#it was the most important info about him that writers wanted us to know

[who-dat-homeless]

Data is agender. She's a boytoy. He's a girlfailure. But most importantly They FUCK

[fromevertonow]

Suzanne Collins is one of the few contemporary writers who realizes the importance of names in her stories and the significance they bear. They add so many layers to the story, additional meanings that otherwise would not have existed.

The original trilogy:

Katniss: named after a plant of which you can eat the roots. Her father taught her where to find it and told her that “as long as you can find yourself, you’ll survive” (quote may be a little bit off, but it’s from one of the early chapters in THG). Additionally, the leaves are in the shape of an arrowhead, referencing her skills with the bow which her father also taught her how to use.

Peeta: literally bread lmao. But bread is one of the basic nutritions humans need, a little bit goes a long way to keep you alive. Peeta’s presence in Katniss’s life also kept her alive, literally and figuratively—the burned bread he threw her in the flashback and their complicated relationship.

Primrose: a plant with medicinal purposes, even more significant in light of her work as a medic in Mockingjay.

Gale: literally means “strong wind” and considering that in every encounter with Katniss he’s caused some reaction, he pulls her into directions she maybe initially doesn’t want to go in. Additionally, his name also represents his determination and steadfastness in his beliefs.

TBOSAS

Lucy Gray: named after William Wordsworth’s poem “Lucy Gray” which is about the titular character of the poem who got lost during a blizzard. She literally got lost in snow. Rachel Zegler sang this poem in two parts on the original soundtrack of the movie. When Snow asked who the girl in the song is, Lucy answers that she’s a mystery, just like her.

Snow: aside from the obvious snow references, I think his name is most significant in relation to Lucy and the poem. The only one who knows what caused her disappearance is Snow. He is the reason that Lucy is gone. But her traces in the snow are still visible. He will always remember her because the memory of Lucy has manifested itself in every part of his life.

Coriolanus: named after the Roman general (and also the titular character of Shakespeare’s play), Coriolanus wanted to attack Rome and become its ruler. He was scorned and celebrated by the people, only to be later exiled from the city by them. In TBOSAS, Coriolanus is the star pupil at the Capitol’s academy but sent into exile to the districts after he won the Games with Lucy through cheating.

Volumnia: Coriolanus mother who played a part in his ascent to power. In TBOSAS, she almost serves like a mentor to Coriolanus, teaching him how to think in terms of power.

(Edit) Sejanus: a roman soldier who was betrayed by the roman emperor Tiberius, just like the future president betrayed him.

(Edit) Plinth: got this info from here, but it was too good not to include here. A plinth is a base for a statue or vase to stand on. After Sejanus’s death, all of the Plinth fortune was given to Snow for being such a good to friend him. It was this money that skyrocketed the Snow family from poverty to filthy rich. The Plinth money was the foundation upon which Snow built his power.

There are so many other names that have historical (mostly Roman and Greek) connotations—Plutarch, Seneca, Cinna—but also regular names like Trinket and Beetee bear meanings that represent the character beautifully.

Names are important. For any lover of literature or (aspiring) writers, please look closely at them. They can shape your story into something unique.

Feel free to correct me if I’ve said something wrong. I know there are many names missing, but I can only add so many examples ✊🏻😔

[writingwithfolklore]

The Exposition Dump is a Myth (sort of)

There's a reason you're often told to avoid the exposition dump (kills the pacing of the scene, can be boring to read), but I might argue you never actually need it.

That’s because good exposition does two things:

1. It comes in the moment it is necessary

Backstory is told the very moment it is necessary information to tell, rather than to set up when it will be important. That means we don’t know what the neighbour does for work until we see her going to work. We don’t need to know about the town next over until we’re walking into it. We shouldn’t know about the bad things the mother has done until she’s right in front of us.

This is because information that doesn’t have direct relevance to readers is easier to forget and not that interesting. Every piece of exposition you share has to have direct, immediate relevance to the situation.

But better yet…

2. It’s shown through action and conflict

Good exposition isn’t told to the reader in a big chunk but rather explored through action or conflict. It can be as simple as this change:

“Mandy worked most of the day as a nurse at the local hospital.”

To

“Mandy rushed past him, dressed in her typical blue scrubs. She offered him weak smile, deep bags hanging under her eyes, before darting out the door and slamming it closed behind her.”

From this change we demonstrate the same info but in a more interesting way that ultimately reveals more about Mandy’s character. Plus, it trusts the reader to put together that Mandy is very busy at her job at a hospital rather than telling them directly.

Instead of telling the reader that the city is dangerous at night, catch them three blocks from their car as the sun quickly sets. Through action or conflict, we not only learn the information you want us to know, but we can explore who the character is based off how they act and react across different situations.

So, no, you don’t really need an exposition dump. If there is no point in your story where information comes up naturally in a moment it’s relevant and can be told through action or conflict—it’s probably unnecessary and could be cut out.

That being said, many works (even professionally published) use exposition dumps, and sometimes very well! So as always, it's up to the writer.

What are your thoughts on exposition?

[canonicallyobserving911]

Both T.K.'s were/are bad for Buck!

Unpopular opinion: Since the start of the hiatus, it's been interesting to see all the takes on the two separate but equally bad BT relationships (BuckTaylor and BuckT*mmy). Both T.K.'s were/are PLOT DEVICES!

Some have posted that Taylor and Buck could have been endgame when her character was clearly written to be anything but that. She became completely unrecognizable by 5x6 especially in 5x7 when she had practically a whole episode dedicated to her arrested development of a childhood and she got more screen time in season 5 than most of the mains, i.e., Eddie, Bobby and Chimney!

But I digress...

I completed a post about the two T.K.'s before 7x4 aired and I said it then, I don't think T*mmy has changed one bit the same way Taylor didn't and I still believe that.

Back in seasons 4 and 5 most people hated the way Taylor treated Buck. She called him needy in 4x8 and in 4x14 and 5x17, she talked to him the same way Margaret still does (related post & post). She got worse in season 5 especially when she promised him that she wouldn't leak that story about Jonah and she told Hen and Chimney it was "off the record". Reminder, Buck got interrogated by Chief Alonzo for that.

Also, TAYLOR WAS NEVER IN LOVE WITH HIM. Please understand just because a person says "I love you" to someone, that doesn't make it true. She didn't know what love was and neither did Buck. Reminder, he didn't define what love means to him until 5x18, right before he broke up with her (related post) and his definition was SOLELY ABOUT EDDIE! (When you're at your worst and they're at their worst...)

But it's sarcastically hilarious how two seasons later and Buck haphazardly falls into another IDK, whatever the "F" he's in with T*mmy and opinions about the way Taylor treated Buck have completely changed. She's being held up as his most important and long lasting relationship. While it's true she was there for an entire season, their relationship was toxic and Buck was UNHAPPY the entire time he was in the loft with her. Some are saying she could have been it for Buck if the WrItErS would have written better storylines for her. Additionally, there are several who think they would have been good friends or BeStiEs but be clear, Taylor and Buck were never friends, they were Frienemies which means they used each other to get what they wanted. It started out like that in season 2 and it ended the same way.

Fast forward to season 7 and T*mmy's being written the same way she was and their characters are so much alike that it's uncanny. She kissed Buck in his loft and ran and T*mmy did the same thing. But some takes have indicated that T*mmy is worse than Taylor but I beg to differ because IMO, they were/are both BAD FOR BUCK. T*mmy is just as dismissive, rude, annoying, belittling and obnoxious if not more than Taylor was and they've both said horrible things to him. Just because he's a man doesn't make it worse or better because Taylor and T*mmy are both $hitty characters for him.

Neither of the T.K.'s appeared/appear to even like Buck and all they wanted/want to do was/is use him for his "Firehose". They've both been rude to him and they've both had undeserved redemption arcs. But remember Taylor really wasn't actually redeemed (related post) and by the end of 5x17, she showed the audience who she really was, a third rate journalist who was still trying to climb the corporate ladder so she could be an anchorwoman (which she never attained but she did write a raggedy book and it seems she used Buck and the 118 to get the info she put in it).

Since T*mmy didn't get a proper redemption, it's clear he hasn't been redeemed either and it's likely he hasn't changed. Hen and Chimney don't trust him, Maddie doesn't like him and EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW how Eddie feels about both of them.

HE HATES THEM AND HIS EYES ARE ALWAYS THE WINDOWS TO HIS SOUL. THEY NEVER LIE!

By the end of season 5, Taylor showed the audience she hadn't changed when she threw the entire 118 under the bus just like she wanted to do in 2x6 when they were all "Dosed" and it's likely the new T.K. will do the same thing now that his father figure Gerard is back.

One more thing, Taylor's dad was convicted of killing her mother and T*mmy doesn't get along with his dad so WTF are they trying to say about Buck and the way he sees his own parents? I still don't believe Phillip is Buck's bio dad but hey... the Buckleys got an undeserved redemption arc too just like a lot of others.

#FreeBuckFromTheseHorribleLoveInterests

I ONLY SHIP BUDDIE!

DO NOT REBLOG THIS POST WITH AN OPPOSING OPINION. IF YOU LIKE EITHER BT RELATIONSHIP THEN WRITE A POST ON YOUR BLOG AND GUSH OVER THESE TRAIN WRECK RELATIONSHIPS!

IF YOU TRY IT, YOU'LL BE BLOCKED!

[kaija-rayne-author]

13th review in series of Dragon Age Veilguard

98 steam hours logged, 84 game hours logged on final save, (the listing in the game itself) actual gameplay hours (-2 for time in CC) either 96 or 82... depending.

14 hour discrepancy between game logged hours and steam logged hours is likely how much trouble the game gave me in loading, reloading, glitching, and crashing. Do I get to charge Bioware for those lost hours of my life?

Obligatory disclaimer, feel free to skip it if you've read it.

Something came to my attention. I need to make it crystal clear that I utterly love the diversity in DAV. It's fantastic. I'm also a heavily left leaning, non-binary, queer as fuck reviewer, editor, and author.

I'm on media blackout while I play this, so I'm only getting second-hand info on how awful it is right now in the DA Fandom. Please be safe and take care of yourselves. Arguing with incels and white supremacists is completely pointless. They sea lion worse than an actual sea lion. Your mental health is important.

Though., every single time the anti-queer brigade comes out for a new DA game, I sit there thinking 'have you bozos ever played any DA game, like, ever?' My guess is nope.

Spoilers for Dragon Age Veilguard and everything else DA, I'm a Lore fiend.

My pithy pre-end sequence commentary.

Section 12 here.

END GAME SPOILERS

End game spoilers for BG3 too.

13 is my lucky number, but even that couldn't save it. I can't think of a single thing that can save this disaster of a game. I'll write a more professional wrap-up review post too, this is my reaction portion.

I've finished the final sequence of the game. Sat through the credits of probably a thousand people who worked on this piece of shit and still thought it releasable. AND saw the 'easter egg/future game possibility scene'. My kid said I got a hint of hope back in my eyes for about 10 seconds when that final scene popped up then the light faded again. Apparently the 'long slow horrified stare of death' was all over my face again.

Loading in, I dreaded everything I was about to see. Veilguard had already disappointed me in so many ways. I didn't have any hope the final sequence would be any better.

It wasn't as bad as I expected. It was worse. Yes. Honestly.

In all fairness (even if I really don't want to be fair right now) the last sequence does contain some of the best material in the game. If they'd actually written the rest of it with that kind of passion it probably would've been a better game. But that doesn't actually make it good. And how any average person makes it to the final sequence is beyond me. I'm stuck in bed. I've got an excuse.

So. I expected it to be long. That part didn't bother me that much. Most Dragon Age games have long final sequences.

The positive! Ummmm? Oh! I actually did get an intimate scene with Lucanis. His timing stinks but whatever. I did actually get one. I mean, it was one your aunt who's a nun probably wouldn't have found racey, but it exists! Dude. It's 2024, there's this cool toggle function you can click off if you don’t want nudity. It's a Mature rated game and I'm pretty sure most of us know what sex is. Give paying customers what they want!

My least favourite character died.

I called it on Solas killing Varric in the first scene. Interesting twist they did with that, though. Told y'all. I didn't want it to happen either, but the writing was on the wall in great big letters in drippy red paint from the second they fired Mary Kirby (Varric's writer.) In case you want more details than snark on that? Varric did indeed die when Solas stabbed him in the beginning. What you see throughout the game is Solas messing with Rook's mind because Solas needs Rook to work with him. Varric died before the story actually started. That last line of his 'take care of the team' told me. But I got taken in by the twist too. Bet that was a Weekes twist. 'It’s right in front of you the whole time.'

Elgar'nan made a WAY better final boss fight than Coryphyfish.

I did legitimately love watching Teia and Viago fight as crows. That was a really awesome section. (They're two of my favourite characters from Tevinter Nights.)

The bad.

There is no way for me to list it all. So here's the highlight reel.

Varric died.

They lifted almost the entire final battle sequence from BG3. The tentacle they have to climb to the fancy building in the sky. People falling and almost dying by tumbling down the tentacle, having to fight through said self-destructing fancy building in the sky... I know you can't copyright an idea. As an author, I understand and approve of that. But you should at least make the idea a wee bit unrecognizable as to where you lifted it from. Y'know?

Yay! We got to see Solas in wolfie form! He looks like a Chinese hairless crested dog on a really bad day. Like... really needs to go to the salon and have a bath day. I really wish I were joking.

Called it on the Solavellan ending. And NO. Trick Weekes. That DOES NOT give a suggestion of a Happy Fucking Ending. Read some fucking Romance. GOOD romance. (They do. And I'm being very mature by not calling out one of the authors they read who was one of the ones who harassed me off of Twitter. Oh. No. Two of them I've seen Trick mention as books they've read were involved in that. I guess looking at the people someone likes and respects is kinda indicative... isn't it?)

What's that say about me? I don't like very many people. I get along with people as best as my autistic/AuDHD ass can but I don't LIKE very many people at all. Nor do people tend to like me. I have no compunction about calling someone on bullshit. It makes people cranky, but I've had enough bullshit in my life. And I respect about the same amount of people as I like. If I can't respect you? I can't like you. (For anyone who does actually know me... I don't mean you. If I talk with you privately? Or even if I'm willing to? I both like and respect you. Or I wouldn't bother talking to you privately. I'm shit at reaching out. But if we've talked more than once in any form of privacy? You've made the list of my cranky ass.)

Am I a bitch? Probably. Live my life and see if you'd be any different.

No intimate scene for Solas and Inky. After ten years of waiting for Solavellans. After all the shitting on Solas we had to put up with in DAV (and OMFG there was soooo much!!) No actual happy ending. No intimate scene. Oh, but you do get a rather grody kiss between them because he's just been fighting and has blight all over his face. But yay? They get to kiss? With absolutely no passion at all. Maybe the passion of a bavarian cream pastry? A rotten one? Ew. Before dissolving into fade gook.

The entire time I spent in CC for my Inky to make her look like my player character from DAI? It didn't show up in the final sequence. And no way was I replaying that hellscape to see if it MIGHT could be coaxed into actually showing her the way I made her. I just got the stock body.

So... y'know the veil? That edge of reality that has been getting more and more holes in it throughout the entire history of the Dragon Age Franchise? The veil that the Lore has been pretty clear about it strangling both the magic and the life out of THEDAS? Not to mention everything the elves lost because of it? That veil?

It's all better now. Regardless of the Lore. Because Solas bound his life force to it. So instead of a quick bandage being pulled off to get rid of the veil that really does need to go (y'know if Bioware writers actually gave a rat's ass about the fucking lore of the world they're writing in)... Now it's there until Solas dies... which he can't really do easily being one of the first Elves. Sooooo by the very lore of the world they've crafted... THEDAS is now doomed to die.

Congrats Bioware. Well done. /s

Oh, but THAT doesn't matter. Because everything from the very beginning of DAO has been 'influenced' by 'the ones from across the sea'.

Pardon me while I gag.

The entirety of THEDAS and everything that's ever gone wrong with it is the fault of 'the foreigners from across the sea who wear clothing that's kiiiinda a lot like a Burqa.' Y'know... the black over gowns and veils Afghani women and some other Muslim folks wear?

Cause... uh... yeah. That's a GREAT idea. I legitimately cannot believe they went there. I just... I can't. Bioware hasn't ever really been great on the racism front but I'd hoped they'd gotten at least a little bit better.

Nooooope.

There were a couple of mentions of something like 'the gathering storm' in Taash's quests and how she's a weapon against them. HUGE spoiler I'm sure, but I'm pretty sure they want to make a game that deals with 'the foreign invaders who have been subtly influencing everything wearing black burqas and veils' as the next Dragon Age. Or maybe they'll call it a spin off since it has to be getting close to the end of the actual Dragon Age in the calendar.

I really hope I'm not the only one who can see the issues there. Not that I expect Bioware to. Honestly? I used to pray that DAV would save Bioware. I've liked them as a company for a while, but this is it for me. I'm done.

I might enjoy the first three DA games occasionally if I feel like it. But DAV does not exist for me. Anything they make going forward does not exist for me. That fucking bullshit about no one having had any free choices in the entire history of the games/books/comics etc.? AND the next game's bad guys looking like they wear burqas?

Bioware has made my boycott list. And I honestly hope they sink like the fucking Titanic for the shit they've pulled in DAV and that last fucking scene.

With that scene, they not only shit on many cultures who veil, they shit specifically on Afghani people who are required to wear that. Whether they want to or not.

They also, from a writing perspective, removed every single bit of agency from any of their previous characters. Making every single game pointless in the history of the world.

I'm just done. My boycott list is pretty long. I have these pesky standards. I'd already compromised them by continuing on with playing Bioware games regardless of their well known issues. But nope. Done. Finite. Time to cut the rope and watch it sink.

I would never, in a million years, recommend this game. On those two reasons alone. But also because it doesn't do anything a good CRPG (Computer Role Playing Game) is supposed to do very well.

It doesn't hold up the Dragon Age expectations for anyone who has played the games or enjoyed the lore. They basically shoved all the lore under the proverbial carpet. (Must have made a hell of a lump. That's a LOT of Lore. Trust me. I know. I've marinated myself in it.) On the surface it LOOKS like a CRPG. It has the elements of one... but so few of the elements are carried through that it's kinda shocking to me that they dared to advertise it as one. I mean... didn't someone tell them pissing off people by advertising something they aren't delivering is a bad idea?

It's full of easily fixable plot holes. Seriously, they'd be so easy to fix! They just didn't bother.

Where DAI was an intricately woven adult CRPG masterpiece? DAV is a poorly woven bedsheet with arm sized holes in it and lots and lots of stains. Made for kids.

CRPGs have a long history. Bioware and Dragon Age do too. DAO came out in 2009, Dragon Age 2 released in 2011, both were solid CRPGs. You felt like you were playing a role playing game. Bioware then released DAI in 2014. And in the Dragon Age series, DAI is the crown jewel.

It had everything a CRPG is supposed to have. It wasn’t perfect, no, but it's definitely the best of all 4 games for being what it's supposed to be.

CRPGs generally do not challenge the player as far as manual dexterity or physical response time. That's for action/fighting games. I'm not a professional level gamer. But gaming is my number one hobby and source of entertainment. I play on hard level for most games I play, if not ultra hard. I struggled with the shitty DAV fighting system. Dear gods, who had the brilliant idea of tying accumulation of skill points to how high your bond is with your companions? That's just... the kindest thing I can say is poorly thought out. Especially when you can only take two of them with you on missions. My not-a-fucking-rogue should never have had aggro. And they always did. I'm intimately acquainted with the inside the mouth animations on the dragons.

RPGs are supposed to have intricate, layered world building, a levelling system that makes your characters grow and develop as they progress through a well developed world, often they have fighting, puzzles, and other mechanics to spice things up. But there's some very specific things an RPG needs. And DAV has so few of them. They focussed so much on that shitty gods damned fighting system that had my not-a-fucking-rogue always plastered with the 'come eat me' aggro flag that they failed to deliver on so much else that an RPG needs to have. Especially a CRPG.

I think I heard someone on the dev team say they were quite happy with how the characters and romances came out and um. Well. Might I politely suggest learning how to write better? Cause they weren't. From both a professional and consumer level? They just weren't good.

The characters were dishwater boring with no character development possible. The romances were... not. I'll just leave it there.

Those are a few things I KNOW I'm good at. Just because my fans have told me often enough that I've almost internalized it by now. What? Characterization, writing intimate scenes, and writing romance. My writing voice is very love/hate like many authors. If you love my voice and read kinky romance, you'd probably like it. If you don't like my voice? No story I tell will satisfy you. But from an editorial and writing standpoint? The characters and romances in DAV needed so much work. As much as the plot.

I'm no stranger to trauma. And yes. I did it to myself. I needed to play the ending for myself and I wanted to see what the game was like. I feel traumatized. Abso-fucking-lutely traumatized.

If you're Solavellan and looking for reviews to tell you whether it's worth buying and playing? It. Is. Not. On any level.

Oh and you know those Steam Achievements you get? At the beginning they were like in the high 90s and 80s percentages. The last two I got were from the end game. 2.2% and 6.8%. Respectively. According to my kid (who usually knows more than I do about things like that) that means people stopped playing before they got there. (Or possibly just haven't gotten there yet. I did play it reasonably fast because of my current circumstances.)

I really wish I could say better things about this game. I wanted to love it as much as I loved the other three. As much as I've loved most Dragon Age material. Something about it just captured me. Until DAV.

More professional review to follow at some point.

If my review series has been helpful... and I really really hate to ask, but if it has been? My work of words is my family's only income. My partner is still recovering from a broken back, and I'm recovering from a pulmonary embolism. Money is so tight it squeaks. If you're not gonna buy the game anyway after reading my blather, a tip would surely be appreciated.

All my links are at the bottom of my website. And the tips button up top is set up too.

My response to breaking media blackout.

[lastoneout]

New Pinned/Intro Post!

Hi, I'm Loo(or Alex), I'm a disabled queer artist and writer as well as a furry vtuber who streams four days a week on twitch(mostly Minecraft but also Soulsborne games and a variety of other stuff).

You may know me from The Tuna Post, in which several thousand of you came together to "force" me to buy damn near 30 American Dollars worth of imported fancy canned tuna to eat and review live on stream. If you're here for it, said live review can be found on twitch and on my youtube channel. TL;DR: 10/10 would recommend.

I currently can't work, so if you like what I've got going on here and want to help me out, I take donations over on my ko-fi <3 Aside from that, follows on twitch help a lot, even if you never end up watching!

(Also, I sell my twitch emotes as stickers on redbubble!)

I don't have a proper BYF, but as a heads up I'm heavily introverted and have ADHD, and between those and my disabilities eating up my energy I often take a while to respond to messages/tags/reblogs/DMs and sometimes forget entirely. This isn't anything against you, and it's something I'm working on, but just something to keep in mind if you plan on interacting with me a lot.

FAQ:

Do you take commissions?

Not at the moment, but hopefully in the future!

What do you use for art?

Wacom Intuos tablet + Clip Studio Paint on the PC, though these days I mostly use CSP on a Samsung Galaxy Tab s6 since I can use it in bed on my low spoons days.

What do you want to go to school for?

Digital Art and American Sign Language!

You talk about being sick all the time/having health problems, what's wrong with you?

Too many things to list <3 but the most notable ones are chronic migraines, hEDS, and ADHD.

Queer?

I'm ace, bisexual, bigender, and butch. I'm also polyam but currently in a very happy monogamous relationship and don't have plans to change that. My pronouns are she/they, and while I would prefer to not have people use he/him with me you are highly encouraged to use masculine forms of address(sir, guy, dude, king, man, my guy, grandpa, dad, etc.) whenever appropriate. My assigned sex/gender at birth is none of your business.

Who's Yotsuba?

Yotsuba is an adorable little gremlin and the main character of my favorite manga, Yotsuba &!, and you should go read it right now seriously it's amazing go read it go read it GO READ IT-

What's "ask to tag"?

The tumblr equivalent of "author chose not to use archive warnings", I put it on anything that seems like it could use a trigger warning but where no one has specifically asked me to tag for that trigger yet. Things I currently (try to) tag for: flashing lights/eyestrain, insects, suicide, fatphobia/diet culture/disordered eating, my hero academia, gore/body horror, current events, us politics, politics, covid, cats, and anything nsfw goes under nsft.

I can't promise to be 100% consistent with these tho, between the ADHD and the migraines I am very forgetful, so slip ups are bound to happen.

Loo? Like the bathroom??

LOO is short for LastOneOut, I'm american and forgot people call it that, you can write it as Lou or just call me Alex if it makes you feel better.

LookingForLoo?? Like looking for the bathroom??

On websites where LastOneOut is taken I'm LookingForLoo because I'm literally looking for LOO, LastOneOut. I thought it was clever T_T

Sideblogs?

I have a nsfw alt @looafterdark (18+ only I swear to god I keep a loaded gun pointed at the follow list) and a writing inspo blog @last-scrapbook. I also once ran a couple of character ask blogs, though I don't plan on starting them up again, and I was the mod behind @pokeprofshowdown.

Who's Eugene/Ophelia/Sasha?

My ocs from an original story I'm working on. I get brainrot and post about them a lot. You are ALWAYS allowed to ask me about them!

What's your fursona/can I make art of you?

I'm a dog, kinda like a papillion but not really, and yes you may. My ref sheet is here.

Can I repost your funny text posts to twitter/insta/reddit?

Sure, all I ask is that you include the entire post and leave my username visible. You can also tag me if you want, I'm lookingforloo on twitter, insta, and reddit <3

Can I repost your art/writing?

Absolutely not.

Can I plug your art or writing into an AI program?

Absolutely not under any fucking circumstances.

Can I use your art in an amv/fandom board/as a cover for my playlist or fic/ect.?

Depends, DM me first.

Can I write fic/make fanart based on your fics/art/HCs/AUs?

Absolutely <3

Can I write fic/make fanart based on your OCs?

Art yes, fics no.

What's your stance on the discourse?

There is no amount of posting online about contentious topics that could ever match the sheer power of simply going out into your community and finding a project that helps other people that you can dedicate your time and energy to. Also wear a mask, vote(if you can), and listen to marginalized people when they speak about their experiences.

How old are you?

29

[mazzystar24]

Asking this under anon bc i don’t wanna get any backlash in my inbox lmao

but to start this off: i love oliver stark, and i am so appreciative of how important he views this storyline and the representation it provides

however

i am going to be very disappointed in him if we get through the next few episodes, and it becomes clear that they aren’t going to further develop buddie anymore. he has always been so careful and cautious when it comes to implying things in interviews/press stuff, but lately with this resurgence in his response to fandom interest with buddie (liking fanart, reposting it, talking openly about buddie in interviews, confirming things like buck thinking eddie was attractive, etc.) if they don’t go that route, it will honestly severely hurt me.

i have very mixed feelings about what is and isn’t “queerbaiting” (most of my friends would say i tend to not believe that it’s a thing, and to an extent i agree) but there are certain situations in which something does blatantly feel like baiting… to me this is one of those situations.

with both lou and edy still being around, as well as ryan’s sudden stint in pr jail, the fandom’s obsession w lou/tommy, and tim minear’s seeming interest in complying with fan-service… it’s hard to remain optimistic that they will actually give us buddie. the past two weeks have given me whiplash as a buddie fan and i am getting tired of the show using our desperation and love for this ship as a marketing tactic when they have no intention of going there (tim minear himself saying things like “i don’t like to plan endgame relationships” or “there are no plans for buddie at the moment”).

that is why the media’s sudden obsession with asking about buddie, as well as oliver’s willingness to interact with buddie content online combined with the constant flow from the set of things not going in the direction of buddie… it feels very intentional to drag us in. and if oliver is participating in that, then i am going to be very disappointed and hurt by that. he used to care so much about not getting our hopes up, but lately it feels like that isn’t the case anymore, and that getting our hopes up is their way if getting us to continue watching the show because they know that people will stop watching after having to watch years of buildup and (at times admittedly) roment subtext between them just for all of that to be completely retconned and them to say “no-homo, bro” in favor of a character/ship that came out of nowhere and has had no development.

obviously, i don’t blame os for the storyline- he’s not a writer, he doesn’t get to dictate what does or doesn’t happen. But he is the one getting all of the media attention, and using that to shine a spotlight on buddie when (if) he knows that buddie isn’t happening? it feels very icky to me and i really don’t want to have a reason to dislike him.

unfortunately it’s seeming more and more like a possibility each day as we get inundated with bts info that doesn’t bode well for us at all.

I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree with you anon sorry😭🫶

If buddie doesn’t go canon/ they don’t show they’re heading in that direction in the next few episodes, I still would not blame Oliver at ALL for his recent more openness about buddie

(Idk how familiar you are with me and if you are you’ll know this but if you’re not lemme clarify I use bulletpoints a lot but not to be curt or rude I just like breaking things into chunks🫡)

1. He has made sure to constantly clarify that he doesn’t know how things are gonna go and he has no control over things- i mean EVERY time he spoke about buddie

2. He’s also a fan of the show guys, yes yes he’s an actor and it has different implications I agree 100% but also if he’s choosing to ship his character or enjoy fan work that’s his prerogative and sure he can lurk privately like he has in the past but also he probably knows that implications aside fans who make that work will be ecstatic to see him actually liking the stuff

3. The man legit said he deleted social media at one point cos he didn’t wanna like or share stuff that’d accidentally give people false hope for buddie or bi Buck but he has silently agreed for years and he hated not being able to confirm bi buck till now

4. He’s been a HUGE advocate for us both on the buddie front and bi buck front and that deserves recognition

5. As you said there is a LOT of bucktommy love rn which is great and all but may draw focus away from buddie, if Oliver is intentionally trying to get buddie fans to keep going it could genuinely just to show that buddie fans are still aiming for buddie endgame and that they still make up a huge portion of the fandom

6. Writing is CONSTANTLY in progress on 911 so again buddie fans being more vocal and abc and writers seeing such positive responses to him so much as interacting with buddie posts or answering buddie questions give them a gauge of audience’s wants (granted Tim has stated it’s not a HUGE factor for him) and also keep in mind s8 is still in the books so even proposals of storylines may be in the talks rn

7. When he talks he is VERY careful about his words and is very well spoken on the topic like yes there have been more stuff we can read into and be optimistic about but you can tell that he in no way is saying specific things to bait people, when talking about existing buddie things he talks about HIS interpretation and uses lots of maybes and might’ve beens and I see how that could be and when he talks about future buddie he talks about being open to it talks about what he’d want from it and he talks about not having control or knowledge of it happening

So yeah he has done/said things that I absolutely think warrant optimism (I made a whole post about it) but if it doesn’t pan out that optimism should a- still be there b- not turn into blame for him

Okay now Oliver aside- the questions being asked about buddie and all the buddie promotions I would be side eyeing the higher ups for if it’s for nothing because yes all the articles and stuff are stuff being pre-approved by abc and the people higher up than cast members or the journalists but I would also keep in mind that s8 is still in the works so hope is not lost even if s7 isn’t what we hoped for because keep in mind we had only 10 eps to work with too

[autobotmedic]

[ good morning~! i have to remind everyone that while i know it's popular/there's literally essay analysis out there about ratch being "unreliable narrator" and high ranking caste mentality etc etc which is fair enough to argue especially if you want to slap idw into aligned and i support exploring opinions and ideas freely, it is no less important to note that I don't do that by default which is relevant to this blog and that is my choice too

also, what is commonly NOT considered is that: (1) when ratch gives a background summary about orion's past, he is trying his best to summarize MORE TIME THAN A HUMAN MIND CAN COMPREHEND to a group of humans most of which are children in like five minutes, of course he hits the most relevant highlights in the moment, to the point he never even MENTIONS HIMSELF DESPITE US KNOWING FROM OTHER DIALOGUE THAT HE KNEW ORION CLOSELY (2) the aligned timeline is all kinds of f*cked up to the point that things like 'everybody just forgot the quints for some reason' like what do you mean all these main name characters were also involved in a previous war and also orion is supposedly the oldest mortal tf but somehow is also a young archivist millions of years later, that directly contradicts itself as many things do in aligned because writers did not follow the bible made for them they all did their own thing and i have to suffer for it (3) if using the canon aligned bg info which is already borderline non-existent for ratch, that information consists of the fact that he was from an unnamed village. there's literally no way this guy didn't have his own culture and opinions as his core from said village who survived the wilds where barbarians and wild cretchers were a threat, and that would have stayed with him even after going on a pilgrimage to iacon to learn more and become the medic we know. which is why you will continue to see me make country and cowboy jokes about him. lmao

is he biased? absolutely, but he's also blunt and honest, to the point that he is humble and does not take credit for anything if someone else helped him at all and clearly intentionally leaves out information on himself regularly, and i will not overlook that here to go for an idw filler angle, because sometimes the things that aren't said are just as important as the things that are, and mine is not based on idw

[defira85]

I have... thoughts about the first episode of the Veilguard podcast and I suppose one could call them critical but I'm having war flashbacks about the DA fandom in the 2010s so. This is going under a cut and I'm not going to tag it. Because I don't want to spoiler people but I also don't want to draw lots of attention

My biggest issue is that I don't necessarily feel like anyone on the writing team has specific experience with writing radio drama

Listen, writing specifically audio only narratives is a skill. It's a difficult one. It's not the same as reading an audiobook out loud, and it's not the same as listening to a recording of a live-play/improv group. It's not the same as a movie script. I've often thought that the closest comparison in terms of narrative structure and performance is live theatre, but even that has limitations to the comparisons

Exposition in radio drama is, by necessity, somewhat overstated. There's a lot of characters stating outright things that are happening, in order to convey that information to the audience, and sometimes that can come across as very... heavy handed. It's really hard to balance in a way that can seem like an organic conversation. They managed it relatively well at the start of the show when Nadia outright states that Elio has given her a ring - in a visual medium like a movie, we'd have a close up shot of the ring and maybe a close up of her shocked face, and they wouldn't need to explain it. But in the radio drama, we get the shock play out and then she confirms it's a ring thats upset her, because we as the audience need that explicit confirmation. It's the nature of the medium.

What isn't great, and this is where I think that it's obvious to me that the writers either aren't familiar with the medium or don't have a ton of experience with it, is the way that everything related to the conspiracy is laid out. Obviously, you don't want to info dump and ruin everything related to the conspiracy in the first episode, but it feels like this conversation happened at least 3 times:

"*gasp* what are you even saying?"

"... I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, you never want to talk-"

"Now isn't the time!"

"It's never the time for you!!"

What did Neve know about the raid and what did she say to convince Elio? We don't know, it's more important to have five minutes of grunting as Nadia climbs walls. Did we learn some stuff about Nadia as a character through the grunting? I mean, some of her stuff with Vik at the start, I'd say yes, but then it just went on and on. Did Elio talk to Nadia about what Neve told him on the arguably days or weeks long trek from Minrathous south to the Silent Plains? We don't know, they had to have multiple arguments like the one above. Could some of it be solved by the presence of a narrator? Arguable. How did Elio know the chant to follow along with Solas immediately?

"But Defira, they can't drop all of their exposition in the first episode, they need to build narrative tension" I'm not really talking about the story so much as I'm talking about how it's conveyed, how it's presented to us as an audience and what they're choosing to offer as the most important pieces of information and world/character building in the limited time frame. Lots of screaming each other's names dramatically sounds exciting, but it doesn't tell me anything the 15th time around. Lots of grunting as they yell and run and fight over and over again and I start to tune out

What can I tell about this first episode? That they spent a lot of money on sound design, and it sounds crowded. Narratively, I have lore questions (complaints) but that's not the point of the post.

The actors were great. The music was pretty good, but was it really worth it forking out for Hans Zimmer? The sound design was messy and cluttered.

I don't know. I'll keep listening, and maybe the writing will improve. The story concept is exciting but the execution is weak

I did laugh at Solas immediately fucking up again though

[chen-chen-chen-again-chen]

Friends! Hello, hi, hola! It's Wednesday and I'm here! I am finally, after several ice ages, slowly dipping my toes back into the world of My Good Egg, Good morning, good night, good morning AKA the SnowBaz kidnapping meet ugly/cute that turned into a dumb horny rom com.

Here's a snippet from Chapter 4 that I am honestly not sure will make it into the finished fic, but it's fun! Some info redacted for spoilers (if you haven't read Chapter 3):

“Does Simon know things?” Crowley, does Simon know the way that Baz has been lusting after him? Or how Baz has been - mooning over him? Which is more embarrassing?   “No, not necessarily. But he’s the easiest one for me to know, maybe because [REDACTED]. Like right now I know he’s still kind of hungry and he wishes we’d ordered more lime beef, and he’s worried you won’t want to have sex with him anymore because he used to be a disembodied chaos entity that was swallowing up all the magic in the world.”  “That’s-”  “I know you still want to have sex with him,” Winifred says, her gaze withering.

More musings about being back in this world behind the cut, but hello and thank you tags to folks who have tagged me in the past few weeks! (Months? Year?) @shemakesmeforget @ic3-que3n @bookish-bogwitch @nightimedreamersworld @j-nipper-95 @larkral @cutestkilla @aristocratic-otter @confused-bi-queer @imagineacoolusername @thewesterndoor

Y'all, past year has been... wild. It has been a journey. I looked back at this update post from October and then sort of laughed wildly, like, "Oh Baby Chen of the past, oh you sweet summer child."

But! I have finally been able to soften and ease myself back into this kind of writing. My Good Egg (as I call Good morning &c) has always been in the back of my mind, and I have felt so much shame and guilt about leaving that story hanging (see this post that feels like it was written in a different lifetime about why I don't usually post WIPs).

I facilitated a writers' circle yesterday and it was the most intensely fulfilling and joyful thing I have done in a very, very long time. And seeing the writers there, some of whom were sharing their work for the first time, being so fucking brave and honest and intimate and funny and revelatory and generous and so human, paying such loving attention to the world - it has helped me in this process of re-learning how to be brave with my own writing, again.

So here is a secret to tricking My Big Sad Brain. Instead of setting out with the goal "I am going to finish this fic," I am instead telling myself, "What if I just continue this process and see where it goes? What if I just try to get a little bit further than I was before? What if I just play with this silly little story, because it's fun and it gives me joy? What if I try to work out the questions through the story instead of trying to answer them?"

And that is helping, a lot. So as always a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has touched this story in any way. Your kindness and lack of judgement and infinite patience is such a balm. I know that there are many who would say "You never need to finish it! Your health is more important!" or "Take as much time as you need!" And I am so, so grateful for that. I am so excited to share the rest of this story with you in the future.

Thank you. I love you all. ❤️❤️❤️

[legacygirlingreen]

Part 4 - Chapter 3: Graphorns & Phoenix // Sebastian Sallow x Reader

A/N: FINALLY finished the update for you all! Sit back for this one because it is a LONG one! Also I continue to stray from canon because... I don't really know I just want to. I really hope everyone enjoys and once again thanks to all the readers (old and new). HUGE shoutout to my main @strawberrypinky for helping with the smut. Seriously Idk how I'd have finished it without you... I love hearing from you all on your thoughts, feelings, theories, etc so never hesitate to reach out! <3 peace and love you all!

Warnings: NSFW content ahead this time! Mentions of blood, violence, death and almost! SA content also ahead so please be careful if you do not like dark content! This chapter is somehow extremely spicy (via flashback) and also very graphic so PLEASE know that going in. No Dark Seb content, but definitely dark Rookwood/Poachers!

Important info: I also use some Scottish Gaelic in this one along with a slang from the late Georgian/early Victorian era that was used throughout Scotland/Ireland mostly but also parts of England/Wales. If you need an explanation on their meaning/translations here they are ahead of time so it makes sense while you read! Also PLEASE if you have the time check out Francis Grose, he was such a fascinating writer during the time, writing about antiquities in Scotland as well as publishing a book on the vulgar slang being used! Always, there goes my scholarly loving heart for the day...

"Mo Leannan" in Scottish Gaelic is a term of endearment, usually used by men towards a lover, and translates to "my sweetheart" or "my beloved"

"Blow the Grounsils" is a slang phrase that was used throughout the UK. 'grounsils' are foundational timbers for a home, so it is a more polite way of saying floor/stair sex, or as Francis Grose explains "to take a woman on the floor"

Word Count: 14,000

Masterlist for series here: Sebastian Masterlist

Sebastian finally stumbled upon the gorge in which the last trial was to take place; he had come to terms with the fact that his love had been taken and may have to carry out her legacy in her honor… almost. Oh who was he kidding, he was not prepared to face the music. But for now, he didn’t have time to do so. Right now stopping Ranrok was the most important thing to everyone at large. Despite the nagging feeling he had to abandon Fig, and rush straight to find Poppy Sweeting and the grumpy potions master, he knew that if she was still alive and knew he negated his duty simply to rescue her, he would face her disappointment. 

“Ah, Mr. Sallow, I am glad to see you made it. I assume the Keepers agreed to let us proceed without Miss y/l/n.” Fig said, posing his statement as a question and he only found it within him to nod. The light was just about to make its ascent over the horizon any minute now. It felt strange for him to think that less than 12 hours ago he was standing on a piece of land he bought for the two of them, now, not knowing if she was even alive. He shook that off, turning to the professor. 

“So what exactly happens during these trials Professor?” he asked, still unsure how they began, only knowing that she often came back beyond exhausted, sporting minor scrapes and bruises, not wishing to speak of them. 

“No need for formalities all the way out here Sebastian, please call me Eleazar… as for the trials, they have all been different in orientation. This one however, I am unsure how we will enter. There is no portrait to discuss the steps to be taken. Given our friend is currently not available I reckon I will be allowed to help you more than I would have if she had been here. The only instruction I was given was to scout ahead before allowing any taming of magical creatures to fall completely to her.” Fig explained.

“Taming magical creatures? What does that…” Sebastian started, trailing off when he saw the sculpture on the stone behind them. The sight caused him to immediately shake his head before continuing “They can’t possibly expect me to-” 

Fig interrupted him, confirming his suspicions, “Tame and bring a graphorn to gain access. I do believe that is what we will need to do to get inside.” he explained, pondering a moment. 

“Aren’t they mostly extinct sir? Eradicated on account of their horns?” Sebastian asked, recalling the limited knowledge he had on the creatures. 

“That is correct, although I know of one that still lingers nearby. Further down the coast, a famed one still lives within a cave, known as the ‘lord of the shore’. However, he is quite aggressive, and they are nearly impossible to subdue…?” he told the boy.

“Wonderful. So I am to fight, but not kill a graphorn. Graphorns of course being considered one of the most dangerous creatures we know of, and what? Bring him here to open the door? He shall magically produce some key we don’t know of?” Sebastian said rhetorically as if it was all so simple. 

“It appears that way. I would go with you, but I admit I do not move as quickly as I used to. Graphorns are more likely to react aggressively when they feel threatened, and having more than one person nearby is likely to provoke faster.” Fig explained with a sigh. 

“Alright. I will go track down this ‘lord of the shore’ then. Merlin’s beard” the usually Posh boy resorted to the swear as he shook his head. 

“Before you go… and I apologize if I am overstepping my bounds… but you mentioned you were off school grounds yesterday.  Might I inquire where you were and what you were doing?” Fig asked and his blood ran cold. He knew that the man wasn’t asking to get him in trouble, but to admit to someone where he had been, felt odd. Knowing now it might have all been for nothing he decided why not let her closest aly and mentor be made aware. 

Sebastian reached in his pocket, grabbing the tome that disguised the ring boxes, passing it to the man without a word. 

Eleazar opened the tome, expecting to see pages, but was surprised to see it open to reveal two small boxes. It didn’t take a genius to understand what they were as he grabbed the more ornamental of the two, seeing the brilliant ring inside. Sebastian refrained from commenting as Fig passed the book back to him. 

He expected judgement or questioning from the older man, but was pleasantly surprised when he smiled at Sebastian. 

“I can’t say I am surprised, '' he said, his wiry hands playing with his own wedding band as he looked up at Sebastian. The two refrained from speaking for a moment. 

“I just need her to be alright. I can’t -” he trailed off, unsure if he wanted to open Pandora's box in a time of urgency and crisis. “I cannot imagine a life without her in it. She has slowly become my everything. My every waking thought, my main priority, my deepest longing. My strongest aspiration is to be the man she needs me to be. She cannot be gone. I don’t think I could manage to go on without her” Sebastian admitted to the man, holding back the tears threatening to fill his eyes as his fingers stroked the binding of the fake book. 

“If there is one thing I have learned, it is that her strength knows no bounds truly… as does her love for you. I admit, I was slightly surprised when she demanded to return to your side after being injured months ago, but after seeing the way you care for her, the way you boldly proclaimed the depth of your affection to your Uncle… I recognized that this whole time the flame she bares for you is no simple flame, but a raging fire. Ancient magic is one thing, but love is the true strength that binds us. Likely even now I imagine that love in which she burns for you, is what’s keeping her safe,” the man said, reaching a hand out to comfort him.

Sebastian’s eyes went wide realizing the teacher had heard his confession that night in Feldcroft. He chose not to comment on it, trying to let the words seep in and provide him comfort. 

“It is her love for my family however that led to her capture. If she had not been attempting to find a cure for Anne, this wouldn’t have happened…” Sebastian let out a frustrated sigh, pulling at his hair as he often did when he was frustrated, knowing that it was his own fault. If she hadn’t seen the depth of his obsession to find Anne comfort, she wouldn’t go to such lengths to sacrifice herself.  

“You cannot do that to yourself, young man.  I imagine Rookwood would have found her at some point regardless of your sister’s cure.” Fig said sternly, hoping to encourage the boy who seemed to wrongfully take on the blame for what had happened.  

“But-” Sebastian started but Eleazar stopped him, changing the subject. 

“I too, was quite young when I knew she was the one for me… I couldn’t have been much older than you are now.” Fig explained, reaching slightly into his tunic to pull out the chain which held Miriam’s ring, his fingers running over the cool metal. 

“Your wife sir?” Sebastian asked as Fig nodded. 

“Miriam, she didn’t particularly like me very much initially I am afraid. I admit, in my day I was quite, well, an arse. My friends and I were often quite loud, rambunctious and frequently in detention. She was always there, in the background of our classes, not drawing much attention to herself.  I feel guilty looking back realizing I overlooked her for so many years: would’ve saved me a many detentions… She loved the library, spent most of her free time there just reading for pleasure, or keeping to herself around the school grounds. It wasn’t until we were partnered for an assignment, and I spent time with her alone, that I realized how truly incredible she was. She had this wit about her, this amazing way of making the most boring topics sound fascinating.  I never liked to admit to my friends that I wanted to be a professor, or that I found the depth of magical theory interesting… but she could hold conversations that challenged me on an intellectual level I couldn’t truly comprehend. Suddenly I went from nearly nightly detentions to holed up in the library near her, reading in the silence. That silence turned into small conversations, and spending time together outside class. Eventually I was trailing behind wherever she went like a lost kneazle… why she allowed it I shall never know.” he explained, reminiscing his time falling in love with the woman. 

“I admit, that sounds familiar… ” Sebastian started with a smile.

“Oh believe me, the change in your behavior has not gone unnoticed.  I dare say, it’s admirable.” Fig said, smiling. 

“She just makes me want to be a better person. Hell, she had me getting along with my Uncle for a majority of the holiday, which I can’t say has happened in a long time, possibly ever.” Sebastian admits with a chuckle. 

“She mentioned as such. I did inquire about the safety of your home life, and I apologize if I overstepped any bounds. She explained the complexities of your relationship with Solomon with great care. I would like to say, if you do not wish to return to his home this summer, I will make sure that you do not have to,” Fig explained gently. 

“While I appreciate the concern… I do not think that will be a problem anymore… I already have purchased land, along with a house that needs much work I admit, but… it is mine. I was hardly planning to return to Solomon. Our relationship may be slightly more amicable than we used to be, but I do not wish to spend more time than necessary with him.” Sebastian explained.

“I understand. I just wanted you to know, should you ever need a safe place, that my home is open for you and her… I respected your parents a great deal.  I know it would destroy young Alice knowing that you were treated with the harshness you have had to endure from your uncle this whole time.” Fig told him, remembering the young man’s mother, and the love she held for her children. 

“I will keep that in mind if we find ourselves needing a place to go… the sun shall be up soon. I suppose I should be off.” Sebastian said.

“Of course. Sorry to keep you from your task.” 

“This has been… illuminating… would you-” Sebastian started, reaching into his pocket to retrieve the tome, “hold onto this so I do not damage it? I imagine taming a graphorn will not be easy, '' he admitted. 

“Absolutely, I would be honored” he said and Sebastian turned and walked a few paces when he heard the man call out “Might I ask why you chose a star?”.

“You may ask, but I do not believe I shall provide you with an answer…” Sebastian called with a chuckle before aparating away to find the beast he was to tame. 

To say the camp had fallen into complete and utter chaos would be a gross understatement.  The poachers camp had gotten from organized and orderly to a warzone in a matter of moments. She was startled upon seeing dark witches and wizards casting spells upon several centaurs, all armed with bow and arrow. The two groups continued to assault one another as several small fires burned within the camp, and smoke filled the air.  Shouting and battle horns filled the night and amidst the chaos she aimed to locate any familiar faces. 

That search was short lived however, as Rookwood shoved her back inside the tent, casting Incarcerous to force her into binds along one of the posts reaching a hand out of the flap long enough to retrieve one of the men who initially caught her.

“Do not let her escape or it’ll be on your head” Victor shouted before disappearing from her view. The man came closer, standing behind her as she struggled against the binds. 

“Oh would you look at that, someone appears to have scratched you Kitten” he said with a nasty smirk, bringing his hand up to caress her blood soaked cheek. She let out a shriek against the filthy cloth between her lips, trying to move her face away. 

“Would you stop moving!” he spat in her face. 

Reaching down he aggressively groped her exposed breast, making her squirm and begin kicking her legs as she attempted to get him to back up. He took one look down at her leg before he kicked her so hard directly across her]shin  she heard a snap, tears immediately springing to her eyes as he aggressively pulled her hair. 

“You are so easily broken kitten. Next time don’t test me. You are going to sit here and let me do as I please… same as you do for young Sallow you little Harlot” he screamed at her as she continued to cry, the pain from her leg beginning to take over her mind for the first time since Rookwood carved into her back. 

Suddenly she felt the ropes holding her to the beam released, however the binds on her wrists were still tied. She was forced onto her back as he crawled over her, and her eyes went wide in panic. 

“No, no no” she screamed into the gag but it wasn’t much use. All she could do was close her eyes, and think of another time and place… 

His brown eyes scanned hers intently, searching for any signs she didn’t want to continue.  They had decided to spend some alone time inside the room of requirement - as they so often did when they found a free moment - however this time had led to much more intensity than the pair had previously shared. 

“We don’t have to keep going, you know? I am perfectly fine to stop if you don’t feel comfortable…” Sebastian trailed off while his lower body continued to rock into hers.  They currently were pressed flush with one another, hips bones kissing between their clothes.  Sebastian’s right leg had found its between the pair of hers as she slid up and down ever so slightly on his solid and muscular thigh.  

Ever since the night in the shower, in which he finally felt the inside of her womanly walls with just his fingers, he couldn't stop imagining what it would be like to fully be sheathed inside of her.  Every private moment he had since that night was spent with his fist clenched around his manhood, imagining it was her velvety warmth surrounding him, pulling him in, instead of his hand. He almost always was able to release embarrassingly quick as he imagined the way her voice had sounded when he spewed the filth he spoke directly against her skin.  The way he threatened to put a child within her womb - something he had not realized brought him excitement to think about until that moment - became new source material when he was alone. 

Despite this deep rooted desire growing more and more powerful by the day, he still wanted any physical action they took to be by her guiding hand. If he was honest with himself, Sebastian hardly trusted himself to take the lead.  He knew if he did, there would be no stopping until his body got what it had been craving for weeks now: to be tightly pressed within her, until he filled her with every drop he could provide, all as he watched her come undone, squirming beneath him.  His mind would always go blank imagining the way her walls had fluttered around his fingers, and it caused him to become almost painfully hard to imagine what that would feel like wrapped around his length… 

“It is alright… I trust you Bash” she spoke with a shy smile, lifting her arms over her head to allow him to remove her top. Every time he had seen her in various states of undress it had been while bathing. Allowing him to do so now, although not a new sensation, however now without the guise of cleaning themselves felt different somehow. Knowing he would be able to see and feel her skin completely unobstructed by even water… 

Sebastian started to lift her shirt, moving it further up her torso until it pooled at her neck. Without warning he pulled it off her body completely, leaving her only in a thin corset as he brought his head down to her neck. Usually when he kissed her there, he was gentle, most often taking his time, and appreciated the soft sighs it drew from her. Now, she found him moving with haste.  She went to question it when she felt his teeth press into her skin before his tongue moved to coat the bite. His wet appendage soothing the area in which he had marked her. 

His kisses weren’t the only thing that seemed to have more energy than usual. His hips seemed to move faster against hers. His hands gripped her waist more firmly than usual, and if she had to guess, he might be leaving small bruises on her skin.  

His calloused hand lifted and he reached inside the cup of her corset, drawing out one of her breasts and squeezing the skin there almost roughly, as he moved his mouth down to suck her nipple into his warm and wet mouth.

It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the feelings he was providing… in fact if she was honest with herself, her undergarments were already soaked through as the young man seemingly knew all her weak points.  In their time together he had gotten much better at bringing her pleasure either directly, or by giving her enough of a mental image for when she was alone.  A small part of her wanted him to continue, to keep going until he had her fully naked and flushed beneath him, writhing as he continued this hastened pace while filling her tight hole with… 

“Are you sure? I just felt you shudder…” his voice was soft as he released her now perky nipple from the confines of his mouth, his breath making her shake. She looked away, wanting to avoid his stare. That did not last long as she felt his gentle fingertips abandon her breast and instead softly cup her chin. “Hey… look at me…” he pleaded. 

She always gave in when he used that kind but slightly commanding tone.  

“Please talk to me… tell me what’s going through that beautiful mind of yours” he asked, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, before running the back of his knuckle over the skin of her cheek.  

“I am just nervous that’s all…” she said, her eyes still not fully meeting his, as she felt him scan over every feature of her face. In fact, she found herself with her eyes locked onto the small white scar he had below his lip, apparently from a time in which Anne accidentally hit him in the face with a fire poker when they were young. She reached a delicate hand up, lightly using her thumb to trace over the faint white line that ran parallel with the outline of his plump bottom lip.  

“Why are you nervous?” he asked, in the most tender tone he could muster despite now being filled with anxiety that he had pressed her too far into things she was not ready for. He had hoped she would notice the change in his speech, but hoping for that was as useless as she knew him better than almost anyone. 

Eyes finally moving back to meet Sebastian’s, she kept stroking the small scar below his lip trying to ground herself before she continued. 

“Things have been… different lately when we have been alone. I am not uncomfortable with them, or with you, I simply…” she trailed off unsure how to word her thoughts to both explain her feelings and also not worry him. She had hoped Sebastian would speak up and save her from continuing but he didn’t. 

“How comfortable are we with having fully marital relations… At what point do you intend to stop? And if we continue, what will that leave for a future time?” she asked wearily, her face scrunching up as she hated to even ask him such questions.  In her mind, to commit to the extent of such acts would be to fully commit the rest of herself to Sebastian. Although she had no doubt in regards to their future… engaging in such physical shows of that was daunting to say the least. It seemed so adult, so distant yet physically in this moment it seemed possible. That fact was almost frightening. 

“At what point do you wish to stop?” he countered after a brief pause. She could sense the same inner conflict she was facing written across his features. The way his lips had remained parted, the way his eyebrows had drawn forward, the way his eyes looked both distant and close at the same time. 

She didn’t have a formulated answer for him.  The uncontrollable parts of herself wanting to keep going until they had done all that was natural… The other part wanted to wait. Perhaps not until they were wed, but at least for a time that could be special. She knew dinner was approaching and they would be rushing and she didn’t want Sebastian Atlas Sallow to quickly and unceremoniously deflower her, then go eat his weight in mashed potato surrounded by their friends as if nothing had happened… 

“I’m not… I am not sure… what-” she kept trying to get her brain and mouth to cooperate, however, doing so was proving more difficult than she thought as Sebastian’s hand had returned to stroking the bare skin beneath her breast. 

“How about this…” Sebastian started to speak but when he looked down and saw her wide eyes looking up at him, blinking so innocently and purely, he couldn’t help himself: Sebastian bent down and kissed her. His lips pressing down harshly on hers as he passionately filled her mouth with a groan before pulling away. “Sorry… I seem to be having difficulty restraining myself…” he suddenly felt very embarrassed, as his lack of restraint seemed to be what was causing their issue. Sebastian went to retract himself completely from her, when he felt a hand keeping him in place.

“It’s alright Bash… I am also having the same issue if I am honest.” She thought for a moment. “What were you going to recommend?” she asked, moving her arms to rest on his shoulders, her fingers playing with his hair as she let the weight of their situation evaporate. 

There was no need to be nervous: This was just her and Sebatian. They knew each other. They trusted each other. There was not a thing they couldn’t talk about. They would come to a resolution. 

“I was going to suggest… if you want to keep going we can always go until you are uncomfortable, however if I am honest with you, I do not know how well I will be able to hold back. I mean if you only knew the thoughts I was having right now… you’d probably be disgusted with me.” he said somewhere between shame and humor. The combination would be odd if he had been speaking to anyone but her, but there were no reservations at this point of their relationship. 

“Enlighten me then” she said. 

“What?” he asked, unsure what she meant. 

“Tell me what thoughts you have running through your brain. I want to hear them.  I can assure you Sebastian, they likely aren’t that different from my own” she said barely above a whisper as her hips rocked into his gently. 

“I.. I can’t.” he tried to reason with her, tried to get her to understand that he couldn’t. It would be the furthest thing from what a gentleman would do.  She deserved a kind, honest, man; not a horny, touch deprived, young man who wanted nothing more than to fill her walls with his release, despite not having any real right or claim to do so.

“Please” she begged, forcing his eyes back up into her own as she tried to get him to be honest with her about what he wanted. Except Sebastian didn’t know what he wanted that was within reason. 

“More. I want more.” was all he said with an exasperated sigh. 

“More of what?” she asked, perplexed by his answer. 

“More touching, more kissing, more contact. I want to go further than what we have been doing. More than even that night in the shower. I just want more of you. And I know that’s wrong of me to want, and I can assure you that this is not me asking you for such things. But every second since that night we shared that first kiss, I can’t stop thinking of claiming you in any way imaginable. Every moment in which I am next to you, it is all I can think of. Those sounds you make, the way you look as if the heavens have opened up right before me, it's all too much. How could I not have my mind filled with rich and colorful depictions of you. You lying beneath me, you lying on top of me, you standing next to me as I take you against the wall, you spread out across the desk: simply just you. Oh if you only knew the vulgarity in which I think of you-” he felt his whole body begin to shake at his open admission.  

Sebastian expected her to slap him, berate him, but he was surprised to see him eying his clothed chest curiously.  He was even more surprised when she slowly started to undo the top few buttons with one hand. 

“Hey, just because I told you that… we do not need to continue, in fact I do believe it is better that we do not fully commit to marital relations now.” he explained and she shook her head. He tried to reason with her, against his own body’s desires as she pushed the shirt from his body. “I mean it, I want to wait. I want to make things special for you. I don’t want you to feel pressured by my account when I know-” she interrupted him. 

“You don’t understand.” she spoke so matter of fact that it caused his eyebrows to draw. 

“Don’t understand what?” 

“The ways in which I want you Sebastian. You aren’t the only one who wants to feel the full extent of your length inside of me.  You think that I don’t want to give myself to you? You already have my heart, my mind, my spirit: how could I not want to give you my body as well? I have no concerns for the semantics but Merlin- it’s nearly the only thing I think about these days. How much I want to truly, irrevocably and wholeheartedly give you everything I am.  How much I want you to look into my eyes as you feel the full extent of my love.” She started in a similar tone to which he had spoken before.

“We don’t -“ he tried to get her to stop but she kept going as she moved her fingers lower, reaching for the clasp of his belt.

“You cannot possibly know how difficult it is when I see you sweating at crossed wands to not imagine you taking me then and there. How I see your hands clutching your quill in class and immediately imagine how they felt inside of me. You probably don’t even realize how I’ve gotten so well at rubbing my legs together to ease the tension under the desk have you?” She questioned rhetorically. 

She finished undoing his belt and the button holding his trousers. Sebastian hadn’t even realized she was already holding him in her delicate hands until he looked down and saw his length in her hands, blushing brightly and already leaking. 

“I agree that I do not think we should do such things now but trust me when I say that you are not the only one who wants to.” She said, staring into his brown eyes, trying to assure him that she wanted to go a step further. Not fully commit herself to him yet, but to find a middle ground in the meantime.

Sebastian wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, she had already stripped him bare and she was nearly in the same position herself: only her uniform trousers and undergarments between them. On the other hand, he was unsure what this was leading to. As if she was reading his mind she spoke to explain. 

“I will tell you when I wish to stop moving forward… Can we please just keep going for now?” she asked, ever so sweetly and he knew that despite thinking this may not end well, he could not possibly say no to her when she begged him like that. 

Renewed was the sense of urgency and almost dominance in which he had before. Trusting that she would in fact stop him should she want to, he let go of the anxiety he’d had brewing and instead focused on getting her trousers down her thighs. It didn’t take long to push the offending material from her body, along with sliding her thin pair of bloomers down as well, leaving her as bare as he was.  

Looking around the Room of Requirement, he realized he didn’t want whatever was about to occur on the sofa of all places, so he stood, grabbing the cushions from the furniture, placing them in front of the fireplace, before tossing the blanket she kept in there over top of the makeshift bed he’d made. Walking closer he held out his hand for her, and she took it, allowing him to walk the both of them to the front of the fireplace. 

Slowly, Sebastian sank to his knees, pulling her along with him, as they both kissed each other while the fire crackled behind them.  He used his arm to pull her closer, wrapping it around her small waist. When her chest made contact with his own he couldn’t help but let out a slight groan, loving the warmth their bodies created together. 

His tongue entered her mouth without much resistance, as they both groped and grabbed at each other in the thrones of passion. Somewhere along the way he snaked a hand up into her hair, retrieving the pin she was using to hold it up off her neck, and pulled the offending thing out of the updo before tossing it as far away as he possibly could.  He then shoved his hands up into her tresses, collecting a handful at her nape before pulling it slightly so that her head tipped upwards to accommodate his tension on her hair. 

“I have told you so many times now, that I prefer your hair down” he said somewhere between a gruff commandment and a love drunk admission before continuing by saying, “All I can think of is pulling it, much like this, as I force my length inside of you, while I pull these beautiful tresses off your face so I can watch as you take all of me”

His words sent such a warm flash all across her body as she felt it almost painfully in her core.  The thought of Sebastian, pressing himself inside of her in that manner, a thought he seemingly had by his own admission, almost became too much. Almost. 

Her eyes immediately sought him in dire need, but for what for, she wasn’t exactly sure. She just knew she wanted him.  She wanted him closer.  She wanted him to keep touching her with the blatant need he was using.  She wanted him to keep talking to her this way.  To encourage him to keep going, she used her hands to grab onto his shoulders and pull him even more against her body as she flung her weight into his open arms, her tongue pressing into his mouth as she moaned against his lips. 

Sebastian didn’t even have time to open his eyes to check if she was alright before she had flung herself more onto him. Not that he was complaining however. He liked having her trying to get as close as humanly possible.  He abandoned pulling her hair, to instead cup the nape of her neck with his large palm, as he continued to let their mouths mesh together. Eventually he pulled away, almost lightheaded as he looked down at her with a hooded gaze. 

“Lie down on your back”, he told her and she humbly did as he asked, sliding off her knees and onto the floor where he had laid out the cushions. For a moment she looked up at him, eyes wide with anticipation before she followed his eyes as they tracked from her face down her body. 

She brought her arms up, attempting to shield as much of herself as she could from just openly being on display in such a vulnerable position but he quickly put a stop to that, as he moved to straddle her hips, collecting her arms in his hands, as he pinned them next to her face. Sebastian let go of her arms as he looked into her eyes. He could feel her body shaking. 

“Is this too much? Please tell me if I am being too much of a brute.” he begged her, hoping that she would be honest. 

“I wouldn’t say you are being a brute, but… perhaps we could ease up just a little…” she said weakly.  The comment about her hair, and wanting to enter her hadn’t been offensive, but it had definitely caught her off guard. While she realized Sebastian would never do so without her consent, and was likely referring to actual married relations, she still wished to dial it back some.  Not that she didn’t find the idea enticing - she did - it just should be reserved for a different time perhaps… 

“Absolutely, I apologize if I went too far.” he said,  shame filling his voice and she moved one of her hands to his waist and the other  to his cheek. 

“It’s alright. We are figuring this out together.” she reassured him. She still felt anxious as she could feel his arousal pressing into her hip bone, as he hovered over her bare frame.  

“Why don’t we just… lay here for a moment?” Sebastian offered after a long beat of silence and she nodded her head in agreement. Letting out a breath he seemed to have been holding in, Sebastian crawled back off the girl, falling to the space beside her in order for them both to situate themselves. He was almost surprised when she turned over, placing her head along his chest, flinging a leg over his hips, but he didn’t question it as he wrapped an arm around her waist. 

They laid there for a while, bare while cuddled up next to each other by the fire. Sebastian almost started nodding off, as the feeling of content washed over him much faster than he anticipated.  He always thought intercourse was the best part of being naked with a woman, however, laying here he realized that perhaps just to hold each other innocently had more appeal. Not that he’d know otherwise. 

What woke him up was a slight movement along his pelvis. When he looked down he saw her, once again moving up and down against his body trying to get some friction. Sebastian decided that it might be best for him to not say anything, and allow the girl to do as she wanted. Closing his eyes he let her continue. 

He didn’t open his eyes as she slid over him, legs going to either side of his hips. He didn’t open his eyes when she hovered over him pressing kisses to his neck, shoulders, chest and just about anywhere she could reach. He only moved to wrap his arms snuggly around her waist when she started to nibble on his earlobe, a feeling he would never get used to or neglect to enjoy. He didn’t open his eyes when she continued to move up and down along his thighs, despite feeling her wetness leaking out on his leg. He didn’t open his eyes when she stopped moving to pick up his length and stroke it - his eyebrows drawing as he was incredibly sensitive. 

He did however open his eyes, when he felt his tip pressed against something soft and wet. The feeling shocked him enough that he looked down to see if she had placed him inside her mouth. He was shocked however to find just the head of his cock enveloped by her thighs. He was pressed within the small area between the apex of her thighs and her womanhood, an area that had seemingly collected the wetness that was trickling out of her. 

Without warning she continued to rut her hips against him, sliding herself along his shaft, as she continued to leak all over him. Sebastian’s mind went blank. 

Sure he wasn’t inside of her, but she had her womanhood pressed against his length and she was getting herself off to the feeling of his manhood applying pressure on her clitorus - that alone made him want to scream in excitement as this feeling was almost too much. 

He looked up at her wildly, mind still blank as she moved and let out a cacophony of small noises. His mouth unintentionally fell open and he tried his hardest to not move a muscle for fear he would fall from between her leg, and this moment would end. 

He cried out when he looked down, seeing himself working open just the outer area of her body, the head of his cock nestled between her lower lips, from the unrestrained movements she was making as she worked herself closer and closer to release. She continued to move her hips along his own, using his body to get herself off and he let her. Something about watching the way she moved, knowing it was him and his body providing her such pleasure made him pulse. 

Without warning Sebastian suddenly felt a new sensation and he panicked. When he looked down again, he felt himself suddenly pressed against something he had only touched with his hands: Sebastian’s cock was lightly kissing her opening, yet not actually entering the hole. Both their eyes went wide, realizing she’d accidentally moved him that close to being inside of her. 

She realized what had happened in her uncoordinated movements a brief moment before Sebastian had, as she knew exactly where her body's opening was and how sensitive it could be. She recalled the feeling of Sebastian’s fingers prodding her entrance a few weeks back, and how he had stretched her. Now with the head of his cock pressed against the same spot, a spot she would one day allow him to enter in this exact manner, brought on a bout of shaking through her body. It was exhilarating to get so close to the edge but not go over it: especially knowing that at any moment Sebastian could thrust his hips and his tip would be enveloped inside her heat…

The unfamiliar weight of him pressing against her opening, as it throbbed with need. Need to get inside. Need to move within her body. Need to hit all those spots that had felt good under Sebastian’s fingers. Need to bury his load as deep inside as it could get. It was as if she could feel all of these things as they pressed together in this way. Her own body, also pulsating, with the same desperation of wanting to be entered, to be stretched, to be filled.

She stilled for a moment, as he looked up at her, on the verge of combusting. He imagined the pair of them looked quite similar. Hair damp with sweat along their hairlines. Blush covering now just their face but their chests and shoulders. Sebastian’s cock twitched painfully, knowing all it would take would be for her to push forward and he would be inside her velvety walls.

If you had asked him, he isn’t sure what exactly possessed him to do it truly. It went against every endorphin, thought and fiber in his being to do so. Yet, he cupped her cheek, forcing her to look down at him before he spoke. 

“This is almost too much truly” he squeaked out, voice very foreign to him. He meant it. As much as his body wanted to keep going he knew deep down this was about to get very real very quick. 

“It, it was an accident…” she tried to explain how they found themselves in the situation. She hasn’t meant for them to be this close to marital relations. She had just gotten carried away as she had been grinding along his shaft, lost in the feeling of pleasuring herself on his hard length, as the warm skin applying friction to her clitorus was exhilarating. 

Sebastian knew it was an accident, but that didn’t stop him from going slack at the feeling. It didn’t stop him from wanting to keep going despite knowing it was not a good idea. He took in a deep and shaky breath, hands abandoning her waist to run over his own face. Eventually he was able to settle himself the best he could while still being nestled that close to her. The pair had stilled when the contact had been made and for fear of what could happen they both remained with their hips pressed together in the same way. 

“Trust me when I say I would love nothing more than for this…” he trailed off insinuating what they both were thinking, “I can’t in good conscience do so without the both of us making the decision with a clear and level head”.

“I agree…” she concluded but didn’t move. 

“However… if you would like to keep doing what you just were…” he implied the rutting of her hips against his. He hadn’t expected to feel so close just from fucking her thighs and labia but the warmth of her skin, the wetness that spilled from her and the feeling of her movements was enough to also be getting him close to finishing, as it had been for her. 

She looked at him quizzically, almost as if asking which part he’d been referring to. Instead of speaking, he moved his hands back to her waist and lifted her hips just enough so that his length moved to lie, his tip touching his abdomen. When they looked down and saw it, leaking slightly near his naval, they sighed. He maintained holding her up for a moment with one hand by placing it under her thigh, then using his other hand to gently separate her lower lips, before setting her back down, this time on top of his shaft. 

Instead of waiting for her to move, Sebastian slid the girl's hips up and down with his hands, aiding her in dancing along his shaft for the friction she seemed to enjoy. They both sighed as she slowly started to move with his aid, her hands falling to his shoulders as she steadied herself on top of his body. 

Sebastian wishes he could say he looked into her eyes the whole time, but the way her breasts seemed to bounce and move with each rut of her hips was entirely too distracting for him. The way her body felt on his - the softness, the warmth, the wetness leaking out of her directly onto him - it was earth shattering. Sebastian could hardly imagine how incredible the real thing would feel some day with how amazing this felt. 

She also found herself in a similar situation.  She had never felt Sebastian’s hardness pressed against her front - it was always her back and usually the result of unintentional morning wood. To feel him tightly pressed against her pearl, sliding up and down on it as she felt the friction unobstructed by clothes, felt like one of the single most important feelings her young body had experienced. More so than when he just kissed her, or used his mouth on her, or even when he pressed his finger inside of her - this was so much better.  It satisfied her in ways she dared not to think imaginable. 

She found herself gasping when he moved a hand up to cup her breast, before kneading the flesh as he stared up into her face. The movement, the way he was holding her body, the way the Slytherin boy’s mouth fell open into almost a perfect “o” shape before his teeth snapping together quickly and his eyebrows drawing at the exact moment his cock twitched again under her rutting. Seeing the faces he was making, paired with the grunting sounds he had started to let out, no longer embarrassed to be vocal, she tipped her head back, unable to keep looking at him. The sights, the sounds, the feeling of his body under hers, it was too much. 

Her soft whimpers were slowly turning into louder and more uncontrollable whines as she felt a burn in her thighs from holding herself up, however she couldn’t stop moving as the pleasure it brought was better than the exertion to her sore muscles. Somewhere between catching her breath she managed to choke out “Bash, I -” as an explanation for why her thighs were suddenly shaking much more than before.  She only had a moment before she knew the exhaustion of moving on top of him would prevent her from continuing before she managed to finish.

Sebastian, despite not being able to put much of a coherent thought together, seemed to understand that her body physically could not move much more, so he abandoned groping her breast and instead reached to where she was rubbed against him, pressing his finger to the small hood there. The satisfaction of his action, almost instantaneous as she let out a shrill noise, letting him rub her clitorus with his middle and pointer fingers, all the while he took over from below as he moved his body up into hers. 

The strain of his physical action caused him to abandon his restraint in other areas, such as preventing him from the occasional grunt or groan leaving his lips instead of the usual more repressive sighs.  Even further, he found himself speaking incoherently to her without even meaning to, but once the words had passed his lips there was no putting them back. 

“You are a dream, Fuck-” he slipped in the swear amidst the phrase, but he knew deep down that he truly meant it. She looked absolutely radiant on top of him, her body flushed and glistening with sweat. Her trembling and voice calling out for him, and only him. Sebastian couldn’t help but bring his other hand up gently, running his fingers over her skin, as if to make sure she was real, that this was real. 

“You like this? Like how I am making you feel darling? Can’t you just imagine how someday you’ll ride me like this? How much better it’ll feel when I am pulsing within you?” he sighed as she looked back down at him, her eyes wide. Sebastian decided now might be a good time to speed up his fingers as he could feel himself about to release and he wanted to make sure she also reached that point of pleasure as well. So he kept going, since his words seemed to be helping her just as much as his hand…

“Naughty little thing aren’t you… almost let me slip inside you earlier… Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to hold back? Not letting you do so, when all I want is to just claim you…” he said as she looked around the room frantically trying to find something to ground herself as she felt herself about to go over an edge. Sebastian saw her, reaching his hand up to her chin, pulling it down so he could move her face closer to his, kissing her passionately before backing away to continue. 

“Don’t worry Mo leannan… I got you… let it out… don’t hold back…” he whispered sweetly against her lips despite a strong want to shout something much more vulgar as he felt her tense around him then cry out, burying her face in his neck as she shook. 

Sebastian didn’t still his movements, chasing his own release, but he did softly caress the skin of her back and reach over to bury his nose in her hair, breathing her in as he kept going - the more gentle and romantic tone shifting back as he felt himself on the verge of finishing. 

“Merlin, I love you. I fucking love you so much. I love-” he started as he sped up, wiggling his hips with more abandon than before, despite finding it more difficult to, as she had sagged more of her dead weight into him as she felt the aftershocks of her release. The words he spoke caused her to pull back and look him in the eyes. His face contorting with pleasure, his brow damp with sweat, his cheeks bright red. He kept saying ‘i love you’ with more and more gusto as he kept going, as if the phrase became a matra on his lips until he finally felt himself about to start spilling against his abdomen. 

“I’m going to -” he started as a warning to let her know he was finishing. She suckled in a breath, and at the last second she moved herself to rise. Sebastian assumed she was doing so to avoid getting his mess on her, but he was shocked when he felt her fingers angle just the tip of his cock inside the outer area of her womanhood, once again resting at just her opening as he spilled with a string of curses.  

She felt his cock throb intensely as her outer walls were flooded with his release.  She looked down at him, as his usual refined speech had been replaced with vulgarity, and it pleased her to see Sebastian so enraptured by what had happened that he allowed himself to act in that manner. Once he finally stopped spilling against her cunt, she pulled back, watching as it all ran down her thighs, before collapsing onto the floor beside him. 

The two let their breath even out before looking at one another, knowing that they had gotten as close to full marital relations as a pair could. The internal warmth and happiness that radiated between them was unmatched. 

“That was wonderful” she said after a moment. 

“It makes me really look forward to the real thing.” he admitted before he chuckled and pulled her close to his chest, not caring about the mess in their laps. “Although I do recommend us not blowing the grounsils when we do attempt the unbridled version”. 

“What? Do you have a thing against warm fireplaces and soft cushions?” she retorted as she attempted to situate his hair.  

“I am not going to deflower you on the ground: cushions and roaring fire aside.  I plan to save that for a bed, more than likely a marital one at that” he said matter of factly.  

“So you have thought of deflowering me…” she teased

“Deflowering you… bedding you nightly… putting my seed in you… list goes on I am afraid.” he chuckled, because despite the joking tone he used they both knew he was far from joking. 

“Perhaps you are a brute.” she said with a laugh as he joined in, the two of them moving closer in the warmth of the firelight… 

A familiar sound broke her out of the vivid daydream she’d conjured in her mind.  When she reopened her eyes she was shocked to see the phoenix - the one she’d rescued at the recommendation of Deek - with its talons buried deep in the man's eyes as he screamed. Looking down she realized that her bloomers were in fact still on, and the man had hardly gotten far as the creature she had saved, in turn had come to help her in a time of need.  If she wasn’t so tired, sore and frightened she’d question exactly how it had escaped the room of requirement. Perhaps she could figure that out later. 

For now the beast was attacking the man, who sought cover by falling to the floor and crawling in the direction of the flap, using his arms to guide him. She sat up, looking around to try and find something to cut the bindings when the bird flew over to her, sitting on the grown next to where she lay.  It lowered its head, and initially she thought it was to bite at her restraints but she realized instead that he was attempting to heal the worst of her injuries with its tears. 

Poppy had explained the strength of a phoenix tear in healing injury but she hadn’t expected it to be so immensely powerful.  Looking down at the broken bone in her leg, she watched it heal almost instantly.  She removed the gag from between her lips finally.

“Thank you friend” she said, lifting her still bound hands to stroke his feathered head and he bowed gracefully as she struggled to stand.  Still weak from the torture and the other injuries she held, she attempted to manuver herself to the table in search of a weapon to defend herself with or perhaps something to cover herself, however she found herself still shaken up at what had transpired. 

As much as she wanted to just curl up on the floor of the tent and cry, she hardly had time for that. Knowing whatever was happening outside would provide her enough cover to possibly escape, she knew she needed to act quickly. Finding her wand was likely out of the realm of possibility, however perhaps she could discover where the man who had attempted to assault her, had dropped his. 

Falling back to the floor she searched for it in the darkness.  Eventually her fingers found the wood, and she lifted it knowing this was her chance. Just as she moved to cast a spell to remove her restraints she heard movement at the front of the tent.  Moving as quickly as she could while injured she turned around, aiming in the general direction she heard the noise.  

She had expected the man to come back after settling from his injury. Another poacher who had come to check on her… Possibly even Rookwood himself. Instead she was met with the shocked and not to mention horrified face of her potions professor. 

Lowering the wand she stumbled forward, arms crossing over her chest as she made her way to him. Sometime as she moved he called out diffindo, loosening the restraints so that her arms finally broke free, leaving only the nasty purple lines marked in her skin from the rope burn. 

As she finally made it in front of Professor Sharp, he had already removed his outer coat, passing it to her in order to protect the young girl’s modesty.  To say he was completely and utterly disgusted when he had pulled the tent flap back was an understatement. 

Aesop Sharp had seen many things during his time as an Auror. Unspeakable types of horrors - the kind that kept him awake at night. Seeing such a young girl, who hardly appeared fragile, broken and beaten, not to mention stripped nearly bare, enraged him in ways he had not imagined possible. Perhaps it was the knowledge that he would soon be a father, and should he have a daughter himself, the thought of someone harming a girl so young in this brutal fashion made him want to burn every single criminal in the camp to the ground. Seeing one of his prized students near unrecognizable almost caused him to gag, but the man powered through for the sake of getting her out alive, and without further injury. 

He tried to find the words but nothing truly worthy of the situation would come to mind. 

She rushed towards him, tears still on her face as she sobbed a quick sound he perceived to be relief as he covered her shoulders with his long coat. He watched as she pitifully attempted to fasten the buttons on the inside of the lapel, her fingers shaking wildly as she sniffled.  He took a step closer, moving his eyes to look up at her face so he wouldn’t disrespect the young girl, as he pulled the lapels as far away from her body, hoping to avoid accidentally brushing her with his hands as he aided her in closing his jacket. 

It hung off the poor girl's frame, going down to her shins and falling past her fingertips considerably. Given the circumstances it did enough of its job at covering her modesty, despite looking painfully awkward.   

“I fear we don’t have much time Miss y/l/n. The distraction that has been provided to us I imagine has nearly run its course. Unfortunately you are too injured to apparate, so we must make it to the nearby hamlet and use their floo network. Are you able to move on your own?” Sharp asked, removing a potion from his pocket, passing it to the girl before drinking the rest himself. He knew if need be he could carry her, but given the pain already flaring in his leg he hoped it would not come to that. He simply needed to get her out of the camp and find Miss Sweeting as the centaurs covered their retreat. 

“I… I think so.” she said unsure and he looked into her terrified features, noticing the girl had not stopped shaking and her breathing had become erratic.

“We hardly have time to dwell on the fragility of the situation-” he started as the girl’s eyes once again glassed over with tears and he let out a frustrated sigh. He could hardly blame her, she was young after all, but they did not have a large window to escape. 

“Se-Sebastian?” She managed to choke out, seemingly asking if he was there and the professor shook his head, letting her know that the fellow Slytherin was not in the poacher camp. At first he thought she wanted the young man's comfort, especially now knowing the depth of their relationship due to Poppy Sweeting, so it surprised him when the look of relief flashed over the young girl’s eyes. She simply nodded, happy to know that her love was far from the camp as they set off, casting an illusion charm to avoid unnecessary detection.  

She was wholly unprepared for the state of the poacher camp as they made their way outside. Flames licked every other structure except for the tent she had emerged from. Dark wizards casting various spells towards the centaurs who fired spears and arrows. It was much worse than when she had emerged temporarily with Victor before being shoved back inside. The smoke, shouting and all around chaos all too captivating as she stood there stunned until Professor Sharp emerged from behind her, parchment in hand, as he reached to shove them inside the outer part of the coat she wore. Once stowed, he reached a large and calloused hand out, retrieving one of hers as he pulled her along as quickly as his injured leg would allow them.  

They didn’t make it very far before their spell was dropped and he pushed her behind him, her eyes falling on his waistcoat clasp as she heard Victor’s voice call out into the night. 

“And just where do you think you’re going?” he asked as she peaked her face around from behind the professor, the stolen wand she held pointed out. She refused to go back there. She refused to let this man walk away given all the pain he had caused Sebastian and his family. 

Professor Sharp instead spoke for her, “Torturing young girls, defiling them, Victor? That’s low, even for the likes of you” he seethed, not truly caring what the criminal would say. He was simply ready to get them out of the danger as quickly as possible. 

“I would hardly say I have defiled her more than that Sallow boy has. Perhaps you need to keep a better eye on your students, Aesop” Victor replied, not a shred of worry evident in his tone. 

“This has gone far enough. We are leaving.” Sharp was not in the mood to play games and he wasn’t below blasting his way out of the camp should it be necessary. 

“Oh please, that girl is hardly the delicate flower in which she pretends to be. If you could only see what she is capable of…” Victor alluded to her power and she began to feel herself grow more and more angry by the second.  As the two began to argue, she sensed her wand’s presence close by - the thunderbird tail feather core calling out to her like a homing beacon. Using the one she had stolen, she took advantage of the two men being distracted long enough to call out Expelliarmus, looking up happily as it flew from Rookwood’s pocket back into her outstretched hand. 

She dropped the wand she had stolen, suddenly feeling happy being reunited with the wand that seemingly understood her intentions better than herself. Immediately upon feeling it safely back in her own hands, she felt it vibrate, its almost sentience had always perplexed but delighted her. She did not however have much time to ponder this, as the professor was once again pushing her out of the way of Rookwood’s curses and hexes. 

“Y/n!” a voice called out from behind her, as Poppy Sweeting emerged from the battle being accompanied by Dorran. The girl felt Poppy’s arms go around her frame and squeeze her. Despite the pain it caused she was more than glad to see she was alright. 

“Anne, did you get to Anne?” she asked and Poppy nodded. 

“Yes I did. Solomon was furious, but Anne is safety at Hogwarts and the matron is looking over the book now. Perhaps she’s even healed already.” Poppy said slightly breathless as the fight must’ve taken energy from her. It was then the Hufflepuff looked over her beaten frame, eyes softening as she looked at her. 

“What did they do to you?” Poppy asked with a sad tone and wobbly lip, finally seeing the extent of the scar forming across her face and the visible marks. Above the girls a flash of red moved down, landing on a nearby piece of debris as Poppy turned stunned to see the bird. 

“Right now that hardly matters… Solomon knew what Rookwood did to Anne. That’s why he was insistent on Sebastian and I giving up searching for a cure.” she explained, looking up to see Sharp and Rookwood hurling curses at one another. Once again her blood boiling at the reminder he intended initially to hurt her love, and still likely would, given the chance. She refused to give him that chance. 

Walking forward before Poppy could stop her, she watched as one of the curses sent Professor Sharp stumbling back slightly. She moved her body in front of the professors, lifting the wand to stare down Victor. 

“Finally come to fight your own battles little one?” he taunted and she didn’t respond. Lifting a wand she attempted to send him flying backwards with bombarda, only to have him block the curse. 

“I will admit, you have a spark, but it's not going to be enough to protect that boy. It was always supposed to be him. And once we are done here it will be…” he threatened and that was all it took for her to lunge at him, magic neglected for a moment, as she threw as much of her body weight as she could into her fist. 

The satisfying ‘pop’ that echoed throughout the night as it collided with his nose startling everyone from Professor Sharp, to Poppy, even some of the centaurs close by.  Everything else in the camp died down for a moment as everyone came to watch her and Rookwood. She backed up only a few steps giving him room as his nose started to bleed. 

“You dirty little harlot!” he seethed as she stared at him from only a few paces away, wand raised ready for his attack. 

“Wasn’t it you who said that sometimes it's more fun to use your hands instead of magic Victor?” she retorted, remembering what he had said before he had carved into her face. The burning feeling of her now split knuckles only making her feel more energized.  

“You are going to regret that when I get a hold of Sallow do you understand girl? He is going to suffer just as his uncle had initially intended, and then some for your insolence.” he threatened. She did not see the reactions of her companions but the gasp taken in by Poppy drew the attention of Professor Sharp as he realized there was no getting between the Slytherin girl, so best to protect the hufflepuff. 

Calmly she stared down the man, watching as his fingers tightened around the hilt of his dark wand and she felt her own wand warm within her hand. Intuitions correct, she cast expelliarmus as Victor raised and fired his own. 

Expelliarmus. Avada Kedavra. 

Trusting her wand, she let its aim guide her, as its red bolt crossed with Rookwood’s green - a bright light emerging where their wands had crossed. 

She had never actually had her magic cross anothers, so initially she felt overwhelmed, certain he would win out this battle as the fatigue set in and he pushed it closer to her. She knew that if he prevailed she would cease to be.  Trying to steady herself as much as possible, she pushed back, recalling Sebastian’s smiling face and brown eyes, as she kept pushing him back. Their crossed section thus flying back more towards the center between them. 

Eventually Rookwood himself needed to drop the spell, no longer able to hold on. The two of them slid back slightly as they had successfully repelled each other. Using the opportunity she fired upwards quickly, not allowing him a second to rest, before summoning a beam from the sky, drawing it down upon him as he barely had time to react. He only partially deflected the ancient magic, leaving his usually regal robes scorched. 

Victor’s eyes went wide, realizing that despite all the injury, she still had enough power to obliterate him. Once again they stared each other down as everyone else watched, ready to continue fighting or run depending on who walked away victorious. Professor Sharp looked at the two, worried having already seen him use the killing curse once, but knowing if he stepped in that he could accidentally cause her harm by distracting her, or worse make his pregnant wife a widow and his unborn child fatherless. 

She felt wave after wave of rage within her, but knew that with her former auror professor behind her she could not resort to the unforgivables, despite wanting to. She could continue to use spells she knew, or she could keep using ancient magic. But one thing was for certain, she would not allow Victor Rookwood to walk away even if it was the last thing she did.  

“I am not leaving without my birthright! Damn the Sallows, I want what is mine!” he began to shout, once again casting hexes her way as she moved to defend them. 

“Charles Rookwood would’ve wanted you nowhere near that magic! As for the Sallows, you shall not go near them ever again. I will make sure of it.” she responded, anger finally seeping out as she stopped the last of his hexes. 

“The arrogance of a child!” he screamed, once again firing at her, her wand moving instinctively to stop it. This time, not with the use of a spell, but her ancient magic. Blue and Green streams of magic, crossing in the center. Hers not visible to the naked eye, only in the spot that theirs crossed could anyone see what she had done. 

Unlike the previous attempt, her ancient magic was much stronger than simply a disarming charm. She could feel it physically flowing from her, instead of just the air around her. It burned. It burned with power. It burned with her anger. It burned with her pain. It burned with her love for Sebatian Sallow. 

Deep down she knew Rookwood would not walk away.

She watched as it crept closer and closer to the man, as she pushed him back further and further. With each push of the magic she stepped closer as well. Rookwoods hat had been knocked off during the fight and as she made her way to him she could see every detail of his face. The crows feet near his eyes, the slightly grayish blond scruff on his cheeks, his cropped sandy hair damp with sweat along his hairline. Most importantly: she saw the fear in his eyes. 

After all the pain this man had caused she spared little in the way of remorse. Often she would consider herself to be a nonviolent person. She frequently seemed to have to settle Sebastian from wanting to start an altercation with people like Leander or his uncle. If possible with invisibility charms and potions, she tried to avoid using violence even on poachers, dark wizards and even goblins.  Yet this man, she could not help but want to watch as the light left his eyes. 

For all the pain he’d caused Anne Sallow. Every cry in which she witnessed at the girl’s expense filled her ears. For every argue she bore witness to between Sebastian and Solomon. For every night Sebastian had cried in her arms, feeling helpless to save his twin sister, frightened to face the idea that his last remaining family would be stripped away from him. The way his tears had filled her hair as he sobbed, his strong limbs going slack around her. For every frustration she held knowing that Rookwood just as easily wanted to harm him instead. It all came to a breaking point. 

Rookwood fell back, shoving the magic into the air by some miracle of merlin as he struggled along the ground to catch his breath. 

“I promise to stay away from the Sallows! I can tell you how to heal the girl! I promise, please just let me go!” he begged. How pathetic, she couldn’t help but think. 

Not her proudest moment, but she moved to her knees, crouching, then grabbing his coat lapel and shoving the tip of her wand under his chin, “Tell me then. How do I save Anne?” she asked, not feeling very inclined to believe him, but asking regardless. 

“She simply needs the counter curse, I have it written-” he started, frantically trying to appeal to her better nature as he continued to beg. 

“In the journal I stole.” she stated and he nodded, seeming to believe that he’d won her over. As she loosened her grasp. 

“Unfortunately Victor, that means you have no value to me.” she stated, pushing him back to the ground as she raised her wand once more. His eyes grew wide as he made one last attempt to kill her in order to spare himself. 

For the magical creatures. For Dorran and his tribe. For the people of the highlands. For Anne. For her heart and soul: Sebastian Sallow.

In the end her ancient magic pushed the killing curse forward, consuming his body with a dramatic flash of blue, visible to everyone around despite being a magic she alone could see regularly.  Instead of falling to the ground limp and gray, it was as if every fiber of him evaporated into dust, as the area where Victor once stood was replaced with ash. 

At this she fell, the centaurs once again raising their bows as the poachers and wizards within the camp began to apparate away or continue fighting. She could feel Professor Sharp's arms pulling her as she stood there stunned. Her face, she realized, was wet with tears and her body seemed unresponsive as he went to retrieve her. Collapsing into the man, the pain, exhaustion and emotion taking over. She had little fight left in her as he lifted her, despite the protest in his leg and set off to Feldcroft, hoping he could make it back before her injury set in. 

“I’m sorry” she said quietly into the man’s chest as he carried her, Poppy Sweeting lingering close by as Dorran and his second in command lingered to protect their escape. 

“Do not apologize. You are quite brave. Makings of a fine Auror if you ask me” he said, hoping to keep the girl awake, for fear if she closed her eyes she may not wake up. He quickened his pace, knowing he needed to get her back to the school, and quickly. 

“Sebastian?” she asked pitifully.

“I will find Mr. Sallow I assure you. And I will also be speaking with his uncle on the matter of conspiring with a known criminal. Solomon shall pay for what he has done…” he said sternly and she nodded. 

“I- thank you for rescuing me Professor Sharp” she muttered quietly and he looked down at her broken face, covered in soot and dried blood. 

“I dare say you did most of that yourself. Do me a favor and keep talking please.” he said, sensing that she was only a few seconds from nodding off entirely. 

“About what?” she mumbled 

“Anything you’d like.” he responded, shifting her weight the best he could as he felt the pain in his leg beginning to hurt more. “You’ve been such a wonderful influence on Sebastian, I hope you realize that. He seemed very… misguided before you arrived.” he admitted. Aesop recounted the conversations he had in private between himself and the other faculty, and how the girl in his arms seemed to have brought the boy back from the brink of falling victim to something dark. 

“I love him.” she said simply, through clenched teeth. 

“I think it's admirable.  So often we are willing to do anything for those we love.” Aesop recounted, thinking of his wife and how angry he had been when he met her. How he too was headed down a dark road searching for a cure, and only Rebecca had pulled him back to his senses. 

“It hurts” she admitted as a tear leaked out of the corner of her good eye and he softened, pulling her close as he picked up the pace once again. 

“I know, we are nearly there… I’ve got you. I promise.” he said, breaking out into a sprint as he saw the Floo Flame.

Sebastian had never quite felt adrenaline like this before.  Currently plowing through the highlands, running through the dirt paths at top speed as he barreled back towards the gorge with the last trial’s entrance he felt unstoppable. 

Subduing the Graphorn was much easier than he had anticipated. Luckily, Sebastian had always preferred fire spells, and with the ability to hurl them from a distance he did so for a while, until the beast charged at him. Given the opportunity, he remembered the words of his love, explaining how many creatures liked to be shown respect. He wasn’t sure what entirely possessed him to kneel instead of continuing fighting it, but he’s glad he did.

Suddenly the graphorn hauled in front of him, bowing back in respect, before allowing him to mount it’s back, by some miracle of Merlin he assumed. That led him to where he was : rushing into a group of goblins who were wielding that stolen magic in his direction. They hardly stood a chance as the majestic creature he currently controlled barreled through them all. 

Before long he found himself back at the entrance of the cave, Lord of the Shore standing up on its hind legs as he held on the best he could, watching as the entrance opened for him. Sliding off the creature's back, he gave it a gentle caress along its nose, as if to say “thank you” before stepping inside the opening that had only recently appeared. 

Inside he was taken back by the grandeur. The same architecture that filled the map chamber was inside. The beautiful swirls of blue, gold and bronze amazed him, knowing that some place so unassuming housed such splendor. After following the passageway, he finally came to an open chamber, seeing a portrait at the end. 

“Mr. Sallow, it appears you have successfully completed my trial. Only those who are worthy enough to gain the trust of such a strong and wonderful creature are allowed entrance. Perhaps… I misjudged your character.” San Bakar said as he looked down at the young man. 

“Your trial is over?” Sebastian asked, very confused. He was expecting to have to fight the large statues that his love described, and as he imagined he wouldn’t be able to see them.  To hear that Bakar’s only challenge was entrance was a shock to him to say the least. 

“I hardly see the point in nearly killing someone for the sake of understanding this magic. Although the memory you are about to witness will likely make little sense to you Mr. Sallow, you should do your best to remember as much as you can for your companions sake. Then take the pensieve artifact back to the map chamber. You will need to apparate as Niamh explained.” San Bakar said before leaving the portrait frame, signaling for Sebastian to head inside the chamber. 

Once he stepped in the main room, he saw the giant marble statue of the man, and as he came closer a tear spilled from the statue's eye, into the pensieve basin.  From the liquid rose a shard of something, in which he retrieved and pocketed for later, before moving to watch the memory from the late professor. 

As he watched the memory, seeing how Isadora began siphoning pain from even young students, allowing the large and corrupted magic to grow, made Sebastian nauseous to think that he had been begging for his love to do the same to Anne. Following the discovery of the last memory from Isadora he had considered what Isadora was doing to be the solution to Anne’s illness, now realizing it had much more sincestor consequences he refused to further ask her of such or allow Anne to suffer this fate. 

Removing himself from the basin, he looked around one final time before finding himself in Professor Fig and the other Portraits company.  

“Ah Mr. Sallow, I see you were successful in your completion of the final trial. Your love shall be proud.” Niamh spoke and he nodded, a small smile working on his face at the thought she would be thrilled to know he had gone in her honor and done so correctly. 

“What you have been shown young man, I hope you are able to properly articulate to your companion the gravity to which this magic holds. Given your abilities I would also recommend that once she is returned safely and begins to be taught how to wield this magic, that you will remain as one of her keepers. This is a legacy to be passed on, and when the time comes she shall need to formulate her own trusted allies to protect it.” Professor Rackham spoke to him. 

“I will. I must admit… I have not always had the most pure intentions with this magic. From what I have been told, I had grown to not fully trust your methods. Isadora left her own memories that we discovered via a tryptic. I now realize that Isadora, while having good intentions, was misguided in her practices.  I shalt let her fall into that with what I have now seen. You have my word.” Sebastian spoke honestly as the look of shock took their faces, before a small smile took over Professor Fig’s face, proud of the boy for not only his skill, but his maturity. 

“Regardless, there is still more work to be done now. The final repository, the one you saw in the memory is guarded. To gain entrance you will need a wand, composed of the artifacts discovered, to get inside. Professor Fig has the other 3 shards, and as we were discussing has already sent an owl to a wand maker. You are to go and give him the pieces then wait for him to construct the final product before returning here” Professor Rackham spoke and Sebatian sighed. 

Yet another errand for these Keepers when he didn’t even know if she was alive. Surely by now if she was, she would have been rescued. 

Professor Fig looked at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know you want to see if she is okay, but this is more important, you understand that right Sebastian?” he asked.

“I do. I just need to know if she’s alive” Sebastian admitted, finally feeling more of the weight of the situation pressing on his heartstrings. 

“I shall go see what I can learn from the other professors. Perhaps Aesop is back already. Regardless, this wand is a high priority. Go to Olivanders and I will learn more of what has happened to our friend… would you like this back?” Fig asked him, retrieving the tome and Sebastian nodded. It felt comforting to have it back in his possession. 

“I will go to Hogsmeade and then return when the wand is completed. Shall we meet near your classroom Professor?” Sebastian asked and Fig nodded, heading out to learn more about their friend. 

“Sebastian -” Fig started just as he was about to apparate out of the map chamber, stopping him, as the man returned to the space next to him. 

“Yes sir?” he asked perplexed 

“Is there anything I should convey to your sister or Miss y/l/n should I see either of them?” Fig offered the chance for Sebastian to let either of them know he was alright. 

“Tell Anne that I shall come and see her as soon as I can. I hope that whatever was discovered will shed some light on the situation… as for y/n… just tell her that I love her dearly and will do anything to keep her, and this magic, safe.” he said, not sure what else would be properly conveyed via another person. 

Eleazar nodded, and watched as Sebastian apparated away, heading to the hospital wing to await the possible arrival of his protege in whatever state she may be. 

To be continued…

Also you can find here, an audio of the spicy bit!

[gayleonofcuy]

Writing Lessons from ASOIAF

The last night fell black and moonless, but for once the sky was clear. "I am going up the hill to look for Ghost," he told the Thenns at the cave mouth, and they grunted and let him pass.

So many stars, he thought as he trudged up the slope through pines and firs and ash. Maester Luwin had taught him his stars as a boy in Winterfell; he had learned the names of the twelve houses of heaven and the rulers of each; he could find the seven wanderers sacred to the Faith; he was old friends with the Ice Dragon, the Shadowcat, the Moonmaid, and the Sword of the Morning. All those he shared with Ygritte, but not some of the others. We look up at the same stars, and see such different things. The King's Crown was the Cradle, to hear her tell it; the Stallion was the Horned Lord; the red wanderer that septons preached was sacred to their Smith up here was called the Thief. And when the Thief was in the Moonmaid, that was a propitious time for a man to steal a woman, Ygritte insisted. "Like the night you stole me. The Thief was bright that night."

-Jon, ASoS

I have this passage marked as 'writing inspiration' and wanted to share why I like it, if (like me) you are an ASOIAF fan and struggling aspiring writer. GRRM does a few things in this passage that I think are helpful 'advice.'

Exposition: When people criticize bad books not set in our world (or even mediocre books that could be better), one of the most common complaints is clunky exposition or info dumping, especially in the first few chapters of the novel.

Here, GRRM is expositing in a way that adds depth and richness to Westerosi and Freefolk societies. Jon lists the stars by talking about his childhood (which we already care about) and compares and contrasts his names with the names by which Ygritte knows them. This is more retainable and interesting for readers than if he had simply looked up at the sky and listed them for us.

Importantly, we are three books into the series, but we are still learning about the world. Everything hasn't been told to us already.

Lesson: Find memorable ways to show your worldbuilding. And you don't need to show everything in the first few chapters.

Cultural similarities: By this point, we've learned that the Freefolk are descendants of the First Men who were kicked on the worse side of the wall. This is one way of reinforcing the point, by having them share names for 'universal' things like stars.

Cultural differences: The influence of the Andals' religion on the common tongue, even among the First Men, is obvious here with the star named the Smith. But the passage is also pointing out at least a couple of other differences between their geographies and cultures.

1. The Fauna of Beyond-the-Wall: At the beginning of ASOS, Chett's prologue notes

It was a rare thing to find even a dozen mounted wildlings, and five hundred...

One of the advantages that the Rangers have over the Freefolk is their properly armed and armored warriors, but it seems clear that horses is another. Jon mentions that most of the people in the column are traveling by foot.

And even more telling, only one in a hundred wildlings was mounted. The Old Bear will go through them like an axe through porridge.

Stallions, while important in both cultures, are perhaps less important to lay people beyond the wall. At the very least, they're not important or perhaps relevant enough to the common person to merit the name of a star. The King's Crown also falls in this category, obviously.

2. The importance of thieving in Freefolk culture: The harshness of the North, especially during winter, has been established many times. This is magnified north of the wall, which is colder and more brutal. Aside from climate, a big reason is because they lack regular commerce with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms due to the Wall. They can't exactly show up to the Vale to buy grain during hard times.

Thus the Freefolk have had to become necessary thieves, and thieving has in turn been raised to a point of respect or reverence, even extending to their courting or mating customs.

We don't know at this point, whether stealing women was part of First Men culture that the Northerners gradually discarded. But, I think we can say that part of the reason the Freefolk have elevated stealing to a virtue is because it's so necessary. Thieves are needed for luxuries, like silks, wine, spices and so on. But they're also crucial for survival, by taking weapons and perhaps food and goods that you can eat or trade for food during their harsh winters.

So the Thief is great name for a major star in their culture, in the way that Jupiter was in western European culture.

Movement: We learn later that Jon is (brooding) on a hill near the wall, a long ways away from The Fist of the First Men where we saw him last. The end of the passage also sets up Jon describing the beginning of his physical relationship with Ygritte, but he does this in post. There is no 'and the next day, and the next day' until we get to the meat (heh) which is the instinct of many newbie writers. We have arrived here without tedious descriptions of progress, while also covering a lot of physical, emotional and narrative ground.

[yuseirra]

I really am trying to make sense of hikaru's character, and trying to bring everything I see of him and combine it together in a way that makes sense to form his character but it's actually impossible. I could manage to make sense of it somehow till 161, but I just cannot with what we learn out of him in 162, it has information that contradicts what's previously given to us and it's as if he has split personalities that cannot coexist...

The only way to make this understandable and could be thought of as consistent writing would be that he's ACTUALLY possessed, I'm serious, because what WAS that about him saying he does have fatherly feelings and the fact he funded for the movie, was willing to accept he'd be killed etc, I don't feel those were lies either, it DIDN'T have to be there. It's one of those information that no one would expect out of him so much and had been purposely given to us with intent. Those aren't usually lies because what's the point?; It's bad writing to just throw those info in to confuse the readers, it wasn't enacted in a way to be taken as a lie.

It wouldn't have been a problem if his appearance during the movie arc never existed, then he's perfectly coherent in regards to his previous portrayals, but I always felt that his portrayals in that arc would be fundamental to understand his character, his eyes didn't have the black stars in 154 in reaction to Ai's video either, so I was convinced the reactions he had towards Ai's video was so genuine.

I really want to ask the author if that's it for this one.

I really don't get it for this case, it's ACTUALLY impossible to integrate what's been shown of him as a single character, and it's not like the chapters have been spread out so far that it lead to a lack of consistency, it's been less than ten chapters since these events happened and he's drastically different that I just can't take him as the same person.

Except for the really, really base core of the character like his appearance and age and the fact that Ai is his most important person, it's like he's been completely taken over and shifted. It's so confusing, I really don't want to discard what I made out of his character from after what I saw from the movie arc, but I can't bring it together in a logical way of how things are in 161-162 if this is how he's supposed to go and it ISN'T AN ACT. Either this is bad writing(I'm sorry to say that towards another person's work but from a psychological standpoint, I really, really cannot comprehend what this is) or it's intentionally indicating that there is this outer force that's drastically shifted Kamiki's character in an unnatural way. But would it really BE this? In the case of the latter, Ai's wishes if helping him still makes sense because it'd indicate Hikaru really isn't himself and is influenced by the black stars or whatever. Honestly, that's the ONLY way it'd make sense for me for this character to be this way. It IS very out of character if we bring the movie arc portrayals into account. Does the writer know what they're doing with this character? They must, way better than me, but I'm not sure what they want to do with them because the work isn't mine.

I really really am trying to make do and make the best out of what I can of what's been presented in the source material, I always do, but it's INCREDIBLY confusing regarding this character. Right now... I may have to go with the idea that he's ACTUALLY possessed and not himself as bizzare and illogical that may be, or either disregard a huge chunk of the ideas that was set forth in the movie arc(but I am really convinced those were the truths when it comes to this character!!) It's both such a tough choice to make and I really need answers for this case. They don't give us proper answers when it comes to this character. What are they hiding?? I actually think he CAN really be possessed because, that's what the songs could be indicating and plus, that does let us see WHY Ai would request to help this guy out. It's not entirely out of his own will that he's acting wickedly, but under an influence, that's how he's "lost"... So is THIS it? Is THAT what the author is going for? Well for Hikaru's sake and for the sake of consistent writing I do hope this is the case because I can't understand him perfectly unless it's this!! Things just don't work out. I can't possibly portray him as well and it's so difficult, and I never had this happen to me, ever. It's like having a puzzle piece that's from a different set and struggling to fit it in, but it can't happen because it isn't supposed to be there in the first place.

I want to make the best of it, but that's what's happening to me right now.

[yukidragon]

By any chance, could you list like all the things we know about Joseph and Jack? Because some people might be new to the fandom and not know much about it.. if you did this before then could we get the source for it?

Btw love your works :D

Thank you so much! You're so sweet. 💗

Well, while I haven't considered making a fandom primer before... I did make a timeline of what we know about Joseph so far in this post over here. I even translated it into Spanish upon request here.

Oh, something that came out since I made that post is this image from the kickstarter that shows us Joseph's whole body, including his stylish rose-printed boots. Also, the lovely creator of the game shared development sprites in this post that tease at certain plot elements in the upcoming game. As well as this suspiciously familiar lad on Jack's birthday.

As for Jack, I didn't consolidate everything in one place, but I have discussed various topics about him that might be more pertinent. His limitations, for example, are an important part of his character. Consent is a big part of the game and his character.

A lot of what I've discussed are theories, such as how Jack got stuck in the tape, but I do show relevant pieces of artwork and link to the official twitter and tumblr that give teasers. One important piece of info from the tumblr is that Jack can touch/interact with things the more attached he is to his sunshine. The asks from the official tumblr have some juicy lore bits. I've also made transcripts for some of the audio dramas in this tag.

I'm honestly not sure what else should go into a introduction to the fandom for newcomers, besides suggesting they try out the demo and check out official sources. Sadly, I'm not a part of Snaccpop Studios (though I'd love to be hired on as a writer), so I don't count as an official source. Most of what I have to offer with my headcanon rambles are theories and possibilities after all. Plus I'm always adding more thoughts as more teasers slowly trickle out and I get new perspectives from other members of this lovely fandom.

Maybe I should give it some thought how to go about an introduction primer for new fans, but I don't want to give the false impression that I'm an official source for information. I'm just an enthusiastic fan who is trying to sleuth out what's going on and play around with the concepts.

I'd say start from the demo, then go to the official pages for more information. The official toyhou.se page has profiles for the love interests plus the boss, and you can check out other important SnaccPop Studio links here. I hope this helps!

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

[kaija-rayne-author]

Review 11 in series of Dragon Age Veilguard

84 hours in, 82 actual playtime.

Obligatory disclaimer, feel free to skip to the cut if you've read it.

Something came to my attention. I need to make it crystal clear that I utterly love the diversity in DAV. It's fantastic. I'm also a heavily left leaning, non-binary, queer as fuck reviewer, editor, and author.

I'm on media blackout while I play this, so I'm only getting second-hand info on how awful it is right now in the DA Fandom. Please be safe and take care of yourselves. Arguing with incels and white supremacists is completely pointless. They sea lion worse than an actual sea lion. Your mental health is important.

Though., every single time the anti-queer brigade comes out for a new DA game, I sit there thinking 'have you bozos ever played any DA game, like, ever?' My guess is nope.

Spoilers for Dragon Age Veilguard (and everything else Dragon Age, I'm a Lore fiend).

Part 10.3 here.

Wow. Talk about plot hole city in Cyrian's fate. Oh... no... the dying brother is conscious enough to talk (which means swallow). Rook is standing there with 3 healing potions left over and there's at least three green jars scattered about the room. Eyebrow raise of doom.

It would've been far more poignant, and, y'know, would actually have made a lick of sense if no one had any potions left and there weren't any in the room. Rook has been really close to dead, and those potions brought him back to fighting ability. No, I don't expect writers to know what the sets will look like. But at some point, someone, probably multiple someone's saw that and decided it wasn't worth fixing. I can even think of a single line that would've fixed it. Just. One.

Like... did any thought go into this game? At. All? It really doesn't feel like it.

Goddess, that scene just feels so unintelligent and thoughtless. And not because of the writing. If it had been blocked out properly to support the script, it would've been fine! (We use the term 'blocking it out' in writing and acting, not sure if it's the same for games.) It could have been sooooo good! But. Welp. Bioware apparently has no idea how to hire writers and editors and playtesters for quality control. Y'know, if I even thought they gave a shit about quality, because after playing most of this game? I highly doubt it.

I believe everyone can learn how to write. I don't think you need to have advanced degrees or anything silly like that to do it. But there is quite a bit of science behind writing well. No one is good at it from the start. And no... not everyone can just turn their hands to writing and be good at it. That's just not how the science of writing works. You need to dedicate the time and effort to learning how to write well. Reading a lot helps. Same goes with editing. And I know at least one (more than) of the writers played this before release. They talked about it on their socials. So either they didn't notice that massive fucking plot hole, or they just didn't care enough to fix it.

I don't know how else to put it. If someone had hired me to edit this? I would've sent sooooo much of it back to the writers with fix-it notes. (I even give suggestions on HOW to fix stuff in fix-it notes.)

I'm just gonna call the Solavellan ending now. It's so fucking obvious it's sad. The world will be saved (somehow leaving the veil up? Still not sure how that's gonna work given stuff they've said in this game). And then Inky will either join Solas in his prison because that's twue wuv. OR Solas will sacrifice his mortal form because he never wanted one anyway and Inky will poof turn into a spirit and go with him. And we probably won't get the intimate scene.

And NO that does NOT count as a happy ending! Or even the suggestion of a happy ending! That's them either going to prison or dying! A happy ending would be them living quietly until Inky's natural time, with her gardening and him painting. Or working in secret to help fix some shit, or insert absolutely anything other than what I'm pretty sure will happen. Only when Inky naturally passes would a happy ending be going poof into spirit land. What if she'd wanted a family? What if he had? Uuuuuugh. What if they wanted to enjoy life before becoming spirits? Hang with their friends? Let Solas deliver some overdue apologies? Sigh.

Well. I suppose I'm not just guessing. It wouldn't surprise me if I have more than a little savantism when it comes to writing, editing, and prediction.

And when I'm not recovering from almost dying, editing media is my actual job. One I'm pretty good at.

I dunno. Whenever I look at a piece of media, it's like it forms a 4d puzzle in my head. I can see the problems and where the story is likely to go. I actually read encyclopedias for fun (yes, I'm totally serious).

I also may have been dubbed a walking encyclopedia a time or million. So not only can I see the issues? I can usually figure out several ways to fix them. Very little surprises me in fiction. Making the ones that do incredibly rare and precious to me. It should go without saying that absolutely nothing in this game has surprised me except how bad it is.

But that 4d puzzle thing my brain does with fiction makes it far too easy to guess things. Especially when the writers and devs, at every turn, decided to pick the most banal, most uninspired choices available.

If that's what happens with the Solavellan ending, I'm never trusting Weekes again. They were Lead writer. They had to have had some control. Not just because we likely won't get the only two things Solavellans have wanted for what is it now... 10 years? But that they claim to love their character, Solas. And this entire gods damned game has been doing absolutely nothing but shitting on him. It's honestly been difficult to play as a person who deeply identifies with Solas's neurodivergent traits and his story. And who romanced him.

I'm solidly in a relationship with Lucanis and he's made me dessert. Don't get me wrong, a guy who can cook AND who makes me dessert? A+! But I don't play rated M games with romanceable characters for dessert scenes. I'm starting to wonder if there's even any kissing in this game. There's probably only a day or two at most left for me before I finish it. (And thank everything holy that this is probably true. This is painful at this point. But I need to see the ending for myself.)

Y'know? With all of the betrayals this game has dished out to a die hard Solavellan DA fan? I think no intimate scenes would be the shit cherry on top of the shit sundae of this game.

My kids have started being able to tell when I'm playing without looking at my screen by what they term the 'thousand yard stare of horror'. Honestly? They've probably nailed my expression. How can this be so awful?

Oh and yes, Isseya was ooooooh so eeeeevil. (Insinuating mental illness as evil? Yeah, that's rank ableism. It's not even remotely okay, and both whoever wrote that sequence and whoever approved it should absolutely be ashamed of themselves. Perhaps if they'd actually found and hired some diversity editors along with some better developmenal and copy editors, like I told Epler he needed, someone would've caught that.) Though I have no idea why I'd hoped for better from Bioware. They have absolutely awful ableism issues and always have. Psst. Bioware. It's 2024, might want to fix that.

If you've read Last Flight, the Isseya sequence is such a disrespectful, awful story arc. Even beyond the shitty ableism against mentally ill people. 3% of violent crime (pretty sure we can call that sequence 'violent crime') is committed by mentally ill people. All you neurotypicals need to own the other 97%. And a much better villain was still likely kicking around the deep roads. It hasn't been that long since the 5th Blight.

A much better story would've been stopping the Architect. Permanently. They basically just took his motivation and plans, tacked them (in a very badly fitting suit) to a character that didn't deserve that dirty treatment.

I'm honestly not sure if I can even find words for how fucking disappointing this game is.

I do have to say that other than a few teensy details, the sequence of Taash's rescue efforts for their mom was well written. Pacing was a little off, and the bad guy at the end not having a separate battle was a little anticlimactic, but it's absolutely one of the best written sequences in the game.

And my biggest disappointment for that sequence was that both Taash and my Rook are Lords of Fortune. I know it was all emotional, but why did they both run into one of the most basic trap set-ups in existence? Aren't Lords of Fortune supposed to be sorta, y'know, good at both detecting and avoiding traps?

I forgot to say earlier that Isabela is basically the only previously shown character who actually looks sort of like herself.

Oh, and I was pleased with Bellara talking about figuring out what to keep from the past and what's better about the present. I'd have really liked more than a few sentences on what is truly a massive area they could've explored, but at least they did mention it.

Haven't seen a thing about generational trauma and abuse, though. Nor about what’s happening with all those elves and agents Fen'harel had who joined his fight to free the elves in modern THEDAS. Did the writers forget about that part too? Or just decide the closing scenes of DAI weren't important? It wouldn't matter if this were a stand alone game. It might even be a decent, albeit poorly designed, standalone fighting game.

But a Dragon Age game cannot be a standalone. There's far too much history and Lore and previous decisions that need to be considered when you're making series material.

I honestly don't know how much I have left. I keep thinking I'm almost done, and more quests pop up. I've got the final sequence at the top, then maybe 6 others? Two are treasure hunts I'm not sure if I'm going to bother to finish.

And still. The best part of this game? Is still the sets, scenery, backgrounds, and environments. I can't find a single thing I'd change about any of it.

The rest? Eeeeenh.

Section 12 here.

[i-am-autistic]

I feel like if you have any media literacy at all you should know Jancy is very likely endgame.

You can read my posts and see I'm not even a hardcore Jancy or anything I lean more Jargyle. It's just like........

1. The writers like their original pairings from s1 a lot. Mike-El/Will(Im pro Byler, yes Will isn't present in s1 but Mike spends like 90% of the season moaning and talking about him- for the sake of this post El/Will are interchangeable), Jonathan-Nancy, Joyce-Hopper and then they also like Max-Lucas. All 4 of these couples have been presented as romantic since the pitch bible and from their first interactions.

2. S4 was all about division and how the characters lose when divided. They really focused on the absence of Jancy in s4. Hence they are building to an s5 with a lot of Jancy. We also got s4 featuring the other 2 main couples: Jopper and Lumax so it's probably going to switch to the other 2 couples to finish it off and wrap up the relationship and character arcs. The duffers really really love the whole story beat of "break the characters up and then show them coming back together". You can tell because this is exactly what they did with Jopper and Lumax in s4. Jopper obviously had a physical distance that broke them up but Lumax had an emotional distance. The same things Jancy and Mileven/Byler are bringing into s5. Arguably you could even say Byler went through this in s4.

3. Cmon bro the final scene where Nancy RUNS to Jonathan and Robin pats Steve's back is the most obvious thing of all time. People bring up the script and that it wasn't a big moment in the script but those scripts are redacted as hell to avoid giving out more information.

4. Jonathan and Steve had a pretty clear parallel this season when talking about having kids in the future. Jonathan and Steve essentially come to the same vision for their futures but both decide differently. Jonathan hates it and Steve loves it. We also know from s1 and every piece of info we've got about Nancy since s1 that Nancy also hates it and doesn't want to raise a bunch of kids. Yes I know it's possible to pursue a career and have kids. But kids in this situation and the vision Steve have don't only represent kids but also represent her parents and their relationship. Which is what the show has always told us Steve represents to her and in everything we saw in s4 he hasn't developed into this new person, he still represents that. Even if the character himself has still improved he still represents that.

5. As soon as Stancy is introduced in s4 we also get introduced to the fact that Nancy isn't over Barb and Barb will still be a part of her arc. Which she pretty inextricably links to Steve.

6. This is the one people don't realize often but s4 is literally maybe 5(?) months after the end of s3. Taking place in March 86 with S3 ending Oct 85 and about 8 months after the end of s3. Steve has seemingly had literally 0 contact with Nancy in that time and doesn't fall for her again in s4. He's already fantasizing about her as he says so it's presented as a continuation of the feelings he's always had for her and he seemingly isn't as over her in s3 as was implied. If the writers are going to write that relationship, they are essentially saying they were wrong, the characters were wrong and the audience was wrong about the relationship.

7. This is kind of a half point expansion of the above but like.....seriously it's important that none of the feelings in s4 are new feelings, it's all old feelings for a relationship the writers have told us 1 million times doesn't work. I keep seeing people say "they are different people" but they aren't that different from when they broke up. Steve's actual in show character arc has always been a lot more revolving around Nancy than it is about his relationship with Robin or the kids. Like as much as the fandom is about Steve and the kids and it's cute(And I like this too! I don't dislike this) in the show when he becomes friends with Dustin it's all tied back to Nancy with that final Dustin-Nancy scene and the relationship literally being developed with Steve ranting about his relationship. S3 his relationship with Robin in the original version is written as a romantic one as he gets over Nancy. Even in the show for 90% of s3 it seems Steve looks at Robin as a romantic partner and then switches to friends when she's not available. I think people forget he's not actually babysitting the kids in his off time in the show-the fandom is cute and such- but I don't think he spends significant time with anyone except Dustin and Robin in the show. This is moreso a point about how the writers of the show are kinda poor at evolving the characters. But seemingly the way it was presented in s4 Nancy and Steve are essentially in an incredibly similar position to when they broke up in s2.

8. Joyce in the recent play. Ok I need this to be said but like Emmerson vs NYU is a thing people make out as a bigger deal than it is. Emmerson is like an excellent university too??? Like IK people want Jonathan to be validated but he is getting validated by going to a big university. The university you pick when you're a kid doesn't really matter that much and seemingly even Jonathan hasn't brought it up. Like as a kid I wanted to go to my local uni a lot but I didn't go in the end. Emerson isn't like bumming it out it's a pretty great uni. But morseo I mean Joyce's whole arc in the First Shadow is about not going to university as an art student. They are surely not going to make her son do the exact same thing. This one is really simple I don't need to explain it.

9. I think Jopper literally solves like all of Jonathan's family issues because he won't feel as burdened and that he HAS to stay.

10. Oh as a final point I'm fairly certain Argyle with Eden in Suzie's house in s4 was supposed to be a backdoor pilot for a spinoff. And I think Jonathan's only other ending they've given so far is California. I think maybe they could include Jonathan in a spinoff but I don't think they'd want to. Like they've said they don't want to continue any mains story after s5 and Argyle is periphery enough he could leave and have a spinoff and it could work with an occasional Dustin cameo or whatver but with Jonathan I feel like he is a bit too tied to the Byers for him to be in a spinoff. Like you'd have to include the Byers too and I don't think they would want one that features central characters too much.

11. This is just my opinion.