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shallowseeker · 3 months ago

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I didn't want to mess up your beautiful post @farenmaddox, so I decided to throw all my initial thoughts in here.

Jack Kline, Euphoria, and the muddy line between manipulation and choice

(Alternatively: how Jack's recruitment tactics are very crunchy)

Jack in the womb

In true SPN style, the early story around Jack’s birth is intentionally muddy. The show leaves it ambiguous on purpose. It makes us ask: how much of Jack's influence is instinctual / innocent, and how much is active manipulation?

New life is inexperienced; it takes what it needs instinctually, not maliciously. Dumah will mention something similar later in 14x19: that Jack goes where he feels safe.

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I think you're right that brainwashing isn't quite the right term. Because when I think more deeply about it, and especially considering how he acts in The Bad Place, I favor manipulation.

It's ultimately a very complicated form of emotional manipulation—one that's deeply tied to Jack's own desperate need for connection and acceptance.

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Tapping into people's needs

When Jack first meets Castiel, he feels safe with him for a reason: Cas couldn’t pull the Colt’s trigger.

Jack imprinted on Cas the way an infant bonds with a parent. Up till that point, everyone had tried to kill him, even Kelly. Kelly, in fact, actively tried in the most horrifying way possible, killing herself AND Jack at the same time.

(SIDE NOTE: Dean will embody both of these Cas-and-Kelly elements later in 14x20 Moriah, with the Equalizer gun... and the idea of killing himself and Jack at the same time... for the good of the world.)

Kelly killed herself because she believed what the people around her told her, that her baby would destroy the world.

KELLY: (Groans, sniffles and sighs) I love you. (fills tub) But we won't ever be together. There is no happy ending for either of us. And if what she said is true if this is what you really are (voice breaking) what you'll do to the world, all that pain, all that death, I can't let that happen. (crying) I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Kelly NEEDED to believe that her baby would be good. Jack was able to do that by saving her life. She felt him and felt his relatable emotions, and she realized he was very human indeed.

This may have been the first time he ever talked to her—that she got to know him and saw his good intentions.

Dagon takes the most uncharitable view possible, but the bond between a parent and a child can be complex, as loving as it is parasitic and draining. (SEE: The symbol of Sam as "the vampire.")

KELLY: He's not. My baby's not evil. He saved me. DAGON: That's what you think happened? (Laughs) Uh, he saved himself. He doesn't care about you. Nothing's changed. He's born, you die. But don't worry. I'll be there, right by his side, to nurture him, love him, to help him to kill everything. You know, like a mother should. &

KELLY to CAS: His power his soul surged through me, and it was good. Pure. I feel I know he is good. CAS: Kelly, what your child did, that's a testament to his power, but it's not proof of some goodness. He needs you alive. KELLY: Maybe. Or maybe it was a miracle. Maybe—maybe everything that I've been through, everything that I still have to go through, is happening for a reason. Maybe it's part of some plan.

Pure is a Poughkeepsie word in SPN, but also... there's something very human about needing to believe in something bigger than yourself. (This gets echoed in 13x04, The Big Empty, when Mia asks Dean what he believes in, and it's implied that what he has faith in... is Cas. Like with the Cupid way back in 5x14 Bloody Valentine, Dean believes in love, not cupids. That's also why... SPNwin.)

But Jack is looking for a father figure to keep him safe, not a mother to nourish him with the blood of the world. He wants to be protected. He wants a dad.

And he will get sense that insanely fatherly-protectorship aspect of Cas when he feels Cas's hand:

(Cas puts his hand on Kelly's belly. Her eyes flash – she gets a vision, a flashback of when Castiel jumped in front of her to protect her) FUTURE CAS: You stay away from her.

I do think it's interesting that Jack didn't show Kelly visions of the future directly. Instead, Kelly will lean on CAS in 12x23, borrowing HIS vision and HIS hope for the future:

KELLY: Tell me again. Tell me again what you saw. CAS: Right, I saw– I saw... [Cas closes his eyes and recalls the events of 12.19, Kelly taking his hand and the golden glow taking over him, his eyes glowing gold] I saw the future. I saw a world without pain or hunger or want. I saw the world that this child... that your child... KELLY: Mm. CAS: ...will create. KELLY: Mm. CAS: And it is a world without fear and without suffering and without hate. KELLY: Mm. CAS: I saw paradise.

Charitably, Cas was dressing up his vision in the most palatable way possible, with excessive hope as a balm for Kelly’s impending death. (This can be very important for the terminally ill!)

But uncharitably, it's a hapless, positive, light-filled nihilism. Whereas the hunter is negatively nihilistic with the mantra: "It only ends one way," the angel-soldier can at times swing into the opposite parallel, "happily ever after."

MARY: I don't know. He's sweet, kind. Even after the war, after everything, he still believes in happily ever after, you know? He's everything a hunter isn't. (beat) No offense. 4x03

(But the true balance is of course... actually neither of those things.)

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The recruitment of Castiel

From Castiel’s side, it’s equally messy. Cas couldn't shoot Kelly or Jack, but he WAS prepared to take them to Heaven.

Like with Dean and the bomb for Amara and Jack in season 11 & 15, Cas can't do it himself, so he's finding a way for it to happen more passively.

Cas & Jack & Kelly:

DEAN: Your plan? KELLY: He's taking me to Heaven. DEAN: You – You're taking her to the sandbox? CAS: Yes. I'm ending this, once and for all. Kelly and her baby have to die. 12x19

Dean & Amara:

SAM: You want God to kill Amara because you don't want Amara to be killed? DEAN: Yeah, maybe there's a part of me that just can't hurt her. But if she's already dead— SAM: Then she's already dead. Right. LUCIFER: Well, that got weird. 11x23

Dean being unable to hurt Amara is in parallel with how Cas can't hurt Jack. It's no wonder Dean chafes. If he views Amara (and Cain-Crowley) as nonconsensual brainwashing, then of course he'll be wary of Jack on multiple levels. I think this speaks more to how he views both his time as Demon Dean and his connection to Amara than anything.

So, we're back to our original question. How much of Jack's influence is instinctual, and how much is active manipulation?

Most importantly, is it at least partially consensual? Is it all Cas, or all Jack, or a weird mix of both?

(If we lean on the Amara parallel... it isn't wholly. Jack and Amara tap into vulnerabilities to get the outcomes they want. Crowley also parallels this in season 9-10, manipulating an outcome in a way that's predatory and nonconsensual. Crowley/Cain is a huge Amara parallel, which makes them off-key to Jack as well, right down to how Rowena & Crowley used Amara, and how Asmodeus & Sam used Jack.)

CASTIEL: I’m sure Sam knows that whatever you said or what you did, it wasn’t really you. It certainly wasn’t all you. 10x03

So then, I think I fall somewhere in the mud, that it's Cas, but it's his deepest fears and vulnerabilities brought to light, and it's not completely consensual.

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Cas and the idyllic future

Cas is vulnerable and psychologically wounded this season.

He feels like a failure. He needs a win. The delayed grief of losing his human fam is hitting him in the biggest way. (SEE Ishim’s: "You're sad and pathetically weak.")

And like how Kelly NEEDED Jack to be a force for good, Cas NEEDED a win, so Jack shows him the win. (The win is ofc, is actually Cas living freely with his human family.) And much like how Dean operates when it comes to collecting allies, Cas quickly judges Jack as "good" because they seemed to want the same things.

Jack is the symbol of the djinn. Jack needed someone to believe in him, and Cas fell prey to Jack’s euphoria. A dream-like, djinn-style vision: a future where Cas's human family was alive, happy, and, more importantly, SAFE WITH HIM. It was everything Cas wanted.

And this, make no mistake, this is a visual taking of Cas, a possession. A "see what I see, feel what I feel" parallel to Crowley:

And then...

Cas and Jack burn "the bad woman" and Cas himself becomes an off-key parallel to Azazel and even the Father Shapeshifter, killing the "false parents" and living in the specter of, "I'm your real family."

This is a reverse Azazel, burning not the good mother, but the bad mother. Jack in so many ways WANTS to be the reverse Azazel.

Cas later tells Kelly, "I saw a world without pain or hunger," but crucially, that world wasn’t real. It's a balm. It even stands in direct contrast to Cas’s larger character arcs: embracing the reality of death, pain, and imperfection as essential parts of life. (See: The Rit Zien episode 9x06 Heaven Can't Wait: "You say you want to live. But you can't see what I see. By choosing a human life, you've already given up. You… chose… death.") To live is to die.

(Cas says this to Jack in Ouroboros, trying to be okay with his human family dying—but even in Season 14, he really isn’t. He flips almost immediately from "All humans die, even the best ones, even Sam and Dean," to "Dean WILL wake up.")

Cas and Mary mirror each other: both are horrified by the fragility of their human families and would do anything—right or wrong—to protect them.

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But is Jack truly at fault?

Not long after this, Jack’s powers are described like sneezing—a reflex, not a conscious choice. He wanders into the world in episode one carrying his deep emotional expectations to find Castiel, near-distraught as he looks for him:

JACK: My mother, she’s in heaven. My father, he was supposed to be here, but he’s not. I’m trying to find him. I have to find him.

But the tragedy is already written into him. His powers respond to need, not will. He saved his mother when she tried to end her life and his. He saved Castiel from Dagon's killing blow.

But at the moment of his own birth, when he needed them most, he could save neither.

I'm thinking. that... Perhaps instinctively, Jack wants his powers as much as he doesn't want them?

KELLY: I go with you, you take away the thing that makes him special. ... KELLY: Because he chose you, Castiel. When you put your hand on my stomach, I heard him. He spoke to me. He told me that even if it seems scary, if I just went to the gate, if I just followed your plan, that you would make sure he was born. Sam and Dean, they want to take away his powers because they're scared. ... CAS: I am. I've been so lost. I'm not lost anymore. And I know now that this child must be born with all of his power.

There's a great meta about this somewhere, that this could've been Chuck's interference at work with Kelly. It's definitely echoing what we'll see of Zachariah's manipulation in 13x14 Good Intentions:

ZACH!CASTIEL: Well, if only they’d accepted you, instead of teaching you to fear your powers.... Because they feared them. Now, if you’ll just do as I say—

To me, it definitely reads as manipulation, which is why it echoes Zachariah. Whether that's an outside god or the god inside Jack, who's to say? But he's preying on vulnerabilities, giving hurting people some direction.

That's why he steals BABY in 12x19. He's literally stealing the narrative.

On the other hand, we eventually see that Kelly's instincts are a little bit right too, especially about taking away Jack's powers—since, in Unhuman Nature, we learn that a Jack without his grace might die very quickly.

I think ultimately, once we learn more about Jack, we see he hates his powers almost as much as he likes having them.

Perhaps what Jack always subconsciously wanted—in true Dean fashion—to be responsible for saving everyone. To be powerful so he can be good for the world. (But it’s a burden he’ll never be able to live up to.)

Dean sacrificed himself for Sam in large part because he felt like his life had to mean something, that he had to justify his own existence:

DEAN: That's my point. Dad brought me back, Bobby. I'm not even supposed to be here. At least this way, something good could come out of it, you know? I—I—It's like my life could mean something. BOBBY: What? And it didn't before?! Have you got that low of an opinion of yourself? [...] I could throttle you! 2x22

Jack is on earth, because Kelly is not. Just like Dean was on earth, because John was not.

It's a savior complex. Which brings us to...

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His more active manipulation with Kaia

In 13x09 The Bad Place, like Cas, we find Jack desperate to "bring back a win" for The Winchesters. He wants to save Mary more than anything, and Jack and Dean become aligned in coercion and desperation.

JACK:

& DEAN:

Dean, showing his increasingly desperate and compromised state of mind, pulls a gun on Kaia to force her help.

Jack, by contrast, will later catch the fly with honey: he uses his power to influence Kaia emotionally, recruiting her with a vision.

And Jack is so often a bomb, a weapon of mass destruction, even… but he's also a drug, euphoria-inducing.

Like Kelly NEEDS to believe Jack would be good for the world, or Cas NEEDS to believe in a future where he can freely live with his human family (because despite the lip service otherwise, that's what paradise actually IS for Cas / if it's "destiny," then he doesn't have to feel guilty for wanting something so selfish despite all his crimes; destiny for Cas is also the PERMISSION to be happy)...

...Kaia NEEDS to believe her powers have meaning. Kaia NEEDS to believe that her horrible, painful powers can be a force for good—so Jack shows her they can be.

Jack subconsciously and consciously gives each of them exactly what they need to tip them into joining him. His influence on Kaia sparks a euphoric rush that convinces her to help... and it mirrors the manipulation tactics of angels like Gabriel and Zachariah, who show people visions to sway them.

BONUS: In 13x14 Good Intentions, we see the desperation mindset in Cas, too—that overriding someone else's free will can be for the greater good, maybe even mutually beneficial because it's for the good of the whole world. (It's also very much that Mary-esque response to losing loved ones!)

CAS: "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let you or anyone hurt the people I love. Not again."

And of course, by Exodus 13x22, Dean and Cas are teamed-up horrifically, torturing people for information.

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Lastly, brainwashing... it's a fun parenting metaphor!

On a broader level, this kind of "brainwashing" makes an excellent metaphor for parenting/caretaking. When you're responsible for a creature who needs your time and resources, it's unfortunately common to get weirdly attached to serving them—they're your new mission, your cause, and the thing you must now order your life around.

But it's also common... to project your own hopes and dreams onto them. Especially when you either don't feel allowed to have dreams of your own OR you're giving up your own to care for them.

This can be positive! It can also go too far.

Jack, even before he's properly born, becomes the projection point for both Kelly and Castiel—just as Dean, much later, will hang his burdens on Jack in 13x23, when he talks about retiring and Jack saving the world.

(Dean starts putting big savior expectations on Jack much earlier than season 15. In this way, Jack is a "purely son" character to Dean in a way almost no other character is.)

Here in 13x23... Dean is echoing EXACTLY what Cas got caught up in during 12x19 The Future!

This is the idea of paradise.

Jack’s presence is stoking Dean's idea of freedom: retirement, and lounging on a beach with Sam and Cas. (Aside// It's also notable how AU Michael allllmost mirrors this too, with Dean's retirement dreams in Nihilism with Rocky's Bar, but with bare-bones-contentment instead of happiness.)

It mirrors Cas's 12x19 script dreams in many ways: of Kelly on the beach, Sam running free, and Dean saying "thank you" in extreme closeup, while Cas himself preens with restored wings—big, strong and shirtless.

So paradise then... is worry-free time with loved ones.

And it's sadly, this is to Jack's detriment.

Which is why the scene directly following this?

It's Jack having nightmares. Dean's retirement is directly paired with Jack in pain. The burdens that are put on him because of the powers are just too heavy! You could even say that he... "doesn't deserve what they put on him."

There’s something about all of this, though, that can’t be separated from the idea of family. So often, we don’t choose family initially—we inherit it, or we stumble into it, or we find ourselves trapped WITH it against our will.

What matters is that we keep choosing them, over and over, even when it’s hard, even when it hurts. That’s why AU Michael’s attack on Jack in 15x09 ("burden no one asked for") hits so hard—because it taps into the same cruelty we saw from Zachariah’s figment of Mary in Dark Side of the Moon.

It weaponizes that fear that love is conditional, that you were never really wanted in the first place. Jack-Dean is directly paralleled here with Dean-Mary.

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Overall, this tendency for Jack to manipulate is crunchy, because it so often stems accidentally from his emotional needs

And even when it's on purpose, it either comes good intentions or from being backed into an impossible corner...

For Jack, it reflects a deep and uncomfortable truth: he feels he needs to save people to feel good about himself. (Hello, John in SPNwin, wanting to save ppl to paper over his own grief!)

Jack craves affirmation and meaning so intensely that he unconsciously and at times consciously uses his powers to create them—even as he struggles with how unfair it is to possess those very powers in the first place.

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cbrownjc · 1 year ago

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Alice is in her third trimester

I've seen a few comments about Daniel possibly cheating on Alice with Armand and I'm kinda like . . . you're assuming that Daniel or Armand -- who regularly, at least in the books, would be in situations where Armand would sit in a chair and watch Daniel have sex with other people -- would themselves view that as cheating. Because I don't think they would've. (At the very least, not younger Daniel.)

It's been talked about, more than once, about how the vampires in this universe are inherently polyamorous. I don't think Armand would care at all about sharing Daniel with another lover. And Daniel, being entangled with Armand (and quite possibly Louis as well) for so long might have himself become not overly concerned with such a thing.

I think Alice is the only one who would have cared that Daniel was sleeping with someone else (if she ever found out), and would have seen it that way. But I, personally, can see Armand and younger Daniel not caring about that view of things in the slightest . . . particularly because they were the ones who were together initially anyway. And that Daniel probably first ever got together with Alice during one of Daniel's running away periods.

Because the main thing that led to their splits sometimes, i.e. Daniel running away, was because Armand's refusal to make Daniel a vampire. Other than that, though? Nothing else in the relationship between them was a problem, particularly for Daniel. And I think that is going to be true wrt the show's version of events. Still being with his vampire lover, even after he may have gotten married? Don't think it is at all outside of possibility -- or that Daniel would have any guilt about it.

And THAT piece of information -- that the only problem he had with the relationship with Armand is that Armand wouldn't turn him -- is going to be the info that Daniel, in the present, likely won't want to face about himself IMO.

Daniel is clearly accepting of the fact that he was a shit father and a terrible husband. But accepting the possible true reason behind all of that?

I said it last year, and I'll say it again -- the revelation about the Devil's Minion that's going to hit Daniel the hardest is very likely going to be the one that reveals he has ZERO moral high ground when it comes to these vampires.

At the moment, Daniel can tell himself that he asked Louis for the Dark Gift because he thought Louis was wasting it. But that excuse is not going to work when it comes to the years and years he asked and wanted Armand to turn him.

That Armand refused to break his vow to never bring another into The Blood -- that is what ended up being what drove them apart. Not any moral conscious Daniel ever had, or grew, about being with Armand at all. Not even whatever transpired regarding Daniel and Alice (and Daniel getting her pregnant likely not just once, but twice, never mind marrying her.)

If Armand had decided to break his vow back then, then IMO, Daniel would have accepted. Alice or no Alice. Kids or no kids. Because while Daniel in the present has nice, even sincerely heartfelt memories about Alice? His past self was clearly emotionally checked out of whatever relationship he had with her by the time of that pregnancy announcement in 1985.

1985. The same year when, in the books, Armand finally did break his vow and turn Daniel, on Halloween. And this is what Daniel had to say about it when Armand finally decided to turn him:

"But don't you see," Daniel said, "all human decisions are made like this. Do you think the mother knows what will happen to the child in her womb? Dear God, we are lost, I tell you. What does it matter if you give it to me and it's wrong! There is no wrong! There is only desperation, and I would have it! I want to live forever with you."

As long as Daniel held any knowledge of not only vampires but of Armand specifically, this is what he would think, what he would always want. And that, IMO, is why he was emotionally checked out when Alice announced that pregnancy. Because, at that point in time, he still held the knowledge, of not just vampires, but Armand himself.

And they were still very much entangled with each other at that time IMO. Still lovers.

My theory is that it isn't Daniel kicking his drug habit that had him "getting his shit together." Well, okay, he did kick a drug habit, but the drug in question was actually Armand's blood. Not to mention Armand himself.

And I think that event happened sometime around when Alice was in her third trimester. (Hence, the name of that track listing).

. . . .

I'm also beginning to wonder if Armand actually was the one who repressed/blocked Daniel's memories of him, or if it was someone else. No, I don't think Louis was the one who did it, (or Lestat either btw), and Armand doing it does make the most sense, given he clearly is not harboring any happy thoughts about Alice, and Daniel splitting from him for her. But a day or so before the new clip came out, @faerywhimsy made a comment to me about who could have also done it, given a comment I made elsewhere about the timeline length Daniel and Armand were apart, and what book-event that matches up with and well . . . .

That person being the one who took Daniel's memories not only tracks wrt the timeline Armand and Daniel spend apart, but it would also track when it comes to the relationship Armand has with that person too. That's all I'm saying . . .

. . . .

Anyway, yeah. I think it was around Alice's third trimester when Armand and Daniel actually split for good. Which, depending on when she got pregnant could conceivably be around towards the end of 1985. Though, more possibly, go over into 1986. But I think that is why there is actually a track named that when it comes to the score for Season 2. Because that time period became a significant one. The time when Daniel actually "got his shit together."

And maybe why, in the present, he can have such love and loving thoughts about Alice. Because the reasons for his being emotionally checked out were no longer at the forefront of his mind for so long anymore (even if he still ended up being a shitty husband and father still -- with Alice as his ex and his kids not speaking to him -- without them).

#Daniel Molloy #Daniel Malloy #Armand #The Vampire Armand #armandaniel #Interview with the Vampire #amc iwtv #iwtv #iwtv meta #amc interview with the vampire #Armand x Daniel #Daniel x Armand #I think Daniel's relationships with both Armand and Alice are going to overlap for a while #longer than we might think when it comes to the 1980s #and ESPECIALLY if Night Island still happened and for the reasons it even first came into existence in the first place #just some thoughts #I'm prepared to be wrong #but there is clearly something wrt Alice going on #I never thought she was actually Armand and I always was sure she existed #and I DO think some of Daniel's emotional memories of Armand and now mixed with her #but there is something specific going on there wrt her -- and it ties in/with/about Armand I feel sure #and WHO was Daniel's second wife?#interesting how she hasn't been mentioned or anything aside from just knowing Daniel was married twice . . . .

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random-yandere-fandom · 1 year ago

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Hi, this was inspired by the Goddess Elizabeth and TC Meliodas yandere headcanons and I was wondering if I could please request slightly dark headcanons for a Zeldris/Gelda pairing who are yandere for an S/O who is either human or a goddess?

Let's hope I have the motivation to finish writing this

I decided to make the reader a goddess since that would add some more drama. Also I tried to make it darker than my usual writing but don't really know if i succeeded... Also, characters might be Ooc

Yandere Zeldris and Gelda sharing a Goddess S/O

This is one of the best yandere pairings I can imagine. They harmonize so well and with their shared goal of protecting and owning you, this would be an almost wholesome relationship.

Almost, because the political climate makes it pretty much impossible for it to be a simple and happy romance.

I picture this with Zeldris and Gelda already being together, as otherwise Gelda has zero chance of actually meeting you long enough to grow as fond of you as she does. The two of them already have enough trouble, hiding their relationship and subsequently pretending to be nothing but strangers, even when they are as close as can be.

So Gelda quickly notices when Zeldris has something on his mind, stares off into the distance and doesn't react as quickly as usual. She will narrow her eyes and lean close enough that their noses brush against each other, causing the demon to snap out of his thoughts and grow extremely flustered. He won't be able to hide anymore and will have to confess to having met you on the battlefield and that there is something about you that doesn't quite let him forget about you like he usually does with his enemies.

At first, Gelda doesn't know how to react. Scratch that, she knows exactly that she is pissed off. Though, seeing her lover being more confused on why he can't get you off his mind will slightly placate her, especially since Zeldris will feel guilty and apologize unprompted for even thinking off you. While she will scold him, it will mainly be for not telling her first thing. The vampire is rather wary of you though, perhaps you have a strange power to you or her lover sensed that there is something off about you that could turn out to be dangerous.

That opinion of hers changes quite quickly though. It is rare that the demon king sends a vampire to the front lines, yet Gelda finds herself in the middle of the battlefield, some lower demons alongside her as they scout the perimeter. Perhaps he has grown suspicious of her and Zeldris and this is a warning, she muses, but she can't think much of that now as she has to focus on being on enemy territory.

It is thanks to her quick senses that she manages to dodge the sudden attack directed at the small group. She barely makes it out of range only to find herself getting dragged behind some trees. Before she can retaliate someone gently shushes her and she catches gaze of her savior. You. You gesture for her to listen and she hears some other goddesses talking about having killed the entire group and it doesn't take a genius to realize you are protecting her. Gelda remains tense until they leave. You explain that she was the only one to survive the initial attack and that you, admittedly, thought this war stupid and didn't want more blood on your hands. Even if you had just been relaxing nearby, you couldn't watch someone being slaughtered like that. What really catches the blonde off guard is that you seem remorseful for the death of the demons accompanying her and somehow... your naive and yet so sweet reactions make her want to tease you.

Once she returns she is quick to discuss that meeting with Zeldris and quickly they realize that they have met the same person. From then on it isn't hard for either of them to admit that they want to get to know you better and they are quick to agree to do this together.

Zeldris will be the one you mainly interact with and mostly on the battlefield, so getting closer to you is imaginably hard. Yet, he somehow manages to get your name and more personal information, which he later eagerly shares with Gelda.

A few months of this and it is decided: the two of them want you with them. Seeing however that they have to operate in secret they come up with various plans that are just as quickly dismissed. Lucky are they when other demons catch you as a war prisoner and even luckier are they when Zeldris manages to get his hands on you.

The demon has a good reputation and it doesn't take much to make it look like you died in captivity, just another death that could have been avoided but wasn't.

In truth, you find yourself bound up in a small cave, Gelda greeting you as you open your eyes with a pounding headache and something so desperately wrong with you as you can't move your body, can't even lift a finger as your vision remains blurry. You barely hear it when the vampire explains the situation to you, that you will slowly regain your bearings and that you don't have to be afraid. You don't hear her expressing her apologies for how rough they had to get to have you or hear Zeldris when he arrives to make sure you are as fine as the situation allows it.

Over the next few days, they will give you time to adjust to your surroundings, feed and take care of you as you slowly regain the control of your body. To your horror, your wings remain limp, the once blinding white feathers now a light grey that lost their shine. Dread fills you as Gelda explains that they didn't want to risk you escaping and Zeldris has the guts to look a bit ashamed for taking their mobility from you.

Don't mistake their light bantering among the two of them and the gentleness they show you, they are not above fully ridding you of your wings or anything else they deem a threat to their ownership of you.

It's been so long since I have been written something a bit longer like this. I'm not totally satisfied with how it turned out, but it feels great all the same.

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andreal831 · 10 months ago

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Did you ever ship Stefan and Bonnie?

I'm actually so shocked I've never discussed this here because I was obsessed with Stefonnie for the longest time and this post is making me fall back into it.

Stefan and Bonnie had such a beautiful friendship in the early seasons. It was very similar to Caroline and Stefan. I was actually rooting for Bonnie over Caroline initially when it was clear Delena was going to be endgame. I love Steroline, but Stefonnie would have been such an organic friends-to-lovers ship (we know I love a good friend-to-lovers over enemies-to-lovers). Especially, since this was the time Forewood was still going strong and I loved them too. It would have been such a great time in TVD with these ships.

But of course, the writers refused to let Bonnie have everything and eventually shifted Stefan's attention from being split between his two friendships with Caroline and Bonnie to only Caroline. They only ever really get it back in the final season and it was essentially just to rub it in for Bonnie that Stefan, her once friend, murdered her love. This whole storyline was clearly just designed to isolate Bonnie completely from the group. Stefan was supposed to spend the rest of his life making it up to her and then died so we didn't even get to see them repairing their relationship. If they were going to get together, it would have to be before this.

Stefan is the first vampire that Bonnie starts to feel comfortable with after her, very reasonable, hatred of vampires. Because he put in the effort. Even Caroline just wanted Bonnie to get over her fear/hatred without putting in too much effort. But Stefan spent time making her feel comfortable. And the fact that he had Grams approval goes a long way with Bonnie. Stefan on multiple occasions attempts to stop Bonnie from doing dangerous spells that he does want to happen, but he prioritizes her safety. He had so much respect and love for her from the beginning.

Him asking so gently if he can come in and her little nod. This right here shows that their friendship at the bare minimum should have been prioritized. How do you not see romantic potential in this??

Even when he was a ripper, he never harms Bonnie. Or when Stefan and Damon had to kill her mom but Damon does it so *Elena* won't hold it against Stefan. Let's be honest, if Elena can forgive Damon for murdering her brother, she would have quickly moved on from Abby's death. But, to me, it was so important for it not to be Stefan because *Bonnie* never would have forgiven him.

I would have much rathered Stefan getting stuck on the otherside/prison world with Bonnie and repairing their friendship and developing a romantic relationship. Stefan was so protective of Bonnie that it would have given Bonnie a lot more support than she initially got from Damon. I know I am just biased and hate Damon, but I felt like their development was forced. Literally. They never would have interacted like that in other circumstances. I do think Damon needed that friendship, since the only time we see him have any character development is with Bonnie, but that wasn't Bonnie's job. Forcing her to befriend a man she hated, a man who murdered her mom, for his development was just never a favorite story of mine. But Stefan with her would have given her some comfort. I think she also would have had more faith in Stefan coming back for her and saving her if he was forced to leave her behind.

They fit so well together. They both have similar morals and a strong sense of righteousness. They both will sacrifice themselves for those they love and will bend their morals for their loved ones, but at the end of the day they are the heart of the friend group. They also were always trying to stop the other one from sacrificing themselves, understanding that the people the other was harming themselves for wasn't necessarily worth it.

Bonnie deserved to be loved like that. After losing her entire family and everyone she cared about, she deserved to have someone love her the way Stefan loves. And Stefan wanted to be human again. He would have taken the cure and they could have left Mystic Falls behind, coming back for holidays, but getting away from the toxic relationships they had with their family and friends.

As for storytelling purposes, this just shows that the show prioritized ships they viewed would be the most popular (which was based in racism) over the actual storytelling. Bonnie and Stefan has so many similar stories that they could have bonded over, like their summer that no one knew they were missing and their parental issues. But also their history. Elena and Stefan were not the only two reflected in the story with Silas and Amara. There was also Qetsiyah. The full circle story that could have been if they had Silas' shadow-self (Stefan) fall for Qetsiyah's descendant (Bonnie), leaving Amara's shadow-self (Elena). Instead the show spent time forcing parallels by retconning itself with flashbacks.

I loved Bonenzo and Steroline, but if they had done Stefonnie right, it would have been my top ship. They had so much potential to show the development and to actually allow the characters to experience their emotions and work through their trauma. They would have helped each other as friends and fallen in love as they did. They are two of my favorite characters from TVD so it is no wonder I would love them together.

Now excuse me while I go find some fics to read!

Thanks for the ask!

#stefonnie #bonnie x stefan #stefan salvatore #bonnie bennett #tvdu #the vampire diaries #tvd #fandom answers #tvd anon ask #tvd ask #fandom asks #anon ask #anonymous #tvdu metas #metas #andrea831 metas #andrea831 metas bonnie #andrea831 metas stefan #andrea831 metas stefonnie

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queso-blanco · 1 year ago

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mdni 18+ part 2(technically prequel)

When Eddie Munson came back from the dead, it didn't phase Robin too much. After all, it wasn’t the first time someone in Hawkins had seemed to come back from the dead. Just look at Will!

It was an accident. She let herself into Steve's place with the spare key he had given her. In her defense he wasn't answering the phone!

She only meant to walk in on Steve, she'd heard running water and didn’t care what she might see in the bathroom. He was practically her brother and she needed to demand ask him to give her a ride to the bookstore, she'd gotten word from Dustin via walkie-talkie that Vicki is there and she thought it'd be a great meet-cute if the two of them reached for the same book, which she would definitely make happen.

But then she walked in on Eddie when he was brushing his teeth, brushing his fangs. Now that wasn’t normal.

She had a momentary freak out while Eddie desperately tried to calm her down with his placating gestures and toothpaste foam dripping down his chin.

Eventually she heard his words and came to the conclusion that if Eddie had been back for a month already and none of their friends were dead, and the news hadn't reported any strange animal attacks, she must be safe. He must not be a bad vampire.

That didn't stop her from pushing her way to Steve's bedroom to find him peacefully napping without a hair out of place.

She closes his door much more carefully than she threw it open.

Steve may be fine but that didn't stop her from threatening Eddie saying she'd find out what exactly would kill a vampire if he even thought of snacking on anyone she cared about. Especially her platonic soulmate Steve.

They'd survived too much just for Steve to die by way of juicebox.

He assured her he'd never hurt anyone, especially Steve.

She thinks she believes him. After all, Steve and Eddie had seemingly gotten closer since Eddie returned from the dead. She wasn't sure if Steve just finally found another friend his own age, or if he may finally be giving into the glaringly obvious bi-tendencies he had. Either way, he hasn't seemed like he's been in any danger lately. He actually seemed the most happiest she's ever seen him. Maybe it's because he hasn't been getting rejected by every young woman in Hawkins? Then again, she hasn't seen him flirt either... Unless it was when Eddie came to the store to pick up a movie... Hmm.

When she realizes Steve won't be able to drive her she leaves in a huff, deciding she'd just ask Nancy to take her to the bookstore. Eddie offered, but she declined.

If Eddie was there while Steve was sleeping, then he must be expecting him to be there when he awakens. Whatever the nature of their relationship may be, she didn’t want to jeopardize Steve finally being happy.

What she didn’t know was Eddie had been snacking on Steve just fifteen minutes before she'd barged in and was washing the evidence from his mouth. He'd been snacking on Steve for just over two weeks now.

That's how their little friends with benefits arrangement began. Eddie got to eat without needing to hunt or steal from the blood blank, and Steve got off.

It's not Steve's fault he liked being drank from, liked the way Eddie’s lips felt on his neck and fangs buried in his skin.

Originally it was an innocent offer on Steve's part. He was more concerned it would hurt the way the truth serum injection did when he was being interrogated by the Russians a few years ago, or like the sharp bite of the demobats themselves; but instead of fainting when Eddie latched on, Steve popped a boner.

Maybe with all of the concussions he's endured he got a couple screws knocked loose, maybe that's why he gets horny just thinking about Eddie drinking from him.

Eddie doesn't mind it one bit. Sure he was worried with that initial gasp Steve let out, but now that he knows it was a good kind of breathlessness he drinks to his heart's content and allows Steve to rut against him to his heart's content. If Steve doesn't finish while Eddie is drinking he'll give him a handjob until he does. It's a pretty good arrangement even if it does leave Eddie hard in his jeans.

It's not that Eddie doesn't want to do more with Steve, he just doesn't trust himself to drink from Steve and be intimate at the same time; and he's too nervous to just try to be intimate with him sans feeding.

What if Steve isn't into Eddie like that? What if he's really just in it for the assisted masturbation and the moment Eddie makes a move this'll all end?

Eddie doesn't want that. He can't. He can't go back to drinking the gamey blood of animals that leaves him feeling more sick than nourished, or acting like a felon to score pints to stock his fridge, which he can't really do either since he refuses to tell Uncle Wayne in fear of sending the poor man into cardiac arrest.

Plus Steve is the best thing he's ever tasted. Better than any sweet, or any food eaten after getting the munchies. Steve is delectable. He's the best high. Plus Eddie likes being able to give Steve his own little high. An orgasm only he could give him. It does wonders for the ego.

Eddie wants more from Steve but he's too selfish to risk losing him for the better of them.

It's okay, though, because he gets a part of Steve no one else will ever have and that's enough for him.

For now.

#i dreamt this #👀#monster fucker steve am i right?#sips coffee #steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #robin buckley #platonic stobin #steddie ficlet #vampire eddie munson

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alkalinebatteriess · 6 months ago

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Question for the class: Do you think, from a lore perspective, that the Dragonborn should encourage Serena to cure her vampirism? I'm sure this has been discussed before but idc. I've thought about it but can't come to a conclusion, I've even cured her on a playthrough or two, but I regretted it each time.

On one hand, she says this when you ask her about a cure in the middle of the dlc

Do you ever think about curing yourself? "A cure? Why even think of it that way? I can't think of any reason I'd want to lose my gift. Especially after what I did to get it. It may have driven my family apart, but I'm still here, and I'm alive. I won't give this up."

But after she actually cures herself she says

You're not a Vampire anymore? "All clean. I feel like I can breathe again for the first time since I was turned. The world is alive, and so am I, for once."

I mean, fuck Molag Bal, but I watched this video (would recommend his channel, its really good shit) about the DLC and the guy says at some point that he's glad she's non-romanceable because otherwise the arc would be about "fixing her", and I agree. I wouldn't want to take away her agency, and the writing isn't thorough enough to make me feel justified in initiating the dialogue. I think it could be earned if the dialogue tree was more elaborate in this instance.

#skyrim #elder scrolls #serana #love her lots but I genuinely cant settle my mind on this one #need some outside opinions please #tesblr

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flippinpancakes64 · 1 year ago

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Hi I found your blog today and it's great all around! Can you do HC's of the Cullen's with a couple who refuse the vegetarian lifestyle and consume human blood?

The Cullens with a Couple that consumes human blood

Thank you for the kind words!? Why is everyone in my inbox being so nice rn...

I interpreted this as meaning a romantic couple who are vampires who asked to join the Cullens but didn't have any relation to the Cullens before. I also didn't really make this romantic as far as with the other Cullens. I also tried my best to keep gender and details about the couple like nonexistent.

Thank you for requesting and I hope you like this!

Edward:

He's not very happy

When you two show up all he can think about is the possible dangers

And of course the fact that their cover could be blown

I feel like he would care a lot about staying in one place for a while

So he really likes blending in

But if you two promise to only hunt past state lines and far away from where they are, he might come around

In general, it's not the fact that you drink human blood that bothers him, it's just the possible risks

He would still be very wary

Reading your thoughts constantly to make sure you're not a risk

He would get used to you guys eventually, but he wouldn't let his guard down

Alice:

She saw you two coming and she warned the others

She couldn't see your intentions, all she could see were red eyes

And so when the two of you showed up, everybody was ready to stand guard

But after explaining your stories and that you simply wanted a family, she was more than happy

She could see that you guys would stick to your promises of blending in and respecting hunting ground

She is the quickest to warm up to either of you

Will be the one to invite you guys out to do things

She doesn't have a problem with either of you at all

She doesn't care that you two drink blood

She doesn't care that you guys won't change your ways

And she doesn't think you guys are a danger

Jasper:

The exact opposite of Alice

He actively hates you two

He does not trust you, he thinks you guys are liars, and he is constantly ready to attack if the time calls for it

He is convinced that you two must have an ulterior motive for joining their clan

Also resents you two for drinking human blood

That is something he hasn't had in so long and has been challenging himself to give up for the ability to stay with the Cullens and then you two waltz in and do it anyway?

He is beyond pissed

No matter how long you two stay there or how nice you are, as long as you drink human blood he will not warm up to you

And maybe even if you do conform he probably still wouldn't trust you

Sorry

Rosalie:

She'd be annoyed but just because there are more people

After the initial showdown after Alice's vision, she'd stop caring

She has a superiority complex because she's never tasted human blood, but she doesn't rub it in your faces

She doesn't care what you guys do

She's not really attached to any one place, after all

It would be no problem for her to pack up and move to a new city

She had to do it for years following Emmett's transformation

She mostly just gets annoyed at how crowded the house feels now

She says she has no "breathing" room

Honestly she might just take Emmett and pack up to live on their own for a little bit

But overall she's not mean and she doesn't care

She doesn't trust you guys but I feel like she doesn't trust a lot of people so

Emmett:

Another one who doesn't give a damn

When you two first show up, he's obviously ready for a fight

But after you prove that you pose no threat, he backs off

He gets along with you guys pretty well

He trusts you for the most part

Obviously a part of him is still ready if something were to happen

But other than that he's pretty chill

He gets a little bitter knowing that you two still drink human blood

But he gets over himself

Even though he doesn't mind you guys, he will follow Rosalie in a heartbeat

Esme:

She gets a little skeptical

She tries her best to be welcoming

But she is a little put off

She doesn't understand why you guys want to join them

But if you guys are nice then she's okay

Another one who is very hospitable

She'll invite you guys out to do things with the rest of them

She would be the one to invite you two to baseball

Will get over her mistrust of you guys eventually

And after she does she treats you like any of the other Cullens

Carlisle:

He is friends with many vampires who live the "natural" way and it's never stopped him before

He's on guard at first but he is definitely the first one to trust you guys

I mean he let like 30 vampires into his house

So he's chill

Questions you genuinely on why you wanted to be a part of his clan

And why you don't want to feed off of animals

But not in an accusatory way

More like an inquisitive way

He's a doctor first and foremost

And very interested in learning the specifics of vampirism

Treats you guys like old friends

Thumbs up

Vampire! Bella:

She'd get a bit angry

She feels like you two are entitled

And she doesn't want you to join them

Doesn't really trust you guys

Especially if they're still in Forks or somewhere nearby

All she can think about is Charlie and the potential danger you pose

She wants you gone

Like now

But if the other Cullens like you guys then she can't really make you do anything

Would come around eventually though

She just needs proof that you guys are following rules

And I feel like she'd be more okay with it if you guys only hunted criminals

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bonny-kookoo · 2 years ago

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Yoonkook

𝓓𝓸 𝓡𝓮 𝓜𝓲 [Part 1]

There's something happening.

Tags/Warnings: Vampire!Yoongi, Vampire!Jungkook, Human!Reader, Angst, poly AU, emotional confusion, blood (duh), fluff, romance

Length: uh 2k I think

There is no taglist for this fic.

-> Masterlist

🩸.━━━━━━━━━━.❤️.━━━━━━━━━━━.🩸

True to what you've told him in the car, you didn't really reply to any of Jungkook's messages for the rest of the day of the donation.

And while the vampire had been a little worried, Yoongi had reassured him that you seemed competent enough to seek out help if you need it, and that he shouldn't feel bad for taking the chance of your donation. You'd done what you did because you clearly wanted it- not because you felt obligated to do so.

And today, you've begun to be texting a lot more.

Jungkook is glued to his phone the entire day it seems like, and Yoongi can't say it upsets him too much. Jungkook craves friendships and social contact sometimes- something that doesn't come too easy when in a situation similar to his. People infected with vampirism tend to be avoided, no matter the circumstances of their initial infection.

It's like people stop listening after hearing that yes, it can be infectious- healthy people without the infection simply take that fact without looking into it, and run with it.

It's how the stigma had evolved in the first place- parents telling their children not to believe anything they teach about vampirism in schools, churches call infected people demons, and the elderly refuse to be taken care of by vampire staff at care homes or hospitals. Most companies won't even hire people with the infection, and they don't have to- there's no law protecting vampires, after all.

So, Jungkook has been rather lonely.

Apart from Yoongi and Seokjin, he doesn't really have any friends, and his parents had cut contact the moment he was diagnosed. So Yoongi can understand how excited he must feel at the prospect of making a new friend. And he also can't deny that he himself isn't at least slightly interested in you as well.

"How is she doing?" Yoongi asks as soon as he notices Jungkook's facial expression darken a little. The young vampire scratches the edge of his chin for a second, before he answers.

"I mean, she said 'good', but I don't know." He hums to himself. "I feel like I should like, maybe check? Ah, I don't know, this is so weird.." He mumbles more or less to himself, and Yoongi becomes interested.

It couldn't be that Jungkook and you.. no, could it?

"If you're really that worried, ask her if you can visit." Yoongi shrugs, well aware his partner won't really be able to rest easy unless he's got proof of your wellbeing. He's just compassionate like that- he's awfully empathetic towards everyone around him he cares about. It's something that's used for personal gain left and right- and Yoongi hates it.

Though he hopes you're not one to use him.

"Or.. what if we invite her over so she can eat with us?" Jungkook asks. "I don't want you to be alone." He complains, while Yoongi sighs.

"You know I don't mind being my myself, Jungkook." He reassures the younger vampire. "Go and visit her, it's not that big of a deal.." He mumbles to himself as he puts the last dishes on the side to let them dry.

"I mean, I know you don't mind it." Jungkook offers, hugging his partner from behind. "But that doesn't mean you should be so okay with it. You deserve to have friends too."

Yoongi is quiet for a moment, simply enjoys the close proximity, before he sighs. "Alright. Ask her what she likes to eat, we can order something in." He caves in, making Jungkook smile and eagerly run to grab his phone again so he can text you the new idea for the night. "Ah, and if she wants to drink something she can sleep over on the couch!" He calls to Jungkook, who gives an agreeing reply back as he texts you in the living room, sat on the couch.

Only a few hours later, you're calling Jungkook, who suddenly gets up to look out the window of the apartment the two vampires live in where he can see the bus stop. "Are you wearing the pink coat?" Jungkook asks into his phone, earning Yoongi's attention, as the younger vampire sighs. "You were supposed to tell me when we should pick you up! It's raining so much!" He whines in complaint, rushing to grab his own jacket and an umbrella, before slipping into his shoes to walk out the door, leaving Yoongi to search for the mentioned pink coat- and he finds it, standing beneath the somewhat shielded bus stop. You're stubborn, that's clear- he'd told Jungkook to not give away any hint at their address to you, because you'd surely go out to get here yourself instead of asking for someone to pick you up instead. And it turns out he was right.

Yoongi helps you take off your coat as you step inside, thanking him for the kind gesture before you slip out of your shoes. "Sorry-" you start, somewhat fixing your hair a bit. "-I just didn't want either of you guys to drive in that weather." You laugh, making Yoongi shake his head.

"No worries." He brushes it off, before he leads you into the living room. As you sit on the couch, you look around- noticing how long they both must be living together already for the entire apartment to look this.. alive.

"You have a lot of workout equipment." You notice as the oldest vampire sets a glass of water in front of you before Jungkook enters the room as well, jumping over the back of the couch to sit on it next to you.

"Yeah, that's mine, but Yoongi uses it too sometimes." He shrugs. "Mostly me though. It's like a hobby."

"Oh, that sounds nice." You agree. "You're very conscious about your body?" You wonder, and Yoongi chimes in from the side as he sits down as well, though a bit further away from you.

"He has to be, as a vampire." He says.

It's quiet for a moment, since you don't know what to say to that, really. You've noticed while Yoongi doesn't wear any identification at all, Jungkook still has his ID tag on his wrist, meaning that he's not been infected for long enough, or hasn't been evaluated either. "Oh, don't worry about that." Jungkook suddenly says a bit bashful, having noticed your eyes on the silver bracelet around his wrist. "I'm totally fine to be around. I just.. haven't gotten around to get tested yet." He tries to justify.

"Oh no, don't worry, I didn't mean to stare!" You wave him off. "I was just in thoughts." You laugh.

"Then think about what you want to eat first." Yoongi tells you a bit roughly, making Jungkook sigh as he leads you to sit on the couch together with him to look through the takeout menu on the little tablet he picks up from the coffee table.

"Yoongi just sounds a bit mean." He reassures you. "I promise he's actually a really nice guy."

"Have you been together long?" You wonder, tapping on the items you'd want to eat.

"Uh.. kind of? It's hard to explain, really." Jungkook chuckles. We're.. we have like a platonic, but also romantic kind of relationship. I know it sounds kind of weird." He sighs a bit uneasy, but you shake your head.

"Not at all, don't worry." You shrug him off. "I mean, if some people can have sex but not a relationship, why can't others have it the other way around?" You just say, making Jungkook look at you almost in wonder, before he snaps his attention back to the tablet when Yoongi reaches over his boyfriend's shoulder to tap some items into the order himself, resting his chin on Jungkook's shoulder for a moment.

"Oh, let me get my wallet real quick-" You move to get up to fetch your bag- but a hand grabs at your sweater easily, keeping you on the couch. You look back to spot Yoongis eyes on you, chin still on Jungkook's shoulder, before he shakes his head and stands up properly again, letting go of both of you.

"Don't bother. It's fine." He reassures you, leaving to do something in the kitchen you can't see.

"Alright, next time you come over to my place then, and I'll cook." You tell Jungkook. "Please- or I'll feel bad eternally, and you'll never hear the end of it! I'll haunt you to pay back the food, I swear!" You threaten the vampire, who can't help but laugh at the finger pointing at his chest.

"You're cute." He comments, causing you to laugh as well.

Later on, you're all a little tipsy from the beer, and sluggish from all the food you've eaten. You're nodding off against Jungkook's shoulder as the movie slowly comes to an end, your eyes closed as unbeknownst to you, Yoongi adjusts the blanket over your shoulders to make sure you stay comfortable.

You're very easy to be around, even for him- and he's actually not that social, usually hates anybody visiting at all. But he'd invited you simply to kind of pay you back- but now that you're here, he doesn't actually mind you all that much, if at all.

Jungkook seems very comfortable with you as well- the younger vampire having easily fallen into conversation with you as you two drank and laughed over jokes only you two seemed to understand. But even then, you always remembered and attempted to make Yoongi feel included.

And maybe that's the most unique thing.

It's only one single day, a little more than five hours, and he already has an odd feeling about you. And the weirdest thing about it, is that he feels so good around you it's intimidating to him. He never really felt so drawn to a person before than he does to you- he wants to hear you talk even if it's about nonsense, he wants to know how you feel, what you like, what you hate, what annoys you, and what makes you happy.

For a second, truly so, he thought it was just some.. dumb sexual need. A fantasy almost that his mind, or rather dick, came up with- because you are, absolutely, pretty. He'd never be able to deny that.

But he doesn't actually really think about that- not entirely at least. You get along so well with Jungkook and himself, as if there's nothing different about them compared to you at all. And maybe, just maybe, there's a chance at this already odd relationship he has with Jungkook could become just a bit weirder, because in a way, Yoongi can't help but feel like nothing is impossible when it comes to you.

Though, that creates a new predicament.

How does he propose this idea, without potentially scaring both of you off?

#bts imagine #bts fanfic #bts fic #jungkook imagine #jeon jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook imagine #bts jungkook imagine #yoongi imagine #min yoongi imagines #yoongi x reader #yoongi imagines #jungkook fanfic #jeon jungkook imagines #jungkook imagines #bts yoongi imagine #min yoongi imagine

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offbeat-manga-ships · 7 months ago

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i've been thinking half-baked thoughts about the longevity of romance "gimmicks" in today's romance manga plots.. mostly it started with a bit of a reflection on how stories like boku no kokoro no yabai yatsu and ijiranaide nagatoro-san have first seasons (of the anime) that i really like, but one common denominator is that the second season (or even just from the middle to the end of the first - which is like only 6-12 23min installments later) really tones down on the initial propulsive elements that drew people in... and people actually like it.

like, the thing on ijiranaide nagatoro-san is that a gyaru underclassman "bullies"/really teases the hell out of her spineless senpai. the first episode is her actually making him cry and wiping down his tears herself and it was great (better than an entire manga called 'i want to drink your tears'). for a while he actually stays underhandedly enabling her to do it while on the surface providing weak protests because that is the gimmick. this manga is selling the appeal of having a confident, loud, gyaru-styled, mischievous and downright devilish girl forcibly coming into a painfully shy person's life. and by putting him through the ringer they actually form a weird kind of connection because of course they are both having net positives from this scenario.

similarly, boku no kokoro no yabai yatsu depicted an extremely edgy and gloomy kid at war with himself because even though he has decided one day he should totally kill the girl that annoyingly just can't stay out of his field of vision, he can't stop himself from doing nice things for her instead. and the girl is just the right mix of airhead and subconsciously confident in her own people skills to dodge all of the walls he puts up saying nobody talk to me or get close to me to make a genuine connection with him that belongs only to them in the afterhours at the school library.

and yet, as i mentioned, as we go further into toned down territory, people have more and more praise for how amazingly they are "developing as characters", which is to say how much closer they are to being normal kids who can just shed their past problems and quirks and develop into normalcy in the name of love. because love means growing up which means being a normal member of society.

but speaking honestly for myself... i still can't think of a single iconic moment during their normalcy-core era where the characters are being their unique selves in the weird but compelling situations that were the premise of the story. and yet i still can't forget that initial crying scene or nagatoro's find the nipple game or when she straight up convinced senpai that she was a vampire ready to suck his blood. i can't forget ichikawa and yamada being library buddies and him helping her smuggle and have her sweets in a forbidden place. i can't forget all the times he swore to himself he didn't care and yet went out of his way to grab her a glass of water from a far away place, write down his family name on a grave decoration instead of hers and straight up yeet his bicycle into a river because he wants to help her without letting on that's what he's doing.

in season 2 it's like... idk. they talk on the phone i guess? and ichikawa cheers her on her modelling career or something. sure. as i said, normal kids doing normal love things. and don't get me wrong, i still like it. it's pleasurable storytelling when you like the characters. but it's like the author is trying to please every possible type of reader by giving them a different and compelling start and saying just kidding, i won't leave you guys hanging, here is them living their romance dreams right away please don't abandon my story for some of the thousand other titles that can give you that quick dopamine boost, i swear you don't have to wait anymore!

and of course these are not the only ones. i just posted a kawaii dake ja nai shikimori-san manga panel grieving the fact that the manga couldn't keep up that specific vibe of shikimori being more aggressive for a long time and just turned into a nice normal teenagers doing nice normal things series, which of course doesn't really have room for the freaky escapades of a boyfriend who is chronically into his girlfriend turning into a don juan. in maybe a smaller scale but keeping up with the pattern, horimiya started as a story of a queen bee type girl who was more relaxed outside of school meeting the gloomy long haired glasses-wearing unpopular kid from her class wearing alternative fashion, piercings and tattoos. when they get together of course. he stops wearing those things, cuts his hair and gets rid of his glasses and they become a nice matching normal couple.

and i mean, this is just off the top of my head. as you can see, what all these titles have in common is that they are very recent. if you think back to not even that much older romance, they are so much more consistent with their gimmicks. koizumi and ootani will keep being a couple of violent gremlins for a good long while. tsuruga ren will stay on the outskirts of kyoko's career for like 50 volumes or something. haruhi will keep crossdressing and rebutting tamaki's corny af moves. and i don't even have to watch/read that much ahead to know that ranma and akane will keep butting heads instead of "communicating already".

if something like kimi wa pet was made today however, in 10 or so chapters a lesser author would make takeshi or someone explain to sumire how weird and "disrespectful" it is to keep someone as a pet without "looking properly at them". they would start dating because he is a real man who can make a woman out of her and it would be 5 thinly written volumes focused on everyday moments instead of the 14 packed to the brim with plot & drama.

authors used to know how to make the absolute most out of a premise or a gimmick or a trope. because the goal is not to get to the normal romance part. it is not to hurry up and solve these problems so we can get to the good stuff. the journey is the point. there is charm to be seen in these abnormal situations and waiting makes the moments when they do get closer that much more impactful.

i don't really have anywhere to go with this except i guess hoping and praying we can get authors who see a weird or freaky gimmick and like it so so much that they know exactly what they want to write instead of going with today's hurried flow of romances who need "development" and "clear communication between characters" and are on the palm of the audience's hands and a a machine to serve their whims. please remember there is a reason why you are the artist and they are the audience.

#mycommentary #mypost #anime #manga #ijiranaide nagatoro san #boku no kokoro no yabai yatsu #kawaii dake ja nai shikimori san #horimiya

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coraniaid · 1 year ago

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Went back to rewatch Revelations yet again (partly because I couldn't quite face the prospect of starting the block of Season 4 episodes from Beer Bad up to Pangs which, I'm sorry to say, is probably the least inspired I've been to carry on with my full rewatch to date and maybe the worst consecutive four episodes in the show up until the much derided [by me] Season 7).

And I suspect I made this point at the time, but since I've been thinking about Gwendolyn Post again recently ... she really has Faith's number this episode, for all of Faith's initial posturing that "she doesn't need a new Watcher" because her authority figures "tend to end up dead" (is this the last ever reference, even implicit, to the fact Faith's first Watcher died in front of her? I have a feeling it might be).

That scene in Faith's motel in particular is brutal, for all that it lasts barely two minutes.

I mean, I'm paraphrasing slightly here, but Mrs Post shows up uninvited in the middle of the day in order to

make it clear that she thinks Faith lives in a dump and that's exactly what she deserves and that, no, Mrs Post won't be offering her anything nicer

repeatedly imply Faith doesn't know anything about vampires or being a Slayer

suggest that if Faith isn't happy with her new Watcher it's probably because she's lazy or insolent or incompetent

insinuate that Faith can't trust Giles, who doesn't seem to know what he's doing and is up to something strange and definitely favours Buffy to her

let Faith know that "Buffy and her friends" are meeting behind Faith's back, because they aren't her friends and never will be

warn Faith that she will probably die unless she starts doing exactly what her new Watcher tells her

And how does Faith "my dead mother hits harder than that" Lehane react to this? Well, she looks at Mrs Post, thinks "is this ... a parental figure?" and says "I'm your girl."

And then, of course, Mrs Post turns out to be evil and ends up dead anyway. (As indeed will the next person Faith finds to play the part of substitute parental figure.)

#btvs

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nalyra-dreaming · 1 year ago

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I enjoy your blog and I’m not trying to be argumentative; just some friendly debate, but I notice you and Virginia both frequently reduce the entire Antoinette ordeal to Louis’ feeding habits and Lestat’s need for attention and adoration. Don’t you think Lestat had to have at least a little love for Antoinette? He had to love her on some level not to kill her right off the bat. This is apparent in the scene before Louis is playing cards before Doris tells him Jonah is there, Lestat is standing up close to the stage, completely entranced watching Antoinette perform like there is no one else in the room. Louis isn’t even present to make jealous. He slept with her and didn't kill her before Loustat was having serious problems like lack of intimacy. He stayed with her just as long as he stayed with Louis. I’m sorry, but I don’t think that man ever had any intention of being in a monogamous relationship.

Hey nonny!

(All good, you can be argumentative, as long as you're kind it's all fine, I just won't accept hate or insults anymore^^, hope that makes sense! Also, I really don't see that as argumentative^^)

I think @virginiaisforvampires and I just ... shorten the Antoinette discussion at times (by now) because it's been... a theme.

Like, the fandom latched onto the jealousy angle so massively, the asks wrt her were so numerous, the human cheating AUs on Ao3 so prevalent... the vampiric aspect seems to be often overlooked.

I think you're referring to my ask with the open relationship?

Because of course Antoinette was more.

(this is long, so the rest under the cut:)

She became more when he did not kill her as a feeding fling. (And I still stand by the fact that they must have had a lot of feeding flings, for example Louis is not really taken aback by soldiers in their bedroom - the same bedroom he gets so sharp about with Antoinette, which is another detail.)

So yes, Lestat apparently slept with her and didn't kill her. We don't get to see it, but it is insinuated.

But there is a lot more to Antoinette, and that is why some think she might show up again later. I am not sure if you're familiar with "the musician" from IWTV, "Antoine" from the later books?

Let me recap:

In IWTV we have the unnamed "musician". Louis never bothers to find out his name, even though it is clear that Lestat turns him. That unnamed musician then gets into the crossfire of Claudia's attempt on Lestat's life, and Louis... forgets about him. But he did know about him from the beginning:

"Lestat had a musician friend in the Rue Dumaine. We had seen him at a recital in the home of a Madame LeClair, who lived there also, which was at that time an extremely fashionable street; and this Madame LeClair, with whom Lestat was also occasionally amusing himself, had found the musician a room in another mansion nearby, where Lestat visited him often. I told you he played with his victims, made friends with them, seduced them into trusting and liking him, even loving him, before he killed. So he apparently played with this young boy, though it had gone on longer than any other such friendship I had ever observed." [..] "I could not tell whether he had actually become fond of a mortal in spite of himself or was simply moving towards a particularly grand betrayal and cruelty. Several times he’d indicated to Claudia and me that he was headed out to kill the boy directly, but he had not. And, of course, I never asked him what he felt because it wasn’t worth the great uproar my question would have produced. Lestat entranced with a mortal! He probably would have destroyed the parlor furniture in a rage."

(Interesting tidbit about the rage, which they picked up for the show!)

Louis even encounters Antoine, has a bit of a discussion with him after the initial attack on Lestat:

‘What is it?’ I asked him. ‘What did you need from him? I’m sure he would want me to...’ “ ‘He was my friend!’ He turned on me suddenly, his voice dropping with repressed outrage.

This last bit is important, for the later books, most importantly for "Prince Lestat", which we know Rolin takes from. Because in that book, in chapter 7, we find out what happened to "the musician", Antoine, after that fateful night, when Rue Royale burned (in the book).

Because Antoine did not burn to death (in the show, likely: Louis and Claudia did not know to scatter the ashes), and he survives, hideously burned, needing decades to heal. Lestat reunites with him before he chases after Louis and Claudia (to Europe).

When Antoine later tells of his own story, he says this:

“He was my friend, Lestat,” Antoine confessed. “He told me about his lover, Nicolas, who had been a violinist. He said he couldn’t speak his heart to his little family, to Louis or Claudia, that they would laugh at him. So he spoke his heart only to me.”

There is a LOT in that little paragraph. A lot that fits with what we know from the show, too.

Louis (in the show) tells of Lestat saying that "Antoinette fortifies him against them". Antoinette became more than a passing interest, a passing feeding fling, true, because Lestat can confide in her, can be himself with her, especially later, when things between him and Louis take on a strain. But he never leaves Louis, and I think that is often overlooked - (s)he was never a real threat to Louis, nor Claudia. Lestat left Antoine behind when he goes after them, to try to save them.

Louis on the show makes it seem as if Antoinette was that major threat. And the show (of course^^), sharpened that threat by making Antoine a woman, a white woman, whose very presence represented what Louis could not be in their relationship at the time, namely an official partner.

Louis uses the focus on Antoinette and what she represents to overshadow other things that coincide with the affair. He does the same later, when they are threatened, to shift the focus to Lestat's paranoia. It's clever, because it's built on truth, a "look at my right hand, not at my left" approach. But the real story is much more difficult than that.

And I think that goes for Antoine(tte) as well.

Since Rolin is specifically taking from "Prince Lestat" as well there is no way in hell he has somehow missed reading chapter 7, or has missed Antoine in the later books/chapters.

I for one wouldn't be surprised if she shows up at the trial - or in Dubai. Maybe she's that interior designer, who knows that Louis is missing the natural world....

I don't know. We'll see. But I doubt that the jealousy angle is all there is to it. There are too many discrepancies, even down to the make-up they used for her (which is its own meta). Lestat may have very well loved her, albeit differently than he loves Louis.

As for the monogamous relationship(s)...

Nonny, forgive me, but these are not humans. They are vampires.

They hunt, and kill humans, for food and pleasure. They play with their food, like other predators in our world do, too. They are also inherently hedonistic, looking for pleasure. (Maybe) Especially Lestat is trying to drown himself in the pleasurable things at times, for reasons that the show will still get to. Since the show explicitly added sex to the mix that desire is of course expressed in the hunt for pleasure, too.

But totally apart from "food", and sex... these vampires are a mess, relationship-wise.

When Lestat and Louis are "married" in the later books as Jacob calls it (I bet they'll make that literal in the show^^), that doesn't mean that they don't still love others. Have loved others. Will love others. They are beyond the need to narrow down their love though. And they are "official partners" then.

But it's... a knot of relationships and history.

Some of these people are truly immortal. Like, can not be killed anymore.

Imagine living with that fact (it maybe most famously sends Lestat reeling in "The tale of the Body Thief", for example).

Imagine loving with that fact. Imagine having the time.

#Anonymous #asks #ask nalyra #amc iwtv #iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #iwtv 2022 #interview with the vampire #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #loustat #antoinette brown #book quotes #prince lestat #antoine

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jawllines · 2 months ago

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I've split everything i want to say in three asks

1. Okay first of all let me rant about chefrry. I'm gonna be honest I felt really disappointed when I saw the word count and you said many things got left out from the last part so that means we'll get more check ins. Then I remembered one ask said they'd want check ins on patreon. Fair. But I can't afford patreon and chefrry has become an important part of my life. I've grown attached to it and it's kinda a comfort place. Maybe because this is the first fic of yours that i have been a part of during the whole journey (including PI harry and vampire yn but they were just one parts). So yes i was really bummed that I won't be able to read the check ins and the chapter is way smaller than usual so I'm not getting everything i wanted to see. Because i really really wanted to see chefrry being all domestic with her and saying i love you and all those stuff. And then the rowan and youngjae stuff. I really spiralled even without reading the chapter. But I was like fuck it it's miss jaws so it's gonna be good either way.

So I read the chapter and i was not disappointed. Sure I didn't get everything I wanted and I still don't know if the check ins are gonna be patreon exclusive. But I think you wrapped it up really nicely. It was sweet and wholesome and so hot. The first half of the chapter where they had all the conversations was so so wholesome and harry was so sweet with her that it almost threatened grad school rivalrry out of it's top position on the FEEL GOOD AND WARM list. But then the puppy thing happened and it was the hottest thing ever. Chefrry still sit at the top of FEEL HOT AND HORNY lmao. I really loved how the whole thing was done. It didn't feel forced or unrealistic, even tho i have no idea how this kinda thing works. It felt natural, it felt sooooo.... them yk? I loved that she's become confident enough to initiate these things. Good for her. And he called her baby so many times aaahhhh it was everything to me. Her realising that she's acting like an omega with harry's shirt and harry almost coming to the sight "so perfect for me...only me" I'm gonna dieeee. He's so pathetic for her i love it. And her subspace rambling was so cute. She really does love garden and wants her own. I kinda expected harry to say "we can buy our own place with a yard and plant a garden" 🥺 but that's too fast i guess?

I want them to move in together and get married and all that, can you tell how badly I want this? You don't understand how much they mean to me. I have never been so obsessed with any fic like I'm with this one. I also wanted to say and i said this in my last chefrry rant too that how yn handled her jealousy and how harry handled his jealousy fits their characters so well. And I'm sure when harry finds out about youngjae being yn's boyfriend thing, he's gonna handle it well too. She's gonna freak out trying to explain and he'd be patient with her. But he's not gonna let rowan think for even a second that youngjae was ever yn's boyfriend. He's gonna make sure everyone knows youngjae has nothing to do with her (I'm still not convinced that youngjae didn't have a crush on her 👀). And when she calms down and explains herself and harry says that he understands why she didn't correct her ex, maybe just maybe harry's gonna punish her for it. Maybe he's gonna eat her out and edge her again and again then have her ride him while he just watches with his hands behind his head and when she gets tired he's gonna be mean (not too mean tho) and tease her and tell her that he's not gonna help her but then he'd help her anyway and be all sweet on her.

Oh my God can you tell how fucking obsessed I'm with them!!! I'm gonna cry thinking about them and not getting to read about them anymore. Like please never stop giving us check ins (if you post them here. Please post them here ). I can't let them go so soon. Please please please!!!!!!!

-🦩

HIIIII :D SO USUALLY WITH CHECK-INS, IF YOU GUYS REMIND ME THEN ILL POST THEM ON HERE!! I JUST FORGET SOMETIMES, BUT PATREON ALWAYS GETS THEM FIRST!

ALSO YAYYYY!!! LOVE THAT ITS FEEL GOOD AND WARM AND HOT AND HORNY, THATS ALWAYS MY GOAL OMGODMFG I GET WORRIED WRITING PIECES THAT ARE PREDOMINANTLY SMUT BC I NEVER THINK THEY'RE AS GOOD BUT YOU GUYS ARE ALWAYS SO SWEET!! IT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT IT! AND GETTING THINGS TO FEEL NATURAL-ISH IS ALWAYS SUPER IMPORTANT TO ME AS WELL! I MAY BE A VIRGIN, BUT WHEN IM READING SMUT THATS JUST ON THE SIDE OF TOO UNREALISTIC IT TAKES ME OUT OF IT SO BAD SO IM GLAD IT WASN'T TOO CRAZY!

I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU LIKE THEM SO MUCH! THIS FIC WAS SO MUCH FUN TO READ AND ITS THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE THAT ALL OF YOU STAYED SO INVESTED THROUGH THE WHOLE THING, SO FINGERS CROSSED I CAN WRITE ANOTHER THING YOU ALL LOVE JUST AS MUCH :-) THANK YOU FLAMINGO FOR SUCH A LONG SWEET MESSAGE!!

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delta-lethonomia · 6 months ago

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for your request for a random pairing to plot around! One that's honestly intrigued me-- Astarion/Jaheira

oooooooh!!!! That's a good one, ok, thinking.... this has to be a one shot "10 times x happened" type deal, yes? I'm thinking something a little melancholy, a little tragic, a lot slow-burn romantic.

Spawn!Astarion ends up an adventurer/"hero-for-hire", and Jaheira (typically) ends up returning to the Harpers, though you can talk her into remaining in Baldur's Gate. Astarion is a feral stray cat. Jaheira is a "used to be a sweet house cat, is now feral old mama cat who wanders further and further everyday until she one day never comes back at all" type cat. Cat!Astarion needs to join the colony is what I'm saying

It makes total sense to put them together and I love their sass but the emotional availability is the problem here. Astarion is open to emotional intimacy, longs for it even, while Jaheira is only available if you really, really need her, and then only until you're fine without her. (Looking at all the kids she takes on and then her distance when they grow up.) So, plot:

Astarion starts off hunting for his meals in much the same way he used to find people for Cazador. He's pickier, aiming to murder only really awful people so it won't twinge his budding conscience, but in the process he stumbles into a Harper operation or runs into other trouble etc. Some fast talking gets him in front of someone who recognizes him - maybe Geraldus - and before long he's made contact with Jaheira once more, who rolls her eyes tries to get him set up with a few contacts. It's very "if you wanted a job, you should have talked to me. Idiot" -type vibes. This makes so much sense there's even a comic about it lol.

But I can't see Astarion actually enjoying the sort of organization the Harpers are. He doesn't want to join, swear a vow, fall in line etc. so he's very "thanks but no thanks" about it. He goes off on his own again, and then Minsc finds him, forcing him to move (again!). Irritable and a little bored, he seeks out Jaheira to bitch about it and they commiserate over Minsc's.... everything. Maybe he picks up a contract, maybe he doesn't, but contact and a routine is established. If there's the 7k spawn in the Underdark, Jaheira might be a useful person to bring in - she's used to working with strays, has a lot of organizational knowledge and leadership abilities, could have contacts willing to trade with spawn etc etc. That's definitely one route to keep her around for a while.

But the point it - Astarion and Jaheira interact as peers, and that's something Jaheira lacks in her day-to-day life, which frustrates her even in BG3 if I remember correctly. She's pretty burned out on being High Harper but feels it's the best way to make a difference, and after the events of the game gets a drive to fix the things that have fallen apart. Astarion gets to drop in and play the hero on occasion, but he really only listens to Jaheira. Jaheira enjoys the attention and his little flirtations, but that's about it - they've got a flirty old friend vibe going after a few years, though younger Harper's certainly think there's something more to it, though that's purely because Astarion's hot and therefor must be sexually involved with anyone he associates with.

I could see them naturally hooking up after a while. I doubt Jaheira has been celibate since Khalid's death, but I think she'd also initially see Astarion as someone who'd latch onto her, so she wouldn't indulge his flirtations beyond talk, but given enough time she might. Alternatively, a catalyst - the underdark spawn colony gets its first trading partner through Jaheira's efforts and grateful Astarion honestly propositions her (because fucking any of the other spawn there would be.... potentially very weird if it's someone he doomed to vampirism and didn't remember), or some type of whump where an important Harper dies, or perhaps one of Jaheira's kids.... lots of options.

Anyway, they sleep together. Once. Twice. A few times. Not often, not regularly, but an established hookup every few weeks/months etc. Distant enough it never grows more, close enough it's regular and Astarion thinks about her a lot.

One day Astarion realizes he's the closest person in Jaheira's life. Maybe he talks to Rion or another of Jaheira's kids, or someone high up in the Harpers, and realizes he's the Faerûn equivalent of her emergency contact. No one knows where Jaheira went - he knows she's in Neverwinter, dealing with the aftermath of the DnD movie lol. Minsc finds him again. He asks him, "Do you know where Jaheira is?" and Minsc has no goddamn clue. Somehow, he's closer to her than Minsc!

Fuck. Are they dating? Is this a relationship? How did he end up in a relationship and not even realize? How embarrassing. How awful. Does he want this? The second he says something she's going to bolt. He's no Khalid, and doesn't want to be. Should he say something? No. No, definitely not. Why ruin a good thing? They're having fun. It's nice, having a warm bed to crawl into with someone who doesn't look at him like he hung the moon and stars. Jaheira's maturity is one of his favorite things about her.

So naturally he tells her. It eats him up inside - Astarion is terrible at keeping long-term secrets. Maybe he couches it in a joke, a little nonchalant observation, but Jaheira sees right through it. The next morning, she bolts, and Astarion doesn't see her for at least a year.

But a year isn't that long, when you've lived so long already. He's not mad at her, which is new for Jaheira: everyone knows about her issues, call her out for it often, and are yet always surprised when it happens to them. But Astarion isn't upset. Midnight chimes, hm? But they have such chemistry. They fall back into bed together after a while. Things continue.

This plot has already taken place over years lol. They stick together more and more, and so long as no one talks about what their relationship is, it's fine. Astarion keeps quiet. He's smart enough not to make the same mistake twice. Jaheira wonders if she's keeping him from finding true love, a relationship that can meet him at the level of intimacy he clearly desires - but he's an adult and can make his own choices. Selfishly, she enjoys his company.

She gets older. Maybe they take in another stray kid and stay in Baldur's Gate a while, and Astarion gets to play the decadent evil step-mother without realizing he's more emotionally available and reliable to the older kids than Jaheira is. (note: this is the only way I could see Dad!Astarion happening, namely purely by accident and somehow being more emotionally available despite sending the kids late to school with nothing more than half a loaf of bread and a very sharp knife to cut it with.) Or maybe something happens to Rion and they call him instead of Jaheira, and he finally puts his foot down and demands some clarity and definition on what "they" really are.

Either way, despite her young immortal lover (but in truth, because of him) Jaheira decides against extending her life further with the druid ritual. She becomes old enough this adventuring business has reached an impossible level of difficulty - and like an old cat, she leaves home one day without telling anyone, to go die by herself somewhere nice, or in battle, in some selfish way that Astarion does not see coming at all. While he knows she won't live forever, she's not decrepit, and even he realizes leaving someone when they start to degrade is a dick move, so he had no plans to leave her, but Jaheira wouldn't see it that way. Instead, she dies, far away and alone, with Astarion helpless to do anything about it.

He's gutted. They weren't - together - but they were to anyone who had eyes. It was all very comfortable and easy and nonchalant but he did love her even though he never said it, but she didn't respect him enough to talk to him about her plans. She didn't give him a choice. Went off to kill herself, as if he somehow wouldn't care, as if what they had really was just a fling that never ended - even after years or decades together, he was no Khalid. His grief is eclipsed by anger, and a much older Rion, her eyes dry, tells him something that amounts to "I told you so."

I'd end on something years later in the future. Another few decades, maybe with a lover who could dedicate themselves to him as much as he could to them, an Astarion with a bit more experience with love and the pain of outliving someone, after seeing other relationships degrade and how people deal with the inevitability of death - perhaps he writes a journal, or reminisces with someone, and understands just a little more why Jaheira was the way she was. Looking back with fondness and nostalgia, and seeing all the good they had together even if it wasn't perfect. A little bittersweet, a little melancholy - but also a lesson, in what not to be.

Anyway while I don't think Astarion needs a partner, I do think he would benefit a great deal from having one. Emotional intimacy is something he'd crave deeply but it also afraid to ask for, so while he'd be aware of Jaheira's emotional unavailability I think he'd be unable to pull himself away from it. I can't see a relationship between them ending anywhere else other than inevitable heartbreak :(

#delta.txt #ask delta #jaheira #Jaheira/Astarion #Astarion #Astarion/Jaheira #bg3 fic ideas

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