Winnie let out a grunt before looking up and blushing darkly.

“I want to feel you squirm under me.~” He said huskily. Winnie was at a complete loss for words. What the hells was she even supposed to fucking say to that!? Her heart was pounding so fast and she honestly felt like if he said one more word she'd faint right there. “And I know you want me too.~ I've seen how you look at me. How your heart races when I'm near. And don't think I haven't noticed the little lustful glances you give my backside you naughty thing!~”

“I-I-I…OKAY YOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT!” Winnie said, and pushed against him, making him back up.  She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take before she suddenly melted into a puddle. Winnie was not used to this kind of attention at all. “Sorry I just…I'm not used to this…” Winnie said, a bit embarrassed, “feel like I'm going to explode…Heheh…”

“Cute.” Astarion smirked at Winnie’s nervousness.

“I've never been with anyone if I'm honest….Hells I’ve never even been kissed.” Winnie looked down, honestly feeling rather ashamed.

Oh gods, why did you say that!? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! 

Astarion then gently took her hand, “I would be happy to teach you.” He said before planting a soft kiss on her hand. Winnie took a deep breath, nervousness filled her belly. She looked into his eyes and nodded, “okay.” 

Astarion cupped her cheek, his crimson red eyes staring into her pink ones as he rubbed a cold thumb over her cheek.  Winnie closed her eyes and puckered her lips, slowly anticipating for him to make the next move.  She felt his breath hit her face before his soft lips met her own. At first it was sweet and innocent, nothing but a chaste little peck. But then he pushed her back up against the tree and pressed his body against hers. Winnie gasped feeling Astarion grind himself against her, allowing him to snake his tongue into her mouth deeping their kiss. His free hand reached down to cup one of her ass cheeks, giving it a firm squeeze through her pants. 

“Mmmm!” Winnie moaned into his mouth, her arms slowly finding their way around his neck as she squirmed. She could feel a hard growing bulge prod her core as he pushed his hips against her own. His tongue swirled around her own, exploring and dominating her mouth, but eventually she was forced to pull back for air.  A string of saliva connected their mouths as they pulled back. Winnie panted, staring back at the vampire who was seductively licking his lips. One of his hands was still groping her ass. 

“A-Ah!~” The brunette haired druid let out a whimper as the elf pressed his clothed cock into her. 

“You make such adorable sounds, darling.” He purred before planting another kiss on her lips. Winnie quickly returned it before Astarion began to move down her jaw, trailing kisses lower. 

His tongue lapped over her neck before he quickly began to suck on the delicate skin eagerly.

He kept one hand on her ass while the other reached up to undo her the buttons of her shirt.

Winnie bit her lip as she felt the cool air hit her breasts, her nipples hardening quick.  

Astarion smirked, his eyes hungrily eyeing her well endowed assets. Who knew she could fit something so big under her shirt? If he'd known they were this large he'd have bedded her sooner. Astarion licked his lips before leaning in to plant a kiss on top of one of her breasts. Unfortunately before his mouth could make contact with her skin he ended up being rudely interrupted. 

“There you two are-” Gale's voice trailed off, his face turned bright red.

“Is everything okay….Oh….” Wyll’s eyes widened as he peaked out from behind Gale.

“What is it? Did something happen!? Oh well that's interesting…” Shadowheart said, appearing behind Wyll. 

“Chk! As expected. It was only a matter of time.” Lae'zel seemed completely unfazed as she stood beside Shadowheart.

“Ooh Winnie! Get it!” Karlach cheered, jumping out from behind the others, tail wagging with excitement.

“Do you fucking mind!?” Astarion hissed and pulled back, glaring at the others as Winnie quickly turned away and buttoned up her shirt.  This was so fucking embarrassing! Her pink eyes quickly scanned the area for a hole to crawl inside.

“And here I was worried you were planning on eating our dear friend. Although I suppose I'm technically not wrong….” Gale hummed.

To be continued………

Note From TheChaoticDruid: Just gonna say, the last part was inspired by an infamous Dragon Age Inquisition scene. XD And I was going to try to fit both parts into one, but it just got so long that I decided to cut it in half.

[i-heart-hxh]

Do you think Illumi’s comment about how Gon is just dazzling to Killua and a temporary fixation and Hisoka’s line about how transmitters are fickle and their treasures can turn to trash easily were foreshadowing for how Killua has come to see Gon? How at first Gon meant the world to him but now he’s basically done with him because of what happened during the CAA? Togashi could be planning to reunite them, but maybe this was his way of saying that Killua is done with Gon.

Hi! I actually see it in the opposite way to this view, almost.

As the audience I don't think we're supposed to agree with what Illumi is saying--that Killua doesn't deserve to have friends and that he'll ultimately betray them. It doesn't end up matching what happens in the series, nor does it match the overall message of what the series is about, and Illumi is an antagonist whose views the series repeatedly refutes (think: Alluka and how he sees her).

However, I also think that early in the series, Togashi was potentially trying to misdirect the audience with Killua's intentions. Killua early on was much more dangerous and edgy than he becomes as the series goes on, and there were a few pieces of foreshadowing that he might turn on Gon or the main group, which includes Hisoka's statement about Transmuters being fickle and their priorities changing rapidly, as well as Silva making him promise never to betray his friends and then expressing certainty that Killua will come back (as in, he was setting him up for failure because of the needle). There are also a few comparisons of Killua to Hisoka very early on that might fit into this (beyond the Transmuter thing), some even from Killua himself, and the scene with him getting frustrated with the ball game with Netero and then killing those guys as a result.

I believe Togashi laid this expectation down early in the series in order to subvert it and have Killua grow in the opposite direction. Killua felt like a "rival" type character or one who might eventually betray Gon/his friends, but instead he ends up being extraordinarily loyal to Gon (to a fault, even), he gets kinder and emotionally stronger as the series goes on, and he goes to extreme lengths to save Gon even after Gon pushed him away. He actively defies what his family expects of him! Even when he does go back home as Silva predicted, it's in order to break Alluka out of there and leave, and keep his promise to Silva by never betraying his friends--the opposite of what Silva actually wanted to happen when he made that promise with Killua.

Illumi's comment about Gon being "too dazzling for Killua's eyes" actually "comes back" in the form of the You are Light scene, where Killua uses similar language (in the original Japanese version) to describe why he can't look at Gon directly. That whole scene is about Killua comparing himself to Gon and thinking he's not worthy of him. However, Gon ends up falling into darkness himself and only Killua is able to save him--therefore, Killua becomes Gon's "light" right back. Because of what Illumi told Killua and the environment he grew up in, Killua himself didn't have faith in his own ability to be who Gon needed, but he managed it anyway because of how deeply he loves Gon.

He helps break Palm out of her loss of identity after she becomes a Chimera Ant, and becomes Ikalgo's light, too, by befriending him even though they're initially on opposite sides of the war.

We don't know the full reasons for Killua leaving Gon, however I suspect one of the reasons he leaves is in order to protect Gon from Illumi, who very well may pursue and endanger Killua and Alluka. Killua likely also needed a break from Gon after all they went through, but I don't think it'll be forever by any means. I made a post previously about why a reunion and reconciliation between them feels just about inevitable.

So, I absolutely do think those statements about Killua were "planted" intentionally within the series, but for the purpose of him breaking those assumptions rather than living up to them. One of the best things about Killua's character is how he initially seems so much different than he turns out to be. His commitment to and care for those he loves comes from a pure place in spite of the way he was raised, and he grows so much as a person throughout the series. He's a kind and courageous boy. I don't see him leaving Gon as a betrayal or throwing him away or legitimately "replacing" Gon with Alluka--they just came to a point where, for the time being, they had to take diverging paths. But I absolutely think their paths will converge again within the series, assuming Togashi can get that far.

I don't think Togashi is telling a depressing story where these tragic things happen between the two protagonists (who clearly adore each other) and then that's it, their relationship is over and they'll never get to mend the issues between them nor communicate all the things they haven't gotten to say to each other. There's a reason the separation is as brief and complicated as it is--it's intended to leave us with questions, and I believe those questions will be answered someday, assuming the manga is able to reach that point.

[northstarscowboyhat]

How did Starlo and Ceroba begin dating in your AU Would there be any conflict because of Cerobas last marriage ending so tragically?

First off, anon thank you for giving me an excuse to gush about Staroba. They have taken a hold of 95% of my brain. This might be a bit of a ramble, but I will gladly share my thoughts on them!

So before Clover arrives in the Underground, I imagine anything romantic between the both of them was kind of out of the question. I HC Starlo is still pining for Ceroba years later, but he's pretty discreet about it. That's his best friend, and she's recently lost her husband and daughter. He's going to be there for her emotionally, but he's not about to complicate things by pursuing his feelings. I imagine even if he hasn't really moved on from her, he's resigned to the fact that it'll only remain as pining from afar.

Meanwhile, on Ceroba's end, she isn't really thinking about romance. She's very much wallowing in her own grief and misery, so to her, Starlo is the only person she has left in her life, but he's just her best friend. There may be some feelings beginning to build, with living with Starlo and spending so much time with him, but nothing she really actively thinks about. She's too consumed by the terrible situation and struggles she's neck deep in.

It isn't until Clover comes around and chooses to stay in the Underground that things change. I HC that Clover chooses to live with Ceroba after the Pacifist ending. Starlo and the gang cleaned up her house anyways, so why not live in it again and make better memories? Because Ceroba's house is close to the Wild East, Starlo visits a lot, not just for Clover but for Ceroba too. Now that they're both working on their own issues and moving on, becoming healthier people, they're able to properly hang out and emotionally support one another and enjoy each other's company in a way they haven't for a few years. This is where Starlo's feelings really kick into high gear, and it's gotten to the point that everyone in their family and friend group notices.

("Dude, you like, totally wanna marry her," Mooch says, hardly bothering to contain her smug smirk. Starlo yanks on the brim of his hat to conceal his reddening face and begs her to keep her voice down, lest Ceroba hear it from across the bar counter.)

Though Ceroba is a lot more subtle about it, this is where her feelings begin to grow too. She realizes that Starlo has always been there for her, even if his actions weren't always the right ones his intentions have always been focused on doing things for her sake, and that she wants him around, maybe more than just a best friend. It gets to the point that the house feels lonely whenever he leaves from a visit. It probably takes a lot of internal strife and struggle to reconcile with her feelings. Letting another partner into her life after she's mourned her first husband is a massive and frightening step to take, after all. She knows Chujin would want her to be happy and live her life to the fullest after he's gone, but it's still a lot to take in.

I imagine once a few months pass, with encouragement from Starlo's friends ("C'mon boss, Clover calls you Pa and Ceroba Ma, you two are practically already raising them together!"), he tries to confess his feelings to Ceroba. He probably fumbles it a few times; not just because he's still shy and awkward under the sheriff persona, but because he really doesn't want to ruin his relationship with her, nor hurt her after everything she's been through. Ceroba, of course, notices this. Probably after the second or third bumbling attempt of him trying to tell her in privacy how he feels, she gently cuts him off and comes out and says it; she reciprocates his feelings, and she would love to start a new chapter of her life with him.

Thus, they begin dating! Everyone's happy for them, especially Clover and the Feisty Four, who has been privy to all of their subtle and not so subtle flirting and obvious pining. Starlo and Ceroba were already raising Clover together, but now it becomes a lot more overt. After they date for a while, Ceroba invites Starlo to move in so he can spend more time with her and Clover and be a proper family. He does so, gladly - though he probably does shed a tear or two moving out from the house he shared with his posse.

[taylormenguista]

Harvey x Acts of Service

I would like to start by stating two things:

1. I know the concept of Love Languages isn’t actually real - I’m doing this just for fun. Relax, it’s not that deep

2. English isn’t my first language, so please ignore any grammar mistakes I might make

Let’s start by dissecting what happened between Harvey and his mother.

We also know that, off-screen, when he was older, he connected the dots and said he was gonna tell his dad if she did it again. The first time, his mom made up a lie and just asked him to not tell his dad; the second time, she promised she wouldn’t do it again. Both times, she manipulated him through her words, but didn’t live up to what she said. Bobby wasn’t just a friend, like she said first, and she kept hooking up with him for years, even after she said it was over between them.

As a consequence, Harvey doesn’t believe in what people tell him - he believes in their loyalty once they show it to them. When he swore his loyalty to someone, he didn’t bother saying it over and over again - he would just prove it by doing whatever was necessary.

That’s why, when Donna begs him to comfort her, he says “he doesn’t have the time for words.” Yes, he was overloaded with everything that was happening, but he also didn’t believe that telling her would change anything - he needed to act to actually help her.

He doesn’t tell Louis he doesn’t want him to leave the firm - he just tears his resignation letter in front of him. He doesn’t tell Mike he’s scared as fuck he might go to prison - he does everything he can to avoid it, and once he realizes he can’t, he tries to switch Mike with himself. He doesn’t tell Donna he’s sorry for choosing Paula for a second (even though he should’ve - she let him off way too easily) - he tore her resignation letter and told her he would be okay if she came back. He does it, instead of just telling he will do it.

His mom told him many lies and made him lie to his dad - she said one thing and did another. Harvey is the opposite - he does one thing without bothering to even tell anyone he’s doing it, because he knows most people knows he will solve the problem.

That’s exactly why Donna leaves him at the end of season 4 - because he finally said what she wanted to hear, but he didn’t do anything about it. She knows he’s a person who does whatever he wants, so she assumes he doesn’t want her.

After all those years, she heard him say he loved her, but that was it. She still had hope he would, one day, wake up and realize what was right in front of him all that time, but once he said he loved her but left her apartment and then decided not to try to be with her, she thought it was over. And she left, because she couldn’t be around forever, waiting for him.

That’s also why her “I want more” was becoming partner and then, later, being COO. Harvey wouldn’t take the shot with them, but she knew he would go to the end of the world for her when it came to their work. So she knew he would find a way to promote her.

So, unlike at the end of season 4, she chose her career instead of her hope that Harvey would come around.

In season 7, she also didn’t choose to leave the firm and pursue something else instead - she saw how Harvey acted like she betrayed him when she left him back in season 4, because she acted as if she didn’t care about him. For him, leaving him and working for someone such as Louis, who fucked him up many times, was a betrayal. She left him because there was one thing he couldn’t do, and she couldn’t accept it nor make peace with it.

(I’m sorry for the next sentences, because I’m about to meet Paula)

When Donna left him in season 4, he found someone else to talk to; to vent; to complain about; and to receive advice from. He couldn’t count on her anymore, and found it on a therapist - as a consequence of his panic attacks. If I had to guess, without his panic attacks, he would just vomit everything on Mike, who would try to tell him to fix things with Donna - and then he would go to Jessica, as he did, and who basically told him to get over it. Paula was the only one who seemed open to listen to him and give him advice (even though she was terrible at it) - and she did so because she was his therapist. He told her he realized he wanted to share everything with her, but he just didn’t fucking realize it was because she was his therapist, and not because he wanted to be in a relationship with her. Harvey just couldn’t separate things, and Paula made a huge mistake by not separating them herself.

She decided to give it a choice, even though she’s heard over and over how Harvey felt about Donna - she even told him they loved each other while dating him (what the fuck is wrong with her?). And then, during half the time of their relationship (if you can call that a relationship), they talked about Donna. She forced him to fire her and, in the same night, he realized the huge mistake he made - and went back on it.

He wouldn’t allow Donna to do it because he knew she would do everything and more for him when it came to their work, and there was no way he would get rid of that for someone who forced him to make Donna leave.

And guess what? When he wasn’t disbarred, he looked around and tried to find someone to celebrate it with - he went for Alex, who told him he wanted to go home to his wife; Robert was sad and went home to his wife because she was the one he wanted to share that moment with; Samantha asked him what was she supposed to do without Robert there, to be the one she always shares things with. And then it clicked for him - Robert went home because he was sad, and he wanted to be comforted by the person he loved; Alex went home because he went through a lot with Harvey almost getting disbarred and Zane taking his place; Samantha had no one to go to - but Harvey was glad he didn’t go down, and Donna was the person he wanted to share it with. Because when the chips were down, she would do anything for him. But when they were up, he took a long time to realize she was the one he wanted by his side - he looked around and she wasn’t there, and then he went for her.

And Donna? Like Mike said, she knew from day one about his secret - and she kept it from everyone because they are a team, and they’re there for each other for everything. And she is the one who gets him - who left when he said but didn’t do it, and who stayed when he did it.

Because he’s a person who does it.

Edit: just found this interview with Gabriel Macht, Harvey’s actor, in which he summed up pretty much everything I wrote. Here it is:

“Then it got to the point where he needed her from a work standpoint and she was his right hand, and he could not live without her to navigate the world of law how he saw fit,” he recalled. “He understood that if they did get together, then that would be the end of his career, He was so career-motivated for so long that he put it out of his mind. She’d start dating people here and there, and I think he would question himself along the way. But at a certain point, and as the years went further, I think he realized that there’s something more than just your work life, your career.” Macht continued, “Everyone’s going home to their loved ones and maybe I’m not seeing what’s right in front of my stupid face. So that’s why, I think, it clicked for him and it clicked for her. And they were both at the right place at the right time, and that’s why they’re finally connected.”

I want to highlight “(…) everyone’s going home to their loved ones and maybe I’m not seeing what’s right in front of my stupid face. So that’s why, I think, it clicked for him (…)”, because that’s exactly what happened in 8x16. He saw everyone going home to someone they loved, whether to be comforted or to enjoy each other’s company, and he saw Samantha, who lost the one person who was that for her, and he looked around and his person wasn’t there. His person wasn’t at the hearing nor at the firm, and he wanted to talk to her about what happened and share with her his highs and lows.

Throughout the show, we’ve seen Harvey went through many problems and obstacles - and Donna was there for him every step of the way. And when he finally got something serious off his back and could truly breathe, he realized he need her to be there too when “his chips were up.”

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

I just want to say that BOTW/TOTK's Zelda is the first version of the character I've ever loved, and I've been a LoZ fan since OoT. It just frustrates me the way some fans lambast her for being angry at Link in BOTW and also claim she was wasted/fridged/sidelined/reduced to "pure sacrificial maiden" and had her adorable nerd personality stripped away in TOTK (also claiming her sacrifice in TOTK is an attempt to validate Rhoam's treatment of her in BOTW). I thought her arc in TOTK was a wonderful continuation of the one she had in BOTW and showed how much stronger she had grown. Poor gal can't catch a break. What are your thoughts?

….I do not know how long of an answer you expected, but I have so many thoughts. So. Many. Thoughts. And boy do I go on tangents when I should be sleeping. Anyway. Here you go :)

For the most part, I hold a lot of the Zelda’s near and dear to my heart! Though, admittedly, it comes from the fandom’s exploration of these characters rather than just purely canonical content.

But Botw/Totk Zelda…. I don’t need any ‘additional’ content or exploration beyond what we see in the games to make me absolutely love and adore her. She is the most developed Zelda and she has an amazing arc— her complex feelings regarding her own magic, the complicated relationship she had with her father, the realistic exploration of her feelings regarding Link and how they went from jealousy and dislike to acceptance and adoration.

I always find that many complex and well developed characters are nearly always wasted on those who cannot look past mistakes (especially ones that set up future developments and start plot lines). Sometimes, people fixate on the moments writers use to cement that yes, this character is in a very low point of their life and the way they cope is not the ‘good’ way to.

The first memory in botw tells us that Zelda is none too thrilled to have Link as her knight attendant and the Hylian Champion. That she’s using him to project her own frustrations regarding her own failures. Which is the very introduction used to draw us in, make us curious about her history and how Link is tied into any of it.

So many just… can’t see past the reason we are shown this memory, nor why her frustrations led her to yell at Link. Because she was absolutely powerless and unlike Link who has had the Master Sword since he was 12, she had nothing to show. And her character is constantly forced to listen to her father, to heed the teachings she was vaguely given through one-off comments her mother and grandmother said. She was forbidden to pursue her hobbies and give it all up for the sake of the prophecy.

And then, to find out that Zelda awakened her powers through love, love for Link who she initially misjudged and mistreated, is so so powerful. Because she had grown to resent the spirits and herself. But Link. She grew to not only care for Link but to fall in love with him. And that instinct, that belief, that faith, that love. That is what sparked the power within her.

Zelda finally heard the spirit in the sword. She understood her part in this fight. For so long she had struggled to find her power, and she awakened it just in time to save Link, but at the cost of everyone else she held dear.

Something I don’t think a lot of people who criticize and hate Zelda understand is that Zelda’s pure and unwavering faith in Link is her drive to make these sacrifices. She knows it will be worth it. Because she believes in Link. And she supports him in whatever way she can. The reason they don’t understand this is because they can’t see past Zelda’s initial emotions regarding Link. They can’t see how she never believed in herself but she always had unflinching faith in him once she got to know him.

Then to see her accept that her magic has been sapped from its constant, draining use for the last 100 years at the end of botw…. It is a powerful moment. She fought so long to have those powers, ones her father berated her for not having access to, but she can finally accept that she can’t hear the spirit in the sword anymore. That’s development.

And for those who think Zelda’s cute adorable nerdiness was wiped from totk obviously don’t have the greatest history of understanding context clues. Zelda legitimately geeks out in the very first opening sequence of totk.

*totk Spoilers ahead*

She goes on and on about the Imprisoning War and the Zonai, taking pictures and obviously ecstatic about the discovery. She finds the Master Sword’s ability to heal itself fascinating. She founded research teams and build a school to further education in Hyrule. She wasn’t just a nerd. She was the Princess of Nerds.

Her sacrifice in ToTK is at surface level the action of a sacrificial maiden. Those who can’t read beyond that won’t understand it any other way. They won’t see how important it is that Fi sought Zelda thousands of years into the past, when in the beginning of botw she couldn’t even hear the spirits. They won’t understand how Zelda’s unflinching faith in Link parallels Link’s unflinching loyalty to Zelda. ToTK is a zelink centered game. Yep. I said it. We all know it’s true.

The entire plot revolves around, get this, Finding Princess Zelda.

Link’s entire motivation behind this game is to find Zelda. That is quite literally all he truly wants to do. He wants to find her. He isn’t there for duty. He just simply wants to find her.

And she is in the past, ensuring Link has every possible thing to help him secure a future for Hyrule. She went from detesting her place in the prophecy, from being forced to comply to her father’s choices, to embracing her role as the Princess of Hyrule and choosing her own way of aiding Link.

Totk gave Zelda the supportive father figure and guiding mother figure she sorely lack in botw. It showed us and Zelda that despite having the things she didn’t have, they still failed. Sonia was killed. Rauru had to sacrifice himself.

Zelda had to sacrifice herself. She was known for being stubborn, perceptive, analytical, and independent. Now she is known for her kindness, her intelligence, her empathy, and her compassion. And she sacrificed it all just to give Link the Master Sword. Because she had unwavering faith he could defeat Ganondorf.

Zelda is a RIDICULOUSLY complex character who has been through so much. But complexity is lost on those who only look for the simple, easy to understand things. So she is bound to have haters.

But for those who can understand and admire that development, we see Zelda for who she is. And if it’s any consolation, so does Link. While this game didn’t officially make zelink canon, they did make it canon that Link stayed by Zelda’s side after the Calamity. Once she was gone, they again made it canon that he would not stop until she was back with him. His Zelda. The one that rambles and excitedly tells Link that so much has happened.

Botw/totk Zelda is so so complex. And for that reason alone, she will have haters. But they don’t know or understand her. Not in any way that truly matters. Because those who do understand her and love her, well, it’s pretty clear that’s the way to go if Link’s main purpose and the entirety of totk tells us.

[whumpshaped]

would you ever write a vampire with catholic beliefs? Who is struggling between his beliefs and his reality? 🍬🧠🍬🧠 I forgot my zip mouth emoji...Idk where it is...

so originally i wanted to write about isabella, but well, she's not a he, nor is she catholic (she's lutheran). so have this sad wet cat

tw vampire whumper/whumpee? i'm not sure what this man is- death, murder, religious themes, religious trauma, religious guilt, suicidal ideation, (self-imposed) starvation, self-blame, memory loss, abandonment, lady whumpee, noncon drugging, dehumanisation (of self)

It was cold when he awoke. The winter breeze bit into his twitchy body and made him curl up for a moment, but it paled in comparison to the ruthless hunger gnawing at his stomach.

His eyes snapped open to an unfamiliar scene, but recognising the terrain wasn't necessary for him to follow the scent of blood. It was all he could focus on, torn clothes and the cold long forgotten as he struggled to his feet and began following the trail.

Blood. Blood. Blood.

He wanted it. He needed it. He had to have it, no matter the cost.

He didn't have the presence of mind to stop and wonder about his heart that was no longer beating, nor the speed with which he was pursuing his prey. He didn't think about the fact that he could see all too well despite it being the middle of the night, he didn't even consider that normal people didn't usually hunt. Not in a town. Not like this.

He pounced on the man without hesitation. He pumped the body full of venom so he would be silent, then drank and drank and drank until–

"Holy shit," someone said quietly. Then, louder this time, "Holy shit. Vampire! There's a fucking vampire–"

He bolted before he could've heard the end of it. He didn't think about the man he left behind. He ran back to where he'd woken up, collapsing to the ground as soon as he got there. He felt exhausted, he felt... dead. More alive now that he'd had something to drink, but...

He lifted a hand and pressed it against his chest. Nothing. Of course, this should've been more than expected, having drained that poor man dry–

Oh dear. He'd likely killed someone.

His mind was reeling. He couldn't remember a thing from before waking up, but the past few minutes had already thrown him for a loop on their own. He was dead, a dead man walking, and he'd just killed someone. And another human had even seen him do it!

He tried to take a couple of deep breaths to ground himself, but the taste of blood in his mouth negated any effort he put in. He was a monster. He was a murderer. He was going to be hunted and killed.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

The scent of blood clung to him like a ghost, and he desperately wished for a warm shower to get it off. Alas, he had nothing but the clothes on his back and a discarded coat on the ground. He should at least look through that to see whether he could piece together who he used to be. He didn't even... remember his own name.

And where was his sire? The bloodthirsty monster who turned him into one of them? Had they not even waited for him to wake up? Had they not cared at all about the life they'd ruined?

Touching the coat brought back memories of his last minutes, the way the vampire had slipped it off his shoulders and threw it on the ground. He remembered being dazed and helpless, baring his neck for the demon to feast on. At the time, it seemed like the most important thing in the world, to be able to feed them.

He looked through the pockets and found an ID for Jude Flanagan, born 1998. The picture was... him? He gingerly touched his own face, as though his fingers could ever work as well as a mirror. Was he really the Jude on the card?

He was. His fingers brushed against the cloth of an eye patch, the same one the man on the photo was wearing. More memories flooded his mind: his mother calling him, his father yelling for him from downstairs, the priest scolding him.

Priest?

He found a Bible in the next pocket, a small one. He dropped it out of fear, afraid it would burn his hands like silver, but nothing happened. The book seemed harmless, apart from the implications it brought along.

He used to be a man of God.

"N-no... No, no, no, no. You were supposed to protect me," he choked out, picking up the Bible again. "How could You let this happen? How– how could a vampire– why would You let a vampire..."

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

"I killed a man!" Jude cried. "First You deny me Heaven, and now– the temptation was all I had! I couldn't control it! I didn't see a way out!"

He curled up with the book in hand, sobbing like he was the one to be pitied. Like he was the victim and not the murderer, like he was deserving of any kind of sympathy.

"I didn't see a way," he repeated brokenly. "I didn't... I don't... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... Please, forgive me..."

-

Jude never quite managed to get used to the hunger. Nor the isolation.

The abandoned shack he'd found was good for shelter, but it was not a luxury abode, and the little money he managed to scrape together every other evening while disguising himself as a human beggar was not enough for much. The coat had become his most prized possession along with all the treasures it held: the Bible, the rosary, and the wallet with all the documents.

He bought new things, too. Some soap so he could wash himself well enough in the river, some candles to combat the suffocating darkness. Every little thing was precious, bought with the goodwill of humans who didn't care to look too hard at the creature they were giving their change to.

Jude could've charmed them. He could've tricked someone into inviting him inside, and he could've enthralled them to let him stay. He could've lived a more comfortable life, with a soft bed, a clean bathtub, and a belly always full of the warmest blood.

But he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve to take any of it.

He'd thought about getting a stake and finishing the job his sire had started. He wanted so badly to be put out of his misery, to be greeted with kindness and compassion at the pearly gates before being allowed in — but he didn't deserve that either. His life wasn't his own to take, and nor was his unlife. God would make that decision when He saw fit, and until then, Jude could do nothing but atone.

He took no blood from humans. He lived on the blood of pests and small woodland creatures; roadkill sometimes, when he got lucky. He hated killing anything, but at least it was allowed, or... or he hoped it was.

Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.

God had given the creatures to the humans, not the wretched monsters of the night. He could only hope and pray that his past humanity was something to be taken into consideration.

He was kneeling on the floor with his elbows resting on his borrowed bed, hands clasped together in prayer, when he caught the scent. A human. Was this the night he would finally be purged from the Earth? Or was the human the real owner of his makeshift home?

His stomach rumbled as the scent got stronger and stronger. His mouth was watering despite his best efforts to keep a level head, and he buried his face in the covers, trying to tune it out.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Jude was shaking by the time the human reached the door of his temporary dwelling. He stayed on his knees and listened to the sounds of the lock being picked, preparing himself for the blessing that would be his permanent death.

If only he hadn't been starving. If only the human hadn't smelled so good.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

He lunged like a wild animal as soon as the door was pushed open. His fangs sank into the poor woman's neck easily, and she let out a groan as the venom took hold. Blood, so much blood, fresh, delicious, rich, so much better than the squirrels and rats–

Jude pulled back with a start, eyes wide with terror. No, no, no, not again, not again. He wiped his mouth and even his tongue with the back of his hand, trying to get rid of the proof of his sin. The woman was still alive, letting out soft sounds of satisfaction as she lay there.

Her neck was still bleeding. He ought to close the wounds.

Jude licked his lips, then took a step backwards. No, he wouldn't lick her. Hadn't he done enough damage? He could– he could find something to bandage her with–

In truth, he didn't trust himself. There was no telling whether he'd have the self-control to stop for a second time, were he to get that close to her neck again.

"Don't you want a little more?" she asked, pushing herself into a sitting position. "I'm still bleeding so much... You don't want to waste it, do you?"

There was a mask covering the lower half of her face, and judging from that and the all black attire, she must've been a hunter. This woman could've staked him. God had given him an out, and he'd let himself be blinded by his selfish hunger.

"I'm s-sorry," Jude stammered, quickly rummaging through all his belogings to find at least a band-aid. "I'll, I'll help you– I'll patch you up, I just need a moment–"

"Can't you lick the wounds closed?" She got to her feet and ventured further into the cabin, grabbing onto the back of his shirt to steady herself and making him flinch. "There's so much blood... Is the flavour not to your liking?"

Jude spun around, and found himself trapped between the wall and his victim. She pulled her mask down and gave him a smile, eyes sparkling with unabashed want.

"You don't want this," he choked out. The smell was so strong. She was so close. She was offering, if only because of the venom, but she was offering nonetheless.

"Oh, but I do. I want it so badly."

Jude stopped breathing entirely, closing his eyes for a moment to think. "What's your name?"

"Pia Gravenor, Master."

"D-don't call me that, please."

"I can call you whatever you want, sir, if you just spare me one more bite..." Jude's eyes snapped open when she grabbed his hand and guided it to the wound, pressing his fingers against her skin slick with blood. "The bleeding isn't stopping anyway..."

He swallowed hard, and her smile widened. She was so desperate for just a bit more venom. He could give that to her, and close the wound after. He could take just one more sip. Just one more.

He was leaning in before he could fully process that he was doing it, lapping up the spilled blood trickling down her neck. She ran her fingers through his hair and kept him there, murmuring soft reassurances and pleas for him to bite again.

Please, forgive me. I'm so hungry. I've been hungry for so long.

Let me have a full meal, just this once.

~

link

[nhaneh]

Trying to imagine how the conversation might go when Kea tells Y'Shtola that we'll effectively be helping to determine the next ruler of Tural. I think up to now the Scions have been avoiding taking explicit political action. The closest we've gotten was in Stormblood when we helped Doma and Ala Mhigo free themselves from Imperial control. Dawntrail is a member of the royal family saying 'Hello, I am Wuk Lamat. The Dawnservant is planning on stepping down and has given us permission to choose other people to help us fight to become the next leader of Tural'

"Kea, dearest... are you certain of this?", Y'shtola's voice came cautiously, hesitant - a far cry from her regular air of certainty.

"I don't see why not - she seems nice enough, and her heart's in the right place.", Kea shrugged. A friend of a friend had asked for help, and Krile had a mystery she wanted solved. Sounded like the start of a good adventure.

"Still, we Scions have sought to remain politically neutral for a reason..."

"All the better to uphold the fiction that we've disbanded, no?"

"--Not to mention how it might open the floodgates for people to swarm you with petitions that you support this or that agenda."

"You know well as I that already happens, love." It felt like they were dancing around the topic at hand, rather than just taking it head-on... and Kea was pretty sure Y'shtola knew it, too. "Come now, what is it that's actually bothering you?"

Y'shtola paused, looking intently at her, before finally continuing. "...I worry that we may come to act cross purpose. Opposed."

Kea frowned. She couldn't deny that the possibility had occurred to her - as an Adventurer, it was inevitable to sometimes find yourself on the opposite side of some of your fellows, sometimes even friends, by sheer circumstance. Though the risk for it happening was far less with her fellow Scions...

"I suppose it'd be down to whose convictions are strongest...", Kea breathed, almost more to herself.

"Kea...", Y'shtola's voice carried that 'please take this seriously' expression perfectly without Kea even needing to look up to see it.

"I mean it.", but that was the thing - she was serious. Most Adventurers she knew, including herself, had found themselves in fights they didn't want, against opponents they didn't wish any harm upon.

It was a lot like two matched predators meeting in the wild, having an elaborate dance gauging each other's strengths and weaknesses, neither necessarily able to afford a straight up fight, but also neither necessarily willing to yield. As much as it might look like conflict, it was more of a negotiation to avoid one.

"I trust you to do what you believe is right. Even... even if that might see us pursuing opposing goals. I don't want to fight you, Shtola - I love you, more than anything. But if neither of us can convince each other with words alone... what can we do but to let our actions, and our convictions, speak for us?"

Kea wasn't sure what it might take for her to sway Y'shtola once she had truly set her mind on something, nor what it might take for Y'shtola to convince her in similar circumstances... but she was certain it would have to be something weighed in actions, rather than words.

"If one person can remain as they are despite their heart and mind acting in opposition... can our hearts not remain aligned even should our goals diverge?"

And if I were to fall astray, there is none I would rather trust to help me find my way.

Y'shtola let out a sigh, and a laugh, gently shaking her head. "I trust you realize I would not hold back, were it to come to that."

"Of course", Kea replied with a grin. "I'd feel a mite disappointed if you did."

[avastyetwats]

The Writer and his Songbird

Plotted starter for @izzyeffinhands <3

It wasn't the full moon that made the night so serenely beautiful. It wasn't the ocean way out in the distance that Stede longed to be near, but grateful that he could now see, it wasn't the clear night sky with the thousands upon thousands of stars twinkling above him, nor the calm ocean breeze that he so loved to feel...

It wasn't any of those things that made the night so serenely beautiful - though they did add to it - but it was the mesmerizing voice above him. A voice he's heard a few times before since moving into the apartment complex a few weeks ago and oh, how this made Stede's move worth it. Suddenly, he wasn't dreading his stay here, he wasn't feeling as unhappy as he did the second he set foot into this building... not that there was anything wrong with it. Not at all. It was comfortable and safe, but it wasn't where he longed to be. It was somewhere he had to be until he could get back on his feet and figure some things, having divorced from his wife some weeks ago. A divorce that was a long time coming, a divorce that should have happened long ago, but really, a marriage that shouldn't have happened at all.

It wasn't a marriage that happened out of love, but convenience and security. A marriage his father practically forced him into, bullied him into, made him feel as though he had no other option and wasn't worthy of anything else... a marriage that was more about his father and his business than Stede's own happiness and wellbeing. But finally, he was out.

And so was she. Mary. An ending that would bring about a new beginning for them both.

But not one that was easy for Stede. He left his home, left his family behind, intending to start anew and live the life he always wanted to live, but it was proving to be a challenge. Depression and anxiety got the best of him some nights, so did self-doubt and uncertainty, and the challenge of fitting in, but he was thankful he still had one place he felt comfortable in: his tea and bookshop.

But the third night inside his new home, that's when he heard it: the angelic voice from above singing into the night. He's never heard anything more beautiful, or more inspiring, and for the first time in what felt like years, Stede sat down at his desk and wrote. Yes, he was a writer. An avid reader of many things and an avid writer of some fictional stories and some poetry. A hobby more than anything, having never pursued a career due to the life forced upon him and the scolding of what he wanted to do and where he wanted to be.

But thanks to that voice above, inspiration had returned to the writer. Every night he kept his balcony door open and on the nights that voice returned, Stede would often lean against the railing outside or sit at the table outside and write.

Though he wasn't quite brave enough to meet the man the beautiful voice belonged to, he would leave him little notes outside of his door praising his voice, crediting him with helping to find lost inspiration and bring joy back into his life, and he'd only ever sign it The Polite Menace down below with a little heart over the i.

Stede kept this up for a good few days, anytime Izzy would bless him with his voice, and eventually Stede started receiving delicious baked goods outside of his door signed with his own special nickname. But it was instant that Stede figured out who it was - the melodious mystery man above - and so the notes continued, leaving even more now to praise his talent in baking, too.

Something that inspired Stede to try again. He was never an expert at it by any means, but he'd baked a thing or two in his previous life, though it had been a long time, but perhaps he, too, could leave a delicious treat for his Angelic Siren above...

Unfortunately that hadn't gone well at all. Made evident in the amount of smoke that billowed out of his balcony door and into the night above, eventually sounding off the alarms that sent Stede into a panic as he tried to put out the small fire inside of his oven. And this is why he wasn't near brave enough to reveal himself to the man above that he's had a crush on for weeks now, because he was nothing but a big, embarrassing mess.

[ddollfface]

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗦𝗶𝗰𝗸!𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝘅 𝗳𝗲𝗺!𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

"Your clothes would look nice on my bedroom floor."

Trigger Warnings; not proofread, pretty sure reader is described as 'girlfriend' or 'girl' somewhere, yandere behavior, extremely toxic behavior, manipulation, rip if you know someone like this irl, abuse of systems, abuse of pretty privilege (can't relate lol), and, as usual, bad writing. If I missed anything, then please let me know ♡ Here 'ya go 💗!Nonny, the second part of your request!! I hope it's to your standards... I'm not proofreading anything I'm putting out rn. I'm way too tired. I hope everyone had a good President's weekend))

Our boy is literally the definition of pretty privilege. He's got everything a girl would ever want, and he's the envy of all the guys on campus. He's sculpted like a Greek god, thanks to his Persian genetics and daily visits to the gym.

Everyone and anyone will listen to what LoveSick!Athlete's gotta say, and they'll do whatever he's asked, if he's saying it in a certain tone with a certain face. This is his manipulative personality coming into play. He understands that people will listen to him, for whatever reason, and he uses it to his advantage, scaring away any guys you may or may not find attractive.

Usually, it's pretty easy to do as they're just one of your classmates that you just find handsome, but you've never thought of talking to them, much less pursuing them. You're introverted personality (in this type of darling) makes it easy for him to keep you all to himself.

The two of you have been together for years, ever since you were little kids, and you trust everything he says, but not for superficial reasons like everyone else. You see him for who he is. You understand that he'd never do anything to hurt you; I'm just looking out for you, yeah? Just take my word for it, he's not worth your time.

In this case, with this darling, the two of you aren't dating, in your eyes at least. And LoveSick!Athlete has been pursuing you for quite some time, but he's patient. The two of you are practically attached at the hip, and that alone scares off any of your suitors, so even if you find someone (guy or chick) attractive, then they're gone before you can even say 'hello'.

Now, I've gone over how LoveSick!Athlete deals with his 'competitors', though he doesn't see them as this, in this post. This post is more geared toward how he deals with jealousy, but I drabble on the idea of putting down other men and making you see them in a bad light.

LoveSick!Athlete don't see these men, no matter how you see them, as a threat to your relationship, nor his ego. The two of you are far too out of reach for them to touch; they can't get to you, but it's different when it's his teammate. Especially since he never shuts up about them, so they know that he's pursuing you or you're in a relationship (depending on the time).

Overall, I think LoveSick!Athlete would treat the situation similarly with his teammate as he would with some random guy, but he'll have a bitter taste in his mouth whenever he sees said teammate now. It's possible that he'll be rougher with them on the ice, pushing them harder, elbowing them, and tripping them. Of course, no one will notice. After all, he's their star player, he'd never do anything to hurt his teammates, never.

He'll bad mouth them, behind their back of course, to his other teammates and you, can't forget about you. He'll go on and on about all the things they've done over the summer while school was out. How they're so aggressive toward girls, especially the ones that say 'no' to him. You wouldn't believe what Sonia told me, sweets. She said...

Once you get him talking, he won't stop. LoveSick!Athlete would never, ever, miss the opportunity to trash on of his rivals. If the guy seems persistent and tries to talk to you, god, let alone he touches you, he'll rain hellfire on the campus. He'll get some college girls to go report him to the campus office, saying that they were assaulted by him. LoveSick!Athlete might even plant some drugs into the guy's bag, causing him to lose his athletic scholarship.

And if the guy tries to tell on him, like a rat, then he'll just be brushed off as "desperate" and "attention-seeking." That he's trying to push the blame on someone else, 'cause there's no way LoveSick!Athlete would ever do something like that.

He's the team's sweetheart, after all.

[lovelyleclercs]

Chapter Eight- Lonely Fight

Arthur Leclerc x Sofia Sine

-> Sofia is forced to go to treatment alone while Arthur is away racing, but what happens when her dosage is increased and it all becomes too much for her?

warnings: not proof read, mentions of cancer, fighting cancer alone, body shakes, dizziness, fainting, heart rate decreasing, cancer treatments, cold sweats, I think that is is but please let me know if there is anything else- I don't know how cancer treatments actually go, i've only ever heard bits and pieces so if anything is wrong, I am sorry<3

word count: 2018

a/n: sorry besties

Sofia sighed and stared into the empty hospital room that she was meant to be occupying for the next couple of hours. She looked over at the chair that was pushed up against the bed which she had assumed Dr. M had prepared for Arthur even though he wouldn’t be there. 

Her eyes then traveled to the vacant bed, one that had several blankets laid out, knowing that at some point in the next few hours she would need all of them to keep her warm. 

As she approached the bed, tears formed in her eyes, the idea of having to go through this treatment alone again almost scaring her.

When she laid down in the bed, she stared up at the ceiling, trying to get the tears to stop creeping their way up to her waterline when three knocks against the wooden door halted the process.

Dr. M walked in after a quick hello. When she saw you lying in bed staring at the ceiling, Arthur nowhere to be found, a frown spread across her face. “Where is Arthur? Oh god did my advice ruin your friendship…” 

Sofia wiped her tears away and looked over at Dr. M “what?”

“Oh, nevermind, nothing. Where is he?”

“Racing” Sofia whispered, not wanting to talk about Arthur nor his absence any longer. 

“Oh… I'm sorry, honey. I was really expecting him to be here, especially because your dosage is increasing today.. The side effects are going to be much worse…”

Sofia nodded “i know, it’s ok, it has to be done with or without him, I can’t keep him from pursuing his dreams” 

Dr. M nodded and sat down on her little stool, grabbing ahold of Sofia’s arm as she began the IV process. “Before I get the treatment started, I have to let you know a few things about this dosage increase”

Sofia nodded and looked up at her, indicating that she was listening. 

“Some people do have complications during this specific treatment. It’s not uncommon for a patient to end up needing to stay overnight here at the hospital”

“What kind of complications?” Sofia asked, fear very evident in her voice.

“Some have gone into heart failure, others have fainted from the intensity.. It all depends on your body. You could go without any complications, too. It really just depends.”

Sofia nodded a little, picking anxiously at the skin around her nails once more. “If anything happens to me… anything at all, you have Arthur’s number, right?”

Dr. M nodded “yes of course, would you like me to contact him first?”

Sofia nodded “yes please. It’s monday so he isn’t racing today, he should answer… I hope”

“Alright, but if he doesn’t answer then I will call Charlotte, ok?”

Sofia nodded and looked back up at the ceiling when she saw Dr. M pulled out the iv bag that had the treatment in it. “That’s fine, let's just get this over with please” 

After about five minutes of getting the IV hooked up and all set up for Sofia, Dr. M left the room, leaving Sofia alone again. 

Everything Dr. M had warned her had been true- the symptoms were 10x worse than they ever had been. 

The shakes were so intense that she could barely think straight.

The cold sweats were making even the six blankets on top of her feel like they weren’t enough. 

She had even developed a bit of a rash on the arm that held the IV which was a completely new symptom for her.

She thought about how this might’ve been more bearable if she would’ve begged Arthur to stay, but what kind of friend would she have been if she asked him to stop pursuing his dreams to help make this battle a little easier?

What kind of a friend would she have been to make him watch the cancer fighting process all over again? 

She found it to be so selfish of herself to even consider asking Arthur to stay. 

But damn would it have made all of this so much easier.

The longer Sofia sat with the IV in her arm, the worse she felt. She could barely make sense of anything in the room around her anymore, all of the objects meshed together in her blurred vision. She was so dizzy that she felt like throwing up, though the body shakes prevented her from doing so. Her body was so cold that she couldn’t feel her hands or her feet, preventing her from being able to press that red button Dr. M had told her to use if things got too horrible. 

Never in her life did she ever imagine that something that was supposed to cure her would make her feel so sick and so weak. 

Sofia had no longer heard the beeping of the heart monitor nor could she hear the people having a conversation outside. The only sound she could hear was that of a ringing in her ear. 

She felt her body stop shaking, which she was grateful for because she was sick and tired of constantly moving so much. 

Her vision was still blurred, but the sight in front of her was getting darker and darker. Was she finally falling asleep?

Before she knew it, she couldn’t hear or see anything. She had lost tune with her body completely. Maybe she really did fall asleep. 

When Dr. M rushed in at the alert from Sofia’s monitoring machines, she saw Sofia lying in bed completely still- no shaking, no small movements, no acknowledgement that she had even walked in. “crap” Dr. M mumbled before removing the IV as quickly as she could, wrapping a bandage around the area where the IV had once laid. 

She quickly moved to the other side of Sofia’s bed and started a new IV in her other arm, hoping that some fluids would help Sofia regain consciousness. 

Maybe this had been too much for Sofia far too soon. 

Maybe her body wasn’t meant for this type of treatment. She was only 20 years old after all, maybe it was too much for someone her age. 

Dr. M picked up her phone and found Arthur’s contact at the top of her contact list. She tapped on his name and then the small phone button, her phone automatically began calling Arthur.

Arthur was in his hotel room packing up his bags to travel to the next destination when his phone began to ring. When he noticed that it was Dr. M, a bit of panic had set in. Dr. M said she would only ever call if something happened to Sofia..

“Hello?” Arthur said, putting the phone up to his ear

“Hello? Arthur? It’s Dr. M”

“Yes hi, is everything alright?”

Dr. M paused for a moment, sitting down in the chair by Sofia’s bed. “Actually, no. there was a complication with her new treatment dosage”

Arthur’s heart sank at those words, tears instantly forming in his eyes. “What kind of complications?”

“Well, I think that this dosage was far too much for her. Normally this treatment plan is for people in their 40’s to 50’s as typically people of her age don’t have such an intense cancer like she does. I’m thinking she’s too young for such an intense treatment”

“Dr. M what is wrong with Sofia, what happened to her??” Arthur asked sternly, not wanting to hear whatever else she had to say. 

“She lost consciousness and her heart rate has dropped significantly. I’ve since removed the treatment IV and replaced it with some fluids to help her flush out the treatment”

“Is she awake? Is her heart rate stable?”

“No and no. It’s not something we can fix in a matter of seconds. I won’t be leaving her room until both things happen though, I can assure you of that.”

“I will be there as quickly as I can, ok? I’m in Bahrain right now, but I'll have my flight redirected to monaco. I won’t have access to texts or calls for a couple of hours, but please make sure she’s ok.. I can’t lose her too” he whispered, his voice breaking at the idea of losing Sofia too.

“I promise I'm doing everything I can, Arthur. I’ll see you soon. Have a safe flight” 

-

Arthur spent three incredibly long hours on the plane back to Monaco. With every minute that ticked by, he found himself worrying more and more about the state of Sofia. With his phone on airplane mode, he wouldn’t have been able to receive any updates from Dr. M- for all he knew, Sofia could be dead right now. 

When the plane touched down on the runway, Artur unbuckled himself and got up out of his seat, grabbing his belongings and making his way towards the door of the plane- he had never been more grateful to have a private plane than at this very moment. 

Thankfully enough, the airport was located right next to the hospital, so it wouldn’t be much longer before he’d be able to hold Sofia’s hand and promise her that everything would be ok. 

After thanking his pilot, Arthur made his way towards the hospital. The moment he stepped through the sliding hospital doors, time seemed to slow. The hallways seemed longer, the elevator ride seemed to last a lifetime, and the people around him seemed to move so slowly. 

When Arthur finally reached Sofia’s room, he opened the door gently and stepped inside, closing the door behind him before walking over to the bed. 

He stared down at Sofia who had looked so weak and ill. She had three different IV’s in her arms which he knew she would hate when she woke up.

Arthur had been so fixated on the state of Sofia that he hadn’t even noticed Dr. M was speaking to him. 

“Arthur?” she said once more, trying to get his attention for the fifth time since he walked through the door. 

“Hm? Sorry, I didn’t see you there” he whispered, taking Sofia’s hand in his as he sat down on the edge of her bed. “Has she woken up yet? Since she lost consciousness?”

Dr. M shook her head, a small frown appearing across her lips. “Not yet. She probably won't for a few more hours” 

“How about her heart rate? Is it steady?” 

Dr. M nodded a bit “sort of. It’s better than it was when I called you, but it isn’t where I’d like for it to be.”

Arthur nodded a little, being glad that Sofia was at least making progress, even if it was small progress. “Am I allowed to lie with her? Or is it better to leave her some space?”

“You may lay with her, I have no issues with that. Just be mindful of the IV’s she is hooked up to” 

Arthur nodded and placed his hand on Sofia’s cheek, gently rubbing it with his thumb as he looked at her. “Thank you. I’ll call for you if I need anything”

Dr. M nodded, taking the hint that Arthur wanted to be alone with Sofia and walking out of the door. 

Arthur sighed, tears welling in his eyes as he continued to rub Sofia’s cheek. “I shouldn’t have left you alone.. I’m a horrible friend..” he whispered, a few tears falling as he continued to talk. “It was so selfish of me to choose racing over you. I can race next year.. I will race next year, but not this year.. Not when you are sick..”

Silence filled the room after Arthur had realized that all of these things he was saying out loud were irrelevant when the girl he wanted to share them with was passed out in a hospital bed. 

With a sigh, Arthur climbed into the bed with Sofia, his arms wrapping around her gently as he rested his head against hers.

This is where he should have been all along. 

This was where he was meant to be. 

This is where he needs to stay. 

By Sofia’s side as she fights for her life.

tag list: @hammick @Cl16msc47 @majkaftorek @04asheley16 @itsrogersstuff @polyjuiceslytherin @Lizziebitch33 @viktorie16 @Johannalindau @Jamieeboulos @cedricdiggorysimpp @Southernprincess1997 @Myescapefromthislife @F1andbookslover   @ferrarilover16 @my-fangirling-outlet

[ellissims3lepacy]

Sims 3 Lepacy Gen 1: Chapter 2 : A new Relationship

As expected, Eileen started pursuing Hank Goddard and before long they were going out. Before moving in together though, Hank started messing around with Tori Kimura on the side...Naughty naughty. I know this because I have Nraas Storyprogression stories enabled. Granted that it is also the Storyprogression mod who is responsible for this in the first place, but it's more fun this way.

Hank was very happy to leave the Mosquito Cove and move in together with Eileen. To Hanks credit he never rolled any wants to cheat on Eileen, nor did he pursue any other ladies autonomously. In fact he was quite a good boyfriend, watering her plants while she was at work. Alas they were so cute that I even considered keeping them together, but ultimately I knew that they were not meant to be. I decided that in addition of trying to fulfill my original sims lifetime wish, I would do the same for their partner. But Hank is eventually going to want to breakup and date someone else, that's just how he was created. He's never going to be the partner Eileen truly deserves, so while they were still happy together I started to look for other eligible gentlemen who could be potential romantic prospects for Eileen in the future.

For starters we met two possible suitors: Leighton Sekemoto and Christopher Steel. Eileen had excellent chemistry with Leighton, she thought he was a 10/10. He is also a family man, which means he would definitely want to get married and have kids, which is what we're looking for. The caveat is that he want's to raise five kids from babies to teenagers. If you didn't know, Leighton is at the start of the game a young dad to a toddler called Sam. So if Eileen got together with Leighton she would need to have at least four children with him to fulfill his lifetime wish. Christopher on the other hand was more like a 7-8 out of 10, so maybe not the best option, but good enough to be a possibility. We shall see.

Eileen and Hank were both progressing pretty rapidly in their respective careers (Military and Law Enforcement) when something unexpected happened...

Eileen was pregnant! How did this happen? Well, I am using Nraas Wohooer that allows you to tweak various romantic interactions. In the vanilla game woohooing has a zero chance of pregnancy while the try for baby interaction gives a 75 percent chance of conceving. I find that this is not very realistic actually. There is something called "risky woohoo" which allows you to set your preferred chance for a female sim to get pregnant after each risky woohoo, like 15 % for example. Lots of players seem to use risky woohoo as an additional interaction to the basic woohoo which still has zero chance of pregnancy. Probably to simulate an "oops we didn't use protection"- situation. I also used to use this method but after Eileen and Hank had been together for a while, I thought it would be more fun to disable regular woohoo and replace it with risky woohoo (which will be referred to as woohoo in game even though it is still technically risky woohoo). I set the chance of pregnancy to just five percent. In my headcanon they are using a condom during woohoo and for that a five percent fail rate I feel is pretty realistic.

Most players seem to have it set between 10-30 percent, but I thought that would be too high since now we don't have woohoo with zero chance of resulting in pregnancy anymore in the game. Still that five percent was enough to result in a pregancy just a couple of sim days after I made this change.

I also have a pretty long lifespan so my sims have plenty of time to woohoo. I have decided with this Lepacy to set one sim year to two days. It was really important for me to have the proportions of each life stage match real life because it really annoys me how the default lifespans are not proportional. For example the teen lifestage is way too long compared to the adult life stages (this is much more of a problem in the Sims 2 and 4 tough)- thankfully the Sims 3 allows full customisation for lifespans.

My lifespans are as follows:

Babies : 2 days (ages 0-1)

Toddlers : 6 days (ages 1-5) - I know it should be 8 days but I think that is too long. Sue me :D

Children : 14 days (ages 5-12)

Teens : 12 days (ages 12-18)

Young adults : 44 days (ages 18-40)

Adults : 44 days (ages 40-62)

Elders : 30 days (ages 62-77)

I know there are some inconsistencies, but I'm pretty satisfied with this. The toddlers are obviously incorrect on purpose but then again pregnancy is the default 3 days which would actually be around 18 months according to my own rules, so we might as well have this to compensate for the missing two days. Then teens should actually start from 13 not 12 however then that would mean that the teen lifestage would only be for 10 days versus 16 days for children, and teens are definitely more fun to play with compared to children. Then there is the question of when does young adulthood end and adulthood begin? I don't know, I just thought 40 is a nice round number. I wanted y.adulthood and adulthood to last the same amount which means that yes female sims will be able to get pregnant into their early sixties, but I prefer this to having the elder stage begin in the sims fifties. I feel like the elders are actually pretty old and in reality I would never refer to someone aged 62 as an "elder" but this is what we're working with. 77 years might also be a little young for someone to actually die of "old age" but I didn't want my average elder to live into their 90s. Some of them will though. In this savefile I actually had Buster Clavell live to about 98, which means he spontanely exceeded his lifespan with over 40 days.

By the time Eileen got pregnant she had been in a relationship with Hank for 14 days (or 7 years) and she was now about 29 years old. A perfect age to start pondering what you really want from life. In the next chapter we will find out what will become of Eileen and Hank and see the baby being born!

Sorry for yapping about the woohoo and lifespan settings lol