#it doesn’t have to be like this [Aiden struggling to decide between working for the military daddy or the ratty punk]

[typinggently]

I know I’ve been writing too little lately because I’m watching a famous German gamer guy struggle his way through dying light II & all I can think of is how easily most of the conflicts could be solved if the main chara just showed some hole

[drsth7]

Premise: Aiden & Hakon got married on impulse around the time of Lawan's Nightrunner initiation. Unfortunately, when making sure Lawan escaped at the end of the game, Hakon took a bad hit to the head and got amnesia :(. Also Hakon whittles, because I decided so.

This is in no way intended to be an accurate depiction of amnesia - it's fanfic babey. Also some of you who are on the discord (iykyk) have seen this before, but like months ago, so apologies for making you see it again.

-

"Hey, Hakon."

Hakon's attention is pulled away from the half-finished carving he'd been studying. He tucks it back in the pouch he'd found it in to greet the Pilgrim hovering in the doorway.

"Hey," he says, hesitating as he tries to place the name. "It's Aiden, right?"

Things have changed in the City, but enough has stayed the same that he's been able to get by for the most part. The main sticking point is the man before him, the newcomer his brain just can't seem to keep a hold of.

Aiden's mouth twitches into a trembling smile, though his eyes remain sad. "Yeah, I'm Aiden. Good job."

From anyone else, Hakon thinks it might feel condescending. There's something so desperately sad about the kid though, that it's impossible for him to take offence. Especially when he knows he might have forgotten the next time they meet.

The silence stretches out between them. Hakon watches Aiden's throat work as he struggles to find the words before he can't take it anymore. If the Pilgrim won't start, maybe Hakon can help him out.

"So what brings you here today?" He winces at the sound of his own voice. It's too loud, too falsely cheerful, and from the way the Pilgrim flinches, he thinks the same.

The Pilgrim (Aiden, Aiden, Hakon reminds himself) chews his lip for a moment. Hakon has a flash of sense memory, chapped lips pressed to his own, to his cheek, but it’s gone before he can truly register it.

He doesn't have a chance to chase the memory either.

"I wanted to return this," Aiden says, his words coming out stilted. Hakon raises an eyebrow, curious, as the Pilgrim pulls a chain from under his shirt. He fiddles with it for a moment, taking something off it before tucking the chain away again.

Their fingers brush as Hakon accepts the item, Aiden flinching away from the contact. Hakon bites back the apology that sits on his tongue, instead looking at whatever the Pilgrim gave him.

It's a ring, an unadorned silver band, a little more scuffed than he last remembers it. Hakon frowns as he turns it over carefully.

"I was going to give this to my next wife," he murmurs, glancing up to catch the Pilgrim's eye.

Hakon watches the sharp bob of the other man's throat as he swallows and gives another shaky smile. A muscle twitches in his cheek before he lets it drop again.

"Yeah," the Pilgrim says, voice cracking. He clears his throat, composing himself. "Yeah, I know. You, um, asked me to hold onto it. For safe keeping."

"Oh." Something about that doesn't sit right with Hakon. He remembers waking up with a ring on his finger, the weight still new but comfortable. Lawan had laughed in Hakon's face when he'd asked if she was his wife. She had promised him that he didn't have any more wives, though she didn't explain why he had put it on in the first place. But here was the Pilgrim, giving him a ring he had assumed lost.

He should know what it means, the answer is on the tip of his tongue but his brain refuses to make the right connections. All the pieces were right there, but for the life of him, he can't seem to put them together. Hakon has improved considerably since he woke up, but that just makes these moments of disconnect even more infuriating.

"Thanks," Hakon says, swallowing his frustration. He turns the ring over again, thumb catching on an unexpected edge on its inner surface. Turning it to face the light, he can see the letters AH crudely scratched into the metal.

"Right, okay then." The Pilgrim coughs sharply, rolling his shoulders to disperse some of the tension there. "I just wanted do to that before... Anyway. I'll leave you to it, I guess."

He hesitates a moment longer, before sighing. "And if you see Lawan," the Pilgrim winces when he says the woman's name, "could you maybe... not mention that you've seen me?"

Hakon blinks in surprise, huffing with amusement. "Managed to piss off our lovely Lawan, eh? Good luck with that, my friend, she's a beast when she's on the warpath."

Aiden laughs (Aiden, Aiden, remember that). "You don't have to tell me that. She packs a mean punch."

A smile lingers on his lips, the first one Hakon has seen on him that doesn't look like it physically pains him. He's surprised by how deeply he wants to be the one to put it there, how much he wants to see that smile, hear that laugh every day.

(A few more pieces slot into the puzzle in his mind.)

Aiden shakes his head, and the smile slips away. "I'd better get going," he says. He turns to the door, glancing back at Hakon over his shoulder. His eyes look suspiciously wet before he turns away again. "You look after yourself, okay?"

Hakon tips his head in a tiny nod. "You too, Pilgrim. I'll see you around."

"Sure," he agrees, voice hoarse. "Bye Hakon."

[wdwmarveldisney]

Hey I requested the isaac lahey imagine ‘memories’ I was wondering if u could do it where it’s before she died and it’s the part where Ethan, Aiden and isaac get possessed by those flies but instead of isaac it’s y/n and she attacks the twins and stuff and instead of isaac and Allison sleeping together it’s her and isaac( this is not a smut just the build up to it) and she’s all seductive and dominant and taunting and the aftermath when she isn’t possessed anymore .

Stupid Fly

Isaac Lahey x reader

Summary: Isaac isn’t the one to be possessed by Void but instead its you.

Masterlist

A/N: Okay so I watched the episode so I hope this is accurate. I’m really not good at the build up thing so sorry about that.

GIF isn’t mine

Your fingers dug into the cover that you sat on, eyes fixed on the ground as your feet swung slightly. Patiently waiting for Isaac, you stopped swinging your feet and began tapping them instead. Your usual bright and lively eyes had this dark swirl to them that didn't fit, that was natural. You didn't hear his footsteps or the bag in his hand hit the ground and only turned when you heard his voice, "What are you doing here?" When your eyes met his, you only held his gaze for a second or two before scanning his face, "I thought I'd wait for you to come back. You didn't just walk out of the hospital, did you?" Isaac shrugged, falling next to you as he scanned you in caution. He could tell something was off, "It's okay. I feel a lot better. All healed," you reached a hand up, fingers grazing his cheek as your eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"So you're okay?" Isaac didn't like the tone of your voice, soft concern and care that was usually present gone. He nodded, hand going to hold yours and pull it down to the space between the two of you, "What's wrong?" You stared down at your joined hands before giving his a slight squeeze and finally meeting his eyes once more. In response, you simply shrugged and a small smirk made your lips twitch up, "Just wanted to see you," You had leaned in and although he wished it hadn't, all reason had left Isaac as you had inched closer. He could no longer think about you seemed off, that you seemed too confident and too bold because this was the closest you had been since he had talked to about getting back together. You had been avoiding him as you said you had to work out your feelings. Maybe you had, maybe this was you finalising a decision and deciding to just go with it. But this wasn't how you would do it that nagging voice in the back of his head kept screaming at him. That voice was successfully silenced as your lips were pressed gently to his and it took near to no time for him to kiss. You hand went to his chest and you gently pushed him back wards and onto the bed as you continued.

Your hands moved to his hair, lips kissing across his cheek and to his jaw as Isaac leaned his head back to give you more access. Your hand moved to his jaw, tilting his head to face you. You both started giggling as you pecked his lips repeatedly before he finally pulled you close enough to place a longer kiss to your lips.

-

Light streamed through the crack in the curtains as the soft hum of traffic and nature twisted together and filled the room. Isaac sighed, rolling over to see you and frowning when he realised you were up and out of bed instead of cuddling close like when the two of you fell asleep. He sat up, leaning on his elbows as he watched pick up random objects to admire before placing them back. "There you are. What are you doing over there?" You glanced back over your shoulder with a small smile and you placed the small picture frame back on the dresser and leaning back onto it, "You know, I was at Allison's the other day. We were working on that text, before you came over that is. There's still a lot of weapons there. I thought her new Code was about protecting," Isaac shrugged, not understanding where you were going with this. He sat up a bit more, leaning against the head of the bed as he observed every move of yours. The way you stared around the room, how you didn't bothered by the way that you were topless with your bra on display when you normally would be, how there was this permanent smirk toying your swollen lips.

"Most of them are non-lethal," He defended and your eyes snapped back to him as you nodded, turning back to the things in his room. "Hmm... The daggers looked pretty lethal to me," he could hear the edge to your voice and frowned at the way your fingers tapped a quick beat against the book you held, "But maybe she should keep them. There's still a few of us out there who aren't quite so non-lethal... like the twins," This made him shoot up, reaching for his shirt as his frown got deeper, eyebrows knitting together in worry and confusion, "I thought we were going to give them a second chance?" He gave a small nervous laugh when you didn't seem to react at all, "You're the one to talk me into it," Isaac pointed out and this time, you spun round with an angered expression pulling at your features. Your teeth dug into you bottom lip before you shrugged and snapped, "I changed my mind, they don't deserve it,"

Isaac moved closer to the other end of the bed, reaching for your hands to pull you closer, really panicked by the wild in your eyes. "Things are different now. It doesn't have to be like that anymore," You scoffed at his words, rolling your eyes at the seriousness and concern in his. You took his hands in yours and took those few steps closer before leaning down closer to his lips, "You do remember them trying to kill you numerous times, right?" Isaac gave you pleading as he shook his head at your determination. He wasn't liking where this was going, "They're helping," You dropped his hands with a frown, backing away as you grabbed your top from the floor and pulled it on, "I had a feeling you'd say something like that," He watched you walk out out of the room, slamming the door behind you as you heard him shout after you, "Y/N, wait! Y/N!"

-

"See? That's what I'm talking about. I'd probably be in his pack by now if it wasn't for my psychotic brother - the one who has to kill everything in sight," you smiled to yourself when you heard their voices, gripping the weapon you stole from Allison tighter as you tried to find them. They keep shouting like that and it'll only make it easier, no werewolf abilities needed. "Careful, Ethan... You're currently the only thing in my sight," As you turned the corner, you saw them go for each other and a smirked pulled at your lips. They really did like making it easier for you. You raised the gun you had in your hands, shooting Ethan in the back and watching them both writhe in pain fro the electricity flowing through them. Swinging the gun to rest across your shoulder you took a step closer, "I guess this is the part where I say something witty,"

You gave a small hollow chuckled, hitting Ethan in the face with the back of the gun when you were closer enough, successfully knocking him out. Your smirk fell and you turned to Aiden with that emotionless face and deadly look in your eyes that made a shiver run down his spine. Or maybe that was the electricity. You crouched down to him, head tilting as you scanned his face. With the shake of your head and the small quirk up of your lips, you whispered, "I'm not witty," and knocked him out just like twin.

You dumped the gun and with a huff, began to drag them to the boys locker room. You dropped their hands, letting them hit the ground with a small smack and turned to Coach's office. Digging through his drawers, a frown made its way to your lips as you began to mutter to yourself, "Come on, Coach. You gotta have a lighter," the smirk took its place back on your lips as you lifted the lighter to be level with your eyes. You grabbed the bottle of alcohol with the piece of fabric stuffed into the top, hesitantly slightly. Was this really the best idea? Shaking your head at the thought, you reassured yourself, "I'm gonna burn it down... For Erica... For Boyd... For Isaac... For everyone! I'm gonna burn it. I'm gonna burn it," with final nod, you walked out to stand by the twins, lighting the fabric. Just as you about you were to throw at them, the fabric was pulled out of the bottle and you turned to see Kira with her katana in hand. You stood in silence for a beat or two before you shrugged, "Nice sword,"

The bottle fell from your hands and smashed by your feet but you couldn't care less, immediately focusing on attacking Kira. You were doing this and if she got in your way then you'd just have to deal with it, right? She managed to push you to the ground and you huffed out in frustration. Why couldn't she just leave you to do it? "Y/N!" You turned, seeing Allison and Isaac both standing either side of Kira. Slowly pulling yourself up, you shook out your arms and rolled your shoulders as the three backed away into Coach's office. Allison closed the door as Isaac and Kira pushed the desk in front to block you out. The twins had stood up behind you and you spun to face them, claws beards as you heard the others talk in Coach's office, "Was that a good idea?"

"Probably not," You swung first and managed to hit Aiden but Ethan got you from behind and you could Kira's worried voice as you struggled, "They're not going to kill each other, are they?" You stomped on Ethan's foot and got out of his grip only for Aiden to get you. Ethan joined him and they both shoved you into the door, the window shattering upon impact. "I think they're going to try," Isaac muttered.

Somehow, you'd got a slight upper hand and was managing perfectly fighting the two at once. That was until the other three began to try and break you apart. They eventually managed to take control, Isaac's main focus being you. Deaton had arrived soon enough, pulling the stupid fly that had managed to sneak through a cut on your side from the Oni's sword, just like Derek. Isaac could see the regret cross your face, hands rubbing at your eyes before you shot up and began profusely apologising to the twins. You couldn't look at the blonde as you helped the twins up and heard the update from Deaton and it wasn't until afterwards and Isaac pulling actually pulling you away from the others, did you finally look up at him. "You okay?" He asked quick, scanning you over. Even with Deaton saying you were fine, Isaac couldn't help but worry. "I'm fine," you turned to go but Isaac pulled you right back making a low growl leave your lips. The boy dropped your wrists, backing away as your eyes flickered to their beta yellow and back before a hand slapped over your mouth in shock. "I'm so sorry," you mumbled and Isaac was quick to hold your hand and reassure you. "No, hey, it's okay," he paused, taking a deep breath before leaning forward slightly and avoiding eye contact as he asked, "Do you regret it?"

"What? No, of course not. I still love you. I just, I didn’t want to have it happen that way, you know? And it was...different. Not bad, just it was weird ‘cause I was possessed-” Isaac’s chuckle cut off your ramble, a blush rising on your cheeks as you watched him smile at you. “It wasn’t exactly the way I wanted it to happen either,” he interlaced his fingers with yours as you both stared at your hands, dopey smiles on your lips. “I wanna work this out, I do. I just need a bit more time,” Isaac met your eyes, noticing the crease in your brows and the small frown on your lips and the way you tilted your head to meet his eyes. He nodded slowly, not letting go of your hand just yet. He didn’t want to ever let go.

You finally pulled away, sent a half grin and began to make your way down the hall, disappearing from his sight as you turned the corner.

[ignitedbynatsu]

Little Devils

A/N: @exhaustedpotat0 I hope I exceeded your expectations 🤗. Fun fact about me; I get story ideas at the most random times during the day, like for example when I’m making chocolate milk, poof there is an idea I’ve been trying to come up with for days (yes I am 20, yes I still prefer chocolate milk above coffee, fight me 🥊). ANyWaz thank you for the request and support!

Warnings: near death experience I guess? Bribing if that’s a warning

Genre: fluff? Crack? Idk tbh 

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

"It is time for the annual girls-day!" Cana announced as soon as she walked into the guild.

The Fairy Tail girls had picked a date and proclaimed it as the Fairy Queens off day. That day no girl of the guild would work a job or work at the guild itself. They'd all go out of town and enjoy a peaceful day at a resort.

It would be your first time since you had only recently joined the guild because Laxus had requested it. He proposed the idea since you were a bartender at a bar a couple of streets away. He didn't see the point when you could just work here in the guild alongside Mira-Jane. Everyone knew that the real reason was actually, so he could keep a close eye on you and making sure you were okay, but God forbid he'd ever say that out loud.

"I can't," you said as you separated your boys from fighting. Aidan and Keishi were the spitting images of their father. Both having the same blonde locks paired with two soft eyes matching yours.

"Why not?" Erza asked as she helped you.

"I can't leave the boys unattended" you explained as you picked up the crying child and placed him on your hip while Erza scolded the other.

"Let Laxus do it" Bisca shrugged her shoulder as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Alzack did so with Romeo when he was still a child"

You bit the inside of your cheek as you let the suggestion sink in. Laxus had never cared for the children alone. You were always around, and if for some reason you had to go do something, one of the girls was always there to assist him.

"I don't know" you mumbled as your eyes landed on Laxus that was unbothered chatting with Freed and Bickslow.

"Come on, (Y/N). He'll be fine. He's their dad after all" Levy tried to persuade you.

"Oi! You girls still here? Shouldn't you be leaving for your annual girls day?" Natsu asked, ditching the argument he had with Gray just moments ago.

"That's the plan, but (Y/N) doesn't want to go because she isn't sure if she should leave the kids alone" Lucy explained.

Upon hearing the explanation, Laxus decided to stand up and join the conversation as well "they wouldn't be alone, they'll have me"

"Are you sure you'll be able to handle them?" You asked as you looked up at your significant other.

"Is that a challenge?" He shot back while raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"No! No, of course not. It's just... They can be a lot sometimes" you hurriedly explained at which a soft chuckle left his lips, followed by a kiss pressed against your head "I'll be fine"

"Then it's settled! Let's go!" Lisanna yelled as she linked her arm with her sister, basically dragging the older girl with her as she left the guild.

Erza grabbed your arm, refraining you from turning back "Call me if something happens! I'll be back as soon as I can! I love you!"

And with that all the women of Fairy Tail had left the guild, leaving only the men and children behind.

The first few hours flew by as if nothing had changed, the biggest adjustment being Mira-Jane or you not filling their cups when they were empty.

"I really don't understand what (Y/N) was making a big deal out of. This day has passed by swimmingly" Bickslow chuckled as he placed his foot on the table while leaning back in the chair. Normally you or Mira would've scolded him, but with neither of you being there, he thought he'd take advantage of it.

Karma was lurking around the corner, cause as soon as the words rolled off Bickslow's tongue, everything went South.

Your children started a competition to see who could climb the highest point in the guild. They were both a couple of feet in the air when the youngest slipped, losing all flooring underneath his feet.

Had it not been for Jet's speed, the fall would have been catastrophic. "Not a word to (Y/N) about this"

Laxus was desperately comforting Keishi who was inconsolable as he just saw his short life flash before his very own eyes. Meanwhile, Gray and Natsu were trying their hardest to get the eldest down.

"Aiden! Get down here!" Natsu ordered as he started climbing up as well. The child didn't listen, only climbing higher as he took notice of the struggling adult.

His laughter filled the guild, but that soon turned into screams as the Fire Dragon Slayer got hold of his leg. "No! Let go of me!"

Natsu succeeded in getting down safely along with Aiden that was now also crying uncontrollably, leaving Laxus with two very upset children.

"Mommy!" "I want mommy!" The two cried out for their mother that was unbeknownst to the situation, relaxing in a hot spring a couple of cities away.

Laxus held Keishi close, rocking him softly as his hand softly rubbed circles on his back. He had seen you do this countless times, so why did it seem so hard when he did it? Elfman held the oldest, copying Laxus as good as he could.

"Shouldn't we call (Y/N)?" Gray sighed, annoyance evident on his face as every attempt at trying to calm the boys down seemed to fail.

"No!" Laxus exclaimed, earning him even louder sobs from the young child in his arms. He shushed him before returning to Gray in a lower voice "(Y/N) doesn't think I can handle our children"

"I can see why" Natsu snickered, resulting in a murderous look from the father.

"Freed, can't you put them in like a soundproof box or something with your magic" Gajeel groaned at the loud wails that kept coming from your children.

"You will not do such a thing" Laxus snapped at Gajeel in a hushed tone, already learning from his previous mistakes "I will prove to (Y/N) that I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my boys. Otherwise, she'll never trust me with them again"

"We still have a couple of hours left until the girls come back. We could try bribing them with sweet, perhaps?" Freed suggested.

Everyone turned to look at the green-haired mage as if he was an angel that was sent from up above. "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

"Aidan, Keishi, if you stop crying we'll go get ice cream" Laxus tried and at the sound of the cold deliciousness, their crocodile tears slowly came to a halt.

"Can we have two flavors, daddy?" Keishi asked as he looked at his father with puppy dog eyes.

"No- yes, fine, you can have two flavors" Laxus quickly changed his answer as he saw tears forming back in the corner of his eyes. He knew you'd have his head if you found out. The two boys really turned into little nightmares if they had too much sugar.

"Yay! Let's go" Aidan exclaimed happily, wriggling in Elfman's arms, signalling that he wanted to be put on the ground.

Laxus let both his sons grab a hand as they guided him out of the guild and to the ice cream shop.

"Please don't come back!" Gajeel called after them as they stepped outside the guild, sighing happily at the thought of some peace and quietness.

"Alright, now boys, I need you to listen to daddy for a second" the dragon slayer crouched down to look at them on eye-level while the two carelessly licked away at the sweet dessert in their hands. "Mommy can't find out about today. It was a normal relaxing day without any problems, alright?"

"What's in it for us?" Aidan asked as he looked at his father, still eating the ice cream that had slightly melted on his hand.

"What the- there's nothing in it for you. I am your father" Laxus started but stopped when the boys shared an unimpressed look. For being only 3 and 4, the two definitely had an attitude. "Fine I'll each give you 5 bucks that you can spend in the candy shop"

"10" Keishi chimed in.

Laxus stood perplexed. Was he really negotiating with his own children? More importantly, how was he the one losing the negotiation? "Fine"

The elder mage did as promised, handing both boys their money to which they high-fived. "Let's go back, the girls are about to return home"

Not even 5 minutes later as the three arrived back at Fairy Tail, the girls had returned.

"Mommy!" The two children ran up to you once they caught a glimpse of your face "boys!"

Laxus walked up as well, giving you a soft peck on your lips, earnings fake gagging from Aidan and Keishi "boys that's enough. How did it go, baby?"

"Normal, not much out of the ordinary, right boys?" As on cue, your children nodded their head in agreement.

"Really? So I could leave you more often with the boys?" You eyed him suspiciously, already picking up on his small habit of twirling a strand of your hair between his fingers when he was nervous or lying.

"No! I mean, I think I should help you take care of them more regularly. I'm sorry for ditching you so often to sit with the guys" he apologized at which a small chuckle escape your lips.

You wondered what happened today, but decided not to press it. It will be a secret between all the men at Fairy Tail and you respected it, knowing very well one would slip up when they had a couple of beers too much "it's alright, and I would love that"

[jaskiersvalley]

Ooo, I would love to see more of Jaskier traveling with Lambert and Adrian that sounds like it would be fun

This is probably a little different to what you had in mind (I think this ask was off the back of the fic where Geralt doesn’t compliment Jaskier and so Lambert threatens to take him away). However, this idea has been bugging me for a good week and you gave me the perfect excuse to write it <3

Another Lifetime

The pogroms were getting worse, anti-Witcher sentiments had never been higher. Somehow, the most dangerous thing on the Path was no longer the monsters and creatures, it was humans. Over the course of a few years, following Nilfgaard's victory, the number of Witchers dwindled, they started seeking each other out and Kaer Morhen, unexpectedly, became a safe haven once more.

Come spring, nobody seemed eager to leave. They were all on edge, waiting for someone else to make a move. Not even Eskel, usually so dedicated to his role in the world, made a move to get back on the Path. Vesemir wasn't urging them either which was perhaps an even more damning piece of evidence.

"We can't just keep hiding up here," Lambert raged. "The fuckers are only going to come again."

It was the sad truth, the world wasn't safe for Witchers, not even when they retreated from the world to try and carve out their own little corner to exist in. They were running out of options, it was no longer a question of enjoying life, it was a fight for survival and the right to live.

"There may be a solution," Yennefer offered. It wasn't an option she gave lightly or even wanted to try but it was looking like the only possible way out. "The world isn't equipped to deal with Witchers. So we take you out the equation. Leave it maybe 200 years before you come back."

Time travel wasn't a possibility, they all knew that and Lambert was about to scoff when Jaskier piped up.

"That kind of magic hasn't been done in a long time. What you propose, you'll need Fae help with it."

"Just as well your heritage is enough."

The plan was hatched, it if could be called a plan. A sleeping draught to keep the Witchers in stasis until the world was ready for them again, Witchers nothing but a myth of the past and they would be free to live as they pleased. Given his Fae blood, Jaskier wouldn't need to be put to sleep, he, Yennefer and a few other sorceresses would become the sleeping Witcher's guardians. They put word out, the last few stragglers arrived at Kaer Morhen. There weren't many of them left, the four Wolves, a handful of Vipers led by Letho, a few Cats and the last Griffin. Plus Ciri who was seen to be as good as a Witcher by most, and Cahir who left Nilfgaard, risking his life for love.

Potion brewed, one last night together in the halls of Kaer Morhen before it became silent again, the guardian of sleeping Witchers and friends. One by one they drank the potion, snuggled up with their loved ones and trusted the promise that they'd wake to a better world. That the sorceresses could shape the future in a way that there was a place in the world for them.

First to wake was Lambert. It took a little while to rouse, and when he did, he frowned. The room wasn't in Kaer Morhen, he wasn't in the embrace of his lovers. Stumbling out, he found himself in a little cottage in the middle of some woods. There was not a soul in the area for miles. It took him a few days of trekking until he got to the edge of civilisation and what a sight that was. Houses like he'd never seen before, lights without fires, carriages without horses. It was bewildering, terrifying. And he was all alone. People gave him a wide berth when he tried to ask where he was, nobody seemed to care but also didn't want to help. So maybe not so much had changed in the 200 years or however long it was.

Music caught his attention. It wasn't like any he'd heard before but the voice was familiar. It was Jaskier. How he ended up in a small box was beyond Lambert but at least the owner of the tavern took some pity on him and sent him on his way with some knowledge. Jaskier lived somewhere in Redania still and, if Lambert's suspicions were right, he would be in Lettenhove still.

Thankfully he was right. The mansion had changed a lot over the years but it was still just as gaudy as ever. What hadn't changed was the welcome he got, Jaskier throwing himself at Lambert in a hug.

"We lost track of you. Welcome home!"

It turned out, Kaer Morhen was going to be destroyed. The locals had had enough of being so close to Witchers and had planned to raid it. Thankfully Triss had caught wind of it before it could happen and the sorceresses had decided that the safest thing would be to disperse and hide their sleeping charges. Except, 200 years was a long time and, after so many moves and helpers taking on the role of guardians, they accidentally lost track of who was where.

On the plus side, they were all in positions of power. Not forefront public figures but the important ones in the background who actually made things happen. Yennefer had quite the hold on the local political landscape, Triss was the one who held sway over education, Tissaia had the criminal underworld in a tight grip while Sabrina made a move into law making. It was quite the tidy setup because Lambert found himself with all the right paperwork and even qualifications within a matter of days to start his new life. Except, he didn't want a new life, not without his family. So he pestered Jaskier to write songs that, if heard, would lead the others back home too. Something about roads taking someone home to the place they belonged. Anything to get the family back together.

Aiden was next, still yawning as he stumbled in, having only been on the other side of town, in a badly sealed off cellar. He'd quiet terrified the family who lived there, knocking down their wall and strolling out while looking like some re-enactment enthusiast or general all round odd person. His reunion with Lambert was somewhat bittersweet, the two of them were together but they were still missing half of their partners. Eskel and Cahir were nowhere in reach.

One by one, over the course of the next ten years, Witchers returned home. They were all given the same warm welcome and helped to settle into life. Geralt and Jaskier were inseparable, married as soon as they could organise a wedding. Letho and his merry gang dispersed into the wind as soon as they could, eager to live a life without constraint. Rumour had it, Letho became Tissaia's righthand man and excelled at the job.

With Eskel's return, Lambert's heart healed a little more. All the Witchers turned up. About a hundred years later Ciri arrived too. Only Cahir was missing. They searched for him to no avail. Their hopes and memories dwindled. In a way, Lambert was glad he was struggling to remember his partner's scent, it made waking up without it in their bed just a little easier.

Technology moved on, the Continent was becoming better connected. While Aiden took to it better than duck to water, Lambert found himself preferring to stick to more manual work. His little mechanics shop had become quite the trusted hub. Eskel helped out from time to time but he ended up running some kind of website for cryptid hunters - something about it being part of his research. Of the three of them, Eskel was the one who couldn't give up on Cahir. Ever after hundreds of years, he kept his flame of hope alive.

When Eskel went missing with just a note to say he'll be back, Lambert did panic. It took Aiden pointing out Eskel's website updates to think that maybe things were okay. The only thing Lambert had to hope was that Eskel hadn't dashed out on a fool's errand. The article on the computer was one that could mean anything.

The Slumbering God Stirs

It was a piece about some strange sect that worshipped a sleeping god who would bring either destruction or divine blessings upon waking. And it seemed that he was going to wake up soon, whatever that meant. Lambert didn't want to think about how people assessed when a god was about to wake. In his life, there were no gods, only men who were scared or without purpose, desperate to find meaning to their existence.

Four days later, the familiar sound of Eskel's truck pulling up in front of the house. Lambert and Aiden were falling over themselves, wanting to figure out just what their partner had gone and done. They didn't expect a smug look as Eskel sauntered closer to them.

"I brought you something." He jabbed his fingers towards the truck, where the passenger seat was out of view from where it had been pushed to lie down.

Curious, Lambert and Aiden walked closer, peering in through the window. While Lambert froze at the sight, Aiden squealed, pressing up against the window.

"You found him! You found him!"

The door of the truck was almost ripped off in excitement as Lambert yanked it open, leaning in over the sleeping figure.

"Ciri took a hundred years to wake, she's got Chaos in her. Cahir is just a plain old human. You remember how difficult it was to wake up for us after the potion. It will probably take him a few days."

A pair of sleepy eyes blinked up at Lambert, accompanied by a lazy smile. With shaking hands, he lifted Cahir out of the truck, tucking him close against his chest. Eyes burning, Lambert, looked between his partners.

"He's slept for near 500 years. A few more days won't hurt. But we can give him what we didn't have. He can wake up in the arms of his family, knowing that it's all going to be okay."

[hepaidattention]

so I've got a somewhat unpopular opinion and I wanna know if other also see this or I'm just crazy

But ..... Stiles had every right to be the way he is towards Lydia in s4.....

Hear me out. I haven't finished all of s4 yet, it's been hard to watch tbh. So I don't know everything, but I've read a lot of people talk about the hate it because Stiles acts indifferent towards Lydia (except for the special episodes) and honestly doesn't even act like himself.

Well.... did Stiles NOT just go through a very traumatic experience....? The thing is yes I would have LIVED for Lydia being there for him and Stiles leaning into her even more but the thing is... I love Lydia so don't take this the wrong way but... when it comes to Stiles she was kinda bitch about the whole friendship.

Lydia was SELFISH when it came to Stiles. But in the worst ways for Stiles. Throughout the show we see Stiles do absolutely ANYTHING for Lydia. No matter what he would have dropped it all to be there for her. Yet, we also watch Lydia run away whenever Stiles is hurting. Most of s3 when Stiles is struggling with the nogitsune, Lydia is running the other way. She helps yes, but she also runs. I believe it was because she was very connected to Stiles, implied many times, to the point that her Banshee abilities made her very intune with Stiles' pain. I think this scared her, because Lydia was afraid of a real commitment with Stiles.

Lydia clung to Stiles every time she needed the emotional support, the shoulder to cry on, the hand to hold. But when he needed it? She was hardly there for him.

Stiles also made it very VERY clear his feelings for her, and Lydia was never one to be shy about her feelings in past relationships. I do understand it being different because they were best friends, but that wasn't it. Lydia just didn't want to admit her feelings for him. She was afraid of committing because she didn't want to get hurt

In s3a Lydia does not kiss Stiles because kissing him would hold his breath. She kisses him because he's in pain and she doesn't know what else to do but she can't stand watching him hurt. Lydia loved him, and as confirmed in s6a, she realized it in that moment.

Lydia realized she loved Stiles in s3a. Yet she chooses to be with Aiden, a guy she says on numerous occasions is not a good guy and she doesn't want to be with a bad guy. We also find out through Stiles (also implying how close they were in s3 and makes my heart hurt that we didn't see it all) Lydia talked to Stiles about Aiden. She talked to the boy who she loved, who she knew loved her, about her freakin kinda boyfriend. Because they were best friends yes, but it also had to hurt to be Stiles. Sitting there, listening to the girl who've loved since a kid talk about the guy she chose over him.

And then Stiles meets Malia. I honestly don't think Stiles even liked her that much at first. But she cared about HIM. Malia showed Stiles the kind of commitment and love that Stiles never received.

Stiles was giving and giving and giving and and never receiving. That's who Stiles is. He was the giver, and everyone always took and hardly gave back. Geez thats a huge reason why he even became the nogitsune in the first place! If Scott or Lydia or Allison had stopped for 5 seconds and said, "hey Stiles so these nightmares maybe we should help you before things get bad" but instead it was Stiles helping everyone else and him just grinning and bearing it.

So yeah, he chooses to be with Malia. Why shouldn't he??? She literally tells him in s4 premiere that she would never leave him. Stiles is TOUCHED by this, as if he didn't know what that was like. He the looks back at Lydia and at first I was like "ew he wants to see if she's jealous" but then I realized ... he was probably thinking "would Lydia care that much about me?" And Lydia's reaction is once again, running from feelings and acting like she couldn't care less.

What I'm saying is Stiles deserved better than what Lydia was giving him. She was stringing him along, no intention of romantically being with him, so he chose someone who would choose him too. Could this have changed if Malia never came in the picture? Maybe, but also irrelevant because should not have to wait on being happy because Lydia wasn't ready for a relationship yet.

I am a hard-core Stydia shipper, don't get me wrong, but I love that Stiles chose someone who chose him rather than waiting around for Lydia to decide when she would kiss him again and then give another excuse like "oh it was for you."

Stiles choosing to be with Malia was GROWTH.

Lydia acting jealous and hurt when he chose Malia over her is valid, but I also find it so frustrating because she had Stiles for sooooooo long. That look Stiles gave her in the car, when Malia said she'd never leave him? That was Stiles STILL making it clear that he would date Lydia in a heartbeat if she just SAID something. But she chose to look away.

Stiles simply tried to graduate from Lydia's lap dog and ya know what? Lol it kinds worked. Yes they became distant for a little while but I think that's for the best. This showed Lydia how much she really loved and needed him, and it grew Stiles as an independent human that learned to love and respect himself (and vice versa).

I also think this s6's original intentions probably going to be actual progress in relationship between the two. If Dylan hadn't had to be gone for so long, I think s6 would obviously had a constant Stiles and I think we would have seen new Stydia moments where they were both single and ready and go from best friends to something so much more. But sadly, we didn't get that opportunity, and I also think the show did an amazing job with what they had to work with.

I also appreciated that they showed us through s6a how much Stiles did mean to her, and showed us Lydia finally fighting for Stiles like he always fought for her. It was what Stiles DESERVED.

end of very long Ted Talk.

[havenoffandoms]

Settle Down (Aiden/Lambert) (NSFW)

Based on Kashimalin’s 50 Types of Kisses prompt list.

Prompt: "A fierce kiss that ends with a bite on the lip, soothing it with a lick.”

Pairing:  Aiden/Lambert

Content Warning: dom Aiden, sub Lambert, dom/sub, cockwarming, mentions of domestic abuse (none of the main characters engage in domestic abuse), emotional hurt/comfort, soft Aiden, praise kink, blowjobs, deep-throating, previously negotiated kinks

Read on AO3.

“Settle down, pup, there’s a good boy,” Aiden croons, tapping Lambert’s cheek gently. Lambert moans around Aiden’s cock, which is nestled in the wet heat of his mouth. “Shh, shh. I’ll take care of you soon, puppy, soon as you can be good for me. Just a little longer.”

The whole point of this exercise is to get Lambert to settle down. Their last hunt was an emotional one - a botchling with a tragic backstory. They managed to track down the mother, who told them about her abusive husband, who was responsible for her unborn child's death. After a drunken night and tempers flaring between the wife and the husband, the latter threw a couple of punches to teach his wife a lesson, causing her to miscarry in the process. The tale had brought up memories Lambert kept carefully under lock and key. He was on edge and insisted on turning the child into a lubberkin rather than kill the botchling, which made things considerably harder for him and Aiden. 

With the mother’s cooperation, Aiden and Lambert performed the naming ritual which allowed the stillborn babe’s spirit to rest in peace. It was a successful contract, but one that rattled Lambert emotionally, throwing him off-kilter. The days that followed that contract, Lambert was pricklier than usual, distancing himself from Aiden and flying into a rage at the slightest provocation. Lambert had a lot of feelings to work through, feelings brought on by traumatic memories. Aiden knew just the way to distract Lambert from these thoughts; by giving him something else to focus on.

It doesn’t always work, admittedly, and tonight Lambert is struggling to stay still and concentrate on warming Aiden’s cock. That’s alright. Aiden is in a charitable mood and he’s willing to be patient with Lambert. 

“Sweet pup, I can tell you’re trying so hard to be a good boy for me,” Aiden praises, his words pulling a full-body shiver from Lambert, “try a little harder, sweetheart. Find a comfortable position and sit still for twenty-five heartbeats.”

Twenty-five heartbeats - a mere fleeting of seconds by human standards, but since witchers’ hearts beat four times slower than a regular man’s, twenty-five heartbeats will seem like an eternity for dear, impatient Lambert. Aiden is being generous this time; he could have asked Lambert to stay still for much longer than that, but that would just have been cruel. Lambert isn’t being disciplined - not this time - he just needs to be distracted from the turmoil of his own mind for a while.

This little game of theirs is just the beginning of what Aiden hopes will be a long and tiring night for Lambert.

“How are you doing, pup?” Aiden asks softly, dropping the act long enough to check in on Lambert. The latter taps Aiden’s leg twice in response, signalling that he’s comfortable to proceed. Two squeezes is Aiden’s cue to stop whatever he’s doing, no questions asked. Lambert rarely used that signal, but it happens on occasion. Aiden smiles softly at his lover, carding his fingers through Lambert’s hair before cupping his face with both his hands and thumbing at the bearded cheeks. “You’re so beautiful like this, warming my dick like the good cocksleeve that you are.” 

Aiden leans his head back until he feels the rough surface of the wall dig into the back of his head, the contact only short of painful, as he bites back the urge to rut into Lambert’s mouth and seek his own release. This is not what this exercise is about. It takes a couple of seconds longer than Aiden would have liked, but once he regains a semblance of his composure, he tilts his head forward again to admire Lambert still sitting on his knees, looking up at Aiden through long, dark eyelashes. 

He’s keeping perfectly still this time. Aiden begins counting the heartbeats in his head. Thud thud… one… thud thud… two… thud thud… three. Lambert doesn’t move, but Aiden can feel the way his lover’s lips twitch around his cock. Lambert is clearly struggling to stay still, but oh, he’s trying so very hard. Aiden feels a surge of pride wash over him at the realisation. 

Thud thud… nine… thud thud… ten… thud thud… eleven…

“You’re so eager to please, aren’t you my sweet pup?” An affirmative noise rumbles at the back of Lambert’s throat, the vibrations sending tingling ripples across Aiden’s throbbing member and along the entire length of his spine. “Shit, you feel so good around my cock, pretty pup.”

Thud thud… fifteen… thud thud… sixteen… thud thud… seventeen…

Aiden is tethering on the edge of his own release. Any slight movement from Lambert’s lips or his tongue will probably send him tumbling right over the edge. Judging by the smug look Aiden sees reflected in Lambert’s honeyed gaze, the little shit knows just how close Aiden is. Brat. On any other night, Aiden would have taught Lambert a lesson for being cheeky, but not tonight. Tonight, Lambert needs something a little softer. Aiden tangles his fingers in Lambert’s hair and tugs with just enough force to remind Lambert who is in charge. Barely a tickle compared to what Aiden is capable of when Lambert is being difficult. 

“Patience, my sweet pup. I’ll give you what you want soon.”

Thud thud… twenty-three… thud thud… twenty-four… thud thud-

Aiden releases Lambert’s hair and affectionately taps his cheek with the flat of his hand, beckoning his attention. Lambert looks up at him through those sinfully thick lashes and taps Aiden leg twice, giving him the go ahead. Aiden smirks as he begins to thrust shallowly into Lambert’s mouth, hissing when a wave of pleasure washes over him at the feeling of his lover’s tongue massaging the underside of Aiden’s pulsing dick. He could rush through this and come within seconds - that’s how sinfully good Lambert’s mouth feels around him - but that would be disappointing for both parties. 

Besides, he’s just getting started. 

Aiden keeps an agonisingly slow pace as he fucks Lambert’s mouth. Lambert doesn’t seem to mind so long as he can use his tongue and lips to pleasure Aiden in return. The latter keeps his eyes riveted on Lambert - not that Aiden could look away from that glorious view if he tried. Lambert on his knees is always a sight to behold, a sight only Aiden gets to enjoy as well. The dark and primal beast in Aiden stirs at the thought of Lambert being his alone to enjoy, but Aiden dismisses that feeling for now. Lambert redoubles in effort, trying to get a reaction from Aiden, purposefully trying to rush his orgasm. Aiden’s hips snap forward and his dick settles deep in Lambert’s throat. His lover’s eyes widen in surprise, but Aiden can sense Lambert’s throat muscles relax to accommodate Aiden’s girth. 

Good boy. 

“Impatient pup,” Aiden croons softly instead, tutting disapprovingly at Lambert, “I told you I’d give you what you need… but I’ll do so in my own time, won’t I sweetheart?”

Lambert’s eyes spark with an unspoken challenge, the fire in them rivalling the sun in intensity, but Aiden knows Lambert far too well. If Lambert didn’t enjoy what’s happening, he would have tapped out by now. Aiden waits a couple of seconds longer in case Lambert decides to put a stop to the evening by squeezing his thigh. Recognising the pause for what it is - a way out if Lambert needs one - the younger wolf gently taps Aiden’s thigh twice in a silent reassurance. I’m fine, the gesture says, this is part of the game.

Aiden smirks, showing pointy fangs as he does so. He knows just how much that riles Lambert up. 

“Stand up,” Aiden instructs, not missing the petulant whine his request is met with, “promise you puppy, I’ll make it worth your while. Stand up and go lie on the bed, like the good boy you are.” 

Lambert releases Aiden’s cock with a wet ‘pop’, flicking the purpled tip with his tongue one final time before rising to his feet and complying with Aiden’s request. Lambert sways his hips sensually as he makes his way to the bed, the action intended to entice Aiden even more. Cheeky pup. Aiden follows his lover’s movements with keen, cat-like eyes. Oh, has he got plans for his spirited wolf. All in good time, he reminds himself. 

Lambert sprawls himself on the bed, taking up as much space as he possibly can, an easy smile playing on his lips as he raises one eyebrow in Aiden’s direction. Another challenge, another taunt. Aiden makes his way over, licking his lips predatorily as he does so, a lion ready to pounce on his prey. Once Aiden is close enough, he crawls onto the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. When he is finally upon his lover, eyes hungrily drinking in the sight of Lambert’s strong, naked body, Aiden props himself onto his forearms positioned on either side of Lambert’s head. Their faces are inches apart when Aiden leans down, his breath ghosting over Lambert’s lips teasingly. Lambert arches under his touch, but like the well-behaved boy he is, refrains from seeking out an unprompted kiss. 

Aiden rewards Lambert with a fierce kiss, one that is all tongue and teeth at first, and which draws a needy whine from deep within Lambert’s chest. Aiden roughly grabs onto Lambert’s chin - not that he needs to keep his lover in place with how vehemently eager Lambert acts as he returns the kiss with a fervor - but the sense of control it gives Aiden is dizzying. Aiden parts from Lambert reluctantly (even witchers need to breathe eventually), punctuating the passionate exchange by seizing Lambert’s lower lip between sharp teeth and tugging at the sensitive flesh. Lambert hisses when Aiden’s teeth break the skin and draw blood, but Aiden is quick to lick the affected area soothingly. The taste of Lambert’s blood on his tongue is enough to nearly make Aiden go feral.

Patience, he chastises the beast within him, we’ll get him eventually. 

“The things you make me do, sweetheart,” Aiden breathes between them, dipping down for one more, much more chaste kiss. 

“All talk, no trousers,” Lambert taunts, his smirk growing more and more mischievous, “tell me, Aiden… what are you waiting for to rail me like there’s no tomorrow? Cat got your tongue?”

Aiden growls, a primal and guttural sound that has Lambert shivering in anticipation. The scent of arousal spikes in the poorly-lit inn room. Aiden relents all control, flashing teeth as he grins at a very aroused Lambert. 

“Let us begin the evening then, shall we?”

Lambert lets out a tantalizing moan in response. Aiden is just getting started. 

[ssa-daddyhotchner]

The Struggle of Loving You - Chapter 9

Chapter Selection

I sat on the couch scrolling mindlessly through the channels trying to find something to watch. Chloe was in her room, getting ready for whatever day she had planned. 

I on the other hand didn't have plans, unless you count staying in a plan. I was going to stay and study for the future, needing the extra information on some topics that I didn't really understand. Chloe walked out of her room, "What do you think?" 

Turning my head I looked at her, "Looks fine." She had on a skin tight dress, at that moment I knew where she was going. What she had planned, "Get dressed." I scrunched up my face, "Uh- why." 

She walked over to me, grabbing my hand and pulling me up, "You made a promise to me, that you were going to be more social. Now get dressed in something that doesn't look like that." Chloe pointed to the clothes I was wearing at the moment. 

A hoodie and shorts, "I don't have anything to wear." I said as she was exiting the room. Groaning loudly she turned around and began rummaging through my closet. 

She analyzed almost every outfit until she went to one in particular. Taking it out of my closet and holding it against my body, "Here." She passed it to me, "Don't take too long." 

It was a black dress that went above my knees. Not skin tight but not too loose, I stripped my clothes and went into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, waiting for it to heat up I started brushing my teeth. 

I let the warm water run down my body and my mind started to wander to Hotch. How his hands felt on my skin and what they could do. The somewhat electric touch and heat that came from his fingers on me. 

My hand started to wander down my stomach, I backed up and my back touched the cold tile. My back arching slightly at the temperature change. I imagine Hotch standing right in front of me pinning me against the wall. 

My fingers made their way down to my clit and began rubbing so circles. A whimper left my lips, as I imagined his fingers instead of my own. Thinking of his body flush against mine, pressing into me. His voice echoing through the shower and into my ear, whispering how good I'm doing. 

I started going fast at the thought, this man really drove me crazy sometimes. My stomach started tightening, my breathing getting shallow. Increasing the pressure and pace only sped up my orgasm. I Brought my other hand up and rested it on my throat applying some force. 

Thinking of his words when I got close and when I would finish. "Fuck", I whispered as I fell over the edge, a warm sensation spreading throughput my body. My body heated, I leaned forwards and turned down the temperature of the water, needing to calm down. 

I want him.

Washing my hair with coconut shampoo and conditioner. Getting the body wash and cleaning up the small mess between my legs. 

When I finished I stepped out of the shower I dried off my body and started blow drying my hair in the bedroom. My hair was dry then I applied a small amount of makeup knowing if I add too much then it'll smudge. 

I threw on the dress, it fit pretty well considering I didn't remember buying it. 

Chloe opened the door, "You have some shoes." I said no and she gave me a pair of her black ones. They were a few inches tall making me now 5'8 instead of my normal 5'6. She smiled at me, "Ready?" I nodded and she walked out of the room, getting her keys. 

I quickly got my phone then rushed out with her. "I'm assuming we're going to a party?" 

"You know me so well, you might know these people if not that's fine. Please just try and enjoy yourself for once, you do way too much." Chloe was talking about how often I'm always at home studying or working and she's out with guys. That was her definition of 'fun'. 

We arrived and I knew that because I could hear the music blasting from a few streets away. She pulled up and parked a few houses down, we walked down the sidewalk and everyone could clearly see the LED lights flashing out of almost every window. 

There were students already lying in the grass outside, It looked like a scene from a movie. I thought it was hilarious though, trying to hold in my laughter as we passed the people knocked out.  

What the hell did I get myself into

Going inside Chloe was met with open arms from her friends from other classes. She held my arm and dragged me with her, "This is y/n, make sure she has fun. Y/n they are the people you'll be thanking later." I knew what her plan was... to get me drunk.

That wasn't happening by any means but I can at least fake it. Seeing as everyone in the house was drunk it wouldn't be too hard. One of her friends, Aiden approached me, "This isn't really your scene is it." I nervously laughed, "How'd you know?" 

"First you're just standing here, you're eyeballing everyone here with a faint look of disgust. Not that hard to figure out." He was completely right, I was making it quite obvious to many people. He took me to a more quiet part of the house, "How do you know Chloe?" 

Until now I've never really met any of her friends outside of Anthony and Andrew. "We've known each other since middle school, surprised you've never heard of me." 

"I wouldn't say she's a private person but I guess there's more to her than I realized." He handed me a red solo cup, I smelled it first making sure it wasn't anything else. I took a sip, beer. 

I hated the taste of beer, give me wine or a wine cooler. I'm fine but beer to me was just bitter. I swallowed it pretending to enjoy the taste. 

Aiden and I stayed in that corner for a few hours talking about interests and our plans when we graduated, it was nearing 12:30am and I knew I had to go home. Aiden stood up first offering me his hand, he helped me through the crowd of people that were left after the party died down. 

The heels weren't making it any easier to walk through the slumped people on the floor. "Don't worry about them", he murmured in my ear about a group of guys sitting on the couch watching me. 

As we made our way out, I was looking around for Chloe. 

There she was, pressed up against the wall with who I assume was a random guy but she knew people here. I rolled my eyes and walked out with Aiden. "Are you okay to go home?"

"Yeah uh- actually can you walk with me? I Can't drive right now and I'm not trying to walk home, alone, and slightly drunk." He took a deep breath and continued to walk with me. He wasn't bad company, there seemed to be an endless amount of topic to talk about with him. 

Every conversation led to a new one and that was something I always loved, how you know you just connected with someone. "Here's a good one", I raised my eyebrows waiting for him to ask. 

"Would you go out on a date with me?" 

I didn't know how to answer that, it stumped me. Not mattering if Chloe knew him and he was a 'good guy' I don't trust easily and I wasn't going to start anytime soon. I took that seriously with me, I was selective with the people I dated not wanting to choose someone who I thought was good for me then started beating me. 

I knew too many people with that exact story and I didn't want to be one of them. 

"I don't know", we got to my apartment and walked up the stairs. "What do you mean? I don't know, have the past few hours been fun?" Those words to me were taken as a red flag, I was getting the feeling that he was trying to manipulate me. 

"I mean yeah but I just- I'm sorry no." 

"Then why say no", we went to my door and I unlocked the door. "Let me try and change your mind." He leaned down and crashed his lips with mine, I kissed back for a second and he took that as a sign. My mind went into panic mode, I pulled away and punched him in the face. 

I snapped around, before I could shut the door Aiden shoved his foot in-between. "What the hell was that for." He pushed open the door and was holding his nose as blood poured out of his nose. He went into the kitchen and grabbed some paper towels to try and clean the mess. 

I slowly walked backwards down the hallway and into my room, slowly shutting my door. I heard footsteps coming closer and I backed away. "Y/n come on just give me a chance", he knocked on the door. But the longer I stayed silent the more aggressive he got. 

This is why I never went out, I can't just have fun without some meant thinking they were owed something after a few hours. Clearly Aiden had something to work out by himself. 

"Y/n, open the door", he clenched his fist and banged on the door. No one was coming, I lived with one person and that person was currently hooking up. I was alone in this, "Let me in." He pounded on the wood again with more force. 

Fear spread throughout my body masking the panic.

"Who the fuck are you?", Aiden was talking to someone out in the hallway. Hearing a second muffled voice they started to argue. I couldn't understand what the second person was saying. I've been to enough places to understand what a fight sounded like and what was happening outside was exactly that. 

It only lasted a few minutes and then there was silence. Unsure of who won or who the other person was, I decided to stay in my room. What the fuck is going on. 

Someone approached the door and softly knocked, "Y/n?" I walked to the door and unlocked it, slowly opening it. Hotch stood there with Aiden right behind him lying on the floor. I opened it wider and went into his arms. 

"I called the police", I nodded into his chest. His arms went around me on my lower back and his other hand on my head, holding me against him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

[purple-haired-faerie]

Chaerene children

Asclepius Westfall

The oldest of the Westfall, inspired by a long forgotten god of healing from another world, something Chaol and Yrene found out about when researching wyrd keys

Often goes by the nickname "Ace" as many people struggle with his name.

Even before he was born, Chaol knows he's not going to put any pressure on him, or any of his siblings to follow a set path, like how Chaols' father did with him. Both he and Yrene agree to support them in whatever career they want

So when it's discovered that Asclepius has lived up to his name sake and has inherited his mother's healing powers, one of the few men to have healing magic, they support him entirely. Yrene pushes him to be the best he can be but have a really healthy approach for when he struggles

He studies at the Torre in Ardalan and due to his hard work, dedication and skill, becomes heir apparent to the healer on high. A title he gained on his own merit.

Cedrik Aiden

Born a couple of years after Ace. Where his brother took more after their mother, Cedrik takes after his father. Stubborn to a fault, but also fiercely loyal

He also becomes captain of the guard and Chaol is so incredibly proud of him. Inspired by how things are done in the southern continent, Cedrik refuses to turn a blind eye. If you broke a law, you broke a law. Regardless of who you are and you got tried exactly the same.

He also makes the effort to work with the slums, which certainly aren't as bad as they used to be but there is still a lot to do. He gets them to trust those in authority, and helps them to help themselves

Josie Sophia

Three years younger than Cedrik, and their first daughter. Totally a Daddy's girl, and she knows it

She's a keen cook and baker and is always creating her own dishes in kitchen. The fact that a certain crown prince brings her fresh produce certainly helps.

Speaking of which, she develops feelings for Marcus, something she doesn't know how she feels about. She and Marcus have been friends their entire lives and she's scared she'll ruin it if she says anything. Especially given she has two overly protective brothers and he has two overly protective sisters.

Having discussed the matter at length with her mother she decides that life is too short spend it asking 'what if' and just admits she has feelings for Marcus, who in turn has feelings for Josie. Chaol makes it clear that Marcus might be crown prince and the son of his dearest friend but if he hurts his daughter he'll not hesitate to hurt him, nor will Jose's brothers

Jacqueline Olivia

Born just over a year after her sister. Although close to all her siblings, she's the closest to Josie. They are as much close friends as they are sister's

Very intelligent as she is, she's very easily distracted and goes from one thing to another so fast she's like a human whirlwind. So much so people don't know what to make of her and give her a wide birth, something that infuriates her family.

She likes creating things so her parents and older siblings encourage her to focus her energy and intelligence into this. She becomes an inventor as a result. Not all her creations are a success but this only pushes her further.

She gets so caught up in the laboratory she has she often forgets to eat and look after herself, but Josie has a way of looking after her sister and brings her cooking for her to eat. When Josie starts getting very close to Marcus, he also helps Josie and the other Westfalls' in keeping an eye on the exsentric Jacqueline and has been known to excitedly tell his father about all the things she's working on

Sylvia Delilah

The third daughter born to the Chaol and Yrene, born 2 years after Jacqueline. Inspired by the God of healing who guided Yrene.

Like her mother, eldest brother and namesake she goes into healing. Although she excels in all forms of healing, it's midwifery she has a particular interest.

She's also a keen teacher and sits her time between her practical work and teaching at the Torre in Ardalan. She's a very popular teacher amongst her students, known for going above and beyond for anyone who needs it.

Most people assume that because of her job, she wants to have her own children. To go through pregnancy and have babies of her own. As much as she does want to be a mother, she has known since a young age sex is something she is repulsed by.

She discusses this with her parents and it's her Mother who suggests she might be Asexual, and that seems to strick a cord with Sylvia. Chaol makes it clear that it doesn't matter, that she's his daughter and he loves her regardless. A sentiment felt by the rest of the family; you are a Westfall and we love you.

Hercule Christopher

The sixth and youngest child of the couple. During his delivery, something went wrong and the nerves in his legs got damaged beyond repair even by the most talented healers.

He can feel things in his legs but can't really control them, meaning he will always be in a wheelchair. Given he never had a chance to walk, it's something normal for him.

His siblings and parents make sure his disability doesn't define him, and he does as much for himself as possible. They are always making adaptions around the house for him to do so.

He hates being seen as "the guy in the wheelchair" and it's the one thing that gets him really angry as he's more than such a simple sentence. People who have reduced him to such a statement know not to do it again

[treeni]

Sanders Sides Orange Side Predictions

Theories Masterpost

If you haven’t read @averykedavra‘s post on the idea then you absolutely should. It is extremely well thought out and considers a lot of possibilities about the Orange side, even though there are some specific thoughts that I personally disagree with, it is absolutely worth reading through.

First, I want to say I agree with them pointing out @dragonsaphirareads character Otto, aka “Obsession” as being a brilliant take on what the Orange character could be from a conceptual basis. I also think @candied-peach / Peachsneaker’s character Wrath is another brilliant take on the opposite side of the spectrum of the potential of what the orange side could be. Honestly, if you haven’t, you should check out these two creators' works immediately as they are both completely fantastic writers and have a lot of great Sanders Sides stories, both with and without romance.

My only gripe is that I think both characters are too inherently good in their depictions. Personally, I think both authors are right, to a point. I think the Orange character would be someone who cares too much and takes things too far. What’s interesting about DragonSapphiraRead’s character, is that he was once Passion and gave up parts of himself to the others. It’s interesting, but I personally don’t think that’s how it’s going to go.

Instead I think Passion is exactly the trait that the darkside character is going to embody and this is where I most agree with averykedavra’s take. I think the Orange side is going to come in as someone who appears “good,” “right,” and even “helpful” at first glance, and yet, you gradually start to realize the problems further on. 

If you look at the progression of the darksides so far, you may notice that  they have followed the rule of three in establishing a pattern. Virgil showed up and scared the others until his point got across until he was listened to, so really was it any surprise when both Janus and Remus immediately did the same upon their introductions? Given the divide, it took time and understanding to start being open to the good that Virgil brings. Janus has only just started to really prove to Thomas that he is well intentioned and Remus hasn’t even begun that part of the journey yet. However, you can see the three characters all in various states of the pattern that Virgil set. Virgil is at acceptance, Janus is at tolerance (or at least close to it) and Remus is still at distrust, but past the introduction and initial scare.Their actions have all followed the rule of three behavior that establishes a pattern for the audience to recognize. We inherently know Janus and Remus as being on the same “track” as Virgil was on a subconscious level.

Which is why I think the Orange side will absolutely destroy that expectation by diverting from that path and all current expectations of darksides. After a pattern of accepting the darksides, I think they will decide to immediately give the Orange side a chance because by then they will also have multiple examples of their shortsightedness about the darksides potential in helping Thomas.

 I also think Orange will absolutely come in and appear good at first glance. This will probably happen after Janus is really, truly accepted by the other sides and Remus is at least on his way to being accepted. I also really liked averykedavra’s idea that the orange side gives his name immediately, but I disagree on the idea that he can hide his role. The roles are something that others have been shown to bring up to the group and be generally aware of. No side has had to introduce their role as far as I can remember.

However I actually think of this as further evidence for the side having the role of Passion instead of Wrath or Obsession. Because Passion seems good at baseline and is absolutely good if controlled. However, Passion also encapsulates things like Wrath, Obsession, Procrastination, and Spite.

Imagine if you will, a side that comes in dressed as seemingly innocuous in fandom gear and tee shirts with big smiles and excitement. He quickly and easily proclaims his excitement of all of the others’ work and is extremely supportive at the beginning. I could see CharacterThomas becoming quickly and easily attached to someone who seems so positive and relatable. I think he’d be a little like Patton at first glance, but more childish. There would be none of the “fatherly” care in him for example. He would seem interested in what the others would say and generally only make quiet additions to the conversation. In the beginning it seems as if he brings out the good in the other sides with his small bits of help and encouragement. Except, he doesn’t stop at small. Instead as the sides start to become used to his presence he starts pushing things further and further. 

This side never lies, he doesn’t need to. He can manipulate the truth to do his bidding. He gently reminds Roman of all of the things he hasn’t yet achieved of his dreams. As a friend he pulls Patton aside to remind him of some of the bad things happening recently in the world, just to warn him of course. He asks for Logan’s help in clarifying  some facts that might be a little uncomfortable, but definitely important. He gently nudges Virgil about some of the dangerous things that could have happened to Thomas and really? Isn’t he just lucky to have come out okay so far? And self-preservation? No, not even he’s safe as the side reminds him of the rocky state of his “supposed acceptance” until Janus’ doubts overtake him.

You think Thomas struggles in dealing with one of them acting in extremes? Just wait until they all are. Logan becoming obsessive, Roman becoming unfocused, Virgil becoming paranoid, Patton becoming hysterical, and even Janus literally walling himself away because he devolves into extreme self-defense. (Also possibly trying to hastily wall just him and Thomas away. Because defensive rationality.)

The vast differences between the caring Patton and this side become increasingly clear to the audience, but by this point it’s too late. The sides are (almost) all hanging on his every word.

Logan can’t outmaneuver manipulative honesty, Virgil can’t caution against it, Roman’s too restricted to find a creative solution for it. Even Patton and Janus are ineffective because not only does it sound and feel right, it also seems akin to some of Janus’ behavior of revealing “uncomfortable” truths that Thomas doesn’t want to hear. 

I think this side is going to slowly drive the others into their own extreme biases until their own behaviors are so chaotic and restless they become literally unable to contribute to the conversation.

I also think that will be what makes this particular side terrifying. Instead of scaring the others into listening to him, he simply feeds into their own biases until they are so divided there is no longer a conversation. 

You see, this side wouldn’t simply want to be a voice to be heard. He would want to be the only voice.

Okay, now for my justification as to why. 

1. As I already mentioned before, we as humans like threes, comedians will list three things to establish a pattern and then add a fourth in a “one of these is not like the others” to make a joke. The best way to break a pattern is to flip expectation on its head. This side is already breaking that ideology simply by existing as a fourth darkside. He isn’t there to follow the others paths.

2. Janus and Remus’ religious dialogue that is telling of their own negative views of their lack of “inherent goodness” because they consistently use their own existences as proof of Thomas’ “inherent evilness.” While being revealing of their thought processes, I also believe it is a hint to the last side’s state as a Lucifer-like character in the classical sense of his intended perception. Not a demon, but an angel. Someone who believes they have done no wrong and tempts you on a personal level.

3. Also consider some of the things orange as a color symbolizes: encouragement, enthusiasm, and motivation, yes, but also ambition, domination, temptation, and warning.

It’s still loose evidence as we haven’t even met the side yet, but we as an audience can still derive a lot about him from the other characters.

Now that I’m here shoving all my opinions in your faces, I might as well go all out. 

I am currently two for three on darkside names so I’m going to throw my hat in and tell you my guess on that too. 

If the new Orange side follows my predictions I also think he will be named Aiden. 

Why? First, it means “fiery one” which is a perfect association for both passion and the color orange. It also mimics a “light side” name without quite fitting in with the “en” ending. Additionally, like most names, it is a modernization of older names and this particular one has derivative connections to both the Celtic god of sun and fire “Aodh” and the Greek god “Aidoneus” otherwise known as Hades. (Also keep in mind that Lucifer’s name means Morningstar, aka the sun.) Finally, the word “Aid” is literally in the name to give the impression of innocence. 

And that is my TED talk.

[maariarogers]

How They Steal Seojun’s Scenes and Ruin A Tiny Essence of Seojun and Suho’s Character(s) in the K-Drama: A Study

Hi everybody!

First and foremost, I’m not online a lot, and whenever I do lately, I mostly try to spend it by fixating on a certain fandom — which, this time, happened to be the latest K-Drama “True Beauty”. I’ve written about two other study / analysis / meta which you could find here:

Thoughts On True Beauty and Why I’m On Team Suho

Why Webtoon!Suho is Superior and K-Drama!Suho Needs To Catch Up 👏

I’ve recently noticed during my scrolling that there has been a lot of tension between Team Seojun and Team Suho, which... broke my heart a little bit, because for the last eight episodes, I wasn’t really aware of it. I just thought everybody was having as much fun as I was just watching the K-Drama, but you know, we still have our favourites and we still have times when we disagree with the direction of the show, but by the end of the day, it was still something fun to watch, to distress with, and to share with like-minded fans.

Regardless, this is a warning that I don’t write with any intention to specifically target any characters or storyline, whether it be webtoon or the K-Drama. I do equally adore all of the cast, the production; the characters in the webtoon — and I will forever be thankful that I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the story as I did.

To add some context: I am a film student graduate, and I’ve always been interested in objectively dissecting characters, especially from a franchise, or things that came from a raw materials like True Beauty is. For your reference, I am currently at Chapter 128 of the webtoon series, although I am aware of spoilers beyond the chapters. As for the drama, I am at Episode 10 while I’m writing this. (Started at episode 9, continuing after episode 10.)

This is purely an in-depth analysis, if you’re into those sort of things, mainly discussing the major differences between webtoon representation of characters Lee Suho and Han Seojun in particular, and their mirrored selves in the K-Drama. Under the category, I will be touching on:

What the K-Drama changed the characters specifically

How They Stole Seojun Webtoon’s Scene and Character

Why Some of It Worked, Some of It Will Never

How They Highkey Ruined Seojun and Suho’s Dynamics

Why They Didn’t Need to Change the Characters At All, really

Another warning, just so any readers are aware, I am primarily a Suho x Jugeyong fan, but I’ve never really minded Seojun’s relationship with Jugyeong, either in Webtoon and K-Drama. Again, this mostly has a lot to do with how excellent the execution for Seojun was in the webtoon particularly — but I believe we’ll be getting into that.

Also, this is mostly to address the differences of webtoon vs. k-drama (and why some scene worked, why some scene didn’t work), and while I’ll be touching on the issues underlying the characters a bit, for a more thorough analysis or thoughts on the mental health represented by the characters, I would recommend reading:

By Tumblr User imjukyung (speaking about post-episode 10, specifically for Suho)

True Beauty: True Trauma and Unsettling Regression by tumblr user life-rewritten

Last Warning: This is about 5,000+ words. I... yeah. I have nothing to say except it’s written.

1. What Changed Specifically

I think the massive change an audience could probably observe — or if you can’t observe, you would find yourself being annoyed by it at certain point — would be in Suho. Yes, we’re starting with him.

I’ve been noticing a lot that people do heatedly comment that Suho’s “boring” — which, to an extent, I agree. (I mentioned this too in the first meta.) He is a massive play on the “cold and distant” trope, which, in my head, I’d like to call, a massive Edward Cullen case. That trope is often repetitive, most of the time it’s horribly executed, and it’s just, yeah, I’m not a big fan of them.

But again, I’ve mentioned this before, it works for Suho. I think this was what he was meant to be. As reference, in the webtoon even, Sua was never impressed with Suho, and she did repetitively say that the only “good thing that was going for him” was his good looks, and that he’s “boring” (in fact, I believe this is a fact since high school towards their adulthood). So yes, I think he was written like that on purpose.

On top of that, in the webtoon, compare to the K-Drama, Suho really does — nothing.

I’ll circle back to this specific characteristic because it relates to Seojun again, but I do wanted to point out that it is actually a prominent thing that’s to do with Suho. All he does in the webtoon, really, is study. Some of the things we learn later while we read would be that: he reads horror comic books as a sense of escapism, and he’s a good cook.

That’s it.

We would learn later, of course, that it is more than that. This personality is intentional and, most importantly, purposeful. What we’ve perceived as “boring” was used right against Suho — especially in the Prince of Princes arc, where the influencer called Suho out for “never trying his best” when the other contestants, Seojun and Aiden if we’re being specific, truly had something to lose while they were doing the show.

So, it wasn’t just, something the webtoon author decided Suho to be and held him no responsibility over, no — she crafted Suho like that from the beginning, she made us get used to it, and then, slowly, we see cracks of Suho’s “perfect” image and how that backfired. And Suho? He paid for it.

More than the simple cold and distant trope, his continuously monotone exterior actually did raise important questions in the long-run: For someone so smart with such a solid background, why does he seemed the most lost out of the Seojun-Jugeyong-Suho trio?

In my second meta, I wrote this:

It felt like the writers were desperate to fill the gaps for Suho possibly being “dull” [while playing] this typical cool and distant character — when, in reality, Suho’s existence as is was quite enough. He didn’t need to steal Seojun’s fighting ability, and he especially didn’t need to rob Seyeon’s musical passion too, to be interesting and have depths of his own [...]

Which I feel unfortunate about when it comes to K-Drama!Suho, and I still stand by it now. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the K-Drama, because it could really hold up as its own separate storyline and timeline, but if we start to critically compare, we do see that, in reality, Suho could carry his “boring” character well and the K-Drama probably just didn’t know how to do this well, or thought the reception would be bad, so they added all of these unnecessarily profile traits to have him stand out.

To add, even when all he really does is study and read comic books, Jugyeong still likes him. To Jugyeong, Suho doesn’t really need to be more than what he is - their shared interest and their strong loyalty in ensuring they’re each other’s safe haven when it comes to emotional struggles were already enough for her; and for Suho, Jugyeong’s company as is had been sufficient to make him happy, or have a better outlook in life.

2. How They Stole Seojun Webtoon’s Scene and Character

This is quite a sensitive topic for Seojun’s fans, so I will try addressing this very, very carefully. If you have anymore to add and discuss, feel free — I’d love to know what else I’ve missed or might have overlooked.

In this specific section, I think I’d like to focus on three (3) major Seojun scene that was stolen. The band-aid, the wallet, and the spicy food. Of course, I’ll be touching on things they’ve stolen beyond those scenes because they did incorporate a lot of what Seojun should be experiencing to Suho, or other characters, and why this wasn’t okay — or it couldn’t be held up. But let’s start with the scene first and we’ll slowly walk to what other aspects of Seojun the writers think we wouldn’t notice being stolen.

The Band Aid Scene

In the webtoon (spoilers to those who haven’t read) in Chapter 34, Suho got into an accident in an attempt to save Jugyeong. This led her to be injured on the knees, which, after Seojun was called in, he helped treated. 

In the K-Drama, Suho was the one who treated Jugyeong’s knees – but this happened very early in the series and it was specifically triggered because Jugyeong tripped on her way to run Suho’s errands.

Personally, for me, I didn’t really mind this scene was “stolen”. Now, okay, before anybody comes at me, allow me to explain why: I didn’t think it mattered? Which probably didn’t help my case in fending a lot of you off lol but — I just didn’t think it mattered because in either scenes, it was still an in-character thing for them to do. Each boy would still assist Jugyeong and treated her knees even if they’ve switched places.

What I really meant was though, the scene didn’t really take any of Seojun’s important and/or core personality away from him — which you’ll find what I mean more as we delve on soon — it was just an act which anybody would’ve done for Jugyeong in that moment.

Especially in the webtoon, the bigger focus was more towards Suho who just got into an accident. There wasn’t really any fundamental value or any obvious motivation towards the scene unless you counted Seojun finding out that Heegyeong was Jugyeong’s sister - which, even then, it was brushed over quickly because, of course, we focus heavily on Suho’s state towards the end, and we’re stirring into what really happened between the three S (Seojun-Suho-Seyeon).

In the K-Drama, it was set up in such a way with a clear motivation: Suho apologising for pushing Jugyeong to such a limit and therefore elevating their statuses in comradeship, and for Seojun to notice and took an important interest in Jugyeong after seeing Suho and her together, triggering his consecutive contacts with her afterwards.

Each of them could really hold up as their own separate acts, and both boys are still heavily in-character.

The Wallet

In Chapter 32, Jugyeong (bare-faced) met with her bullies and they had a quick confrontation in WcDonalds. We realise the bullies didn’t really think they were responsible for how they acted, and didn’t apologise. This left Jugyeong devastated, so she left the restaurant premises and went home without realising she dropped her wallet. At the restaurant, Seojun’s friends picked it up — but Seojun was the one who identified the wallet’s owner, and came back just as Jugyeong, now fully in make-up, came to get it. Despite probably having eaten, Seojun invited Jugyeong to eat, noticing she’s in a bad mood.

In the K-Drama, Episode 6 if I’m not mistaken, Jugyeong stumbled upon her former bullies bare-faced. She managed to run out of the restaurant premises before shortly realising that she dropped her wallet. When she turned, she saw Suho was with her bullies, grasping the wallet from them. She ran away, he chased after, and they had their mini confrontation and Suho shielded Jugyeong from being recognised by their schoolmates.

Again, like the first, I didn’t really hold up any grudge over the scenes? Mostly because the difference in context between them?

Allow me to explain: in the webtoon, it was clearly placed that way to show the slow elevation of friendship between Jugyeong and Seojun; that scene also progressed to Jugyeong meeting Seojun’s group of friends later, which triggers to more scenes of them in the future i.e. Jugyeong trying out clothes at the request of Seojun’s friend’s girlfriend and Seojun obviously falling hard during the whole process.

(I also think like these are the first few instances where we’re established a place Seojun and Jugyeong bonded over most besides school, i.e. the shopping street background, because them shopping together in that group, or just the two of them, are relatively mentioned or brought up again and again.)

But that can’t realistically work for K-Drama.

In the webtoon, we’re allowed for a slow-paced friendship between Jugyeong and Seojun to form, which was important, because it was meant to bring us to the tipping point wherein Seojun transformed from being that best male friend (and why he stayed being the male best friend), to her boyfriend. The why, of course, is important — but we’ll get to that soon.

In the K-Drama, we’re not allowed the amount of pace. And, more than that, all of Seojun’s friends in the webtoon, who are high school dropouts or older (and therefore were not attending school) I believe, are replaced by the massive group Seojun has in their shared high school. So, the opportunity as is wasn’t really there, and it was later restricted by the time frame of a sixteen-episodes.

I’ll be touching on the fact that they do make up for this with various scenes, various new opportunities, but you can still see how Seojun falls a little short still to compare with his webtoon counterpart.

Speaking of the context further, technically I don’t think Suho “stole” the scene. The act, yes, I’ll admit to that, but not the scene, nor the core of what bonded Jugyeong and Seojun together — Suho didn’t have an external group of friends which he brought Jugyeong to meet, and he certainly didn’t share the street-shopping backgrounds and have a comforting meeting place with Jugyeong there.

I would’ve been more upset if Seojun confronted the bullies himself and returned the wallet to Jugyeong in the webtoon, only for Suho to obviously rob this scene from him in the K-Drama, when it was obviously Seojun’s highlighted moment. But as is, it happened differently.

Suho’s acts could held up as his own, especially since, different than the webtoon, he already saw bare-faced Jugyeong and knew the owner of the wallet [as he’s watched the scene unfold], while Seojun happened to find the wallet and Jugyeong thankfully had her ID, the one with make-up on her face, which led to Seojun keeping it and giving it back to her when they bump into each other later.

They weren’t really any confrontations about insecurities, past mistakes or the truth to be had; for Seojun and Jugyeong, that scene was only a “beginning” (the first of many events to come, the trigger point on how the rest starts), while for Suho, it was a “conclusion” (scenes triggered by other events first, ending with a specific decision).

The Spicy Food

Now, this is where I get a bit iffy? I wasn’t happy with it, simply put. I understand they amended it in episode 9, but — it still happened. And hoo-boy, they weren’t sneaky about it at all.

In the webtoon, Episode 33, Seojun invited Jugyeong to eat tteokbokki with him. Jugyeong wasn’t really feeling up to eat, but she accepted because she likes spicy food. Later, while having the meal together, Seojun is obviously having a hard time eating the spicy food, which Jugyeong internally questioned about.

In the K-Drama, Heegyeong and Mr. Han went on a date, and then we later find out that Mr. Han couldn’t withstand spicy food. He didn’t want to return the meal though, thinking that he would’ve burdened the staff.

Again, one can obviously just argue that, it happened in different context too, just like it did in the Wallet Scene. Or, better yet, that it’s fine, since they did include this in episode 9 in the end. But — the reason I had a problem with this choice of writing was because, unlike the other two examples, not beiong able to handle spicy food is a major, if not a constant, Seojun’s characteristics and behaviour.

That’s a Seojun thing, rather than a simple action, and taking that from him, or basing it off of him, feels a little... lazy.

Mr Han in the webtoon, while he didn’t play a major part and Heegyeong eventually lost interest in him, was a messy eater. They could’ve gone with that route easily. That he’s a messy eater, and Heegyeong finds herself liking it anyway — that is, if, like how I’ve been viewing the direction of the show, they really do want them to be together.

That’s already been apart of Mr. Han’s already-established behaviour, why take it from Seojun?

Which led us to the few bits of how Seojun is stolen beyond simple scenes.

Seojun’s Character

Now, “stolen” is such a big word. It’s right, to an extent, but it’s still such a big word. More than that, I’d say it’s “chipped”? As in, the true essence of what made Seojun so remarkable and strong as a second male lead in the webtoon is taken apart to have it lend to other characters or, equally worse, downplayed in the drama.

I’ve always had such a problem and it’s a MAJOR problem when Seojun, in the K-Drama, told Suho, “You don’t deserve to be happy.”

Straight-up, honest to god? That isn’t Seojun at all.

Yes, he’s upset. And yes, he’s irritated by what he perceived as Suho not coming to his expectation when it came to their shared loss regarding Seyeon and/or what he thought Suho failed to do. These are all true. Seojun is angry, and he’s consistently angry at Suho until they reach their resolution together — but he would never wish that on Suho.

What drove his anger was disappointment, was a sense of hopelessness, was the loss, but it never came from hatred. Seojun felt a lot towards Suho, but hate to the point of wishing someone’s unhappiness was never one of them.

Just having that spoken by Seojun contradicted a lot to how he behaves in the webtoon — which was honestly this upstanding, responsible and caring guy. And he is!

And while I adore Suho and he has a special place in my heart, I do see a stark difference to how Seojun operates if we compare to Suho: Seojun’s always been straightforward with his actions, countlessly working hard once he sets his mind to something (either that by choice, or otherwise i.e. helping his mom pay the bills, and then pursuing a career in being an idol) — he’s a go-getter.

Suho isn’t, not so directly at least. He’s quiet, and he keeps things to himself, and he doesn’t like a show. Which was why a lot of him “helping out” Jugyeong — mostly driving off weird men or confronting them — happened behind the scenes and without anybody’s knowledge. He doesn’t even really wanna acknowledge it after.

Seojun’s direction in life is clear, too. He wants to work right after school, and he does. He wants to treat Jugyeong properly as her romantic partner, and he does. He wants to be an idol and succeed, and he works hard on it.

Suho, on the other hand, not so much. A lot of the major things that did happen to Suho, it happened externally. Something else was pushing him to do an action. Him flying out to Japan due to his father, him returning to Korea etc. Again, this is a lot to do with his mental health as well, which is a separate post altogether, but I just wanted to point this out as comparison.

Rambling over — yes, if you’re not an avid webtoon reader, just know that, that specific line from Seojun? He would never. That was already so out-of-character of him because, as I’ve said and I will say it again, whatever anger Seojun harboured for Suho, it never came from such ugly or raw hatred. He didn’t understand Suho’s motivation after and/or during Seyeon’s death, and I do believe he could lash out from that - but he never held any extreme grudges.

To add, in the webtoon, that line was actually spoken by Suho when he admitted to his therapist that he think he doesn’t deserves to be happy.

This is also a big thing in my opinion, because it shows how differently Seojun and Suho coped — either with Seyeon, or whatever that comes after. Seojun has always been more prone to anger while Suho, either that added by his fluctuating mental health or otherwise, is prone to sadness.

Now, these are two extremely big negative emotions to be associated with our ever-favourite boys, but it’s true. It’s consistent throughout their characters all-through the story (in the webtoon, at least). And it does play a role, because, again, it showcases the difference of characters between Seojun and Suho, and how they react to situations differently. Seojun with his quick-temper, and Suho, easily feeling hopeless.

So, why is it important to know this?

Because a lot of Seojun’s anger, a lot of that deep-rooted aggression — that was transferred to Suho in the K-Drama. And no cap? It shouldn’t have.

3. Why It Worked, Why It Will Never

Let’s go back to the broader subject briefly.

At this point of the K-Drama, which is ten episodes in, I felt a little moot comparing scenes specifically to what had happened in the webtoon. It’s always nice, of course, to critically analyse any form of entertainment so we could always better our watching experiences or give the proper feedbacks to the creative industry, and while I like delving in deep too, I also have to remind myself a lot to not .... take it too seriously, essentially.

Because at this point, obviously the K-Drama has adapted many of the plot points from the webtoon, and re-arranged it to fit into what they deemed to be necessary to work in that timeline. And that’s okay!

For example, while Seojun’s scene was borrowed to other characters, we do get the opportunity to see Seojun being presented slightly differently. We have that new arc regarding his mother, and we see a whole loveable cast of group Seojun has acquired during his time schooling, and Seojun gets a ton more interactive chances with Jugyeong to make up for what they couldn’t do — that is, the slow progress of them becoming truly close friends till they’re in their young adult years — and every scene of them could still hold up as a magnifying and incredible moment as its own.

For example, that scene when Seojun took care of a sick Jugyeong in the bus, and he said (although I’m recalling only from memory), “I don’t like it when people get sick.” Which I think was super sweet and super impactful at the same time. This didn’t happen in the webtoon, but in the K-Drama, among the first scenes they’ve introduced Seojun in was when he was in the hospital visiting his mother; we also learn later that he actually time off from school to do help his parent.

So obviously Seojun’s cautious on anything that’s to do with somebody contracting an illness etc — and not only it showed in that one dialogue, it’s made more brilliant when Seojun, who can’t really afford any expensive jewellery, made Jugyeong a flower-braid bracelet. I think that was such a nice contrast, a nice touch and ugh!!!!!

That really punched me straight into my Seojun x Jugyeong heart.

We also see a different way of them interpreting and putting Sujin brilliantly into the story. I really want to go deeper into this, but I don’t believe I have sufficient enough thoughts beyond the fact that I much prefer the way the K-Drama built up Sujin to compare with how the webtoon placed Sujin. She has more motivation, she has more leverage, and last but not least, she has much more flexibility to become a serious second female lead and rival.

I do have a problem with how they decided to go with Suho, because again, I think all of the extra personality traits are not necessary. Suho doesn’t need to be a good fighter like Seojun had been established to be, and he doesn’t need to be musically passionate, like Seyeon was, because his own personality and character should’ve been enough. He could carry that personality well; he doesn’t need to be “more”.

Which brought us to this: Seojun’s aggressiveness taken by Suho.

To make this short - it just doesn’t work. It didn’t... really feel out of character, per se, but I'm not the biggest fan of it. I felt like, personally, the writers sort of missed the point of what truly made Suho Suho — which was this guy who was more prone to melancholy-based emotion than anything else — and, in return, (again, I’ll be using the word) they “chipped” away at Seojun because of it.

So, what should’ve been Seojun’s distinctive reaction carried specifically by his character, it was shared by Suho.

Suho isn’t unpredictable, he isn’t quick-tempered, and he isn’t fast on his feet. These are all Seojun’s major personality traits. He’s opinionated, yes, and he isn’t afraid to set his boundaries — but mostly, only his own. One of the more primary example I could give from the K-Drama that I think sorta worked at first glance, but didn’t really when you think twice about it, in regards to this, was Suho chasing after Seojun and Jugyeong after a gang of people were running towards them. (This is after the karaoke scene.)

Honestly, rather than just wasting his energy, it’d be more appropriate if Suho calls the cop.

Suho’s incredibly logical, and furiously straightforward. He doesn’t precisely need to be running around for — what? What was he achieving anyways in the K-Drama by running after the gang? See how it sorta doesn’t make sense? So, yes, if it doesn’t make sense - Suho wouldn’t. 

Again, this circles back to how the different way the boys coped or react, as I mentioned earlier, and it’s important to be distinctive with these because both boys are two separate individuals with two different ways of seeing the world and taking them in, and, cheesy as I may, representation matters.

And when it isn’t represented properly, and I’ll be repeating this over and over: Seojun’s character seems like it’s “chipped away”. Not stolen, no, because it’s still there but — what should’ve been an emotion his specific character should harbour, it feels ... lacklustre, almost. Like a joke: what makes Seojun’s anger so “special” compared to the obvious internalised rage Suho seems to have [in the K-Drama]?

4. How Is Seojun and Suho Dynamic Ruined?

Simply put: observe the way the writers put Seojun and Suho when it comes to Jugyeong.

In the K-Drama, it’s constant rivalry between the boys — driven, of course, by Suho’s possibly deteriorating mental health and the insecurity that came with. But it was also easily flamed by Seojun making jabs and/or crossing the boundaries by being there when he shouldn’t have been.

Now, I’m not into the whole Team Seojun vs. Team Suho thing because the real tea is, that just isn’t Seojun and Suho.

And when the K-Drama writers failed to incorporate how exactly Seojun and Suho had been when both boys clearly shared an affection towards the same person, Jugyeong, I feel like — out of everything, that’s when they lost the biggest essence of what made these two men who they are. 

Because Seojun and Suho? They were mad respectful towards each other.

I think one of the most memorable and important scene, and I carry this in my heart, was when Jugyeong was supposed to go out on that date with Suho, and they promised each other — but then Suho’s father got into an accident, and Jugyeong wasn’t reachable because she broke her phone.

You know who showed up to that date to inform Jugyeong? It was Seojun.

And it was Seojun again who came to pick Jugyeong up and got into the taxi to the airport to see Suho off. Seojun was the one who gave Jugyeong and Suho some time to say goodbye between themselves, tapping Jugyeong on the back when he walks away. That’s how far Seojun really cared for the girl he loves: he was willing to let her love the person she likes.

He was supportive, without being discriminating.

And it was the same again when it’s reversed. During the whole time Seojun and Jugyeong were dating, Suho never once showcased that he was dissatisfied or he wasn’t happy with the development. In fact, again and again, he was supportive. He put in good words for Seojun, he encouraged Jugyeong to always work it out between her and Seojun.

Of course, there are hiccups here and there — but that was the true essence, I believe, of the Seojun-and-Suho dynamic.

Even despite the misunderstanding, even through the romantic interest coming in between them, there will always have this big respect to not go behind one another and put the other down, I think. They would confront, and have their clashing moments face-to-face (but never too aggressively because Suho’s weak and often pulls back lol), but very rarely does it go further than that.

Even when they’re driven with anger, jealousy, or disappointment — you could tell that the bond they’ve shared from their middle school and with Seyeon were always somehow stronger.

And yes, you could argue that maybe, in this point of the K-Drama, they aren’t reconciled yet, which is why they acted the way they did. But I feel like? That didn’t matter? Because, in episode 10, we could clearly see Seojun having the capability of being supportive and putting his good faith in Suho, despite not being on good terms with the guy (e.g. when he advised, “Suho would never do that to you.”) even though that’s quickly tarnished when Seojun, in the same breath, quickly suggest for a break-up.

I don’t really have any defence for Suho because I already felt like him expressing constant aggression towards Seojun is already wrong, misplaced, or poorly written — so whatever action that came after always came a bit off for me. For example, rather than putting the blame for his own jealousy towards Seojun or Jugyeong (i.e. episode eight in its entirety), Suho is the kind of person to blame himself. He would feel that he lacked something, that it was him that wasn’t enough, that it must be him that’s done something to push Jugyeong, or anybody, away.

(Again, echoing his admittance: “I don’t think I deserve to be happy.” or, if we’re going with the K-Drama route, from Seojun’s accusation.)

5. Why They Didn’t Need To Change At All

The worst part of knowing or realising these small details is that, the story could still work. It could still move the characters forward, and have the relatively same outcome i.e. Suho lashing out by the end, threatened by his own insecurity that Jugyeong might prefer Seojun after all etc — but instead, we have these amazing characters that came off at 90% in the drama adaptation, but the 10% that really mattered to their characters weren’t mixed in well enough.

So, the question comes: how exactly should they be acting?

First, Suho’s often more calm — the calmest, in fact, between the Suho-Jugyeong-Seojun trio. This still doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any pent-up guilt, or sadness, or even aggression, but it rarely ever comes out violently. Even if it does, in any shape or form, mostly the emotions are fired back towards himself i.e. experiencing massive self-loathing, self-doubt, which, of course, may in return affect his interpersonal relationships.

Episode 10 played this out nicely, in fact: because we do have a scene where Suho’s being incredibly understanding and respectful in the beginning, but then little things and mistimed events built up (without proper explanations from the other party, to add) and he essentially imploded on himself i.e. lashing out, spiralling, having a mental breakdown, and by the end of it, (trigger warning ahead) committing suicide and/or self-harming himself by walking freely and stopping in the middle of traffic.

Secondly, Seojun could’ve still held so much anger at Suho for what happened with Seyeon and had fallen for Jugyeong all the while, but he could still stay in-character by never explicitly trying to constantly put Suho down. It just goes against a character so substantial for putting his all towards the people he loves, or have loved. And Seojun have loved Suho as a best friend - so for him to act the way he did, to say that line ( “You don’t deserve to be happy” ) especially, that makes me sad.

6. Conclusion

True Beauty, on the surface, will always be a light-hearted romance comedy that honestly has very interesting and well thought-of characters that... don’t necessarily stand out, I don’t think, among other high school K-Drama, but it does represent young adults or teens who seemed to “look like they’re doing well” but a lot of us really aren’t. We’re just figuring things out as we go along, and that’s what Suho, Seojun and Jugyeong seemed to be doing with us: they’re figuring things out as they go along, too.

In the end, there really isn’t much of a point expressing these thoughts except that it gives me simple pleasures, and if it can attract a few people who loves True Beauty too, I would simply die of appreciation. I hope a lot of the K-Drama audience can have a slight knowledge that, yes, Seojun is absolutely super kind, way kinder than he’s been portrayed on screen, and yes, Suho isn’t normally that possessive - protective, yes - he never stalks or particularly demands anything out of Jugyeong though.

Okay, before this got too long again, I thank you for reading!

Feel Free To Ask Me Anything

[teenslib]

IT’S FINALLY DONE! Every year, the Rainbow Book List Committee has more books to review, because literature is slowing getting queerer, and children’s and YA lit are at the forefront of that change. This year, our committee of 13 people had to review nearly 500 eligible titles, and 130 (well, 129) were good enough and queer enough to make the list. There were so many terrific books that we got a special dispensation to create TWO Top Ten lists--the first time the committee has done so! The Top Tens are below, and please visit the link above for the full list.

I’m proud of our committee’s focus on diversity--along lines of race, ethnicity, queer identity, and even genre. At least half of the Top Ten Books for Young Readers and seven of the Top Ten for Teen Readers are about characters of color, and most of those were written by authors of color. We also tried to feature as many different letters of the alphabet soup as possible. I’ve noted the racial and LGBTQIA+ rep for the books that I’ve read.

Here are the Top Ten Books for Young Readers:

Ana on the Edge by Sass, A.J. Ages 8 to 12. Sports Fiction/Figure Skating. MC is nonbinary and Jewish-Chinese-American. Ana is a champion figure-skater. She hates her new princess-themed program, but how can she tell her mother that, when it cost so much money? And why does it bother her so much, anyway? When she finds the word ‘nonbinary,’ she realizes why the program doesn’t fit, but she still has a lot of work to do repairing relationships that have suffered in the meantime.

The Deep & Dark Blue by Smith, Niki. Ages 8 to 12. Fantasy. One of 2 MCs is a trans girl, all characters appear to be Southeast Asian. A pair of twins flee after a political coup that puts their lives at risk. They decide to disguise themselves as Hanna and Grayce, two girls living in the Communion of the Blue, an order of weaving women who spin magic like wool. What one twin doesn’t know is that, for the other, being Grayce isn’t a disguise. This is a beautiful story about self-discovery, acceptance, and affirmation.

Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring by Burgess, Matthew and Josh Cochran (Illustrator). Ages 6 to 14. Biography. MC is a white gay man. This colorful picture-book biography traces the life and art of Keith Haring.

The Every Body Book: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families by Simon, Rachel E. and Noah Grigni (Illustrator). Ages 8 to 12. Nonfiction/Health. Various identities and races included. Filled with self-affirming information, The Every Body Book uses inclusive language, illustrations, and facts to cover a number of important topics for young people including consent, relationships, gender, sex, puberty, and hormones.

King and the Dragonflies by Callender, Kacen. Ages 8 to 12. Realistic Fiction. MC is a gay black boy, his best friend is a gay white boy. King’s family–especially his father–have strong opinions about what it means to be a Black man, and they don’t allow for being gay. But King admires his friend Sandy for escaping an abusive home and living his truth no matter what. If King comes out, too, can his father learn to change?

Magic Fish by Nguyen, Trung Le. Ages 12 and up. Realistic Fiction/Fantasy. MC is a gay Vietnamese-American boy. A young Vietnamese-American boy literally can’t find the words to tell his parents that he’s gay, but cross-cultural fairytales help bridge the language barrier in this beautifully-illustrated graphic novel. 

My Maddy by Pitman, Gayle E. and Violet Tobacco (Illustrator). Ages 4-8. Realistic Fiction. MC’s parent is nonbinary, MC and her parent are white. My Maddy is a heartwarming story about a young girl and her parent. Readers learn that not all parents are boys or girls; some parents are just themselves. In this young girl’s case, that parent is her Maddy, a loving, caring parent who lives outside the gender binary.

My Rainbow by Neal, DeShanna, Trinity Neal, and Art Twink (Illustrator). Ages 4-8. Realistic Fiction. MC is an autistic black trans girl. Autistic trans girl Trinity wants to have long hair, but growing it out is too itchy! None of the wigs in the store are quite right, so Mom makes Trinity a special rainbow wig.

Our Subway Baby by Mercurio, Peter and Leo Espinosa (Illustrator). Ages 4 to 8. Adoption Non-fiction. MCs are white gay men, the baby they adopt is Black. Loving illustrations help tell the story of how an infant abandoned in a NYC subway station was adopted by the man who found him and his partner.

Snapdragon by Leyh, Kat. Snapdragon. Ages 10 to 14. Fantasy. Haven’t read this one yet, so I can’t comment on its representation. Snap gets to know the town witch and discovers that she may in fact have real magic and a secret connection to Snap’s family’s past.

And here are the Top Ten Books for Teen Readers:

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by Johnson, George M. Ages 14 to 18. Memoir. Author/MC is a gay Black man. “Memoir-manifesto” is a well-chosen label for this book, which relates stories from the author’s childhood and young adulthood and contextualizes them within a queer Black experience. Although the author’s family is loving and supportive, pervasive heteronormativity, queerphobia, and anti-Black racism threaten his mental, emotional, and physical safety.

Camp by Rosen, L.C. Ages 14 and up. Realistic Fiction. MC and his love interest are gay Jewish boys. For Randy, going away to Camp Outland is a breath of fresh air, a time to be exactly who Randy can’t always be at school. But this year will be different. This year, Randy won’t be the flamboyant theater kid, this year Randy will be exactly the type of bro Hudson would want to date. Changing a thing or too will be necessary for Randy to succeed, even if that means leaving some friends behind.

Cemetery Boys by Thomas, Aiden. Ages 13 and up. Paranormal/Romance. MC is a trans Latino, his love interest is a gay Latino. Yadriel accidentally summons the wrong ghost in an attempt to prove himself a real brujo to his family who struggle to accept his gender identity. Though he thinks he is summoning the ghost of his cousin, he actually summons the ghost of Julian Diaz, and finds himself with not one, but two, mysterious deaths to investigate.

Circus Rose by Cornwell, Betsy. Ages 12 and up. Fantasy. One MC is white and one is mixed-race, one is a lesbian and one is questioning. Ivory and Rosie are twins and half-sisters, born to a bearded woman who refused to choose between her lovers, and raised in their mother’s circus. After a long foreign tour, they come home to find themselves under attack by religious zealots. As tragedy follows tragedy, will Ivory be able to save her circus family?

Elatsoe by Little Badger, Darcie  and Rovina Cai (Illustrator). Ages 12 and up. Mystery. MC is an aro/ace Lipan Apache girl. In this OwnVoices novel, Elatsoe is on a mission to discover who killed her beloved cousin, and why. If not for her cousin, then she is doing this for her people, the Indigenous Lipan Apache tribe. Elatsoe has the ability to raise ghosts from the dead, a tradition that has been passed down through generations. On this journey it will take vulnerability, wit, and the legends of her people for Elatsoe to understand all that is hidden in the small town of Willowbee.

I’ll Be the One by Lee, Lyla. Ages 13 and up. Realistic Fiction. MC is a bi Korean-American girl, her love interest is a bi Korean boy. Skye Shin dreams of becoming the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star, and a reality TV competition may just be her chance. To win, she’ll have to deal with fatphobic beauty standards, fierce competition, and intense media scrutiny–as well as unexpected attraction to one of her competitors.

Miss Meteor by Mejia, Tehlor Kay and Anna-Marie McLemore. Ages 14 and up. Magical Realism. (I haven’t read this one, but I think both MCs are WLW Latinas.) Lita is a star – literally. After falling to earth several years ago, she’s now living life as a teenage girl. When the annual Miss Meteor pageant rolls around, Lita decides to enter – but will her ex-best friend Chicky be willing to help her? Will the pageant help her forget about the past and imagine a new future? Lita learns that winning isn’t about being perfect, it’s about showing your true self to the world – even the parts that no one else understands.

You Should See Me in a Crown by Johnson, Leah. Ages 12 and up. Realistic Fiction. MC is a black WLW (woman-loving-woman). In this affectionate rom-com, Liz Lighty finds herself an unlikely candidate for prom queen at her affluent suburban school. Shy, awkward, Black, and low-income, Liz has never felt like she belonged, and she can’t wait to leave for her dream college. But when her scholarship falls through, it seems her last resort is to win prom queen, and the scholarship money that comes with it. Liz’s plan is complicated when new girl Mack decides to run for prom queen also…and ends up running away with Liz’s heart.

War Girls by Onyebuchi, Tochi.  Ages 12 and up. Science Fiction/Afro-Futurism. Both MCs are Nigerian, one is a WLW. In a not-so-distant future, climate change and nuclear disasters have made much of the earth unlivable. In the midst of war in Nigeria, two sisters, Onyii and Ify, are torn apart and face two very different futures. As their lives progress through years of untold violence and political unrest, battles with deadly mechs and cyborg soldiers outfitted with artificial limbs and organs, they are brought together again and again and must come to terms with how the war has impacted their lives.

When We Were Magic by Gailey, Sarah. Ages 14 and up. Contemporary Fantasy. MC is a white bi/questioning girl with gay dads, her friends are racially, ethnically, and queerily diverse. This firecracker of a novel follows a group of friends who attempt to correct the accidental murder of a classmate. When We Were Magic combines magic, friendship, and awkward moments to create a captivating story. Each character brings their own uniqueness to the strong group of friends, but despite their differences, their loyalty remains. Author Sarah Gailey has written another page turning novel, with the quirky strange content to boot.

[camspam]

Headcanons on what might happen in a Minecraft Story Mode AU where everything's the same, except Jesse is a child (somewhere between 5 and 10, everyone else remains their canon ages) going through all these adventures. We can even assume Olivia and Axel adopted and co-parented Child!Jesse at the start of the story. (Oh, and make Child!Jesse female)

My girlfriend and I actually have an RP on this! But I won’t be using female!Jesse, sorry, since my Jesse uses he/them pronouns and that’s what I’ll be using ::) So unless there’s a very explicit reason as to why Jesse has to be a certain gender, I’d like to stick to my one! But of course, you can imagine all this stuff with female!Jesse if that’s what you wanna do

(Also note that some of these headcanons are technically @arizaluca’s!)

-If we’re taking a bit more of a Minecraft logic view, people in their world grow up as normal until they reach a certain age where they ‘stall-out’ and age much, much slower. When they stall-out varies from person to person, but is usually well after puberty. Greying hair usually comes from stress rather than old age.

-Jesse stalled-out at five.

-Axel and Olivia found Jesse alone in the woods and were unable to ever find their parents, so have taken them on as their honorary baby sibling. At this point, they’re rather certain it would be a good idea for them to never find their parents.

-Aiden bullies Olivia and Axel, but he’s not cruel enough to be a prat to a five year old.

-Gill sneaks Jesse candy when no one’s looking because he’s a sucker for little kids.

-They get Reuben a little saddle and Jesse rides around on him because everyone else has Big Long Legs and they struggle to keep up sometimes

-Petra doesn’t let Jesse accompany her to her deal with Ivor, ‘cause, you know, not really a kiddo thing. But they are one of the first people to find out she was scammed out of a diamond when she goes searching for him, and so hurry off to be A Good Little Bean and get it back for her.

-Ivor is incredibly unimpressed (and somewhat baffled) when a tiny five year old storms up to him while he’s in the middle of reciting his Evil Speech and calls him a meanie for stealing from their friend

-Petra goes back for Lukas and Axel and Olivia take Jesse to speak with Gabriel

-Because Lukas froze and Jesse’s too small (and also were more likely to be plucked up by Axel/Olivia and taken straight through the portal), both Petra and Gabriel are sucked up by the Witherstorm.

-Jesse stays behind with Lukas to fortify while Axel goes to Boom Town and Olivia goes to Redstonia.

-There’s no swordfight in Soren’s library, considering Jesse can’t even lift a sword and Petra isn’t there. Because of this, Ivor doesn’t attack and trap them, and even hears of their plan for the Formidi Bomb. Considering he’s low on ideas himself, he (very) reluctantly decides to tag along.

-Jesse does not like the Grindr.

-They do quite like Soren’s Wool World, though. They end up taking a nap there ‘cause everything’s so comfortable and squishy and they’re exhausted.

-Olivia loses a game of rock, paper, scissors, shoot and ends up being the one to go out to find Soren in the Enderman suit. Ivor has disappeared somewhere.

-Soren takes a quick liking to Jesse. Jesse really likes his singing and dancing. Soren appreciates that.

-Soren and Ivor’s reunion is as awkward as you would expect it to be.

-Ivor takes the Formidi-Bomb.

-He only takes one half of Ellegaard’s armour and one half of Magnus’.

-They find both Petra and Gabriel without their memory. Jesse is upset when Petra doesn’t recognise them.

-Ellegaard and Magnus both survive but are badly injured. They stay behind in the cave while Axel takes the Amulet to lure the Witherstorm.

-Jesse tries telling Petra stories to jog her memory. It doesn’t really work, but she takes a really quick liking to them because of it.

-While they’d been rather grumpy with him for most of the adventure, Jesse slowly takes a liking towards Ivor as they travel to the Farlands. Ivor (and he will never ever admit this) also starts to take a liking to them.

-Ivor gets the cake so Jesse can eat, before staying behind to fend off the witch.

-Jesse ends up alone on the maze wall, but thankfully avoids danger (mostly because of Olivia having a bow and arrow and saving them their amazing fighting skills) and is able to meet up with the others safely.

-Jesse, Soren and Reuben end up stuck together in Ivor’s lab and figure out the puzzles bit by bit- mostly because of Jesse having a good memory (Soren was a little busy being nostalgic)

-Hearing about the Order from Olivia and Axel and all the stories, Jesse practically regarded them as superheroes. To find out they’re frauds is... disappointing for them.

-Ivor adjusts a few things and is able to give Jesse a little set of Baby Armour (tm).

-Ivor goes up into the Witherstorm to destroy the Command Block- instead of staying put like they were supposed to, Jesse and Reuben hop on and end up going with him.

-To say this gives everyone a heart attack is an understatement.

-Ivor’s knocked away and Jesse, riding Reuben, grabs the Weapon to give it to him, only to be grabbed by tentacles.

-Reuben falls.

-Jesse destroys the Command Block.

-They don’t understand why he wouldn’t get up.

-Ivor stays for Jesse.

[fandomrewrites]

Season 3a; Episode 10: The Overlooked

Hello all! Just a few more chapters of season 3a and then I’ll be taking a short hiatus from this story. I’ve been really struggling with motivation but don’t worry, that does not mean I am giving up on writing it! Please answer my pinned post and as alway constructive criticisms is appreciated! Also remember to let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

Season 3a; Episode 10: The Overlooked

Pairings: Scott McCall x Twin Sister, Lydia Martin x Best Friend

Warnings: Just the typical teen wolf things

Word Count: 2,756

Season 3a Masterlist

Stiles, Scott, and I hide in the shadows of Derek's loft. We just finished telling him that our teacher, Jennifer Blake, is the Darach. Not even a minute later the steel door slides open and Ms. Blake calls out, "Derek? Derek, where are you?"

Derek steps out of the dark, "Right here."

She spins around so she can properly face him, "Thank God." She runs over, wrapping the Alpha in a tight hug. "Something happened at the recital. At the school. I need to tell you before you hear it- before you hear any of it from them."

"From who?" Derek asks.

"(Y/N), Scott, Stiles- they're going to tell you things. Things you can't believe. You have to trust me, okay? You trust me."

"What is it?"

"Promise you'll listen to me."

"I promise." Ms. Blake presses her lips to Derek's right after the words leave his mouth. When he doesn't kiss back she pulls away.

"They're already here, aren't they?" The three of us step out of our hiding spot. Ms. Blake backs away, like she's afraid of us. "So they told you it was me? That I'm the one taking people?"

"We told him you're the one killing people." Scott corrects.

"Oh, that's right. Committing human sacrifices. Cutting their throats? I probably do it during my lunch hour. That way I can get back to teaching high school English the rest of the day. That makes perfect sense."

"Where's my dad?" Stiles shakily asks.

"How would I know? Derek, tell me you don't believe this."

"Do you know what happened to Stiles' father?" Derek questions.

"No. I have no idea."

"Well, how about why you almost killed Lydia?" I ask, my glare hardening.

"Lydia Martin? I don't know anything about that."

"What do you know?" Derek snaps.

"I know these three teenagers, for whatever misguided reason, are filling your head with an absurd story. One they can't prove, by the way."

"What if we could?" Scott asks, stopping Ms. Blake from continuing her rant.

She looks away from Derek and back over to Scott, finally noticing the vial in his hand. "What is that?"

"Mistletoe. My boss told me it's a poison and a cure. Which means you can use it, but it can also be used against you." Scott throws the mistletoe at Ms. Blake. She raises her hands but we can all still see how her face changes to show the slashed face of the Darach.

Derek flinches like he was punched then as soon as the dust settles he rushes towards Ms. Blake, grabbing her by her throat. "No, Derek wait- wait, just wait. You need me."

"What are you?" Derek asks through gritted teeth.

"The only person who can save your sister." Derek freezes, "Call Peter. Call him."

Once Derek is off the phone with Peter he starts squeezing Jennifer's throat harder. "Derek? What are you doing?" Scott questions.

Jennifer chokes out, "Her life- it's in my hands."

"Stop. Derek, stop." Stiles calls out.

"Stilinski-you'll never find him."

"Derek, enough!" I yell at the Alpha, hoping he'll listen to me.

Finally he releases his grip, "That's right. You need me. All of you."

 *_*_*_*_*_*

 In Stiles' jeep, we follow Derek's car to the hospital. "We're going to find your Dad." Scott says.

"Alive." I add.

Stiles sighs, "How do we know he's not already..."

"He's not. We're going to find him." Scott reassures.

"Something feels wrong about this. We proved it to Derek, but she had this look like it didn't matter. Like it was all still going according to plan. You saw it, didn't you?"

Scott reluctantly nods as I answer, "Yeah, and I have a feeling."

"You have a feeling?"

"I have a feeling." I confirm.

"Danger sense?" Scott asks.

"It- it's not the danger sense. More like a pre- danger sense. I know something bad is going to happen but it doesn't feel like someone's going to die."

"Well, that could be a good thing."

I shrug, "It could be."

 *_*_*_*_*_*

 Once at the hospital Stiles parks the jeep beside Derek's car. The hospital is in a frenzy due to people evacuating because of the storm. Stiles pulls a wooden baseball bat out of his car, causing Scott and I to pause. "You got claws. I got a bat."

We enter the hospital through a side door, stopping when we hear our mom call, "(Y/N), Scott?" We turn to look at her as she continues, "What are you doing here? The hospital's evacuating." 

"We're here for Cora." Scott answers.

"All of you? And why does Stiles have a bat?"

"Mom, trust me on this. You need to get out of here. Right now." 

She looks past Scott and I to see Derek holding on to Jennifer, "The building is supposed to be clear in thirty minutes. We've got two more ambulances coming back. One is ten minute's out. The other's twenty. Cora needs to be on one of those. They'll be picking up in the basement garage."

"Got it, be safe." I say, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"You too." She whispers, watching us walk away.

In the elevator we all keep a close eye on Jennifer. "You don't need to keep me on a leash, Derek. I'm going to help." We all stay silent, Derek still tightly gripping her upper arm.

One we step out of the elevator Derek lets go of Jennifer to look for his sister. Instead of seeing Cora and Peter we see an empty bed and black throw up on the floor. "Derek." Scott calls, gesturing in the direction of the black drops.

We carefully walk towards the double doors, but before we can push them open a body soars through them. Groaning, Peter looks up, "We got a problem." He turns his attention back towards who attacked him, "Big problem." Through the doors are the twins in their combined Alpha form.

 *_*_*_*_*_*

 Derek, Scott, and I all quickly switch to our werewolf forms. I try and attack but am quickly overpowered. The twins throw me into the wall, "Ethan, Aiden-stop. You don't know what you're doing." Scott says.

"All we want is her." The twins say, gesturing towards Jennifer, who is slipping back into the elevator.

"That bitch." I grunt out as I shove myself off the floor. We all quickly run away from the twins. We run behind Stiles, Peter, and an unconscious Cora, who is being carried in Peter’s arms. 

Stiles, trying to be helpful, decides to try and take the twins by surprise. He hides next to the door and once the twins walk through he swings the bat at their face. The bat breaks as it comes in contact with their cheek.

The twins turn towards Stiles, who now has a look of pure horror on his face, and roars. Stiles begins to take steps back to put as much distance between himself and the twins as possible. 

I hear Scott say to Derek, "Give me a lift." Then a few seconds later Scott is flying through the air, ripping out the light fixture, and sending it to land on the twins head.

I quickly grab a hold of Stiles, getting him to run with me away from the twins. 

 *_*_*_*_*_*

 Peter and Stiles rush into an operating room. Derek, Scott and I are right behind them. "Where's the big guy?" Peter asks once he puts Cora down.

"Close." Derek states.

"What about Ms. Blake?" Stiles questions.

Scott and I shake our heads, "The last I saw her she was getting into the elevator." I answer.

"What? Like she's gone?" Stiles asks.

"Quiet." Derek scolds.

"Me by quiet? You're telling me what to do? When your psychotic mass murdering girlfriend- the second one you've dated by the way- has my dad tied up somewhere waiting to be ritually sacrificed?"

I walk over to Stiles and gently grab his face, "Hey, hey. He's going to be alright. I promise. Just breath, okay?"

"You can't promise that, (Y/N/N)."

"I just did. And I don't break my promises." Stiles swallows and nods.

From behind me, Scott asks Peter, "Is she really dying?"

"She's definitely not getting any better." Peter answers, looking down at his niece. As Peter answers, I finally let go of Stiles’ face so we can both properly listen in to the conversation.

"There has to be something we can do. We have to help her."

"You can't." We all turn to the new voice. Jennifer is back, standing on the opposite side of the room, "Only I can. I can save her and I can tell you where Sheriff Stilinski is. But there's a pack of Alpha's in this hospital who want me dead. I'll help you only when I'm out of here and safe. Only then."

Derek instantly tries to attack her but Scott stops him. "Derek, wait-"

"She was trying to get out."

"I was trying to keep from getting killed. You can't blame me for that." Jennifer argues.

"You want to show us you're one of the good guys?" Stiles asks, he then points to Cora, "Heal her."

"Not until I'm safe."

"That doesn't seem fair. We need two things from you yet you only need one from us. How do we know that the minute we get you to safety you won't just take off?" I ask.

Jennifer shakes her head, "I've never met a Zeta before but if they're anything like you I really hope I don't meet anymore."

"Yeah, well this Zeta isn't particularly fond of you either."

"I'd like to volunteer a different method of persuasion." Peter pipes up, "How about we torture her?"

"Works for me." Derek replies.

At the same time I say, "Sounds like a plan."

Before we get the chance to act on our threat, the PA system crackles to life. "Um... Can I have your attention."

"Mom?" I whisper.

"Mr. Deucalion- excuse me, just Deucalion- requests you bring the woman calling herself Jennifer Blake to the ER reception. Do this and everyone else can leave. You have ten minutes."

"He's not going to hurt her." Jennifer says the second the PA clicks off.

"Shut up." Derek snaps.

"He won't. Scott, you know why. Tell them it's true."

"What does she mean?" 

"Scott?" I ask, looking at my twin.

"You're not the only one he wants in his pack." Jennifer continues. "Deucalion doesn't just want an Alpha pack. He wants perfection. That means adding the rarest of Alphas to his ranks."

"A True Alpha." Peter says, a look of awe on his face.

"What's that?" Stiles asks.

"The kind that doesn't have to steal the power from another. The kind that can rise by their own force of will. Our little Scott."

"It doesn't matter." Scott says, he nods to Jennifer, "We still have to get her out of here."

Jennifer smirks, "You don't realize that it's not just you he wants." 

"What's that supposed to mean? Why would he want-" I pause, cutting myself off. "He wants me?"

Jennifer nods, "Took you long enough to figure it out. You may not be an Alpha, but Zeta's are incredibly powerful. And if he can find an Alpha for you to kill, maybe even sacrificing one of his own, you'll be even stronger."

There's a brief pause, Scott finally breaks it, "We need a plan to get her out of here."

"But your mom-" Stiles tries to argue.

"My mom said there was one more ambulance coming in twenty minutes. I don't think we've been here that long. If we could get down to the garage, we could get that last ambulance and get out of here."

"The twins aren't going to just let us walk out the door." Peter states.

"I'll distract them."

"You mean fight them." Derek says.

"Whatever I have to do."

"I'll help."

"Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere without you, Derek." Ms. Blake interrupts.

"I'll do it. But I'd prefer going out there with an advantage." Peter says.

"What's that mean? Like a weapon?" Stiles asks.

"Something better than a baseball bat, yes." We quickly start looking around the room trying to find something that Peter could use to aid him in the fight against the twins. 

Stiles raises a set of defibrillator paddles, "Do you even know how to use those?" Derek asks.

"No." Stiles replies.

"Then put them down."

"Epinephrine?" Scott asks, holding up a syringe with a clear liquid inside.

"That would just make them stronger," I answer, not looking up from my search.

I only stop looking around when I hear Peter ask, "How strong?"

 *_*_*_*_*_*

 Stiles and I lead Jennifer and Derek, with a still unconscious Cora, through the garage. "It's still here." Stiles states when he sees the ambulance parked.

Derek places his sister down on the gurney then walks over to Jennifer who just called his name. Stiles and I then hear Kali calling for Ms. Blake, though she calls her Julia, the name that Jennifer used to go by.

I quickly push Stiles into the back of the ambulance then hop in behind him, shutting the doors. I put a finger to my lips telling him to stay quiet.

When I know that Kali, Derek, and Jennifer are gone I look at Stiles, "Lock the doors behind me."

"(Y/N), what are you-" I don't let him finish the question though because I am already out of the door and moving heading back into the hospital.

Rushing inside, I strain my ears to hear anyone that is on my side. I tilt my head, listening to some people talking. I quickly realize that it's Isaac, Allison, and Mr. Argent and make my way to them. 

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask as I walk about behind them.

Argent turns around quickly, his gun aimed at my head. "Woah, just me." I state, raising my hands in surrender. 

Argent lowers the gun. "Don't sneak up on us next time."

"Noted. But seriously why are you here? The hospital is supposed to be evacuated and it's really not safe here with the Alpha pack on a rampage."

Allison opens her mouth to explain but before she can we hear Scott, "Allison?"

All together now Scott explains to us that Jennifer and Derek are stuck in the elevator. "So they're essentially trapped?" Argent asks.

Scott nods. "There's no way to get them out without turning the power back on?" Isaac questions.

"Wait, when the power's back on, they'll hear the elevator moving, right?" Mom asks.

"And they'll be on Jennifer and Derek as soon as it stops. we can't get into a fight with them."

"We need a distraction." I say.

"You've got us now." Argent replies.

"It's too much of a risk. They want her dead. And if she dies, there's nothing we can do about Stiles' dad or Cora."

"What if she's lying though? She could be just saying we need her so that we help her." Everyone looks at me with looks of wonder, "What? It's what I would do."

"I am so happy you're not the bad guy. You would be like an evil genius." Allison says, shaking her head with a small smile on her lips.

"I don't even think I know which teacher this is." Argent states.

"She's got brown hair, kind of hot." Isaac starts. We all throw him looks that pretty much say 'what the hell', "Just an observation."

"I've got an idea." Allison says.

 *_*_*_*_*_*

 Scott and I rush to meet Derek and Jennifer at the open elevator doors. But we stop in shock when we see an unconscious Derek. "Mom." We both whisper together, eyes widening at the realization that Jennifer was in fact lying to us.

"Go!" I scream at Scott. He rushes up to the roof to try and stop Jennifer from taking our mom while I rush to Derek trying to get him to wake up.

"Scott! Scott, wait!" I hear Stiles yell from behind me.

"Why are you here? I thought you were with Cora?" I ask as Stiles makes his way to me.

"They're getting out of here, we need to stop Scott." 

"What? Stiles-" I yell after him, but he doesn't listen as he chases Scott up the stairs.

I shake my head but turn away, trying to wake Derek up once more.

~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist:  @crazy-fan-101 @rogershoe @judayyyw

[mordoriscalling]

48 Weeks (1/4)

Throughout the 48 weeks that Geralt and Jaskier spend apart, their relationship develops.

Aka, part 3 of the Singer and the Sailor AU no one asked for but I wrote anyway. The events of this story happen after Stay or Sail Away but before Homecoming. Warnigns: some sexual content ahead! 

Weeks 1-12

Week 1

The memory of everyone he left behind is still fresh in his mind. He clearly recalls how he embraced Ciri and Yen for the last time. The hugs were short but his daughter and ex-wife know that he needs to grow distanced before deployment. It hurts less this way.

Jaskier was there to say goodbye too, but it was different with him. He has no idea how all of this works, and they only had mere three weeks to enjoy each other’s company. They tried to make best of it but Geralt still wanted to detach himself in the last week. Jaskier reacted with panic and kept asking if he’d done something wrong.

The only wrong Jaskier’s ever done was to appear in Geralt’s life just like that, waltzing past his walls and defences with laughable ease. Jaskier is loud and bright, almost unbearably so, and everything is suddenly too dark and quiet when he isn’t there.

Geralt didn’t use to mind dark and quiet. He rather enjoyed them, in fact. Now, as he waits for Jaskier’s first video call, he’s vaguely annoyed that he allowed Jaskier to influence him like this in such a short period of time. The change is small but significant and he shouldn’t have let it happen, not so fast.

But then Jaskier’s face appears on the screen, his face lit up by a brilliant smile, and any negative thoughts suddenly fly out of Geralt’s mind.

“Hi, handsome,” Jaskier purrs.

“Hello,” Geralt replies.  

“I must say,” Jaskier goes on in low voice, “the sight of you in the uniform does certain... things to me.”

Geralt looks down at his clothes with a bemused frown. He’s wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt with shoulder pads showing his rank, a black tie and black trousers. It’s nothing special. He has no idea what Jaskier sees but what he does know is that Jaskier’s gaze on him is distracting, so Geralt decides to change the subject. Clearing his throat, he asks, “How are you?”

Jaskier beams as if he asked the best possible question.

Week 2

“How the first two weeks on the ship have been?”

“Busy,” Geralt answers truthfully.

“And?” Jaskier prompts, after a moment of silence.

Geralt sighs, irritated. “And there’s a lot of work to do and some chaos, like always at the beginning.”

Jaskier chuckles. “This will have to suffice for now, but know this, White Wolf: I will get all your stories out of you.”

Geralt rolls his eyes and asks, “How are you?”

There’s that smile again.

Week 3

“How are you?”

Jaskier’s grin is blinding as he answers, “Honestly, Geralt, you’re just so sweet.”

Geralt grunts. Jaskier has to be mentally challenged in some way, to think that the basic human decency which Geralt displays is some kind of special gesture. (Or have had unpleasant experiences with past relationships but that doesn't seem right. Who would treat Jaskier like that?)

He only asks Jaskier about how he’s doing the first moment he can. It’s not much but Jaskier appears to think it is. Geralt’s not going to correct him, not when it makes Jaskier smile like that.

Week 4

“I wrote you a song.”

Geralt doesn’t know what to say to that.

“I’ll send you the recording, just tell me what you think.”

He only nods. As he listens to the song after they hang up, he can’t find any words to describe it. The beautiful lyrics tell a story of lovers camping in a forest, and Jaskier’s voice conveys so many emotions that Geralt’s chest aches.

Before the knows it, he listens to the song every evening, then it keeps replaying in his mind at all times. Jaskier’s voice is there with him, luring him towards thoughts that he shouldn’t entertain, and it all affects him in a way he struggles to express.

Week 5

“Thank you, siren.”

It’s the only words he’s found. Somehow, they seem to be enough for Jaskier.

Week 6

Jaskier is leaving on tour tomorrow, his first international one. He has a lot to say, but not necessarily on that topic.

“It turns out my agent and your ex-wife are friends from uni. I hate it, Geralt. I don’t want them to get along. I have a feeling I’m gonna have little say in my own life from now on.”

Geralt acknowledges Jaskier’s despair with a grunt that is barely noticed because Jaskier chatters on, “The only thing I’d hate more would be you knowing Triss too.”

Geralt frowns. There’s only one Triss he knows. “Triss Merigold?”

There’s a stunned pause and then, “What the fuck, Geralt –”

Week 7

Jaskier is in Europe now and Geralt is somewhere on the Atlantic but he can’t say anything else. Jaskier seems tired but Geralt finds out that it doesn’t make him any less talkative.

“I’m still not over the fact that you were right there the whole time –”

“Jaskier –”

“ – just two introductions away!” A huff. “Hey Jaskier,” he pitches his voice high, imitating how a woman would sound rather well, “do you know my friend Yennefer? Oh, and here’s her ex-husband, who’s gonna ruin you for other men, women, and everyone in between and outside of that spectrum.”

Geralt snorts.

“I could’ve had you for so much longer,” Jaskier laments, “But actually, I wouldn’t have, because it seems I’d have had no idea about your existence at all if not for Lambert? Those two introductions were possible for five goddamn years that Triss has been my agent but apparently, that’s not enough time for it to happen –”

“Jaskier,” Geralt sighs. He needs some sleep and rest. He misses home, already.

“Yes, dear?” Jaskier asks.

Geralt does want to tell him to shut up but Jaskier’s eyes are too distracting, so what comes out of his mouth is, “Sing something.”

Jaskier obliges with the brightest of smiles.

Week 8

“We can’t –”

“I know,” Jaskier replies, “but that’s the thrill of it, don’t you think, darling?”

Geralt clenches his jaw, breathing heavily. The temptation is so strong he almost trembles, like a bloody teenager. Memories don’t work in his favour now – he still remembers Jaskier’s scent, how his skin, mouth and cum tastes. It sets his nerves on fire, and it takes every ounce of his self-control not to start palming himself through his trousers as Jaskier keeps talking in that damned husky voice.

“You know... your moans are the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.”

He bites down at his lip, hard.

“Moan for me, Geralt.”

Geralt does.

Week 9

It’s been more than two months and gloomy silence hangs between them as they stare at each other through the screen.

“Tell me something funny,” Jaskier says.

Geralt searches for any memory of the kind in his mind. When he finally finds it, he launches into the story, “There was that time when me, Eskel and Lambert went out and got so drunk that we blacked out. Next thing we know, we’re in some stranger’s flat, and Lambert’s wearing actual handcuffs, his hand tied to the guy’s ankle.”

“What?!”

“Yeah. We couldn’t find the keys to uncuff them anywhere and we couldn’t pick the lock either. Me and Eskel had to get clippers to set them free. We still have no idea how we got there.”

Jaskier starts chortling.

“That’s how Lambert met his boyfriend Aiden. They’ve been together for seven years now.”

Jaskier keeps cackling. When Geralt realises that listening to that – probably the most inelegant sound he’s ever heard in his life – warms him to his very core because it’s Jaskier’s laugh, there’s only one thought on his mind.

Fuck.

Week 10

“Another song?”

“Yes,” Jaskier admits, looking almost embarrassed, “I hope you like it.”

“Hmm.”

He knows he will. When he listens to the recording, he quickly finds out he wasn’t wrong. The song is more lively and dramatic than the first one, expressing the wonder of watching your lover move, and it feels like a promise. It makes Geralt look beyond the sea.  

Week 11

“Thank you for the song, siren.”

Jaskier sighs in a love-sick way. “I wish I could kiss you right now. Have got the slightest idea what I’d do to you?”

Geralt smirks. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Jaskier moans and goes on to describe his fantasy in vivid detail.

Week 12

Geralt toys with the gold wolf signet as he waits for Jaskier’s call and tries not to drown in grim thoughts.

Being away from his family starts getting hard. The worst period of deployment begins – he hasn’t been away from home long enough to forget but just enough to miss his loved ones terribly and not be able to get over it. The very second his thoughts wander away from work at hand, he remembers Ciri’s laugh, Yen’s smile, his brother’s embraces and father’s gruffness.

Then there’s Jaskier, with his bloody bright smiles, charm, quick wit and endearing... everything. He makes it so much harder.

They should’ve just parted ways, Geralt muses. They shouldn’t have exchanged their “engagement rings” for safekeeping to give them back to each other after Geralt returns like it’s some ridiculous romance novel.

Jaskier’s ridiculous like that, though, and Geralt’s still hasn’t learnt to say no to him.

When Jaskier greets him cheerfully and asks him about how he’s doing, a smile tugs at Geralt’s lips as he answers, “Better now.”

Part 2

***

A/N: you can also read this on AO3. 

The first song that Jaskier writes is in Icelandic IRL (and it’s so goddamn beautiful) but even the English lyrics are just so stunning, I can 100% imagine Jaskier singing that:  This night is ours, spring in the forrest air Let’s pitch our tent among the berries over there. Lead me, my dearest, to the grove of yesterday Where the brook kindly whispers and the birches sway. Light locks in motion, lingering emotion A rose scented breeze from the Fae Dew drops glitter, the dale is quiet and fair Dreams coming true for lovers sleeping there Heather blushing in the evening sun’s last ray The cool quiet night comes after a perfect day Light locks in motion, lingering emotion A rose scented breeze from the Fae

[bioware-bard]

Get To Know Your Characters: writing Dorian Pavus

Oh, crap. 

I may have made a mistake deciding to write a Dragon Age: Inquisition fanfic. My main focus while creating the story had been my two OC’s: Kaelyn and Aiden. They’re far easier to write because they’ve been talking in my head for a while and I already know them. When it comes to the characters from the game, I’m struggling. 

I’m listening to party banter on YouTube, but it still doesn’t quite work. So I’ve tasked myself to write some short pieces to try and get all the characters to sound like they should. Since I haven’t written in ages and I’m still rusty, it’s a good exercise to get that special flow back that I used to have; that space where I see the scene in my mind and I don’t truly realize I’m writing until the scene ends and I blink my eyes. 

The first of (probably) many, here’s my first attempt at writing Dorian alongside my OC Kaelyn.

A Scholarly Morning

“Kaelyn!” Dorian greeted her when he spotted her. “Up here again so soon? I know being in my company is simply amazing, but really - you should go outside a bit more.” He sat down in the chair across from her, resting his left foot on his right knee.

Kaelyn pulled her eyes away from the page she was reading and smiled up at him. “Good morning, Dorian.”

He lifted the cover of her book up with the tip of his finger, quickly reading the title. “Researching the Blight, are you?”

She nodded, placing a feather in between the pages before she closed the book. “You know how Aiden went into the Deep Roads and found a Titan?”

Dorian nodded his head enthusiastically. “Yes, he told me,” he said, leaning back in his chair and steepling his hands in front of his chest. “It’s absolutely fascinating and world-altering!”

“Did Aiden also tell you about Bianca’s findings on red lyrium?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Varric’s crossbow studied lyrium?”

Kaelyn laughed, her eyes sparkling. He couldn’t help but grin back. “No, smart arse,” she said, grinning. “His friend Bianca... whom he named his crossbow for.”

He shook his head, chuckling. “I haven’t heard, no. What did she say?”

She bent forward over the table and whispered excitedly, “She said red lyrium has the Blight, Dorian. And from what we learned about Titans...”

“Lyrium is a Titan’s blood,” Dorian said, awe in his voice. “Lyrium is alive and thus, it can get infected with the Blight.” He sounded astounded even to himself.

“And becomes red lyrium,” Kaelyn whispered.  

Please, feel free to let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcome! 

And yes, that is the end of this short scene. I hadn’t thought any further about red lyrium and Titans past this point. Will I incorporate it into La Soeur du Héraut? Maybe, but probably in a different way. Kaelyn loves spending time in the library so if Dorian is at Skyhold, they’ll probably talk more than once. :)