#irena's answers

[tastycitrus]

mir jumpscare on my dawn warrior

[nightmaresansfangirlsaskblog2]

I don't actually have a story for my skelesona. ThoUgh, let's just make something up and say: I am zeh healer of his gang so we're around each other a lot and something blossomed between us :]

-Irena

[ask-modern-verse]

I seen your post on your nightmare size position on like the head. and I’m here to say don’t worry yourself about making it 100% accurate believe me it will drive you insane 😅. so please don’t worry yourself i don’t want you to be like me paranoid about making it perfect 😉.

Thank you, I really appreciate these words :D

I'll try not to stress out about being perfect-

[cressidagrey]

Holy Ground - Chapter 1

Summary:

Nobody knew that Azriel found his mate. Until she nearly died. This is the aftermath.

Warning:

Rhys Bashing (as usual), Inner Circle Bashing (kinda), Referenced/Implied Sexual Assault, Referenced/Implied Domestic Violence, Discussion of Religion(?), Chronic Injury/Pain/Illness

If any of this triggers you or makes you uncomfortable, please take care of your own mental health and don't read it.

It was late enough that the House of Wind had quieted down for sleep. Late enough that it was dark outside…Late enough that her room was pitch black. Irena was curled underneath her duvet, staring at the wall when she felt the first touch.

Not from another person. Oh no.

This touch was utterly magical.

Irena felt her mate’s shadows wrap around her wrist softly, feeling slightly cool to the touch and squeeze slightly in greeting.

“He’s home?” she breathed the question. The shadows squeezed twice in answer. “Can you bring me to him?” Irena requested softly.

Two more squeezes.

She held her breath as the shadows descended on her. Not even the wards of the House of Wind were a match to them if they really wanted.

Azriel had explained it to her once…told her about the difference between winnowing and the shadow walking he did, from one patch of shadows to the next…

And for her…for her these shadows were more than willing to bend the rules. They snuck her from the Priestesses’ dormitory to her mate’s room and back again before anybody was the wiser. 

Irena reappeared in one corner of his room moments later, her eyes blinking as she took in the faelights that were still on. The curtains were drawn and she watched the shadows lock the door and pull back the thick, heavy furs that covered his bed.

They were there just for her. Irena seemingly was always cold. So Azriel had made it his mission to find her the thickestfurs he possible could for her to cuddle underneath…

 In her own room she only had woolen blankets and a few crinkly quilts. None of these ever managed to keep her as bone deep warm as her mate did. But then, she hadn’t dared to take any fur back to her room yet. She was worried that then it was maybe a bit too obvious that she had an illyrian warrior go hunting whenever he could so that she was wrapped in warmth. 

Irena could hear water in the bathroom, so she simply limped to the bed, regretting the fact that she hadn’t brought her cane. She winced as she made her way across the room, the pain from her injury flaring up…she sighed as soon as she reached the bed, relieved that she could sink down onto the soft mattress.  

Irena buried herself in the thick furs, letting out a sigh of contentment. The bed smelled like her mate, like mist and cedars, and she breathed in deeply, taking comfort in his scent.

The sound of the running water stopped and Irena sat up slightly, anticipation coiling in her stomach. A moment later, Azriel stepped out of the bathroom, hair still damp from his shower and bare chested.

She swallowed at that sight.

She couldn’t help herself, her eyes traveling over Azriel’s broad shoulders, the expanse of his chest and the ridges of muscle in his stomach. The linen pants he wore draped low on his hips, and she couldn’t help but admire the sight of him…It wasn’t until Azriel cleared his throat that Irena realized that she was staring, and she tore her eyes away, feeling a flush creeping up her cheeks.

“I see the shadows were impatient,” he told her with a crooked smile. She looked up at him, her heart beating a little faster at the sound of his voice. "They may have been a little enthusiastic," she replied, her smile a little shy.

He crossed the room in five quick strides, his wings trembling…and then he was suddenly near enough that she could reach out to cup his cheek.

“Cauldron, I missed you,” he whispered, leaning into her touch.

Irena felt a rush of warmth at his words. "I missed you too," she replied softly, her fingers tracing the lines of his face. "The days feel longer when you're gone."

She could see the weariness in Azriel's features, the tightness around his eyes and the lines on his forehead. "You look exhausted," she said softly, concern lacing her voice.

Azriel let out a breath. "It was a long mission," he admitted, sitting down next to her on the edge of the bed. "But now I'm home."

Irena reached out, taking his hand in hers. "And I'm glad you are," she said, her thumb brushing over his knuckles. "You can rest now."

Azriel looked at her, his expression softening. "Being here with you is already making me feel better," he said, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her forehead

She tipped her head up…and then he brushed a soft little kiss against her lips and she melted.

Being with him…not once had he hurt her. Not once had he laid a single finger on her in a way that hurt. She had never thought she would have that. Not after what she had endured before. Not after what had happened to her.

Every priestess had their own scars. Some rougher than others. Some more visible.

The limp that Irena was left with was one of the more obvious ones.

She leaned into the kiss, her arms coming up to wrap around Azriel's shoulders. She knew that he would never hurt her, knew that he respected her boundaries and her space in a way that no one ever had.

She shifted when she felt the twinge in her hip, but he already picked up on it.

“The weather?” He asked her softly as he moved them, slipping her under the many many furs and then joining her.

Irena nodded. "It always acts up when it's about to rain. And the weather lately has not done me any favors." She sighed, snuggling into his arms. "But I'm alright. Just a little stiff. Your hands?” She asked softly.

Azriel flexed them slightly, thumb brushing against the naked skin of her forearm. "Do they hurt?" she asked, her voice gentle. She knew that he had been in pain for so long, that his hands were a constant reminder of it. 

Azriel shook his head. "Not right now," he said softly. "Holding you makes it better." He pulled her closer, burying his face in her neck and taking a deep breath.

Irena felt a rush of warmth at his words, her heart fluttering in her chest. "I'm glad," she said softly, running her fingers through his hair. "Being with you makes everything better for me too."

Everything.

She heard a growl from somewhere to her right, muffled through the walls and she pinked, just as Azriel sighed.

“One day he will learn how to use a damn sound shield,” he muttered under his breath, even when a thin blue film was already surrounding them. Blessed silence.

Irena couldn't help but chuckle at Azriel's muttered remark about his brother. "Well, we all have our shortcomings," she said teasingly. "At least you know how to use a sound shield."

Azriel just rolled his eyes, pressing a kiss to her temple.

They kept their relationship quiet. It hadn’t even been on purpose at first. It had just happened.

Nobdoy knew. They both quite liked. Maybe in another year or two. Maybe in a decade.

Who knew. Until then it was just them. And nobody needed to know about it.

Irena smiled as she rested her head against Azriel's chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. 

She liked the secretiveness of their relationship, the way it was just theirs. And maybe, in another year or two, they would reveal it to the world. But for now, she was content just being here with him, cherishing every moment they had together.

She sighed, feeling a sense of contentment settle over her. "Just us," she said softly, her fingers drawing idle patterns on his skin. "That's all I need."

Azriel hummed agreement, his fingers tangling in her hair. He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. "Just us," he whispered, his breath warm against her skin.

She fell asleep like that, safely and warmly ensconced in his arms. She was safe, she was warm, and she was loved. And there was nowhere else in the world she would rather be.

The night seemingly was too short. 

Irena stirred awake to the feel of soft kisses being pressed to her face. She opened her eyes to find Azriel's face hovering over hers, a soft smile on his lips. "Good morning," he whispered, his voice rough with sleep.

She smiled, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from his face. "Good morning," she replied, her voice drowsy as she stretched out, feeling the stiffness in her hip from sleeping on her bad side.

"How's your hip feeling?" Azriel asked, his gaze going to where she had been massaging the sore spot.

Irena flexed her leg slightly, wincing as she did. "A bit stiff, but manageable," she said, trying to sit up. Azriel immediately helped her, propping some pillows behind her back to help her sit upright.

She smiled up at him gratefully. "Thank you," she said softly. "It's always worse in the morning, but once I get moving, it loosens up."

Azriel nodded, rubbing circles on her hip with his thumb. "I know," he said softly, his eyes filled with concern. "I just wish I could take your pain away."

She reached up, gently tracing her fingers over his face. "Just having you here helps," she said earnestly. "You make everything better, Az."

Azriel's eyes softened at her words, a small smile quirking his lips. "I'm glad I can be here for you," he said, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her lips. "You make everything better for me too."

Another kiss before he sat back. 

“What are your plans for today?” He asked her sweetly.

“Paperwork,” she said drily. “Look through some new research topics and tell people off if it’s an insane endeavour. Figure out what to do with the overflow of brussel sprouts Ananke has managed to produce in our garden.” 

Azriel made a face at the mention of brussel sprouts. "Ah, yes, the brussel sprouts. I had almost forgotten about those," he said, a teasing note in his voice. "I have my own pile of paperwork and reports to get through, so I'll be stuck at my desk today. But at least we'll be miserable together." He leaned in to press a quick kiss to her forehead "The shadows will bring you tea,” he promised her softly. 

Irena smiled at Azriel's teasing and the promise of tea.

They always did that. Ever since the mating bond had snapped nearly 2 years ago…whenever she was alone, Azriel’s shadows made a pest out of themselves. They plied her with tea and cookies and made sure she actually went to all the meals. Kinda like an extremely fussy pet that insisted that their owner kept themselves fed and watered.  But they were so sweet about it that she couldn’t manage to make herself dislike it. 

She loved it. 

"That sounds lovely," she said, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "I'll hold them to that tea delivery. And we can commiserate over our paperwork mountains this evening."

Azriel chuckled. " And I'll listen to you rant about all the ridiculous research proposals you get. You have the patience of a saint, you know that?" he told her seriously. . 

Irena laughed. "Oh, I have lost my patience more than once with some of those proposals," she said with a grin. "But someone has to keep the rest of the scholars in check. And it looks like today, that someone is me."

He pressed a last kiss against her forehead…and then the shadows whisked her away, making her reappear on her own bed, the soft light of early morning filtering through her curtains. She smiled at the thought of Azriel using his shadows to sneak her back into her room. He was always thinking of others, always trying to make things easier for her.

She pushed herself up out of bed, wincing slightly as her hip protested the movement. It was time to face the day.

***

“How did your talk with Merrill go?” Emerie asked Gwyn curiously. Nesta only listened with half an ear during the cooldown stretches.

“She was in the same good mood as always,” Gwyn muttered.

Nesta rolled her eyes. "I don't know how you handle her, Gwyn. She's always so...Merrill."

Gwyn chuckled. "Yeah, well, I've learned to just let her comments roll off my back. It's not worth getting worked up over…and it it gets really bad, I’ll tell Irena.”

Irena? “Who’s that?” Emerie voiced what Nesta was thinking.

“You haven’t met Irena yet?” Gwyn asked surprised. “Neither of you?!” 

Nesta just shook her head. 

She was pretty sure she had heard the names a few times…but Irena had never been one of the Priestesses that had turned up for training so Nesta had never really thought twice about it. 

Clearly an oversight. 

 “Irena is probably the only person Merrill respects other than Clotho. Officially she handle all the administrative tasks surrounding the library. Signs off on new acquisitions, on new research projects. You want a book we don’t have, you go to Irena,” Gwyn explained. “But that’s not all she does…she also handles all the other accounts and expenditures, and organises the sewing circle.”

Nesta raised an eyebrow. "So she's basically in charge of everything that's not related to actually shelving books," she said, her tone slightly dry. "Sounds like a busy job."

That was an understatement. 

Gwyn laughed. "Yeah, pretty much. And she's really good at it," she said, a hint of admiration in her voice. “And she always stays so calm, even when thinks are really hectic.” 

"She sounds like a saint," Emerie said with a laugh, stretching out her arms. "Any idea why Merrill respects her so much?"

“Irena isn’t somebody to be trifled with,” Gwyn said drily. “Also Merrill’s little party trick with the wind? Last time she did that to Irena, Irena told her that she lived through worse, so Merill could just stop behaving like a toddler that can’t control her magic.” 

Nesta smirked. "Well, that's certainly a way to shut someone up," she said amused. "Sounds like Irena isn't afraid to stand her ground. I like her already. Why doesn’t she come to training?”

“She can’t,” Gwynn said simply.

Nesta raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Does she have some sort of physical limitation?"

Gwyn hesitated for a moment before answering. "She does," she said finally. "She was severely injured before she came here and it left her with some lasting damage to her hip and leg. She can't do a lot of physical activity anymore, so training is out of the question. She can’t walk without using a cane.” 

Nesta's expression softened with sympathy. "That's rough," she said sincerely.

“She did tell everybody else to at least try it once though,” Geyn said with a smile. “At least the ones of us that are physically and mentally able. She does some stretching exercises for the ones with similar impairments to hers in the evenings a few times a week.”

Emerie nodded. "It's good that she's trying to help others in a way that she can," she said. "It's not easy to live with a physical limitation…” Emerie said softly and Nesta looked to these ruined wings that hung from her back. Emerie probably understood this better than most. She paused, then added, "I'd like to meet her sometime."

Gwyn smiled. "I'm sure you'll like her," she said warmly. "She's smart and incredibly kind. We can go see her this afternoon. She can usually be found in her office.”

That’s what they did. After training and lunch, Gwyneth walked them to an office near where Merrill’s was located. The door wasn’t closed all the way and Gwyneth knocked.

“It’s open!”

They stepped inside, finding themselves in a neat, organized office. A bookcase stood against one wall, covered in neatly stacked papers and ledgers.

Behind a desk sat maybe one of the most beautiful females Nesta had ever seen.

Pale ivory skin,  dark brown hair, carefully braided away from her face that fell to her waist and dark doe eyes. Tall and slim and delicate.

She looked up as they entered, eyes lighting up when she saw Gwyn.

"Gwyn," she said warmly, setting aside the papers she was working on. "What brings you by?"

"Hey, Irena," Gwyn said with a grin, approaching the desk. "We just came from training and decided to drop by and see you. I wanted to introduce you to Nesta and Emerie. I couldn’t believe that they haven’t met you yet!"

Irena rose from her chair, moving out from behind her desk to greet them. As she walked forward, Nesta was struck by the way she moved. There was a limp in her gait, noticeable and distinct, but she carried herself with confidence and grace. 

"It's lovely to meet you both," Irena said, offering them a warm smile and a nod of her head. "I’ve heard a lot about yout two. It's nice to finally put faces to names."

Nesta returned the smile. "Likewise," she said politely. "Gwyn told us that you’re the one who manages all the administrative work here. It must keep you busy.”

Irena nodded. "It certainly does. I try to keep everything running smoothly, from acquisitions to research to the accounts," she said with a chuckle. "It's a lot of work, but I enjoy it. It’s like running an estate. And I was raised to do that." She said that so simply. 

But of course, if she was indeed a…highborn girl, than that would have been what she was raised to do. It was what Nesta herself had been raised to do. 

"That's impressive," Emerie spoke up. "I don't think I could handle all that and keep my sanity intact. My shop was more than enough for me."

Irena laughed. She was even prettier when she laughed. "Oh, I'd be lying if I said it was always easy. There are definitely days where I question my own sanity. 

“Did you get new tea?” Gwyn complained at that moment. “I swear you always get the best one!” she was poking at the delicate dark blue teapot that stood on a low table. 

“I did. I think it’s from Dawn,” Irena answered. 

Gwyn pouted. "You always have the best tea," she said, pretending to sulk. "It's not fair."

Irena chuckled, gesturing towards the small table in the corner of the room where the steaming pot of tea sat. "Help yourself, Gwyn," she said, her tone fond. "You know where the cups are."

Gwyn beamed, already opening the cabinet beneath. "You're the best, Irena. You know that, right?" she said, pouring out a cup for herself and taking a sip…and then she suddenly found the plate of delicate, wafer thin, chocolate covered cookies next to it. “And cookies!” She gasped.

Irena just laughed. "Of course, you find the cookies," she said, her tone amused. "Just try not to eat them all, Gwyn. I do not have an infinite supply."

Gwyn just grinned at her, reaching for a cookie. "I make no promises," she said, biting into the cookie with delight.

“You’re welcome to tea and cookies, too, by the way,” she told Emerie and Nesta drily as she sat back down behind her desk. “I am sharing. I am nice like that.”

Emerie grinned. "Thanks, Irena," she said, helping herself to a cup of tea and grabbing a cookie. Nesta followed suit, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of Irena's desk.

Irena looked up from her work, watching as Gwyn and Emerie made themselves comfortable with their tea and cookies. "So, what brings you to my office today? Other than the free food and drink, I mean. Not that I mind, of course." she said with a smile, her tone light and teasing.

Emerie took a sip of her tea before answering. "Gwyn was talking about you earlier, and we were curious to meet you. And also, the free food and drink is a bonus," she said with a shrug.

Irena chuckled. "Well, I'm happy to provide, then," she said, taking a sip of her own tea.

Gwyn grinned. "And the cookies are delicious, as always," she said, nibbling on one. "You always have the best treats here, Irena. It's like a little hidden perk of coming to visit you.”

Irena smiled. "It's the least I can do, considering all the work you girls do here," she said warmly. "You deserve a little something sweet every now and then."

“Irena?” There was another knock at the door, a priestess that Nesta was unfamiliar with. 

“Meera, what happened?” Irena asked immediately and Nesta took in the tear tracks on the other females cheeks.

“You told me to come to you if Merrill got…bad again.” Meera said weakly, arms crossed in front of her like she was holding herself together. “I don’t want to work with her anymore.”

Irena's expression immediately softened. "Oh, Meera, come in," she said gently, gesturing for the other priestess to enter. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Meera took a hesitant step forward, her hands trembling slightly. "I...I don't want to work with Merrill anymore," she said again, her voice quavering. "She was mean, Irena. She yelled at me for no reason, just because I asked her a question."

Irena's eyes narrowed at that. "I see," she said, her tone firm. "Thank you for coming to me, Meera. I'll speak with Merrill and make sure this doesn't happen again. You don't have to work with her anymore if you don't want to. There are plenty of other people you can partner with."

Meera sniffled. "Really? You can do that?" she asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. "But...but Merrill said that I had to work with her because nobody else would want to, because I was too slow and clumsy and useless."

Irena's expression hardened, her spine straightening, and Nesta realised absentmindedly that beneath the exterior of a well brought up lady, was a spine of pure steel.  "Merrill had no right to say that to you," she said firmly. "You are not slow or clumsy or useless. You are smart and capable, and you deserve to be treated with respect. I will make sure that Merrill understands that, and that she apologizes to you properly."

Meera looked at her with wide eyes. "You...you really think so? That I'm smart and capable?" she asked, her voice small and uncertain. "I...I don't think Merrill would apologize. Not to me, at least. She never does."

Irena's expression softened again. "You are smart and capable, Meera," she said firmly. "Don't let Merrill make you doubt yourself. And I promise you, I will make sure that she does apologize. She may not like it, but she will do it. No one deserves to be treated the way she treated you." She gave Meera a reassuring smile. "Now go and rest. I'll handle everything from here. And if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to come to me. Alright?"

Meera nodded, sniffling again. "Okay," she said softly. "Thank you, Irena. I...I appreciate it. More than you know." She turned to go, slowly making her way back out the door.

"If you'll excuse me," Irena said grimly, rising from her seat. "I need to go have a word with Merrill now."

“She has been…especially crabby lately,” Gwyn said with a grimace. “I came to her with some research questions yesterday and she nearly bit my head off.”

Irena nodded, her expression hardening. "I've noticed," she said with s sigh. "And it's not just you, Gwyn. She's been snapping at everybody, and it's unacceptable."

Gwyn winced, “Yeah, she can be...a handful," she said tactfully. "But I don't know what's gotten into her lately. She's been worse than usual."

“I imagine it’s because I turned down her latest research proposal and told her that unless she finds a spell crafter to work with, it’s a no. ” Irena said darkly. “It’s too dangerous.”

Gwyn's jaw dropped. "You turned down one of her proposals?" she asked, stunned. "I thought you always approved everything she did, as long as it wasn’t something completely insane."

Irena sighed. "Usually, yes. But some of her recent ideas were too reckless an too dangerous. I can't let her conduct experiments without supervision, especially with the type of thing she's been proposing lately. The potential for harm is too high."

“What did she want to do?” Nesta sled curiously.

Irena's expression darkened. "She wanted to experiment with some very powerful and volatile forms of magic, without any safety measures in place. I am not letting her experiment with dismantling some ancients spells that we don’t even fully understand what they actually do. It was...too risky, too dangerous. I couldn't in good conscience allow her to proceed with such experiments." She shook her head. "It's not an easy job, being the one to tell her no, but it's necessary. We have to protect ourselves, each other, and the library.”

Everyone was quiet for a long moment, processing what Irena had told them. Finally, Gwyn asked in a small voice, "Do you think Merrill is okay? I mean...she's not usually this bad. Even when she gets mad or frustrated, she's never been this unreasonable, this mean before."

Irena's expression softened slightly. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "I know she's been under a lot of stress lately, and maybe I've been too lenient with her in the past. But this behavior is unacceptable. I'll do my best to get to the bottom of it and see if there's anything I can do to help, but Merrill has to be willing to accept help for anything to improve."

“Still her behaviour with the other priestesses can’t continue. This is the third time this week one of them came to me crying,” Irena said darkly.

Gwyn's eyes widened. "The third time? I didn't realize it was that bad."

“The third time,” Irena said with a sigh.  "I've been trying to keep an eye on her and keep her in line, but she's been pushing back hard lately. And it's not just with the acolytes either, she's been a terror to everyone. It's like she's a walking black cloud, just spreading her bad mood everywhere she goes."

Nesta's eyebrows furrowed. "Do you know what started all this? She's always been prickly, but this is on a whole other level."

“Merrill is used to get whatever she wants,” Irena said. “And when she doesn’t…, she can’t deal with that,” she said with a shake of her head. I know how difficult it is to deal with Merrill. Believe me, I'm used to it by now. But this behavior towards the other priestesses is can’t continue. She can't keep getting away with treating them poorly. It’s not fair to them, and it's not good for the library. Wish me luck,” Irena said drily, as she picked up an intricately carved cane. “I’ll go talk to her.”

Gwyn nodded, looking concerned. "Be careful, alright? Merrill's in a mean mood, and she's not exactly in the best state of mind right now. She might lash out at you."

Irena gave her a weary smile. "It's not the first time I've had to deal with her like this. I can handle it."

With that, she gathered up some paperwork and her cane and headed out the door. Gwyn watched her go, her expression worried. "I hope she'll be alright," she said softly. "Merrill can be quite vicious when she's riled up."

Nesta nodded in agreement. "She's always had a sharp tongue," she said. "But lately, she's been downright nasty. I can only imagine what Irena is walking into right now."

[slasherbvnnie]

Until We Found You

Hello! This is my first time ever posting onto here, so please excuse any mistakes or any tags that may be missing. I wanted to write about a poly!ghostface au and age up all the characters and place them into college. I hope this gets at least a few reads!

Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII Part VIII Part IX

Context: Modern Day College Scream AU, Obsessed AFAB!Reader, Eventual Poly!Ghostface x reader, Eventual NSFW, All characters 18+

You bit down on the tip of your pencil, chewing the metal part of it as you spaced out for the hundredth time today. A few days ago news broke of one of your best friends being killed, Casey Becker, and like every day since that fateful night, news reporters were swarming the campus. Woodsboro University was famous overnight for it, a crazed killer on the loose in the town and no one knew why Casey and her boyfriend Steve were the victims. What made it truly unnerving was that no one knew if they were going to be the only ones.

It didn’t make you scared, not really at least, you were more intrigued than worried if you were going to be the next person to get a mysterious phone call. No, you spent the next morning with Randy and learned all about what happened. How Steve was found bound to the chair, duct tape and blood practically branded onto him, and how the Beckers found Casey. She was one of your best friends, you couldn’t deny you felt like you needed some therapy for not crying for more than maybe an hour over her, but something in you was more interested in who did it.

That was what was on your mind for the hundredth time today, any of Casey’s boyfriends all the way to fucking pre-k could be a suspect, maybe her family, or maybe it was some random stranger who decided to take their anger out on an unsuspecting teenage girl. Randy and you talked all first period about your suspicions on who it could be, even accusing each other of being the killer, it did fit after all, the two horror buffs who knew every goddamn easter egg in every horror movie there was, it seemed perfect.

“Sidney, can you please tell your friend the answer to at least make it seem like she was listening?” Ms. Crane asked, Sidney nudging you and whispering the answer as the class laughed. “ah, um, phosphorus gas.” You answered, looking at Sidney with wide eyes after you answered. “Phosphine, but I will take that. You guys can pack up, let me take role before you all leave.” Ms. Crane said with a sigh.

“What’s up with you? Are you totally sure you don’t want to go to the grief counselor after school? I mean even Tate went-“ “Sid, I’m fine, seriously. I just, it’s freaky is all. I mean not knowing who did it? What if they have a thing for college chicks, I think we fit into that category very well and-“ “And we will be fine, it was probably just a one-time thing…I mean it's more likely that it is, right?” Sidney asked as she packed her bag, putting a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Don’t sweat it, if you want you can stay at my place for the week, my dad’s on a trip and I would kinda enjoy the company,” she offered, smiling at you reassuringly. You gave a nod, “yeah, let me just at least spend tonight at my place, my mom will kill me if I miss dinner tonight and take off for a week out of the blue.” “Are you sure you’re really 19 and not 9?” Sidney asked jokingly, earning a laugh from you.

After dinner you had taken a shower, your parents had gone out for the night to take a late-night date- which you theorized was them renting a motel to not risk traumatizing you. You brushed out your hair as you sat down on your vanity chair, putting it into a braid before you went to bed. Your cat was sitting peacefully on your bed, moving every now and then to change her position before darting out of your room. “Irena!” You called after her, scoffing when she didn’t come back to the room. You put your hairbrush down onto your vanity, taking a look in the mirror before getting up from your seat. “I hope you don’t think you are eating even more food, missy, you got fed so much while I was at class today,” you said, acting as if Irena could really understand you. You made your way to your door, nearly walking out before noticing a paper had fallen onto the ground near your desk. You picked it up, reading the headline, Casey Becker and Steve Orth- funerals to be held on Friday the 27th at 9-11 AM. You sighed and set it down on the other papers stacked on your desk.

You walked out of your room, heading downstairs “Irena! Come on, I wanna go to bed,” you whined out, calling the cat to your room. You found her in the living room, hiding under the couch and refusing to come to you. “Fine, I’ll leave you a blanket out and don’t you dare come scratching at my door at 3 AM,” you told her, going to the hallway closet to get a blanket out for her. Once you had gotten one, you spread it out across the couch for her and said goodnight.

You were about halfway to your room when your phone began to buzz, digging it out of your pocket and seeing your mom's number you quickly answered. “Hey, what's up? You guys heading back already,” You asked, continuing up to your room.

“Heading back? Who said I ever left?” A strange voice asked on the other line, making you pause for a moment as you moved to make sure it was your mom. “Listen asshole, I don’t have more than 15 dollars in my bank account so have fun with whatever hot cheetos and mountain dew you can get with that,” you said before hanging up on them, putting your phone back into your pocket. You were up the stairs now, deciding to use the bathroom before you went to bed for the night but before you could open the door your phone rang again. “Didn’t I already say I don’t have money? What the fuck do you want?” You asked angrily, “Irena, right? Like Irena Dubrovna? Who did you prefer, Simone or Natassja?” The same voice asked you, making you look down the stairs. Irena hadn’t moved yet and no one was around her, or at least from what you could see. “If you hurt my fucking cat I will personally cut off your balls and feed them to he-“ A laugh from the caller cut you off, “I don’t have fun with animals. I’m not Bundy or Dahmer, I like to see my victims, human victims…struggle.” You heard your parent's bedroom door open, letting out a scream before running into your room and slamming the door shut, locking it quickly before the person began to bang on it. You looked around, going to your window and trying to lift it open.

The door cracked, it was like the scene from the shining, except this killer bore a white mask, you recognized it from the Halloween store- father death. You struggled with the window again, before giving up and grabbing the lamp from your bedside table and throwing it at them. The killer moved out of the way before they were hit, pushing their body against the door once more and climbing in through the opening. You could see them fiddle with their knife as if they had held it in their hands a hundred times already and were skilled at fidgeting with it.

You grabbed a glass organizer from your desk, taking the scissors from it before chucking the holder at them. The papers you had stacked before scattered from the throw as they fell down. You rushed to the window as they struggled to get up but never heard them stand. When your head whipped around to check if they were behind you, you instead saw them looking at the papers around them.

Masked killer, Casey and Steve headlines, Maureen Prescott, Cotton Weary trials, even the cutouts you had of Sidney from court. You were obsessed. There were drawings, suspects lists, hell all these needed were red kiss marks and ‘please fuck me mr ghostface!’ written in pink glitter pen ink.

You stared wide-eyed at them when you saw their gaze now on you, their head cocked to the side as a laugh sounded from behind the mask. Just then you heard the sound of gravel being crushed around from the driveway, your parent's car was pulling in, you saw them getting out from your window. When you turned back you noticed the person was gone, you ran downstairs and met your parents at the door, crying and beginning to blubber on about what nearly happened. 

[smolsawyer]

Golden Swan (Zlatá Labuť) - The complete Irlena story (0/84)

A miracle happened in our country and we got an actually good show with very well-written and interesting wlw representation. I really want to spread this amazing story, but because Youtube is homophobic and won't let me upload the videos I decided to share their story with you here.

I will be posting a new video (2 videos, what was i thinking about lesbians waiting patiently for wlw content? :D) every day (between 7 - 8pm CET), so buckle up and enjoy the ride with me, it is a wild one.

Please even if you are not interested yourself, if you can, reblog this post so it may get to some of your followers who might want to see this :) Thank you

This first post is about the introduction to the premise and the characters, a lot is happening and I will do my best to keep you in the loop. If you wanna know or see more, don't hesitate to hit me up in my asks :)

Synopsis: The show begins in 1939 during the protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia under Nazi occupation, at the beginning of World War II. The story centers around the rich Kučera family, who own a newly opened luxury department store in the center of Prague called Golden Swan (Zlatá Labuť)

Characters: Irena Mašková - a daughter of the head of the Kučera family, a very hardened, ambitious, and ruthless woman, who is fighting hard for the approval of her father who often dismisses her based only on the fact she is a woman. She loves the luxury of her life, and staying at the helm of their family business is the most important thing to her. She has an estranged husband Lukáš with whom she has two sons

Alena Zimová - a very kind and warm-hearted young woman who starts working at Golden Swan as a salesgirl. She left the small village she was born in for Prague in hopes of escaping her homophobic parents and life in the anonymity of a big city. She is dating a waiter Jakub from Swan's restaurant, who wants to marry her

Also huge thanks and credit for english subtitles goes to @ ScorpiStraub on twitter. At least I think :) I tracked them down through multiple ppl and accounts, reached out, but didn't get any answer. But I'm like 90% sure they are the ones who made the subtitles :)

[ghelgheli]

Bloomberg—Postmortem Sperm Retrieval Is Turning Dead Men Into Fathers

July 18, 2022

[A]bout 20 people, young and old, sit around the table in the main room of a public housing apartment in this city near the Lebanese border. They help themselves to pasta, shawarma, cakes, and coffee, and they remember German Rozhkov. Rozhkov, a Ukrainian immigrant turned soldier, was killed 20 years ago, when he was 25. One of the children darting among the mourners—sitting on laps and nodding shyly—is 5-year-old Veronica. She never met Rozhkov, of course, but she’s his daughter. Thirty hours after he was killed, his sperm was extracted, preserved in liquid nitrogen, and, 14 years later, used to fertilize the eggs of Irena Akselrod. She didn’t know Rozhkov, but she volunteered to bear and raise his child after meeting Ludmila. Persuading a judge to grant Ludmila Rozhkov and Akselrod the right to German’s sperm included testimony about his desire for children. But there was no case law covering when a dead man’s sperm could be used to produce offspring. In his ruling, the family court judge wrote: “When the law doesn’t provide an answer, the court must turn to the principles of Jewish heritage. ‘Give me children, or I shall die,’ our mother Rachel cried out. This logic reflects man’s desire to continue through his offspring the physical and spiritual existence of himself, his family, and people. We are told, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.’ ” Being an active grandmother is something Rozhkov feared she’d never get to experience on that day in March 2002 when officers came to visit her with the unbearable news. When she saw them, she blocked the door in an attempt to avoid hearing the truth. Later, in grief, she shouted out in Russian, “We must get his sperm!” No one, including those who spoke Russian, knew what she was talking about. After a man dies, his sperm cells live up to 72 hours and can be retrieved with an incision to the testicle, then frozen. “We checked with legal and medical authorities and went ahead,” Mor says. “Today it is becoming routine.” “Routine” may overstate it. There are a few dozen children like Veronica. But the military practice of postmortem sperm retrieval is now a familiar topic in Israel, even if it’s extremely rare elsewhere. A couple of dozen army families are eager to replicate the experience. When parents of a dead soldier go on Facebook or TV seeking a mother for their future grandkid—not only a surrogate but also a kind of daughter-in-law who’ll raise the child—the response can be overwhelming. Hundreds of women volunteer in a display of national solidarity and what seems to be a growing preference for a sperm donor who isn’t anonymous and whose family will be involved. The country’s tiny size and population clusters help with child rearing, with adult children rarely living more than an hour from their parents and often within a few minutes. “We are very postmodern in our reproductive practices,” says Zvi Triger, a professor of family law at the College of Management Academic Studies. “Now, even being dead doesn’t prevent you from having children.”

This has been going on, albeit at an accelerating (and ever more legally enshrined) pace, for quite some time by the way.

[nottoofondofgaypeople]

xerith u know ima take advantage of the scene rewrite offer. hit me with that s2 ep52 scene where laurance cuts off aphmau in her (very demeaning and dismissive) spiel to basically let her know that he can’t ignore the idea of the portal nearby

Went back and rewatched the episode. Realized Laurance doesn't even know the portal is fully opened. Got mad about it. Bone appetit.

I'm gonna start off the rewrite of this scene with some dialogue from the original that'll lead into the better version of the scene.

Bit of context, at this point Irena and Laurance are still together, but their relationship has become increasingly strained due to a mixture of the calling, Garroth being gone, the general horrors of MCD storytelling, and Laurance killing all those people at that wedding.

"I can't stand seeing people be forced to do something," Laurance expressed, running an uneasy hand through his hair. It was starting to get long again... "It reminds me too much of what happened in the Nether." His heart ached. "A-And it wasn't just me. Vylad, Zenix... Maybe even Vincent..."

"Laurance," Irena started carefully, hesitating before she put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand what you're trying to do. And my answer is yes, you may turn into a Shadow Knight in order to learn how to control it. But please... Please..." Her voice broke slightly on the second please. "Don't let your emotions control your actions."

"I-I'm sorry. I think I'm just... Off." His eyes drifted to the cave entrance. He could feel the energy present pulling him in. Calling him. It was stronger than it had ever been. He couldn't tell if it was because of himself or the portal.

"It's okay. Just let me handle it." She pulled her hand away, the warmth present from it evaporating in an instant. It left Laurance feeling cold.

"What, the portal? I-I've been to the Nether, I feel like I'm the best to assess it."

"Laurance, I don't... I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because who knows if it's active or not--"

"You know." Irena froze. "You know because you activated it."

"Vylad told you?"

"He wanted to make sure I knew before I approached it." Laurance looked back to her, basically forcing eye contact despite the lack of need for it.

"I was trying to seal it..."

"You should know you can't do that."

"It worked before, didn't it?! I saw the wolves do it!"

"The wolves were trained to do it, Irena. Their elder was an expert in realm magic, that's why he looked after the portal. Don't you realize you put yourself in danger with a stunt like that? What if it had rebounded onto you and hurt you?" Irena looked away, even taking a step towards the portal.

"Still, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go to it."

"Don't avoid the conversation." Despite being blind, he reached perfectly for her shoulder, forcing her to stay even if she couldn't look at him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I--"

"And don't tell me that you didn't think it was important." Irena went silent. "How long were you planning on lying to me?"

"...I wasn't lying to you."

"You just weren't going to tell me the truth."

"Laurance, I-I didn't want you to worry about it. I figured we'd come up with some solution eventually to close it--"

"And you thought I wouldn't want to help with that?!"

"We don't know what'll happen if you go near it!"

"Vylad said he was fine standing next to it!"

"But Vylad has 15 years of controlling this! I didn't want to risk you losing control if you got too close."

"If that's the case, why didn't you tell me you tried to seal it in the first place? Why didn't you tell me it got worse? What if I had gone in there and it started working on me before you could catch me?"

"But that wouldn't happen--"

"Because you'd keep me on a short enough leash."

"N-No, it's not like that--"

"Then what is it like, Irena?! What was your plan here?!" She finally looked at him. Sage green eyes stared back at her. Not a hint of red in them. This wasn't the calling or the portal pulling on his anger. This was just Laurance. Knowing that, she turned away, putting her hand on his.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She removed his hand from her shoulder. "I won't stop you from going to the portal if you want to, but please, try to maintain control." Laurance took a shaky breath. He was tired of her running, but she wasn't going to stop. Not while they weren't home. He'd have to confront her later.

"How bad is it?"

"Vylad already told you everything, didn't he?"

"I'm not asking Vylad. I'm asking you."

"It's... Bad. Worse than any portal I've seen. The magic may not have rebounded onto me, but it did rebound. It's a portal large enough... for an army." Laurance sighed, stepping ahead of her, but stopping short.

"Next time... Please don't lie to me." She didn't respond. It made Laurance angrier. "Irena--"

"What?! What do you want from me? To lie again by saying I won't lie to you?!" He turned around in a fury. Still his eyes remained the same.

"I want you to feel like you don't have to lie to me! I-I want to have a conversation with the love of my life where I don't second guess what she tells me! How can I trust anything you say when you can't even pretend like you won't lie to me again?!"

Laurance's words echoed in the valley nearby. They echoed in his mind as they always did, as they always had since her first thought of them. Since he first found out from Vylad she didn't tell him. At first he gave her the benefit of the doubt, there was a lot going on at the time. Her focus was on the safety of her sons. But then... She still didn't tell him. And then she tried to keep him from it. How much was she going to "forget" to tell him before it was intentional? How much was he willing to tolerate?

The inability to answer those questions, the inability of both of them to answer Laurance's questions, it made him turn away. It made him walk away from her, even if he faintly heard a sniffle from her. It brought him just to the edge of the cave. He could feel the pull of the portal, like another person grabbing his arm and leading him to it. The hands even felt familiar. They felt like Gene.

Instead he turned away again. Took his stance outside the portal room with crossed arms and a furrowed brow. And even though he knew it wasn't necessary, even though he knew that he couldn't see her like this, he still narrowed his eyes at Irena as she walked into the portal room. He still glared at her when she left. He hated being angry with her, but it's all he could feel. It's all she let him feel when she tried to brush him off like that.

Irena's tendency to try and ignore unfavorable subjects was something Laurance was intimately familiar with. She did it all the time with Shadow Knight and Nether related stuff. She tried to focus on the positive and only address the negative when it was literally banging down her door demanding action. He remembered arguing with her over the chances of going to war with O'Khasis, how dismissive she was of the idea because she didn't want to believe O'Khasis would truly do that. He remembered the conversations they and Garroth had about this very issue.

The hope was that she would get better, that she would talk to them about serious issues, that she would address them properly with them. But ever since Lilian meddled in things, turned Garroth against her over a single instance, she seemingly regressed. Refused to talk to anyone about these issues unless they forced her hand. Laurance hated forcing her to do anything. He'd rather she feel comfortable just... telling him things.

That was the day Laurance started coming to terms with the inevitable fallout. Whether he wanted to or not, he knew that things were only going to get worse from here. He wasn't going to be able to be nice about this for long, and Irena always reacted badly when someone pointed out her shortcomings. What had once been a fun quirk of their banter was going to snowball into something capable of ending their relationship. He couldn't stand the thought.

[fanfictionstuff]

Could I request Blue Exorcist Lucifer x OC confessing that she’s pregnant, If that’s ok. Please and thank you!

I hope you like it <3

Your fingers tap anxiously, holding a small piece of photo film in your hand. “Irena, may I come in?” You can’t tear your eyes away from the paper in your hand, even as you answer her. “Of course, Homare.” 

“The commander requests your presence in his chambers.” Her tone is soft yet firm. “He’s getting impatient since he hasn’t seen you for a week.” You nod in acknowledgment. “Right, sorry. How is his health? Is his vessel stable? I’m afraid to tell him the news if he’s unwell.” You confess quietly, eyes fixed on the small dot on the ultrasound. Homare, had accompanied you to the hospital, has respected your wishes to keep it from Lucifer. “He’s much better; I think now is a good time to tell him. If you delay any longer, he’ll figure it out before you have a chance to share.” She is correct; although his vessel poses challenges, his senses remain sharp, and it won’t be long before he realizes you’re pregnant. You want to be the one to tell him. “Thank you, Homare.” As you get up, she swiftly joins you. “Homare, I’m only a month along; I can manage on my own.”

“Right, I apologize. However, the commander will become more protective upon learning about your pregnancy. This could be your final chance for some personal time over the next eight months.”

You let out a sigh. "Please don’t jinx me; maybe he’ll relax until I’m in the third trimester." Homare gazes at you with a blank expression. 

Homare leads you towards Lucifer’s and your shared bedroom through the base. Usually, you’d be in the room, but you’ve been keeping a bit of distance, concerned the news might be too much for Lucifer with his vessel struggling more the last week. 

You can only get two steps in when you open the bedroom door before Lucifer wraps you in his arms. Gently, he cups your face, his green eyes staring into yours. “My love, where have you been?” He questions softly, though his mouth covers yours before you can answer. “Sorry, I didn’t want to stress you while you were healing, I’ve been working on a few things.”

He gives you a curious look. “Working on a few things?” 

“Yes, a new recipe I’m trying to perfect.” He pulls you closer, his tail wrapping around your waist as he listens. “I’ve also found a new book series I’ve been reading. I think I might have a new favorite author.”  His lips brush gently against yours. “Anything else?” 

Behind him, you notice dinner prepared on a table. “Yes, but let’s have dinner first.” Lucifer nods, taking your hand and guiding you to the table. 

Once you’ve finished dinner, he stands, gently pulling you towards your shared bed. “My love, you’ve been keeping your distance from me.” His voice is tender, yet there’s an undercurrent of frustration. "Please tell me why.” It’s a gentle demand, as he pulls you onto his lap while seated on the bed. “I was concerned about your health," you confess.

“Avoiding me doesn’t help, Irena.” 

“I know I need to discuss something with you, but I thought it was best for you to be in good health first. I was worried I’d accidentally reveal it,” you say, softly tucking some hair behind his ear. “I have news to share, and I’m a bit nervous about how you might react. It’s not a topic we’ve addressed openly before.” Although it hasn’t been verbalized, Lucifer is perceptive. He knows you aren’t using birth control, and he hasn’t shown concern by using protection or pulling out. You push away from him gently but remain in his lap as you take something from your pocket. 

Lucifer’s gaze immediately fixates on the piece of paper, his eyes widening slightly as he recognizes it. Gently, he takes it from your hands, focusing on the small pea-sized area circled in red. His warm lips touch your cheek, and he sets the ultrasound aside while placing a hand on your abdomen.  “This is wonderful news, my queen.”

“Have you ever come across a child who is a mix of angel, demon, and human?” you ask him with curiosity. 

He gently turns your head to meet his gaze and softly kisses your lips. “I haven’t, but it seems like the perfect blend.” 

[goranvisnjicdaily]

Timeless Screencaps S2.E5 ∙ The Kennedy Curse

I love this episode so much! I really wish they would've saved Kennedy 😥

I love the fact that they brought Kennedy in the present time, poor him, I'd have freaked out too! 🤣

📷 238 Screencaps from the episode have been added in the Timeless Gallery

📷 93 Screencaps of a Young Goran from "Braca Po Materi" (1988) have been added as well in the Gallery.

I thought I'd have been able to finish screencapping" Timeless" Before returning to work, but the weather was so beautiful, that I just couldn't stay inside haha!

Once I'll be done with Timeless, I'll start Screencaping "The Deep" Then it will be "Crossing Lines"

I'm also waiting for "The Boys" Bluray today, The Amazon delivery guy passed on Friday evening, but I couldn't answer since it was like 9:15 PM and I was in the shower... Talk about an hour for delivering packages haha! Why they're always ringing at the door when we're in the shower or on the toilet???? 🤣🤣🤣

Here's a list of movies I own that I need to screencap as well:

-Helen (Bluray) -Elektra (Bluray) -Posljednja volja (DVD) -The Deep End (Bluray) -Practical Magic (Bluray) Keeping this one for Halloween LOL! -Prepoznavanje (MP4 File, thanks to the person who gave it to me, you know who you are :) ) -Spartacus (DVD) -The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (Bought it on Youtube) -Welcome to Sarajevo (DVD)

And Here's the the two movies I don't have, if you ever have them, I'm interested :D -Puska za uspavljivanje -Paranoja

😎

[xerith-42]

My Street Stoner Headcanons

This is part 1 in a series of posts I wanna make about different characters in the Aphverse who partake in the devil's lettuce.

Important disclaimer, I don't really like My Street! It peaked with season 2, it's got a lot of problems from day one that remain problems in it's sixth season, they manage to have TWO beach SEASONS and neither one has someone who was easily one of the main characters of the series it was based on, and it really lost the plot. Like way faster than MCD did. But there is stuff to love about it.

I love the idea of My Street as it was initially promised. A slice of lice modern AU of MCD that is a SLICE OF LIFE. No grand stakes of the universe, nobody's getting blown up (unless it's for comedic effect), and nobody's dying. It's about a bunch of young adults, some of whom have known each other since high school or longer, all living on the same street together and the day to day shenanigans they get up to. So basically Season 3 but the entire series is like that. This is my very long winded way of saying that none of the "lore" of My Street matters to me and when you read my headcanons, know that I ignore the canon of My Street more than I ignore the canon of Minecraft Diaries. I don't care about the angels, I just want to get high with my friends.

Anyways wanna smoke some weed?

Blaze is the main weed dealer of My Street. Man has both an indoor and outdoor garden with multiple plants. He and the werewolf trio all live together and they actually help him out with his business sometimes. It's the main way Blaze pays rent on their place and also just a great side hustle. Like Blaze never has to worry about money, and he's constantly giving free stuff to his friends if they want it.

His first ever costumer in the friend group was actually Aaron. The two got high in High School like once when Aaron was inexplicably at Blaze's house. He's still not entirely sure how he got there to this day, the whole experience feels very surreal and liminal. But he remembers how freeing it was, how much stress he was able to let go of. So when college is kicking his ass, he hits up Blaze expecting to just like share half a blunt like they did before, and then they hotbox Blaze's dorm with a gravity bong.

If it wasn't already clear, Blaze is the top stoner of the entire My Street Universe. Some characters are definitely more frequent users than others (we'll get to Travis), but for Blaze, I mean... C'mon. His birthday is literally April 20th. He's the stoner friends to end all stoner friends but he also gets weirdly emotional with people when they're high and basically makes his friends process their shit every now and then by offering to get them high as a stress reliever. It all started with Aaron showing up in his door, getting baked enough to see God, and then randomly confessing that he was actually a werewolf the entire time. Even though. Blaze already knew that.

And then Aaron confesses it to Irena (C!Aphmau) while they're late night gaming. Like she mentions that Katelyn's room smelled funny when she went into it the other day and Aaron instantly jumps to "I've gotten high with Blaze before." So she tries it out of morbid curiosity, and while she enjoys it, she ultimately decides it's not something she wants to do on the regular. Maybe for celebrations of like finishing a semester of college or finally getting that fucking promotion.

Katelyn definitely smokes it the most when she's living with Irena and Nana. Not having a solid job for a few months really fucked with her stress levels, even if she managed to make it work cause her roommates are awesome. But, she'll only do it outside or in her room and then instantly light a candle to clear out the smell, but they both eventually figure it out. Nana literally walks in on Katelyn lighting a blunt in her room when she's just trying to ask Katelyn what she wants on her pizza. There's a pause, Katelyn answers, and then Nana gives her a thumbs up and leaves.

The next morning Katelyn opens up the fridge and finds a small tray of brownies with her name written on the post-it note slapped onto them. Another note reads "For when you want to be subtle about it ;)"

Nana learned that she could put weed into butter and therefore she could make edibles from one of her sisters randomly showing up in town, dropping a bunch of life lessons and also useless bull shit on her, and then leaving and never elaborating. And the thing Nana mainly got from it is to make her own edibles because it's way cheaper than buying them. Nana doesn't smoke because she has asthma so this is like game changing for her.

She doesn't realize that she even has a chance to know who her dealer is because she's super paranoid about buying it. So she like goes through all these extra steps to hide it and hide her privacy and Blaze literally knows what she smells like and knows who she is, but he gets that people can be hesitant for others to know. Just strange that she's getting all weird about it when he and Katelyn were just hot boxing his car when she texted him.

Most characters have an experience like this. Trying it out for the first time, usually with Blaze or on their own, trying to hide it, only to stumble upon one of their roommates high as balls watching Lord of The Rings at 3 am and realize they're all a bunch of pothead losers and that's fine.

Blaze knows all. Like, he has heard everything. People feel randomly prompted to just start telling him stories from their childhood, confessing in the way of like "haha you wanna know something funny I never told anybody?" and then Laurance confesses he's been in love with Garroth since they were freshman. Or Zane confesses to really liking My Little Pony. Or Dante reveals that he's questioning his gender identity. Blaze just knows all these people on deeper levels than most of them realize if they don't frequently hang out with him.

And if they do, then they know that Blaze is no low level just grows for his friends and accepts tips. No, he's a full blown dealer. he's really strict about rules of wherever he lives, especially when he started dealing to raise money so he could pay tuition at PDH, he didn't want it effecting his family at all. and Blaze can literally chuck you through a window so it's hard for anyone to really pressure him into doing stuff he doesn't want to do. And all he wants to do is grow quality product for everyone to enjoy.

It's why his friends don't mind helping him out sometimes. Like Laurance comes over to his house to ask if he can use Blaze's three foot bong so he gets high enough his body stops cramping, but when he gets there Blaze has some classic rock on and he's just packaging orders and Laurance sits down at the table and joins him.

And while hanging out with Blaze, he always has just the most random wack ass stories. He meets so many strange people in the world, he travels a lot because he's technically unemployed, and he has the wildest adventures that people love hearing about.

Travis and Dante's house always smells different. If they're expecting company they'll use some kind of air fresher, or light candles or incense, or do something to get rid of the smell. But if they have nothing going on? If Travis is on break from classes to get his masters and Dante has the weekend off of work? That house is going to fucking reek for three days. They always take care of it eventually, but when they go on what they jokingly call their benders, they don't bother.

Due to this most people would assume one of the two of them is the biggest stoner on My Street (that isn't Blaze). Or maybe Katelyn and Nana. It's actually Vylad. He's just really good at hiding it.

Vylad got insane stoner rng and is able to be tripping balls and have no visual effect on his eyes. Like maybe they look tired, but they aren't bloodshot, even while he's sitting in a freshly hotboxed room. So Vylad likes hiding it because it confuses his friends and that's just always fun to do.

Despite being so judgemental, Zane oddly never makes any comment about this. If someone's room smells funny or Nana slips a special kind of butter into a batch of cupcakes and insists those are her batch, he doesn't say anything. It's not clear whether he's chill with it or not? Both his brothers smoke, even if Garroth is more infrequent about it, so maybe it's becuase of them? But even then he'll get upset at someone for something but not upset at his brothers when they do the same thing so??

Garroth asks Blaze if Zane smokes one day, and Blaze is just in shock because "You didn't know? Why do you think he wears the mask?" "Because he has facial dysphoria?" "Well, that, and because he can take a sneaky hit from his vape when no one's looking."

Zane has never forgiven Blaze for revealing his secret because now Vylad and Garroth keep asking him for hits.

If you have any specific MS characters that I didn't mention in here, or more in depth headcanons, feel free to send me an ask! I have. A lot. Of these.

[bhaalbaaby]

Keep Me in Love (3,454 Words)

Pairing: Minsc/Tav Warnings: brief stalking and mentions of harm/SA A/N: this chapter got way longer than i thought it would be so splitting it lol all smut next chapter Taglist: @spacebarbarianweird @tragedybunny @astarionsbeloved @razrogue

Read at AO3!

Penelope's legs feel like jelly, but she powers through, returning to the stage area of Sharess'. She sighs as she sits at a corner table. Phantom touches dance across her skin, her eyes shutting as she lets herself remember him. She grimaces and scrunches up her nose as she leans forward, remembering she's still in public. Why does Minsc feel different than other romps?

She catches the eye of her old friend Rhol, her burning eyes dancing as she slips off the stage. Penelope perks up as her friend sits in the chair across from her. It's most likely against the rules for her to interact with Penelope casually since Penelope hasn't officially returned to work, but Amira doesn't notice, and neither do the Tieflings care.

"Penny! Or should I say the Savior of Baldur's Gate? You should be up there with me. People have been asking for a duo dance like old times." Rhol reaches for Penelope's hands, and Penelope smiles brightly as she squeezes her hands back.

"I don't know... But that's for another time." Penelope says quickly, the thought of working again making her stomach heave. Rhol nods quickly, their tails intertwining under the table. "I'm sorry I haven't visited in a little while," Penelope says, the panic easing as Rhol's eyes roll.

"I'm just happy to see you, friend."

Penelope's smile softens. "You too. We have a lot to catch up on, but not right now," Penelope says, her eyes shooting to the curtains.

"Don't worry about Amira. The bard for the evening is on his break, getting drunk and probably trying to flirt with Irena. We're safe." Rhol states. "And if Amira acts high and mighty because you don't want to work yet, then we can take a walk."

The statement doesn't help Penelope, but she smiles nonetheless. "No more talk of Mam. I just got laid!" Penelope blurts out, trying to keep her voice low.

Rhol's eyebrows raise. "My, my. For free?"

Penelope nods, letting go of her friend's hands. "You're never gonna believe who!"

"I know them?" Rhol asks, confusion starting to take over.

"Not exactly. Heard of stories. He helped me defeat the Absolute." Penelope says, dancing around Minsc's identity.

Rhol's eyes narrow, her lips pursed together. "I won't lie to you, Pen. I didn't pay much attention to the Absolute as long as they didn't try to tempt me."

Penelope smiles, trying to suppress her giggles at the honest answer. "If I didn't have to be the hero, I would have done the same... Well, try to." She doesn't have to bring up her late partner as Rhol starts guessing.

"I didn't hear anything from Nym or Sorn about it, so I'm guessing it wasn't Drizzt. Hmmm...."

Penelope's mind drifts as Rhol starts going down a small list of people she knows. The warmth of Minsc's lips between her thighs floods her mind; how hungry he was for her. She clenches her jaw to hide her shudder as the tip of her tail climbs Rhol's in excitement.

"Minsc of Rashemen."

Queen Rhol sits back in her chair, a smile dancing on her lips. "Oh, I wasn't expecting that. I thought he was busy being the Stone Lord. Was his hamster there?"

Penelope frowns, also sitting back. "He's back to normal. Jaheira and I helped get him out of the Absolute's clutches."

Rhol's eyes widen at the mention of another legend. "Wow, I suppose saving the world will bring you across many important people." Rhol muses, watching the curtain behind Penelope.

"I'm surprised I can walk right now," Penelope says, resting in her chair. "My poor legs," She whines, and Rhol rolls her eyes.

"He is a big man from what I've seen. Has it been a while between all the saving the world and whatnot?"

Penelope scrunches up her nose and shakes her head. "Not for me, but with him..." She sighs, "He already wants to see me again tonight." Penelope adds, watching her friend giggle.

"Of course. You did have a lot of repeat customers," Rhol replies.

"I don't know where to take him. I don't think he has a home, and I don't want to take him to my place. Mam would throw a fit if I had a free room again."

Rhol's eyebrows shoot up, "A free room? No wonder Amira was in a smug mood earlier. Take him to that bath house. They prefer it free there." Rhol suggests, her eyes flicking back to the curtains and then Penelope. "I'd suggest sooner than later," She says as the lute boy returns, smiling at Rhol before going to his corner to tune up. "My next shift is about to start... Come by more often, please? We need to catch up."

Penelope stands, her legs feeling better, pulling her friend into a hug. "I will! I promise!" She misses the hugs from her friends and the mischief they would get into, especially when some human would want to experience them simultaneously. She kisses Rhol's cheek before slipping from the Sharess' Caress through the back. 

Penelope takes a sharp breath as she stands in front of the grand bath house. Its facade matches the Wavemother's Temple nearby. She's never been, following Mam's strict orders not to go. Amira had an inkling it was another brothel house trying to take her business even though Nym and Sorn told her it wasn't.

"They don't even allow that sort of debauchery in their rooms," Nym assured while Sorn rolled his eyes. "I haven't gotten kicked out just yet, but they didn't like it when one of their sailors solicited me. Though sex without money is fine for couples."

It didn't ease Mam, but she allowed the others to go. Penelope never wanted to displease her adopted mother and thus stayed away. Until today. Rhol's assurance earlier calms Penelope down as she whispers a sending spell for Minsc. "There's a bath house in the Lower City. Let's meet here tonight." She sighs as she starts down the cobblestone path.

The last sending spell she cast was to Gortash back on the beach near Emerald Grove. How frantic she must have been, asking for his help, unsure of what had happened. The silence on his end haunted her until she found Shadowheart also on that beach. She shuts the thoughts of Enver down, shoving them in a corner. Tonight is about the future. She can't let Enver take that away. She shudders before she crosses the threshold, the yellowish marble and deep teal accents taking over her sight.

Every statue is dedicated to the Bitch Queen Umberlee, and the sea and Penelope notes mostly men lulling about, a stark difference from the temple itself. Must be where the sailors go when the priestesses tell them to fuck off, Penelope guesses as she decides to sit on the edge of the fountain.

Minsc's voice fills her mind, her heart skipping beats as she closes her eyes, letting his reply flow through her. "Ah, Minsc has been there before when he was the Stone Lord. The food is filling, and the mead is tasty. Boo also loves their--"

She laughs to herself as it cuts off suddenly. He must not know the word limit. Before she gets up, she casts another sending message. "Good to know. I will be here all night, waiting for your embrace." She hesitates, wondering if that was too forward, quickly adding, "And to see you."

She stands, smoothing her skirts as she approaches the receptionist. At first glance, she's a human, but her webbed sharp ears give away that she is not, as well as when she flicks up her dark eyes to look at Penelope. A water genasi. "Hello! Welcome to The Baths of Black Seas. Do you have an appointment or booking a room?"

"Appointment?" Penelope asks, trying not to stare too hard at the beautiful woman. Her eyes are bluish-green with black sclera; her shimmery blue-black hair is slicked back so that her prominent fish-like features can shine. A sailor could call her a siren incorrectly.

"Yes! We have appointments available for massages and our spa." Her voice is upbeat, though quiet. Penelope has to lean to hear the woman better. She vaguely remembers Rhol mentioning that in the past, saying they should go for a spa day, but they never got the chance.

"Oh, I'll have to do that another time, but thank you for the information," Penelope says politely, smiling at the woman. "I would like a room, however," Penelope says, sitting back on her heels. The woman goes to the keys, "How many people?"

Penelope's skin heats as she quickly answers, "Two. He'll be here later. Had a few errands."

The woman stiffens at the mention of a man, turning to face Penelope. "Ah, I see... Do you work for Sharess' Caress?"

The question turns Penelope's stomach, and she waves the question away. "It's not for that if that's what you're thinking. I'm not getting paid to be with him." She avoids saying his name, but the woman doesn't move further.

"We don't allow prostitution in this institute."

Penelope scoffs, "I don't work for Sharess' anymore. Am I not allowed to spend time here with my man? He spoke very highly about this place."

The woman shakes her head, "It'll be better if you and him were here together to reassure us--"

"I highly doubt Minsc would appreciate this," Penelope suddenly cuts her off, feeling tired. She would be spent if she had to cast another sending spell before eating something.

"Minsc?"

"Yes, Minsc of Rashemen." Penelope says, irritation starting to rise. It would be easier to take him to her loft at this point, but she isn't sure if she wants him to know where she lives just yet.

The woman relaxes. "He's never brought guests before, but he is also very respectable. The Stone Lord has been good to the Lady." She hands Penelope a key.

"He's not the Stone Lord anymore," Penelope says, raising her eyebrow.

"Oh, well, the Hero is welcome here any day, ma'am." She bows slightly, and Penelope brings her lips together in a thin-lipped smile. "Who is the owner of this establishment, by the way?"

The woman stiffens, knowing the reason Penelope would want to know. If the roles were reversed, she's sure the woman wouldn't spare Penelope from a lashing from Mam. 

The owner is a Priestess of Umberlee who profusely apologizes for the woman's questioning. "You are all welcome here. We get bad actors here sometimes, and we have to be careful. Please do not tell Minsc." She wonders why the woman would care what she tells Minsc, but Penelope reluctantly tells her she won't. 

Penelope closes the door carefully to their room, taking in the inn decor. It's mostly gold or marble, with hedonism dripping from the walls. She wonders what Minsc and Boo know about this place as she slips her clothes off, letting her garments fall to the floor. She muses when Minsc will join her, if he will get right to it, or if they will go to the baths and take their time. She lies on the bed, resting on the pillows, her legs spreading. She wants him now. Her irritation rises the longer she waits. Her hands find her breasts, massaging the mounds as her mind flits to earlier, his hungry mouth. A small moan escapes her lips, her other hand slipping between her thighs. She closes her eyes as she runs her fingers over her slit.

She stops herself, sitting up with a huff. She can't get worked up when he's not here. Not yet, at least. She slips off the bed and goes to the bath. The view of the Chironthar, a gray and muggy sight, hangs over the grand pool. She imagines that when building this suite, they wanted to invoke the grand sights of old. It doesn't quite work now, but she moves on, checking the oils and soaps they have available. She imagines massaging Minsc's back, his tensing muscles, and deep moans.

She runs water from the sink and splashes her heated face. How come one time has her in an uproar? She has slept with so many others, but it has been a while since someone was excited. Astarion does his best, but perhaps she's bored? She should judge Minsc more harshly this time. His skills could have been better and more comfortable. But he was eager. She goes back to the bedroom, checking the time.

The sun starts to hang lower in the sky, as does the brow on her forehead. They should have planned better. A specific time. Surely Boo wouldn't keep him out all night... Her stomach growls loudly, snapping her back to Faerun. In all the work from earlier and now, she's only had a nibble. She finds a fluffy white robe covering herself. Minsc did say the food here was good. She hopes he's correct as she follows the scent to the food hall. Penelope notes as she fills her plate with warm meat and fruits that the people primarily working here are men. She wonders why until she also sees mostly men walking around. She wonders if they hired mostly men to hammer in that this is not a brothel. She ignores the eyes of other patrons, sitting alone near the back.

Minsc would be here soon; they could dine together after worshipping each other's bodies again. She sighs, her mind filling with lust as she imagines getting on her knees, her mouth ready to worship, and Minsc's cock answering her prayers, stuffing her lips and throat. She stabs at her plate, bringing up a forkful of different meat. This will tide her over until her lover comes, and she will need the energy.

She ignores the man who sits in front of her, continuing to eat. She guesses he's a sailor from the scruff on his chin and messy brown hair. His skin is suntanned and windswept, slightly leathered. Must be older than her by a decade or so, the details not as attractive as they would have been if she still worked for Sharess'. He would not offer her anything she would indeed care about.

"I think you have the wrong place, lass. Where's your pap? Didn't he teach you not to go to strange places like this where strange men lurk?" He asks gruffly, a smirk on his lips as Penelope continues to eat, trying to ignore the nausea.

"He's most likely dead, saer. I can take care of myself." Penelope says, clipped, forcing herself to finish her food.

"Ay? You look like you can... Say, are you a succubus? Your horns... I's only seen those types in my dreams. I don't deal with devils often, though."

Penelope grimaces as the man does not go away. "Maybe there was a succubus or an incubus down the line, but I do not know." She says honestly, keeping her eyes lowered. The heart irises would only raise his ire or interest. She isn't sure which, only wanting him to leave her be.

"I see... You know, you're quite the looker. Some men here haven't seen a woman in months or years. And here you are, a vision. I reckon a smile from you would knock a few of them dead."

Penelope scoffs, still looking away from the man. "I'm sure you're telling the truth, but I'll keep my secret weapon to those who deserve it." Penelope replies, sipping her wine.

"Am I worthy then, lass?" He asks. Penelope admits his smile makes him attractive, but she is not easily overcome. Even though she no longer works for Sharess, it doesn't stop her from using payment as a deflection for men like him.

"I charge for that," Penelope says, taking one last bite.

"Charge? Are ye one of them whores? I should have known. Yer too pretty to be a normal lass." He chuckles, sitting back. "It don't bother me none. I like when you know what you're doing instead of flopping me noodle around like you've never seen a cock before."

Penelope grits her teeth, knowing her prices would make him swim away. She also glances around. The men around were indeed listening in. She knew they were. She noticed some shifting away when she mentioned charging for sex while others tuned in.

"Good to know it doesn't bother you, but unfortunately, I am not here looking for business. I already have a partner for the evening." She decides not to mention her prices in case he can afford it. The only cock she wants is Minsc's.

"But he's left ye by yerself. Are you sure he's a good partner?" He asks, fake concern thick in his sea-laden voice.

Penelope nods, "He had some errands to run but trusts I would be able to secure a room for us... He's a very jealous man." Penelope isn't sure if Minsc could be jealous but doesn't want to find out if she doesn't need to.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, speaking to you has made me harder than a creation of Gond. A tug or two is all I need."

Penelope's cheeks heat, and she frowns. "Then do it yourself, saer. I am not going to anger my man for a vagabond."

The man's face turns red as he practically barks at her. If others weren't paying attention before, they sure are now. "A vagabond? You're a terrible liar. When your man doesn't show in one hour, I'll take what is mine."

Penelope rushes away, feeling awful that she didn't put her plate away, but worry takes over. She doesn't doubt the man's threat; if she went to her room, he'd surely follow her. Instead, she goes towards the bath halls, seeing the diverse bodies of people as they mingle in the water with the river sparkling in the distance. She takes deep breaths as she tries not to panic.

She sends one last message to Minsc, "When will you be here, my love? My heart aches for you." It's not a lie; she hopes it will urge him along.

His reply is faster this time, "Minsc is cleaning his mess, but we shall be together again within the hour. Did you eat? I recommend the roasted turkey. We can eat--" The spell cuts off again, and she relaxes. The thought of being with him makes goosebumps travel down her spine.

She sits down near the sauna room, looking down the halls. That man lurks, and Penelope stands quickly, walking around more as she sends another message. "Please hurry, dear Minsc. My beauty has bewitched a sailor. He believes I am lying about waiting for you and has threatened to hurt me."

Minsc's response is fast and loud in her mind. "DO NOT WORRY, PRINCESS PENELOPE! MINSC AND BOO WILL RESCUE YOU, AND THAT MAN WILL RUE THE DAY HE THREATENED THAT PRETTY LITTLE HEAD OF--" His yelling calms her heart as she returns to the front, seeing the genasi. She wishes she hadn't told on her, needing a friend like this. She is not as useless as she was months ago, strong enough to kill the Dead Three's chosen and the Netherbrain, but she doesn't want her spellcasting to get her kicked out before Minsc can get here. She doesn't want to cause a scene and decides to lure the man back to her room, Astarion teaching her something about daggers.

She locks her door and goes to her bag, pulling out the sussar dagger they made together. The silence spell embedded in it would help with the man's cries, and the Karabasan's Gift she drizzles on it would paralyze him before he could do anything more. She freezes when she hears someone walking near the door. She strains her ear, hoping it's Minsc and not her assailant.

"Ai, this room belongs to Minsc and his friend." Minsc's voice is far but clear.

"Says ye? Some Tief invited me for a tug. Are ye sure this is your room, big man?"

"My friend is indeed a Tiefling, but she told Minsc that some strange man has been bewitched and confused. Minsc rushed over to help her. I'm assuming you're the man trying to hurt my friend?"

The man yelps, and Penelope stashes her dagger away. She slips out of her robe, her nipples hardening at the man's pleas for mercy.

"When she says no, she means it! Never show your face here again, villain!" Minsc yells, and she hears the man shuffle away, the pitter-patter of his feet disappearing down the hall. She cannot wait for him to fuck her. 

[miirshroom]

Elden Ring and Introduction to the FromSoftware Meta-Narrative

If a rune is a story and a great rune is a great story, then what are the great stories represented by the Great Runes? The answer that I have arrived at: The abstract concept of FromSoftware's various videogame development pipelines. Afterall, the Elden Ring represents a metaphysical concept, so why not an examination of the past, present, and future identity of a company that produces videogames. Major spoilers ahead for Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Armoured Core 6, and minor spoilers for several other FromSoft games.

Godrick's Great Rune

The Dark Souls (2011-2018) Great Rune seems obvious - Godrick's Great rune. If the 3 ringed shape wasn't the tip-off (corresponding to 3 games) then perhaps that the dragon figure on top of the Banished Knight helmet is the same creature as the Nameless King's mount. Dark Souls Eygon of Carim wears the Morne set and guards a fire keeper named Irena, while in Elden Ring Edgar of Castle Morne in Godrick's territory loses his eyes to frenzy after discovering the death of his daughter Irena.

Godrick himself seems to function as representative of Dark Souls Remastered, in a sense that the repulsive practice of grafting is being equated to the creative dead-end of revisiting old games such as Dark Souls (2011) and pasting on updated graphics and quality of life features while having to work around out-dated code. I think that Godefroy could be seen as a much earlier use of this practice as the difference between original Dark Souls and the Prepare to Die edition (2012) that included improvements + Artorius DLC. And Godwyn's parallel would be Dark Souls 3 (2016). I would thus consider Godwyn and Godrick as brothers in Elden Ring because in the internal logic of FromSoftware there were always planned to be a trilogy of Dark Souls games.

Dark Souls 2 is annoying to explain succinctly partially because it was directed by Naotoshi Zin Yui Taimura (correction: Naotoshi Zin was the supervisor, which was his role on all Dark Souls games as president of the company from 1986-2014) instead of Hidetaka Miyazaki. In short, there are some blurry lines between Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin and Bloodborne.

Malenia's and Miquella's Great Runes

Malenia herself has an obvious match in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019) - it is in the Dragon Rot being correlated to Scarlet Rot, the parallels between Malenia's dedication to Miquella and Wolf's dedication to Kuro, and that it's one of the few recent FromSoft games to be released without paid DLC or sequel (which as it happens is common among all empyrean and their game counterparts). Numerous people have commented that Malenia feels like a Sekiro boss to fight - although with the added twist of mechanics like clearing her poise break that allow her to "cheat" compared to the bosses of that game.

However, the exact nature of Malenia's Great Rune is more nebulous - probably could be a stand-in for multiple Japanese-style combat games in the catalogue including Shadow Assault: Tenchu (2008) and Otogi: Myth of Demons (2002). Certainly, it has been confirmed by FromSoftware representatives that Sekiro was internally considered a Tenchu game for some time before release, as discussed in the aptly titled 2018 GameSpot article "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Originally Started As A Tenchu Game".

Miquella may or may not have a Great Rune. If he does, it would correspond to games in a similar spirit to Déraciné (2018), the game which Miquella most likely represents. A much smaller game, the idea of which originated in the wake of Bloodborne's release at around the same time that the idea for Sekiro began to form - twin ideas. The game Kuon (2004) also seems to have served some inspiration for the Haligtree, as there is a side-story told about silkworms and a central Mulberry Tree in that game.

Radahn's Great Rune

Radahn's Rune represents the Armored Core franchise - or perhaps the broader idea of mech combat games - while he is himself a personification of Armoured Core 6: The Fires of Rubicon (2023). The opening part of his boss fight is an artillery bombardment, similar to the long range weapon capabilities of the AC units. The central motifs of AC6 are "fire" and "coral" - and the general theme of Caelid is using fire to control the rot that has eaten Radahn's mind and which manifests in the landscape as growths resembling coral reef.

A major part of Radahn's character is that he idolized Godfrey, who is himself embodying AC4 (2006)/4A (2008). The name "Loux" means "Lynx" - and in a departure from the Ravens of earlier titles AC4 introduces the Lynx units. It also simply makes sense that the progenitor of the Golden Lineage - who I previously correlated to Dark Souls - would be represented in the first game that Miyazaki directed.

And I can see the objection that this doesn't make sense because we know that Radahn must have been born before Malenia/Miquella, so how can he represent a game that came after? Simply: it's not about when the game idea was executed, but about when the concept was first proposed. FromSoftware probably knew that they would eventually return to Armoured Core at about the time they wrapped on AC5V.

Morgott and Mohg's Great Runes

Now that some boundary conditions have been set it is easier to speculate on the nature of Morgott and Mohg - AC5 (2012) and AC5V (2013), respectively. Points of comparison: 1) They are of the Golden Lineage as they preceded from AC4A represented by Godfrey, 2) They are omens that any game without Miyazaki attached will be perceived poorly in hindsight (as he did not direct either game), 3) The AC games were at the time FromSoftware's most well known and active franchise before being overshadowed by souls games - those touched by the Crucible were once considered divine and only later fell into disfavor.

But as I already mentioned, with speculation that Radahn holds the Armoured Core Great Rune Morgott and Mohg must have claimed some other stories. This also aids in understanding how they can exist as multiple copies - there is the version of them before and after claiming Great Runes that do not match their original natures. Morgott is the easiest to figure out - it's the Elden Ring (2022) Rune. There is one Great Rune in the entire game that is mandatory to beating the game, and it is the one held by Morgott. Perhaps this raises a question of how can the Elden Ring have a single Great Rune dedicated to itself, but as I have been attempting to describe - all FromSoftware games should be treated as a single body of work looking backwards from Elden Ring. The initial concept of an "Elden Ring" stretches back at least as far as Eternal Ring (2000), and Morgott's rune is described as an "anchor ring that houses the base" so it does have a central importance.

And there's a relatively straightforward answer to which game would be considered a twin to Elden Ring - Demon's Souls (2009). The leitmotif in the menu music for Elden Ring has been identified as a more triumphant version of the Demon's Souls menu music. The core themes of Elden Ring are also much concerned with philosophies of identity in much the same way that Demon's Souls explores the definition of the self as an entity that thinks (look up "Philosophical Analysis of Demon's Souls" by The Gemsbok on Youtube for more on this). And Elden Ring serves as something of a bookend to Demon's Souls - both games are divided into 6 sections via 6 stone structures (the Archstones of Demon's Souls and the Divine Towers of Elden Ring). The 6th Archstone of Demon's Souls is broken, but what lies beyond is a snowy landscape. Elden Ring finally provides access to that snowy landscape in the Forbidden Lands, which is again only available after defeating Morgott - and with the Great Rune being activated at the tower closest to this area.

But there are independent reasons why Mohg's Great Rune should be the one that encompasses Demon's Souls. The Demon's Souls franchise potential has been irreversibly corrupted by the recent remake. The philosophy is still generally intact - that is portrayed through text. But critical aspects of art design have been altered beyond recognition - mostly of interest to me is the portrayal of the Yellow Monk and the Fool's Idol and the area of Latria in general. Mohg himself has this in the design of his robes and trident which steal the motifs of the helix and the black flame but corrupt them in ways that read almost as gibberish compared to their deliberate uses elsewhere.

The four-armed doll of the Fool's Idol hints at who the original owner of this rune might have been - Ranni's mentor Renna. And through embodying the witch Renna, it may be that ownership of this rune was transfered to Ranni before she chose to discard it. Demon's Souls did generally fit the previously established criteria of Empyrean game (no sequels or DLC), but the potential for future games is lost now as creating a sequel to the original would alienate people confused by the aesthetic corruption of the remake. There is also a rabbithole here for what all this Great Rune encompasses because Demon's Souls itself did not spring out of nowhere - it is of a similar approach to game design that was previously last seen in Shadow Tower Abyss (2003) and Kingsfield IV (2001).

The Great Rune of the Unborn

The Great Rune of the Unborn is a difficult one to pin down through this method of unpacking the Great Runes as much as any other. It seems possible that Miquella wanted this Great Rune and thought that it could be obtained by arranging his own rebirth. It is also one of two stories that must be obtained for Ranni's Age of Stars to be possible (the other being Radahn's story) - indicating that it represents something that did not exist at the time of Elden Ring's release. Running low on demi-gods, perhaps this is best understood as Melina's Great Rune. It is implied through Melina's abilities to channel Marika's echoes and through her descriptor in the code "MarikaofDaughter" that she is an offspring of Marika. Contradictory to the other demi-gods who can typically be matched to FromSoftware games, Melina's bodiless status seems to indicate that she never has been and her burning at the Forge of Giants is acknowledgement that she never will be. A comparison can be drawn between Melina and the disembodied Ayre - voice of the Coral in AC6. The unrealized potential of the Great Rune of the Unborn seems a good match to Melina.

Rykard's Great Rune

So, by process of elimination there is one rune left and it is Rykard's Great Rune. Fitting that the one game candidate remaining is Bloodborne (2015). An article titled "How the Spirit of Bloodborne Lives on in Elden Ring" (posted on VG247 by Alan Wen) goes over the ways that Volcano Manor evokes Bloodborne. The Manor sits on top of a hidden town of gothic architecture similar to Yharnam being stacked on top Old Yharnam, the Ghiza's Wheel weapon found in the manor has a clear design lineage to the whirligig saw from Bloodborne, the Iron Virgin at Raya Lucaria transports the player to a secondary location similar to Bloodborne's Kidnappers. But to me, the most clear connection is the finding of the Serpent's Amnion and Rya's dismay of being born of a hideous ritual. This seems a form of call-back or iteration to the ending of Bloodborne that involves consuming four 3rds of umbilical cord and being reborn as a Great One - a repellent little squid-slug thing.

[distantdarlings]

WITH THE BAND // vi arcane

RATING: PG-13 / 2.2K WORDS

Vi Arcane x Fem Reader Insert

+ SUMMARY - For the first time ever, your band is performing at The Last Drop. But the memories of your time spent there under Vander’s ownership come flooding back. *Heavily inspired by ‘I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend’ by Cameron Hayes. Imagine the reader singing this while reading*

+ WARNINGS - Language, Kissing, mentions of trauma + PTSD, passing mentions of death (lmk if I missed any)

+ MUSIC -

I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend - Cameron Hayes

Hey y’all! I just wanted to say I’m trying this out as I’m hyper fixated on Arcane rn lol. But don’t worry, I’m still primarily writing for the Slytherin boys and will be working on requests later this week!

- - -

The deep blue lights that hovered over the backstage area made the whites of your guitar glow like a beacon.

Your fingers traced over the curves of its body, skin stuttering over miscellaneous bits of old tape stuck to its polished wooden hull.

The performance manager for The Last Drop stood before the crowd, just beyond the crack in the giant black drapes that separated you and the band from the spotlights. He shouted excitedly into a rusty microphone, announcing your band.

You’d never performed here before, considering this was only your second gig ever, but everyone knew that The Last Drop was the spot in the Undercity. If you wanted to get anywhere, you had to perform there. If you didn’t, you’d surely never see your band’s name splashed on a record.

“Ladies and gentlemen and everything in between, please welcome them to the stage!”

The drapes split farther down the middle, creating an entrance. Your band walked ahead of you—three members, and then yourself. Your bassist, Irena, glanced back at you and raised an eyebrow. You were a bit distracted and she could tell. You couldn’t help it, though.

You’d never performed here, but you’d been here a number of times. Deep, detailed memories had taken root in your brain long ago, forcing you to relive them everyday.

As you stepped into the spotlights and caught a glimpse of the full room, you began to nervously chew at your lip, the cold metal of your lip ring slipping between your teeth.

Flashes of her hands brushing against your arms, your first kiss, and your first love, slid across your eyes. You knew she wouldn’t be here—that she was gone. You’d heard a thousand rumors about what had happened to Vi—that she’d run away, become a Shimmer junkie, and even died. There was no clear answer, and you feared there never would be.

All that was left of Violet in your world was grief. Being back here only exacerbated that, and you didn’t bother to explain that to your band mates. It wasn’t really any of their concern, and you didn’t want them to think you’d be too distracted to perform. You weren’t.

You stepped up to the microphone, clutching the neck of your guitar to distract you from any further pesky memories.

“Hey, y’all! Thank you for having us! We’ve got a few things prepared for you tonight, and you can decide at the end if you like us enough to bring us back!”

A decent applause with a few laughs scattered about echoed in the room. The sliding of glasses across wooden bar tops and drunken shouting created a dirty ambience for the start of your song—the first one you ever wrote.

It was the first one you ever pitched to the band, as well. It seemed to do the best at the last show you did, and your band mates insisted on playing it tonight. The only problem was, of course, that you had written it about Vi. It was back when you were sixteen with her, learning everything you knew about the world, stealing, family, and love. You could almost taste her on your lips.

Vi had been your first kiss and you’d never forgotten it. And probably never would.

You leaned into the mic and began to sing, feeling the energy of the music behind you, and strumming the low chords. And you watched as dozens of people danced and swayed and kissed to the song you’d written for her. Even worse was that no one even knew who it was truly about, because you’d changed her name. No one knew Hannah because she didn’t exist—‘Hannah’ was Vi.

It was pathetic but it was the best way to get your feelings out back then.

Your drummer picked up the pace as you laid into the bridge.

Your eyes scanned the crowd, watching every person who dared to love another to your music. It felt far more intimate than it should have. You loved the effect music could have on people, especially when it was something you’d created. Even if it was something you partially regretted making.

There was a girl walking through the crowd. She was pretty and seemed focused on something, as if she had somewhere important to be. Sleek blue-black hair reflected the neon lights from all around the room and nearly distracted you from the woman just behind her. Flaming magenta hair.

You glanced away lazily before double-taking and flipping your head back to the two women. The dark-haired girl and the…holy shit. It was Violet. It had to be. There was no way it was anyone else. It couldn’t be.

Your heart pounded in your chest as you struggled through the rest of the song, your lips hardly remembering how to form words.

Your voice rose in pitch a bit as you came to the end of the song. At the rise in volume, Vi glanced up at the stage and made eye contact with you. Just as you had done, she saw you, looked away, then quickly looked back.

Her eyes widened as she stopped dead in the center of the crowd. The girl with her realized that Vi was no longer behind her and looked back, trying to spot the woman.

You could hardly breathe beneath the woman’s gaze. I wanna be your bitch.

You could’ve sworn she smirked before disappearing behind the stage with the other girl.

A weight removed itself from your chest as you continued to scream your hidden confessions to the world. Then the song was done and you were calling time-out.

You practically dropped your guitar off of you and sprinted back through the drapes. Your band mates seemed confused but shrugged and mingled anyway. No matter if they wanted to get this set over, you knew they’d enjoy a few drinks while they were waiting on you.

Head spinning, you tore through the backstage, pushing past all employees of The Last Drop, groupies, and the performance manager who were all in varying stages of non-sobriety. You couldn’t breathe.

You slammed through the door that led to a long winding hallway—barely lit by dirty, blinking light bulbs of all colors—that connected to the dressing rooms.

The black-haired girl was standing in the middle of the hallway. Her arms were crossed, her eyebrows scrunched together, and her face thoughtful. You weren’t thinking straight in the slightest.

“Hey! Where did she go?” you said, stepping right in front of her. Her eyes widened in surprise and glanced around awkwardly.

“Er, who?”

“Vi—she was with you!” you breathed. “I saw her—”

The sound of your name shut you up immediately. Your lips snapped shut as you turned to look behind you. Standing there in all of her glory, was Violet. The girl who’d left you behind, who’d given you everything, and who had taken it away.

“V-Violet?” your voice stuttered and cracked beneath the tears welling in your throat and eyes.

“It’s me,” she breathed, smiling genuinely. A small sob left you as you pressed yourself into her quickly. Her arms wrapped around you tightly, her scent encompassing you like a blanket. Though it had been years, she still smelled the exact same. The floral and metallic tones circled in your head, stirring up every memory it could. Your heartstrings strummed like your guitar.

The force of your shaking hug sent the two of you off-balance and crashing into the wall behind her.

“I thought you were dead,” you shuddered into her shoulder, tears soaking the fabric of her jacket.

“I tried to come back…I was arrested.” Her voice was just as comforting as it had always been. You kept her clutched between the wall and your body, refusing to let her go as if she was going to disappear from you again.

She hadn’t become a junkie, or run away, or died, or abandoned you in any way. She had been arrested and tried to come back. All those years you spent hating her for leaving you had been for nothing. You felt so guilty.

Your fingers clutched deeper into her jacket, never wanting to let go again. Nearly a decade of time had passed since you’d last seen her, yet you had retained every feeling you’d ever had for her. In your love’s eye, it was as if no time had passed at all.

When you finally pulled away from her, the only sound was the flickering light bulbs and the distant footsteps of her dark-haired partner leaving. You had no idea who she was—holy fuck, was Vi with a new girl now? And you’d just grabbed onto her like this?

“Vi, was she—? Are you with that girl?” You glanced down the hallway.

“No,” she whispered. You looked back at her. Her voice was deeper and more like a whisper. When you found her eyes again, they were dark and lidded. A breath of lust blew past your body as her expression reminded you so deeply of that night when you’d first kissed her.

“I’ve waited for this moment since I was taken,” she whispered, her voice sending cold chills down your arms. “Every night…dreams of you—they were the only thing keeping me going in there. I waited and waited until I could touch you again.”

“Vi,” you breathed. The two of you were inches apart now. Her arms were still wrapped so tightly around you, demanding you stay pressed against her. Her lips were parted and halfway into a smirk.

So many emotions flashed through your body, you didn’t know what to do. Grief to relief to adoration to burning, hot lust was an insane pipeline that was making your head rattle like a drum.

“Can I kiss you?” she whispered. “Please.”

You shuddered against her, wanting so badly to say yes but terrified that this was some kind of joke. Perhaps this was a dream and you’d wake up any second.

Unable to form any words, you nodded breathlessly. There was only a moment or so before she seemed to inhale the world and then exhale into you.

Her lips pressed to yours in a fiery passion. Your hands captured her jawline, fingers crawling into her hair, scratching against her scalp. A moan of surprise echoed against your mouth.

Her hands wrapped around your face just as yours and done to her. With the smallest amount of her strength, she managed to push herself away from the wall and roll you into her previous position. She pressed her body into yours, caging you between her and the cold wall.

Your lips moved in tandem, panting and wanting, never able to get enough of the other.

The thought of ever pulling away from her felt like someone had stabbed you in the gut. Everything about her, everything that you had craved for the last several years, had manifested itself tonight. If you lost it again, you didn’t know what to do

It was almost too much. The familiar scents, the muffled music blasting from the front room, the flickering reds and blues all around you, and her. It felt like nothing bad had ever happened to you—that you were back in The Last Drop because you were fooling around with Vi whilst waiting for Vander to blend the both of you a virgin cherry margarita. It was sickeningly sweet, like a syrupy medication you were forced to choke down. You knew it would make you feel better but it was painful to handle.

When Vi finally pulled away, you gasped silently. Your head spun with a dizzying lack of oxygen, stolen by the girl in front of you. If it weren’t for the girl before you holding you up against the wall, you were sure you’d have collapsed by now. You could hardly breathe.

“Violet,” you whispered, your voice cracking.

“I’m here.” Her thumbs gently caressed your temple, swiping through small beads of sweat.

“When you left…,” you choked, holding sobs back. “I never thought I’d see you again. I thought you’d—thought you’d…died.”

A small tear had betrayed your facade and slithered its way down your cheek and down across her strong wrists. You could see tears pooling in her eyes as well.

“I know,” she shuddered. “I tried to come back to you. I swear I did.”

You nodded sadly. You could appreciate that she did, you just wish it never had to happen. All of it.

“Please don’t go again,” you whispered. You placed a hand around her wrist, holding it to your cheek. “I couldn’t do it again.”

She smiled sadly, the pools in her eyes threatening to spill over. You raised your hands to her cheeks and pressed gentle thumbs beneath her eyelids, catching the small tears there.

“I’ll never leave you again, even if I have to kill to get back to you.”

She pressed a kiss to your forehead and pressed your face into her chest. She rested her chin atop your head and hummed lightly, drawing sweet circles against the skin on your back. Your heart swelled with adoration and, though you knew it’d burst and never fix itself if she left again, you couldn’t help but fall to your knees in the presence of the woman you love and had always loved.

[ask-emerald-wasp-rpg]

For everyone

Do you remember any moments from your childhood

[Leon] When I was about six, my mother could afford a television. The screen had the size of a postcard, but family and friends gathered to watch. I remember sitting on the ground, mesmerized by "Snezhnaya koroleva" (The Snow Queen) and the same sixteen episodes of "Nu, pogodi!". And when it was over I grabbed my sled and went to play in the snow outside.

[Archie] We used to go camping a lot! Well, before my parents split, that is. Anyway, we were never short of a folding table and a thermos for warm coffee. Most of the times we traveled to the seaside and you could still see seahorses in the shallow waters. My mother insisted that if I went into the water after eating a piece of macaroni omelet I would FRIGGING DIE so I had to wait for three hours every time… [Béla] My town held a Carnival and I had a little outfit made out of papier-mâché. I think it was supposed to be a little sheperd, was it? And it was quite large for me, it didn't fit. I really liked it and felt proud parading at the festival among the other kids, while being careful not to rip it. There was a photographer too and I got my first portrait. It's the oldest surviving photo of my childhood. [Irena] I had a twin sister which I affectionately called Darva. She was a very obedient child, but I convinced her to carry me on her back and sneak into the library together. There was a book of ancient riddles and she read it for me and even if the language was difficult for our age we tried to guess the answers. I remember I could feel flying moths from the opening of the pages of most of them.

[nottoofondofgaypeople]

Can we have the scene from the baby showers with Laurance, Garroth and Aphmau in the street Laurance has fake proposed to Aphmau to get Zane off their backs as gay as humanly possible.

Also if I can be greedy can we have Zoey coming to fetch them from the Irene dimension as gay as humanly possible

A 2 for 1 deal huh? I'll be real with you, I was gonna make these be in the same post, but upon going back to the first episode of season 2 I have so much to do with that scene that it's going to need to be its own post. You'll still get both scenes, but the second one needs more time to cook the delicious angst I know you feral beasts all crave.

scene takes place in episode 56 before the polycule has gotten together and is much more a moment of realization for all three of them (largely Garroth). All of them know Laurance loves Irena, and she gave him a very hesitant answer in response. So they aren't together, but aren't not together? I don't get it either.

Silence lingered as Zane walked past. All three of them waited for the sound of his door closing. Laurance waited a second later before he spoke.

"I'm sorry," He finally whispered, but the final sound came out like a laugh. "I'm so sorry--"

"Don't," Garroth started, letting out an uneasy breath. He glanced up at Laurance and... Smiled. It felt really nice to smile like this. "You saved Lord Irena's life, again."

"Yeah, you did," She muttered. She was never more grateful that Laurance was blind and unable to see how much she was blushing. And how shaky her hands were. The silver bracelets on her wrists clanking together might have given it away. "I-I'm amazed you thought of that."

"I just heard him threatening you, and I couldn't stop myself. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable."

"No, no, Laurance you were perfect!" Irena reached forward, placing her hand on his shoulder. It was like second nature. She was never physical with him before, but knowing he was blind made it easy to just fall into the habit of having a hand on him. "It worked, right? You bought us some time."

"Yeah..." Garroth let out a sigh as he glanced between them. There was a thumping of his heart, but it didn't feel like jealousy, as he expected. It was the same kind of feeling he got when looking at Laurance in the academy. The same kind of feeling he got when Irena put on a flower crown. At the same time. "I would have never thought of that."

"I've heard Zane's voice before, but I had no idea the High Priest of O'Khasis was so..." Laurance looked to where he thought Garroth was. He was wrong but it's the thought that counts. "Cruel."

"It's okay. You acted when my anger got in the way of my judgement and saved my lords life." Garroth looked up to Laurance, the sound of his helmet the only indication to the blind man that he'd moved. "I can't even begin to express my thanks to you, Laurance." Warmth spread across Laurance's cheeks, a rush of life he desperately needed. Even if he was blushing and grinning like an idiot, even if it was the most obvious thing in the world, he made it known how much Garroth's words meant to him.

"Me too," Irena cut in, her left hand nervously twirling loose strands of her hair. "I'm really sorry you had to be in this situation at all, but you saved my ass. Again."

"That's just what I do for you, my love." Irena rolled her eyes and gave Laurance a slight smack on the shoulder, but it only made him start laughing again. Garroth expected something still, some sense of envy. The only envy he felt was that he didn't know enough about flirting to join then. But he wanted to.

"I honestly wish he had done something to directly harm a member of Phoenix Drop," Garroth admitted almost sheepishly. He took a deep breath, and instead leaned against his shield and tried to take on a cooler demeanor. "Then I would have really done something to shut him up." Laurance gasped in a sort of fake horror, in a way that Irena had heard Cadenza do before. It made her giggle, and that made Laurance giggle in turn. It did not make either one of them want to kiss the other, definitely not.

"Careful Garroth, you know what happens to villages that step out of line. We're lucky we stayed small enough that O'Khasis just took notice."

"Right. I'm not seriously thinking of doing anything that rash. Just wishing for it."

"Can't fault you for that," Irena agreed with a breathy laugh. An uneasy feeling started to settle in, one Laurance was determined to fight off.

"I feel I should make it clear, I have no intentions of marrying Lady Irena, either. That was just a ruse to get Zane off our backs."

"Aw, that's too bad!" Irena pouted out her lip and spoke in an exaggerated tone. "And here I was about to plan and decorate the entire thing."

"Oh really? And who would officiate it?"

"Not Zane, that's for certain."

"Y'know, Castor is a shaman. He might have the power to officiate." That earned Laurance a smack on the shoulder that made all three of them burst out into giggles. And now it was Laurance's turn to be absolutely elated to hear the sound of their laughter. To hear it come from a genuine and wholesome moment, compared to the cruel mocking laughter he became used to in the Nether. To remember that he was loved.

"Keep up with those suggestions and we'll get divorced before we can get married!"

"Oh, my love, you wound my heart with your cruel words. Whatever can a poor, blind poet do to recapture your love?"

"Quit being such a romantic might be a good start," Garroth shot in playfully. The words could have come off harsh, jealous, even biting, but his tone was loving. His tone was practically dripping with love. Garroth didn't realize it, but Laurance sure did.

"I can't help it."

"He really can't. But it's fine, because I can always get back at him."

"And how do you plan on doing that, my love?" Irena reached up and ruffled his shaggy hair.

"I could always have Cadenza dye your hair again. She'd just say she's redoing your roots, but maybe it's a completely different color and you wouldn't even know."

"She would do it too," Garroth agreed.

"Don't egg her on!" Laurance defended. "My darling fiance already threatened to dye my hair blue."

"And what if Cadenza actually took my suggestion?" Irena's sing songy tone made Laurance raise an eyebrow as he tried to look down at the likely smug expression of the woman leaning onto him.

"She didn't."

"She did." He tried to look to Garroth.

"She did." Laurance's eyes widened in fear, and his hand suddenly went to his hair, bringing it in front of him before he pouted slightly. Right. He still can't see.

"Please tell me you're joking." Unbeknownst to Laurance both Irena and Garroth glanced at each other, and even if his face was hidden, she could practically see the goofy grin plastered across his face. She really wished she could see him. Irena gave him a raised eyebrow, and Garroth just shrugged his shoulders, leaving it up to her how far they would take this bit.

Laurance's hand reached for Irena in a more desperate manner than she expected, which was enough for her to break. The moment Laurance held her hand, she burst out laughing, not blind to the way his fingers danced over the pulse point on her wrist. Seconds later Laurance and Garroth were laughing with her, all three of them simple elevated into the feeling my one another. It was a genuine moment of sincerity and peace, desperately needed after the events of the past few days, and the anxiety Zane had brought.

It was an honor in Garroth's eyes to help in making Irena and Laurance laugh. He was overwhelmed by their love, clear and obvious for anyone to see, even more so that they allowed him to be a part of it in some way. Some perhaps foolish part of him wondered if he could truly love them both, and if he could love them in turn. For now, Irena swept around Laurance and hooked her arm in his.

"How about we get back to the party, my oh so charming fiance and his dashing blue hair?" Irena suggested, though the final comment earned her a groan from Laurance.

"You two better be joking about that or this marriage might actually end before it begins," He shot back.

"Don't worry Laurance, she didn't actually dye your hair blue," Garroth assured him. Irena fully pouted, sticking out her tongue.

"Thank you Garroth."

"Yeah, thanks Garroth for ruining my joke!" For a second he couldn't tell if her anger was sincere or not. Until she reached for him, grabbing at his elbow and dragging him so he was also arm in arm with her. "As a punishment, you're now required to come into Kiki's barn with us and enjoy the festivities yourself." Garroth looked down at those amber eyes and... he couldn't ever say no to them.

"Whatever you say, my lady."