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fairytale-poll · 10 months ago

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CINDERPOLL FINAL MATCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Ella of Frell:

She’s had a “gift” of obedience placed on her, and her quest is to figure out how to get rid of it. I love her

he’s under a curse that makes her obey any order given to her. She met her Prince Charming (Char) when they kids, and they became friends. Her stepsisters found out about her curse while they were at boarding school, and because of that (and some things they made her do) she ran away to try and find the fairy that cursed her. When she does, the fairy says that she doesn’t do magic anymore, because she realized her gifts were actually curses, and refuses to remove it. Ella goes back, and is eventually demoted from “lord’s daughter” to “maid”. She still writes letters to Char (currently in a foreign kingdom, but before that, when he came to try and talk to her, her sister forbid her from leaving her room so she would have all his attention), but eventually stops and even writes a fake letter from her sister to convince him that she never cared/doesn’t care about him, because she realized it would be too dangerous for them to be together; with her curse, she could easily be made to hurt or kill him. Flash forward, and Char returns home. The king throws balls, and she goes, because even if she can’t be with or let him know who she is, she just wants to see him again. Char is drawn to her, and for a lot of the three balls, they’re together. At the end, her stepsister gets jealous, and right as Char proposes (because Ella, despite having to lie about her identity, is the most honest person at the ball and a friend already), she grabs her mask, revealing her identity. Char reaches her home before she can leave, and there’s a whole scene where he finds out she’s a scullery maid, that the letter was a lie, and says that she doesn’t have to be Ella if she doesn’t want to be, and she says she’s not, and he asks if she loves him, and she does– and then it’s all ruined because he accidentally orders her to marry him, and then her stepmother tells her to, and all the while she’s fighting the curse, because she doesn’t want to endanger him and their nation, and doesn’t want her step family to be rich and powerful, and finally– she says no. She gets so excited to say no, to refuse, that she didn’t even fully realize she broke the curse until Mandy (her fairy godmother) tells her. Anyway, they all lived happily ever after. Ella is one of my favorite Cinderellas ever and I really hope I did a good job of explaining her and what her story is about (it’s been a while since I’ve read the book)

I was so enraptured with this book as a kid, it had such an impact on my young mind. Got me into fantasy.

BEST CINDERELLA!!! please use the picture from the book cover and not the movie 🙏

She breaks her curse spell in such a magnificent way. Like yes she embodies the whole “kindness” and “courageous” characteristics that Cinderellas are known for, but for her she’s been forced to be obedient as well. And while she thinks can rise above anything she soon learns she will just hurt so many more people that way. She chose to be self-sacrificing because it was the one way she could express her love that wouldn’t harm anyone (then). But! But! She also ends up getting to be selfish! And that is also a great kindness! To herself and to those whom love her and she loves in return. All that after she breaks the curse.

She can mimic languages. :) She refused to marry the love of her life and thus broke her curse. :) She fell in love via letters. :) She lied to the royal family that orange carriages are very popular in a nearby city.

brave, smart, a linguist, a nerd, she evolves steadily and beautifully throughout the book, with a sharp voice that never stops being distinctive and fun to hang with.

complex character coool as fuck premise and also. the nostalgia of it all

Cinders:

She spent decades searching every moon and planet trying to find her wife (Rose), who was kidnapped on their wedding day. Eventually, she found Rose, and they embraced, only for Rose to die in Cinder’s arms. And so Cinder killed the king who had kidnapped Rose by punching through his chest and into his heart.

And then Cinder got a somewhat happy ending, in which she met Rose’s clone who had Rose’s memories.

What if Cinderella was a Sci-Fi lesbian? Well here she is. She has a whole love song about searching the stars for her girlfriend after their wedding was interrupted and she was taken away. She spends years searching only to when she finally finds and embraces her watch her be shot. Cinders is so devastated by this that she plunges her wedding ring into the heart of the man who shot her love killing him.

Lesbian space princess who elopes with the terrifying soldier who was previously conquering her planet and spends decades searching for her when they’re separated. Listen to her song https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6w9V-gMgBF4

I think the way she punches the evil king through the heart as revenge for her wife is pretty neat.

She’s a revolutionary married to a woman, what’s not to love? From Cinders’ Song: “ When I was a little girl, my mother always told me / “Someday your prince will come, my love” / But as I grew, I knew it was a princess who would hold me”.

her girlfriend got cloned and most of said clones were brutally slaughtered in war and she searched for her girlfriend all throughout the galaxy and when they were finally reunited on the battlefield her girlfriend died. and a clone of her girlfriend who due to technical errors retained her memories, so does that count as the same girlfriend? theseus’s girlfriend? anyway vote for cinders she’s been through hell

Lesbian!! Has to search for her lost love Rose with her glass wedding ring that changes color when its near its partner!! Gets to embrace Rose once again for one final moment before the villain kills Rose right in front of her!! So Cinders kills him in return!! And she’s left as (almost) the only surviving main character from her own album but!! She is eventually reunited with a clone of Rose, and while they cannot have a truly ‘happy ever after’ together they are the ones graced with the closest thing to it

SPACE LESBIANS (she’s in love with Rose Red, who gets kidnapped on their wedding day and Cinders searches the galaxy to find her, waiting for her white ring to turn crimson, indicating that its twin was near) She took her name from the ashes of her burning planet <3 She also killed Old King Cole >:)

shes a tragic lesbian and killed a violent dictator shes literally the best

shes gay shes traumatized she dates both rose red and sleeping beauty. badass space wanderer looking for her wife

Her wife Rose gets kidnapped on their wedding day and Cinders spend the next thirty years looking for her. She finds her (:D) and then Rose dies (D:) and then Cinders kills the guy who killed Rose (girlboss).

shes a lesbian. she lost her wife, Rose (yes, as in sleeping beauty) the day they got married bc she was kidnapped. she spent 20 YEARS looking for her. as soon as she found her wife, Rose DIED IN HER ARMS. Cinders has gone through Too Much to lose this poll

(Her info from the wiki) the Princess of a planet burnt by King Cole’s army, after it is ceded by her stepmother. She is imprisoned, meets Rose and plans to marry her. She is released by her godmother for the wedding, then flees when the attack happens, spending thirty years looking for Rose. Her half of the wedding ring will light up when she finds Rose.

“When I was a little girl, my mother always told me 'Someday your prince will come, my love’ But as I grew, I knew it was a princess who would hold me I looked to the stars for you, my love” She’s lesbian Cinderella IN SPACE. She fell in love with her wife in prison and they ran away to have a secret marriage but the empire kidnapped Rose on their wedding night and Cinders had to leave her behind. She searches for Rose for decades with the glass ring that guides her to its twin on her wife’s finger. She finally reunites with her love after Rose rips three supersoldiers to pieces with her bare hands (hot) but then then the evil king kills Rose so Cinders fucking punches through his heart. And then a clone of Rose (who is also lesbian Sleeping Beauty IN SPACE) finds her cradling her wife’s body and they have a happy reunion(?) and maybe they didn’t have a happy ending BUT WHAT IF THEY HAD EACH OTHER? HUH? AAAAAH

she’s everything. she’s a princess from a long since conquered planet. she was imprisoned to make a statement of the brutal reign of old king cole. she met her wife while she was in prison, a beautiful brutal soldier covered in scars from battles. cinders and rose fell in love, so cinders’ godmother in white broke her out of jail so rose and cinders could be together. they were going to be married, except that OLD KING COLE intervened and kidnapped rose to make her the genetic base of his unholy army. so cinders spends THIRTY YEARS searching the galaxies for her love (and sings a really cool song about it called “Cinders’ Song”) until finally she arrives during the final battle just in time to see old king cole SHOOT ROSE DEAD. so cinders punches the king so hard (with her wedding ring) that he just Crumples Into Dust. the end! (no we do not talk about the fiction.)

lesbian, for one, and for two i don’t really care i just think it’d be cool if she got in/if she made it past the first round

no one seems to have linked cinder’s song yet, so here [Link]

better yet, listen to the whole album too, for context and also what comes after. it slaps and also tragedy it’s such a good album suhc a good band too

Someone already sent the song as propaganda, so I will provide SPOILER propaganda. [Click link to see spoilers.]

[Link]

#cinderpoll #round 7 #finals #ella of frell #ella enchanted #gail carson levine #cinders #once upon a time in space #the mechanisms #cinderella #fairytale #poll tournament #poll bracket #character polls #polls

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loves-77 · 2 months ago

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You Are My Honey

*TW* Yandere, obsessive tones, mates, Bear hybrid, NOT PROOFREAD (Tell me if you notice anymore)

THIS IS MY FIRST STORY I HAVE EVER WRITTEN SO IGNORE ANY MISTAKES, I AM STILL TRYING TO FIND MY PERFERED WRITING STYLE!

TELL ME IF YOU WANT A SMUT PART 2!!

*One part of my story is inspired by a scene in another story I read, don't remember the author*

*Not My Picture*

What had the world become? You sit alone on your couch in a small little apartment you could barely afford, for what? To get up in the morning go to your job at the floral shop and make a couple bucks a day?? All alone because you don't have time to invest in a romance that would probably end after a month, because who would want to be with a 'workaholic' who only has time to stay at their job. All your friends got some husband or boyfriend or...... mate.

The subject of 'mates' confused you, hybrids are just now being accepted into society and now are 'mating' on people. With how many hybrids are finding their mates the government is passing a law allowing them to be with said mates. The thought scared you, maybe because you didn't know enough about it. Imagine going about your normal day and some random person, with ears or a tail, starts talking about how you are destined to be together. Scary, or romantic??

Finally getting out of your daydreaming you look at the clock and realize you are gonna be late for work if you don't leave this second. Running out the door, almost forgetting your bag, you rush downstairs and run down the street. You lived pretty close to the floral shop so it was easy for you to get there fast. Barley making it on time your boss gives you a long list of orders you have to prepare. Your day has officially started..

*Time skip*

After work you make it back to the apartment, dropping your keys in your tray and making a bee line to the couch. Your phone rings and you realize your best friend was asking if you were free. Once you text them you are you start getting ready. They didn't give you a lot of details but told you to dress casual.

They text you to meet them outside your apartment in 30 min and they were gonna pick you up. Getting ready you finally make it down the stairs and wait outside for her. Seeing her car pull up and her getting out you both greet each other. "You are gonna love it" she said, "I got invited to some party on the nice side of town, supposedly there is going to be a lot of nice, respectable men there!!!" Winking at you she started the car and started driving. "You know I am not looking for anyone right now, no one is gonna wanna be with me when I can barely go out. I mean I got lucky today and my boss let me off early!" "You might find someone who doesn't mind.... Or someone who makes some money, so you don't have to work as much." Both of you start laughing.

Finally making it to the house you guys pull into the drive way and a bunch of people walking around, inside and outside. "Is the house made of just glass" you question. "I guess it is the new thing with rich people, let everyone see your business" You both get out of the car, after parking it, and walk toward the entrance. Suddenly the both of you tense, realizing there weren't just humans at this party. Now you both don't have a problem with hybrids going into public places or having the same rights you have, but never being near one before and seeing their sharp teeth or ears freaked you both out.

You were the first one to relax a little, realizing they were just there to have fun, like everyone else. "I didn't know they were gonna be here sorry" your friend apologized. "It's OK, they are here just like us, no problems." You both walk in together and browse around to see who and what exactly was here.

A loud booming voice can be heard across the room. Everyone's heads turn towards the owner of the voice. You freeze in fear, or maybe just shock, you aren't quite sure. But you know for sure that the owner of that voice is not someone you want to cross paths with ever again.

He was ginormous with arms that could pick you up and throw you a mile away.... maybe even more than that. His shaggy honey brown hair draped around his face almost majestically. He smiled and you noticed his canines are pointier that anyone you have ever seen before.... wait, wait, wait. You could hit yourself for not noticing the round brown ears on the top of his head. That is why he is so much bigger than everyone in the room.... he is a grizzly bear hybrid.

You look to your friend in panic and notice she had the same look on her face. Grizzly bear hybrids are rare and tend to be more aggressive than other predator hybrids. You have never seen one before in person, you considered yourself lucky until now.

Finally zoning back in from your panic you realize that some non-hybrids share the same look as you and your friend do. Looking back over to the owner of the voice you catch his stare. Freezing up once again you can't look away from those... black eyes? or maybe they are a dark brown, you can't tell from the distance. Snapping out of your shock you realize he stops to... sniff.... no he can't be sniffing the air... can he?

Then realization hits you when he starts heading your way. You heard that hybrids could smell who their mate is, but it couldn't be. You can't possibly be his mate. Panic sets in again and you couldn't tell if you were overreacting, it couldn't be you he was heading towards. But still, you grab your friend's arm and bolt away before he could get close enough to start a conversation.

"What- Where are we going??" Your friend asks "We need to leave right no-" "WAIT, YOU IN THE (F/C) SHIRT!!" You could have sworn the ground shook with how loud his voice was. You don't freeze, now that you know for sure he was looking for you. "Is that-" You cut your friend off "We need to leave." She doesn't hesitate to grab her car keys from her pocket and catch up with your fast steps.

Looking behind you see the hybrid trying to make his way through the crowd. "WAIT, WAIT!!" He sounded so desperate, you almost felt bad if you still didn't feel the pit in your stomach. Looking ahead of you again, you both make it to the front door, storming out of the house and to the car. While your friend was starting it you both hear the front door slam open, turning your head to the side you see the hybrid rushing out. Your friend gets the car started and hits the gas to go forward. Looking back, you see him chasing the car with.... were those tears in his eyes? No, it couldn't be, he didn't even know you. Finally relaxing in your chair, you lay back and look at your friend and say, "I don't think I am going to go to a party with you for a while." Making eye contact you both start giggling. "I understand completely" she says in between her giggling.

*Time Skip*

You wake up with a raging headache, barley remembering what happened yesterday you groan and sit up. Then you pause as you remember who you saw and ran away from yesterday. A chill goes down your spine and you remember his smile with those pointed teeth. But you snap yourself out of it and say, "He didn't do anything wrong; I shouldn't be scared for no reason." But you can't shake the feeling of fear you felt when you saw him.

Getting out of bed you get ready for work, which you are supposed to be there in an hour. Changing into a cute shirt and jeans you make yourself your (Favorite breakfast). Once you finish your food, you grab your keys and head for the door. Getting in your car you start heading over to the floral shop. Entering the store was a whole dream, all the beautiful flowers and the addicting smells you can't help but smile. Making it to the back your boss greets you and gives you the orders to start the day.

A couple hours later you hear the door open and close, looking up to greet the customer you freeze. "Welc-...." Standing before you was the (at least 6'3) huge hybrid from yesterday. "I have been looking all over for you! Since you left so abruptly yesterday, I tracked down your scent and found you here! I was going to go to your apartment, but I thought that might have been too far." The smile on his face not disappearing, even after you didn't respond and just stared at him.

"You found me by my..... scent??" The sheer surprise you had confused him, his eyebrows furrowing. "Well of course honey, how else would I find you?" ..... Honey?!?!? Why is he calling you that?? Shaking the shock off you respond "Excuse me? I don't know you sir and I don't appreciate being called honey." If it could even be possible his eyebrows furrowed even more, before it looked like he realized something. "Oh dear! I forgot to introduce myself!! My names is Caleb, and I realize this might seem weird for you but... how do I word this.... well you are my mate!" The smile on his face grew 10 times when he said 'mate'

Chills rushed down your spine, and not the good kind. "Did you just say mates? No that can't be, I am sorry, but you have the wrong person." You almost felt bad as his face dropped, but you reminded yourself he basically stalked you to work! "But -" You cut him off, "I am really sorry and I wish you the best of luck finding who you are looking for." Tears started welling in his eyes.

"(Y/N)!" Turning around you see your boss, "Yes, sir?" "Come here right now!" Looking back at Caleb you quickly turn and rush to the backroom. "Wha-" You were cut off, "You need to leave, and take the b-bear with you!" "What si-" "LEAVE! You are gonna make business go down, so take him with you!" "Bu-" You were being shoved out of the room towards a very hopeful looking bear.

"You kids have fun!" Turning around the store door was closed in your face. Turning around to look at Caleb, you turn and start walking towards your car, keeping silent. "Wait!" Your arm was yanked backwards. "LET GO!" "No." He growled with a snarl on his face. "You are going to come with me so we can talk. Don't argue because you aren't going anywhere." Shutting your mouth, you start to walk with him, not wanting to be on his bad side. But you can't stop the small tingle you feel in the spot he touched.

He led you to a black car, opened the door, and gently pushed you inside. Once he got in, he started the car and got on the road. "Where are we going?" you managed to get out in a calm voice. Smiling over at you he replied, "Home of course." You had the feeling that it wasn't your house he was talking about.

*Time Skip*

It seemed like you had been in his car for hours, but it was just 30 minutes. Glancing over at him he seemed very content with a light smile on his face. You realize this might be because he finally has what he has waited his whole life for, his mate. Thinking back, you feel bad you just ran away from him and didn't even give him a chance to talk. Looking at his face you think he is very handsome, and you are surprised you didn't notice before. His jawline sharp, light freckles dusting his face, his shapely nose, and he had longer lashes then you did. "I hope you are pleased with how I look." His deep voice scared you out of your daze. Quickly looking away from you stare at the road ahead of you. Out of the corner of your eye you see him look towards you and say "You are so beautiful. So much better than what I imagined my mate to look like." You felt your cheeks heat up as you take a quick glance at him, luckily, he was looking back at the road.

Now going through an internal debate, you realize you don't feel scared anymore. It was almost like your body was relaxing after being with him and not fighting it. Trying to fight off the feelings you can't help but look over at him and say "Why am I feeling like this?" He glanced at you before turning his eyes back on the road. Looking concerned he said "Feeling like what? Are you feeling ill?" Sighing you say "No I don't feel sick but why do I feel comfortable with you? You basically just kidnapped me." You see a small smile making its way on his face, "It is because we are mates, you don't feel it as intensely as I do, since I have better senses than a normal human. But we were destined to be together it's only natural your body is reacting to my pheromones while your brain might be denying it." He suddenly reached a hand over and grabbed your hand. Tingles exploded everywhere just from that touch. You didn't move your hand away, even though you probably should have. Staring at your intertwined hands you couldn't help it, it just felt.... right.

Not even paying attention to the time anymore it takes you a quick second to realize the car stopped. Looking up you make eye contact with Caled. The smile on his face was so sweet you practically felt yourself melting, those dang pheromones. He turned and got out of the car, gently dropping your hand. You can't help but want to hold his hand again, even after everything. He opened the door for you, gently taking your hand again as you got out. As he went to pull his hand back you held on, refusing to let you go. You could see a big smile formed on his face as he looked at your hands.

Looking up you realize how far you must be from the city; you look at the beautiful cabin house, the log details, and the wrap around porch. The forest surrounding you was just as beautiful. Looking to the side of the house there is a small gravel pathway leading into the forest.

"Welcome to my home, well I guess it's ours now."

Looking at him, the sentence and you lightly pull your hand away from his. There is no way you are going to move in with him after just meeting him.... mates or not. A big frown formed on his face when you pulled away and hurt flashed in his eyes.

"I am not moving in with you. We just met! I don't appreciate being pushed into things. I know nothing about you, and you don't know anything about me."

Stepping back from him just a little. You see a change in his eyes, anger, or frustration? You are not completely sure.

Completely ignoring what you said before he continues on.

"My grandparents built this cabin when hybrids were still outcasts. Then it passed to my parents and now me. My parents built their own house further into the forest and decided I could have this house for my mate when I found her. No one knows about it."

Something flashed in his eyes when he said the last sentence. A chill ran down your spine and not a good one. You didn't like the implication of that at all. Your instincts were screaming to run and you couldn't fight your instincts. Not even giving your brain a chance to think, you bolted.

Running straight into the forest you curse yourself for not wearing running shoes to work today. You heard Caleb behind you shouting something, he sounded desperate and wounded. He sounded far enough away you know you surprised him by running. But you knew he would catch up to you eventually and you could hit yourself for not thinking about it before just bolting. There was a pain that you felt in your chest, but your adrenaline stopped the pain. You jumped over rocks and logs not wanting to slow down or trip. You could hear behind you Caleb was gaining on you and fast. Your legs burning you suddenly change routes. You hear a loud curse behind you and knew you shook him off your tail for just a second. That small victory didn't last long as the back of your shirt was yanked. Your back hitting a soft but solid chest.

You were absolutely winded while it seemed like he didn't even break a sweat. Looking at his face you shrink into yourself seeing a furious look. He had a snarl on his face and his eyebrows were furrowed together. You can't help but whimper slightly and you see sadness flash in his eyes just for a second before going back to anger.

"Where do you think you are going." He growled and you couldn't help but flinch at his tone.

"I was being nice and showing you my home, the one you are going to live in with me. I was going be nice and give you a week to stay at your house before moving in but after that stunt you pulled aren't ever going back."

"I'm sorry!" you practically cry out, shaking with fear. Turning around and grappling onto him, crying into his chest.

You couldn't explain it but the moment you ran it felt like your heart got torn out. But now, next to Caleb, the pain stopped.

"Why do I feel like this?!?!" Tears streaming down your face.

"Why do I want to be next to you so bad? Why did it hurt when I ran away!?"

You feel his muscular arms wrap around you and start rubbing your back. He started cooing and telling you it was ok, and he would explain later. His anger completely dissolving as he realized you felt the same pain he felt when you ran. Like someone just stabbed his heart out. Feeling yourself get picked up, you wrap your legs around his waist, stuffing your face in his neck, and wrapping your arms around the back of his head. You felt yourself calm almost instantly after putting your head in his neck. But the tears didn't stop even if you felt better.

"Let's get you back home, then we can clean up and eat something." He spoke so softly you almost wouldn't believe the anger he held in his voice not even 10 minutes ago.

Relaxing into his body you think to yourself, maybe it wouldn't be to bad if you just stayed with him.

#yandere x reader #bear hybrid x reader #bear x reader #hybrid x reader #hybrid au #x reader #yandere x darling #soft yandere #male yandere

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carmasi · 3 months ago

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More on the High lord Mask and double standards

My friend yet again called me to complain about this and I had to go and find it. My friend said to me. Feyre knew of Tamlins state of mind, knew he was just as traumatize as she was or worse. So I asked my friend what chapter are we reading, she said 23 and 24 ACOMF I wanted to send this as an ask to @acourtofthought but is too long spoused sorry I highlighted some things. Chapter 23

Here Feye speak with Nesta about her "high lord" Tamlin. Feyre acknowledged that Tamlin was Broken and knew he was consumed by the need to protect her, his court, and his people. Now let get this straight when she said he wanted to cage her. He kept her in the manor, but there are multiple instances where she goes outside the manor at Lucien's request. where she goes hunting and freezes because she was traumatized, and when she goes to look at the villages at the beginning of ACOMF. Even Nesta is like "but he let you come back that one time" Tamlins only "cage" her when they have their last argument, when Feyre explodes and burns the ring.

After spending time with Rhysand in night court who has the time to give her what she needs, she realizes that whatever is on spring court is not for her. this is the time when he technically "cages" her.

throughout all this, we're made to think he's being delulu, and even Feyre here acknowledges that he was trying to protect her. Moving on. Chapter 24

When Cassian and the others visit the Archeron, we're introduced to how much Tamlin has done for them. Even Feyre says he had tried, but not really, which is in a way Hypocritical to say when literally a page before you're talking about just how broken he was. and still provided this much to your family (pardon my nails) Now on to Feyre Double Standards and Hypocrisy Chapter 29- 30

here she tell Rhys. you could just order things to be done, you're the high lord you do what you want. To which Rhys said, there is something Even I cannot do. (uhm let me thing like tradition and the Illyrians among other things?) And she lets it go. In a way yes Rhys was more eloquent at explaining why he couldn't do thing than Tamlin was. When she asked for the Tide to be removed. but let's see this scene, in here She is sharing a conversation with Rhysand. there is no undermining and not subject to see him falter, and yes is in a different context here because we speak about Velaris, but even when he speaks about Illyria and the clipping, is a conversation where he said he can't do much about tradition, whereas Tamlin is put in a position where his authority as High lord would be undermined, was undermined, in front of his subject when he's trying to re build this court. (i have to go back on this conversation to scan it btw). Feyre then Hates Tamlin for this, and yet. Forgives Rhysand. Which bring us to more high lord mask

Rhysand speaking to Feyre about his own court. how he LET EVERYONE see the court of nightmare and the worst of him. The thing a lot of people choose to ignore. Is that Rhysand outside of Velaris, isn't charming, isn't eloquent, he isn't kind, or dreamy. He is a harsh ruler, and bloodthirsty tyrant, and that is what everyone outside his circle sees. That is what Tamlin Sees, What Lucien Sees. Lucien himself tells Feyre " tell me what dungeon he has her in what horrors she is experiencing" when asking about Elain in ACOWAR. Instead of saying something she choose to let him continue to beilive her sister is being torture. Then we have Jurian joking about her being A worded and R worded in Night court, and ferye still says nothing and allows Lucien to go on thinking all these horrible things are happing to Elain.

You're going to crucify Jurian for Joking about it, but not Feyre for letting it go on? and in a way cosigning it? Now my last point I promise, because they don't collaborate they just thought

Many complain about Tamlin, locking Feyre up. and how he said what he said on the high lord meeting and how he didn't communicate. Now here. Rhysan. put her through so much., had her almost killed multiple times. and here even he is surprised. even Rhysand asked her " after all that?" he is surprised after everything he put her through she is still grateful. because he sends music to her cell. While Lucien went every time to heal here, but couldn't one the one time he was being lashed. Feyre of course, forgive Rhysand and shrugs it off as a joke. you FORGIVE this man for putting you in danger, almost getting you killed, all because he sent music? Of course, we know he did more, like take her out and teach her how to read and have a good time. But you won't forgive a man who "kept you locked up" to keep you safe because his own court was a mess, because he tried to keep you safe and was broken, your words were not mine. and don't come at me with the " he turned her sisters" By now we know that was Ianthe, Feyre hands her that ammunition. Even after all this, you decided to turn on this man and ruin his court in the next book.

Yet, Tamlin moves on, even if it hurts him, he loves you so much he gave a piece of him to bring your mate back. Where he could've pulled a Rhys and tricked you into a bargain, but he didn't. And you keep forgiving Rhysand quite literally playing with your life. Okay, end of my rant. oh analysis. I can't tell at this point. (I am going to write this man POV one day cause omg)

#acotar #feyre archeron #rhys acotar #tamlin acotar #tamlin #pro tamlin #tamsand

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micromys · 10 months ago

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Don't mind me, just coming down from the High of seeing the NieR: end of data orchestral concert -- and if you're going to see it, perhaps don't read farther than this if you want to preserve the experience.

I had wondered if the new script Yoko Taro wrote would be another post-game story, and indeed it was, which made me a little nervous for 2B and 9S because YT is the way he is. And I had reason to be, as it leads off with 9S and 2B traveling together, but each of them are preoccupied with the fact that 2B's black box is failing because of how it was damaged when A2 killed her. Naturally, being themselves, they try to keep this from each other, not realizing that they both know, obviously.

They end up on a journey to find stray transporters in order to stock up on replacement YoRha parts, but these transporters seem to be leading them to them purposefully, and every time they do find one, they are inundated with memories from the old world -- specifically, from the time of Replicant. They learn about the plague, about Nier, Kaine, Yonah and Emil, and about the Shadowlord. They even end up at the ruins of Emil's mansion (which sparked a gasp from someone near me in the audience).

2B is pretty resigned to her fate, but 9S gets more frantic, wishing he could give her his own black box, and they go through Many More trials and Many More memories before essentially ending up in chapel created by dying YoRHa soldiers, where 2B herself, naturally, also dies.

9S cries and curses and prays, asking if this is a punishment, and why, if it's indeed what it is, then was he not taken instead of her (though we know what happens in that particular scenario, thank you for the suffering, YT). 2B is saved, however, by the souls of the fallen YoRHa soldiers -- whose black boxes responded to 9S's pleas and filled in her damage with their own pieces.

Clinging to each other, they make it back into the sunlight -- 2B stating her one wish is to take away 9S's pain, and 9S stating his is to bring back her smile. Both agree that there's no meaning to the world, and that they are cursed, but that they are going to continue forward together and embrace the world anyway.

Which was all part of the performance of Weight of the World, interspersed with clips of all of their most important scenes together from the game. And I might have gotten a tad emotional, though not nearly as much as the dude sobbing behind me. Respect, dude.

And then Yoko Taro popped up, SO THERE'S THAT. Anyway it was a gorgeous show, loved it, 10/10 would suffer again, etc etc, I'm glad 2B and 9S are still getting to keep the change to live their own lives even if YT isn't exactly going to make it easy for them along the way.

Or me.

#nier #nier automata #2B #9S #2b9s #nier end of data spoilers

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sinsandsweetness · 2 years ago

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Inclination (sex and zombies- chapter 1)

all chapters here

pairing- {Daryl x fem!reader}

summary- Reader is crushing on Rick, but someone else offers to take care of her needs.

warnings- 18+ content, MDNI, smut, rough sex, dirty talk, begging. I think that's all.

notes- I just thought I would cross post these chapters on here. They definitely don't need to be read in order and can all pretty much be standalone fics if you want them to be. However they do follow the timeline of the show and have a bit of plot I sprinkled in, so I feel like it makes a better story all in order.

**(The entire work has both rick x reader and daryl x reader scenes. definitely more rick though cause... I mean can u blame me?)

Let me know what you think!

“Hot?” A deep voice asked from behind you. You looked over your shoulder.

Your cheeks turned warm and you could tell you were blushing. So you stepped even further into the quarry.

“A little,”

He smiled at you. You turned around and dipped your whole self into the water, then moved to lay down and float on your back. You were bored. And hot. Going for a swim seemed to be a decent solution for both of your issues.

However, you weren’t really expecting company. Especially not Ricks.

His gaze made you want to disappear under the cool water forever, but you needed air at some point.

He was still standing there. A couple buckets of water on the ground now filled. But he was rolling up his jeans and stepping in. Cooling his feet off. He sighed up at the sun.

You couldn’t even help but stare at him.

“Y' know Shane was getting worried about you. Thought you ran off or something,”

“Ran away from him maybe…” you muttered. Not realizing that the water made it loud enough for him to hear you. Shane had wanted to teach you to clean guns. You didn’t really care. He’d already showed you twice.

“He can be kind of intense.” Rick said with a smile.

“Yeah, intense. Overbearing. Annoying. Just a few among his many outstanding qualities.” You joked.

“He is a little protective, I’ll give you that.” He grinned. “I guess there’s a few guys around here who are a little protective of you huh?”

You didn’t really know what to answer. Not entirely sure what he meant. Shane? He was protective of everyone. The whole group was his responsibility at one point.

Rick must have seen the confusion on your face.

“I just mean that you’re young. They don’t… want anything to happen to you,”

“Who?”

“Shane, Dale, Daryl,” He paused for a moment. Reaching down to feel the cool water. “Me.”

That made your heart flutter. Just a little.

But he was married. And he didn’t mean it like that. He meant like a sister. Or a kid. Probably anyway.

“You?”

“Yeah, y’know Lori has nothing but good things to say about you.”

That was probably true.

“Well I don’t think Daryl here gives a rats ass what happens to me,” you brought the attention to behind Rick. Seeing the man walking over to the two of you. He had blood on his arms. And dirt. Mostly dirt actually now that he was up close.

“The hell are you doing down here? Shane’s been looking for you for over an hour,” Daryl asked you. Not even acknowledging Ricks presence.

“Tell him to come down here and get me then.” You taunted. Just a little.

Rick chuckled, slid his shoes back on and grabbed the buckets of water. He started back for the camp.

“I’ll let him know you’re here,” he nodded a sweet goodbye at you and you smiled back. But Daryl didn’t leave. Instead he started washing his arms in the clear quarry water.

“Seriously? You couldn’t do that anywhere else?”

“What he can be here but I can’t?” He motioned to Rick who was well out of range now.

“You’re getting the water all gross.”

He grunted. Standing up and drying his arms and hands off with a rag from his pocket.

You started to swim back to shore, standing up and wringing your hair out.

“You know he’s married right?”

You glared at him.

“I’m aware.” Painfully aware.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t invite him into the water when you’re wearing next to nothing.” He pointed to your bare legs.

You looked down at your now see through tank top. Very see through. And some cute little panties with flowers all over them. But they were more modest than Daryl seemed to think. Regardless, he seemed irritated.

“I didn’t invite him in-"

“Oh you’ve been ogglin him since the moment he got here! Giving him them bedroom eyes,” he muttered the last part. But you still heard.

“Bedroom eyes?” You scoffed.

“Uh huh,”

“What would you even know about bedroom eyes Daryl? You ever even had a girl in your bed?” You were being kind of mean now. But he was most of the time anyway so you didn’t feel too bad.

“Wouldn’t be too hard to convince you would it? Little slut like you would fuck anything that gave her a lick of attention-“

This wouldn’t be the first fight you two had gotten into. There was one about Merle and the way he was trying to take you to his tent after a scavenged bottle of wine. You called Merle a few crude choice words. Daryl got up in your face.

Shane broke that up quickly. Telling you both to calm down. But Shane wasn’t here now.

So you lunged at him. “Prick!” You started to push at his chest but his hands caught your wrists, twisting them downwards. Trying your best to kick and hit him, but he just moved you against a large rock. Rather aggressively you might add.

“Don’t fuckin’ touch me,” you spat at him. Wrists still pinned to your sides. Pressed against the cool shaded rock.

“You’re the one who started it,” he points out.

Finally you stopped struggling against his touch. And he loosened his grip. That was his mistake because as soon as your wrist was free, you reached up to slap him. Not very hard but enough to get a reaction.

He immediately shoved you up against the rock with his whole body, pinning your chest with his forearm.

“Are you mad that I called you a slut? Or mad that you know I’m right?” He was up in your face now. Actually up against your whole body. Your wet clothes dampening his own.

“Get off me,” you say through clenched teeth.

“I think,” Daryl’s free hand moved to the front of your panties, pressing against your clit. “That I’m right. It wouldn’t be too hard to get you in my bed would it?”

“Screw you,” unfortunately the pressure of his hand elicited a physical reaction from you. Definitely not in agreement with your words.

“Yeah you wish,”

“Daryl seriously stop,” you tried to grab at his arm, and pull it away from between your legs. But he didn’t let up, instead he put more pressure, rubbing messy circles on your clit.

You choked back a moan.

“You want me to take you right here? Give you some relief before you go back to daydreaming about officer friendly huh?”

His moved your panties to the side and dipped a finger inside. Breath hitching in your throat.

“Daryl…”

“I’ll stop if you really want me to.” He pulled out of you, “But I got a feeling that you don’t,” he brought his finger up to his mouth, tasting you and then dipping down again, inserting two digits this time. He got a noise out of you that time. Curling up to hit your g spot.

“You want me to fuck you?” He asked quietly into your ear.

You shook your head. No way.

His fingers were curling and thrusting into you at a perfect pace.

“You like that huh? Tell me how bad you want it.” He asked.

And with those words in your ear you gave up. With a quiet sob you rested your forehead on his shoulder. Allowing yourself to give in to his torture. Suppressing your moans into his shoulder.

Not that you didn’t want anyone to hear. No one would. You just didn’t want to give Daryl the satisfaction of making you moan. Of having any effect on your body.

“I’m gonna need an answer, sweetheart” he pulled his fingers out and dipped his head down to your chest, pulling your tank top down and sucking and nibbling at your breasts.

“Yeah…” you whispered. Loving the way his mouth warmed your wet skin.

He leaned back and grinned. You could see his hard on through his jeans but he took his hands off you.

“That’s all it took? Like I said, just a few minutes of attention. Got you begging me to fuck you,”

Annoyed at his little games you rolled your eyes, "I’d hardly call that begging,"

He grunted and reached into his pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

“Seriously?” you were really annoyed now. You could feel your wetness pooling in your panties. And here he was lighting a damn cigarette. You were over aware of how empty you were, a strong need for where his touch was just a minute ago.

“You want it?”, he took a drag of his cigarette, “Then you can beg for it.”

“I am not fucking begging you for-“

“Then go back to camp. See if Shane will help you. Rick definitely won’t.” You squeezed your legs together. Trying to get some form of relief.

“Or you can go back to your tent, all wet and needy. You can try and do it yourself. Don’t think your fingers will fill you up the same way one of us could but-“

“Daryl come on,” you grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards you, hoping he’d give in before you actually felt the need to beg. You fumbled with his belt, while trying to catch his lips. You could hear the sizzle of his cigarette against the rock beside you.

“Say it,” he said against your mouth, hands now both going to your hips.

“Fuck me.” You demanded. Not asking.

He grinned against you, letting you slide a hand into his pants, stroking him a few times.

“What’s the magic word?” He was breathing heavy now. He wouldn’t walk away now.

You rolled your eyes. But when he dipped his hand back under your panties, you bit back a moan. He went in with two digits right away. Plus a thumb on your clit. Working together clumsily.

“Just once.” He said softer this time. Asking nicely.

Another stifled moan escaped you.

“Fuck- Daryl please…”

“Atta girl,” he spun you around, face smashing up against the rock now in front of you. He smacked your ass hard. Earning a squeak from you. You looked back at him,

“Ouch!”

He didn’t acknowledge your moment of pain. Instead tugging on your panties, pulling them down to your knees.

His hands started to play with your ass, caressing up and down. Spreading you open for him to see.

“Daryl…” you were impatient.

“I know, I know,” he lined himself up with your entrance and pushed in. An inch or two at a time until you were completely filled. You closed your eyes relishing in the feel of him stretching you out. His hands gripped onto your waist, pulling you down against him. Meeting his thrusts halfway.

He pounded fast and hard. Not caring about your poor face hitting the rock in front of you. His hand came up and pulled on your hair. Throwing your head back, you cried out. A mix between a sob and a moan. He liked that.

A lot.

He tightened his grip on your hair and started pounding into you harder.

“Fuck,” he was grunting behind you, the sound of skin slapping filled the air between you.

You could feel how close you were. He was hitting that hot bundle of nerves deep inside of you. Pushing you to the edge. Within no time you came hard with a drawn out whine. But Daryl wasn’t done yet.

And when your knees started to give out he noticed.

“I knew I’d have you coming all over my cock,” He kept going, the arm around your waist the only thing keeping you upright at this point. It was getting to be too much.

Suddenly he pulled out and used the hand tangled in your hair to push you to your knees. Rather hard. The gravel underneath you digging into your skin. He turned you towards him, twisting your body awkwardly and he jerked himself above your face. Instincts told you to open your mouth and the second he felt your wet tongue on the bottom of his tip, you were rewarded with his salty seed. You swallowed it all. Looking up at him with doe eyes. Your knees and scalp hurting from his agression.

He swore under his breath. Finally letting your scalp go. Tucking himself back into his pants and doing up his belt. You stood up slowly and started to dress yourself again. Grabbing your shorts and the flannel you’d left on shore before your swim.

“You ok?”

There was a cut on your knee. A tiny droplet of blood trailing down your calf.

“Fine”

“You know you can come by my tent later if that wasn’t enough-“

“Don’t tell anyone about this ok?” You cut him off.

He scoffed. “What you embarrassed or so-“

“Seriously Daryl if you ever want anything like that to happen again, you’ll shut it. ” You buttoned up your flannel. It was two sizes two big.

“Damn already asking me for more! If I’d a known-“

You walked by him and smacked the back of his head. Kinda hard. Harder than you meant.

“Aw fuck,” he rubbed at the back of his head and jogged back after you. Walking the both of you back to camp.

---------------------------

“The hell happened to you?” Shane came over quickly. Seeing the blood on your knee and the scrape on your face.

“Nothing I-"

“You do this?” His attention now drawn to Daryl right behind you. He started to grab the man’s collar but you got in between them quickly.

“Hey Shane! No. We had a little fight ok, but it was my fault.” You pushed on his chest, leading him further from the bowman. “I’m serious, I’m fine. He just put me in my place that’s all.”

Shane was scowling hard. He didn’t believe you. “Put you in your place-“

“I swung at him! We had an argument and it just got a little heated ok. We talked it out. We’re good.”

“You’re telling me-“

“You heard her man, she swung on me!” Daryl piped in to his defence.

“I did.” You looked back at him with a warning glare. “But we’re good now right?”

He nodded. “Mhm.” He paused. Praying he wouldn’t say anything crude. “Best friends.” He teased.

You looked back at Shane. A few others from the camp had made their way over after hearing the little altercation.

“See?” You tell Shane. Assuring him you were fine. He continued to scowl at Daryl, but wrapped a possessive arm around your waist, guiding you back towards the main camp.

Maybe Rick was right about a few men being a little protective of you.

(next chapter)

#daryl dixon fanfiction #rick grimes fanfiction #daryl dixon x y/n #rick grimes x y/n #smut #twd #daryl dixon #sex and zombies

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commander-rahrah · 1 year ago

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Talking to the Moon: Part III

Pairing: Astarion x GN!Reader

Word Count: ~4450

archiveofourown: here

masterlist: here

part I: here part II: here

Summary: Set in Act II in Moonrise Towers, after meeting Ketharic and Araj the first time; Astarion finally comes to terms with his feelings for you, and takes a chance.

Notes: I love elements of both versions of Astarion’s confession scene, so I decided to combine them and add a little extra to them too! There is some dialogue borrowed from the game from Astarion's actual confession, but I added a lot more into it, especially with Tav/Reader's responses.

I love this pairing so very much. I know it is very soft, but I just think Astarion deserves someone soft and gentle and patient with him.

Thank you for reading and interacting! It means so much to me ♡♡♡

.·:¨༺ ༻¨:·..·:¨༺ ༻¨:·..·:¨༺ ༻¨:·..·:¨༺ ༻¨:·..·:¨༺ ༻¨

Bile was rising in Astarion’s throat. The scent of the room, the things that drow was doing to those vials of blood. It was wrong, all wrong. He thought he was a monster for the curse bestowed upon him. But whatever experiments were being conducted, they were monstrous in a completely different sense. His entire being had screamed at him to flee when she had turned her violet eyes onto him. He hated that she even knew his name. He wanted to get as far away from this miserable tower as possible. To go find the stupid artifact for themselves and never return. And the drow was still trying to convince him. Gods, he wished she would just give up. Maybe if he just gave in — it would be only a moment, and then it would be over. His body would still cringe as he remembered it, but he could just add it to the list. But then he glanced to you. You had shown him, the other night, the power of listening to yourself. Of stopping. Of saying no. Really, you had been teaching him that over and over during your little adventures together. When he first realized his new found freedom, all he could focus on was being away from Cazador. Being away from his looming, threatening presence — the pain, the anguish. What he didn’t realize was that freedom came with something else. Autonomy. A choice. Astarion had been making many of them, every day for weeks and he hadn’t realized. Sometimes they were tiny, insignificant decisions. And sometimes they were remarkable… or foolish. But they were his and his alone. And he felt like he could make them. That he wouldn’t be punished or gutted by the group. Betrayed or humiliated for it. And that was because of you.

When Astarion had decided to seduce you he had done it for his protection. He had seen your abilities and power those first few days and realized the threat you could pose to his master. He had done it to ensure you would be on his side, always — that you would never turn on him. What he hadn’t expected was how your protection would really feel, what it would entail. He knew he had your blade and powers now — just as you had his. But what you had given him was so much more than just your abilities. It was sanctuary. He felt shielded, secure. He could let his guard down, he had let his guard down with you. He could make decisions and mistakes and grow… Feel what he wanted, think what he wanted. So as he stared at you, his mind resolved. His red eyes narrowed as he gave his attention to the drow one final time, “I gave you my answer.” She scoffed, “Your control over your spawn has lapsed. Order him to do this, you will not regret it.” The alchemist spat at you, her arms crossed with irritation from his rejection. Even just the word spawn made the hairs on the back of his arms raise. And she thought you were his master. He knew exactly what Cazador would do if he were here. A bleak thought tried to surface in his head, but he forced it away. No, you weren’t like Cazador.

He trusted you. Your nostrils flared as you snapped your head to the mad alchemist, “He is his own person. And he gave you his answer.” “If you would just—“ “No,” You growled, stepping forward with your lips in a snarl. “He said no.” The group blinked at you — you had never been so short with anyone. You were usually flowery and lighthearted even when were outright rejecting someone. Even when someone had a blade pointed to your chest, you were at least civil. They had never seen you like this. Astarion’s red eyes flickered across you face, you seemed just as upset as he did. He could hear your heart thundering, your blood boiling. “Stay away from him.” Your tone was final, your jaw set. “I’ve had enough of this wretched place. Let’s get out of here.” You huffed, turning on your heel and marching out of the tower. Astarion trailed behind you and the rest of the group, studying you carefully. You were vibrating. He couldn’t recall ever seeing you this mad. He almost expected you to go into a rage like Karlach did. He knew you would often put on a mask — one that said everything was fine, everyone was good. You used it because you wanted to be a good leader, because you so often wanted to see the best in the world. He had seen it slip up before, had seen you remove it just for him. But this anger was something entirely new. And it was on his behalf? Astarion grasped that in defending him, not only had you revealed something about yourself, you had made him feel something he had not known in hundreds of years. Respected. Safe. Alive. Not a pawn or tool. A person. He realized that you were both just two people. And that one of you (and maybe if the gods were kind), both of you… stupidly cared for one another.

Fallen for the other. His plan had gone out the window much sooner than he wanted to admit to himself. He hadn’t been performing with you for quite some time. No, he had not been your plaything or object of desire. He had been… himself. A version of himself he had never known he could be. And the final step was to relinquish the thing he was harboring — control. To show you what he truly has to offer. To put his faith in you. And trust that in turn you would listen, and understand. And not immediately stake him through the heart. A thousand scenarios of how his confession would go began to swirl in his head. But his shoulders lifted as you all left the oppressive atmosphere inside. Even the doom and gloom of the Shadlowlands was appreciated over the dark energy swirling in Moonrise Towers. “Well, that was not what I’d expected.” Gale broke the silence first as the party finished crossing the bridge away from the imposing tower. You were about to begin the trek back to your camp. “Ketheric is…” “An abomination.” Lae’zel interjected, her teeth barred slightly as she spoke. Shadowheart let out a loud breath from her nose, “Agreed.” “Everyone in that place is vile.” Wyll grimaced as he looked over his shoulder, “That alchemist…” He glanced over to Astarion, worry plastered over his face. Though the vampire was sure it was for his missing father more than anything, not for him. “She was a little obsessive. But can you blame her?” Astarion put on his usual snark, letting out his fake laugh as he gestured at himself. “It wasn’t obsessive, it was disgusting.” Your voice was low — your distaste was clear. “She didn’t treat you as a person, only an object of her desire.” “She isn’t the first.“ He gave you a sad smile, before quirking his white eyebrows. “Well, she will be the last. And how dare she look to me, to try and get me to what—leash you? Control you? How dare she think of me as your master—“ “Darling,” Astarion grabbed onto your elbow, halting your rant and your movement. “You aren’t Cazador, trust me.” No, Cazador would have leapt at the opportunity. Not even for the potion. The sadistic bastard would make him do it just to get off on his humiliation. You were as opposite of Cazador as there could possibly be. The furrow in your brow softened, before you nodded your head. The pair of you looked around to realize you had stopped in the middle of the pathway, the rest of the party halted as well, watching your interaction. Realizing the sudden attention you cleared your throat, a blush creeping across your cheeks as you turned your attention back to the group. “Well, I think it’s best we get back to camp to strategize, right?” “Right.” Wyll nodded at you with a knowing smile, before you and the warlock started to lead the group again. Astarion’s red eyes trailed after you, a soft look tugging at his features. “You’re looking a little smitten lately, Fangs.” Karlach poked him in the ribs as she walked by, “Don’t worry, they look at you like that too.” She said over her shoulder, before taking extra long steps to catch up with you.

He fought the smile that stretched his lips, before trailing after you.

• • •

Astarion knew he was being anything but subtle as he sat across the campfire from you. His red eyes continually found their way to your figure throughout the evening. The different scenarios he had been imagining in his head were still swirling, consuming his every thought. When he told you his intended plan, but how he had fallen for you instead — how would you react? What if he told you and you laughed? Or screamed? Or attacked? His mind was a cruel, treacherous thing he realized. But his half-dead heart still thumped with the same tune of... hope. What if you had fallen too? Your laughter snapped him back to the present, the joyous sound something he had missed hearing lately. The shadowlands did not leave much time or room for happiness and lighthearted moments. But this evening seemed to be an exception. Gale continued his story, some tale of his about being a foolish boy with much too much time and magic on his hands. The group was hovering and sitting nearby as they listened. Even Shadowheart had joined, a small smile playing at the edges of her lips as she listened with Karlach’s arm slung behind her waist. “The hubris of wizards.” Lae’zel sneered with a roll of her eyes. “I do not understand how you have made it this far in life, istik.” “Dumb luck?” Wyll joked as he ruffled Gale’s brown hair. “Har har," The wizard rolled his eyes, before raising his finger in counterpoint, "But to be fair, the spell was transcribed improperly—" The group groaned collectively, but it was Karlach who spoke up, “Nooooooo, no more talk of proper etiquette and techniques. You’re the only one who cares for it!” He slumped, “Ugh, I miss Tara. She and I would have the most heated debates about proper techniques…” You placed an arm around his shoulders and gave him a half hug. “She is a much better companion than we are then.” You grinned at him, before finishing the last of your meal and placing the empty dish on your lap.

Envy coursed through Astarion at your casual touch with Gale. He wished... He wished he could touch that easily. Be touched that easily, so casually. Without a second thought.

“Are you done?” Shadowheart stood above you, with her small hand outstretched and gesturing to the empty dish in your lap.

“I— oh, yes,” You stumbled over your words before you held it out for her. She grabbed it gently, and you let out quiet words of gratitude. The cleric bowed her head bashfully, before grabbing the other dishes and heading to the river to wash up. Shock went through your face, your eyes shining bright and hopeful. It was the most interaction you’d had all week — and it had been soft and gentle. Remorseful, even. Karlach caught your eye and gave you a small smile — nodding her head in reassurance at you.

Eventually, the tell-tale signs of the camp beginning to wind down for the night started. Gale grabbed a glass of wine and his spellbook, before excusing himself to his makeshift desk near his tent. Wyll and Karlach were now playing cards, chuckling softly between hushed stories. Lae'zel had excused herself for an early night, and Shadowheart remained at the fire pouring over a book she had picked up today. You were kneeling in front of your tent, searching through your pack for something.

The vampire glanced around once more — if he didn't do it now, he didn't know when he would build up the courage to do it again. Standing up, he nervously picked at the sides of his leather pants as he tread closer to your tent. He made purposeful steps as he approached, alerting you of his presence.

"Astarion, hi." You sounded breathless as you stood up quickly, abandoning your belongings on the ground.

“Walk with me?” He quirked his eyebrow, his hands still twitching apprehensively at his side. “Sure,” You said with an easy smile, falling into step by his side as he brought you towards the sandy bed near the river. The sounds and sights of the camp began to get quieter and quieter as you walked away.

You both took in the sights around you, the dim evening light revealing the dark water that was flowing slowly and a quiet breeze that didn't snare in any of the bare branches. “Even with the curse — this place can be quite beautiful sometimes.” His red eyes glanced around before settling back on you, “You think so?”

"I do."

He thought that spoke more about you, then it did about the Shadowlands. Seeing the beauty in somewhere like this, was a reflection of your own. You made him believe that some good and beauty could really be found in such darkness. Clearing his throat, he spoke with his fingers twirling behind his back, “I brought you out here because… I think we need to talk.” You cocked your head, “About what?” “I— I, uh…," His steps stopped, then yours. "I want to thank you.” “For?” He turned to face you, “For what you said while I was in front of that vile drow. I spent two hundred years using my body to lure pretty things back for my master. What I wanted, how I felt about what I was doing, it never mattered. You could have asked me to do the same — to throw myself at her, what I wanted be damned. But you didn’t. And I’m grateful.” You winced, “I would never — You should never have to do something you don’t want to." “It’s a novel concept, I admit." He gave you a sad smile, "And a little intimidating… it would have been so easy to do it. Just to go along with what I was being told to do. A moment of disgust to force myself through. And then I could have carried on, just like before…”

But things were different now.

“That would’ve been wrong. How she treated you, how he treated you is wrong.”

"I know. I know that now. The entire reason for my existence was to seduce anything with a pulse. And every instinct I have tells me that nothing’s changed. That I’m still just a means to an end... But you made me see that I never stopped thinking like I was still his slave, even in freedom. But I’m more than that. More than a thing to be used.” The vampire stood up a little taller, his chin lifting.

"You are so much more, Astarion. You deserve so much more.” His mouth twitched as he tried to force down the swell of emotion climbing up his stomach and into his throat. “Are you all right?” “Oh yes, I’m fine. I just — feel awful." His throat bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes glancing down to his boots. "Look, I had a plan. A nice, simple plan — seduce you, sleep with you, manipulate your feelings so you’d never turn on me. It was easy — instinctive. Habits from two hundred years of charming people kicked in." He finally looked up at your face, studying intensely for your reaction.

"All you had to do was fall for it. And all I had to do was not fall for you… which is where my nice, simple plan fell apart. You… you’re incredible.” Your eyebrows raised on your face as you stepped a little closer, “Astarion… what are you saying?” “I'm saying... That I’ve fallen for you.” He finally admitted.

A look of astonishment crossed your face, before your lips pulled into the most beautiful smile he had even seen. If you were about to stake him — at least it would be a sweet death.

“And I you.” You whispered back. His mind went berserk, the thudding in his ears amplifying even more. “You — you have?” He sputtered. “Absolutely. Astarion, you are wonderful, you are… My parents paid for some of the best tutors you can find on this continent, and I still can’t think of the words to describe you.”

You both let out breathy nervous laughs, both of your eyes darting across the other's features with grins on your face.

The corners of his mouth turned down as he got serious, his voice thick with emotion. “You deserve something real. I want us to be something real.” “So do I. More than anything.” You admitted, your eyes sparkling with hope and maybe something a little more. “I just don’t know what real looks like. Not after two hundred years playing the rake. Being close to someone — any kind of intimacy— was something I performed to lure people back for him. Even though I know things between us are different, being with someone still feels… tainted. Still brings up those feelings of disgust and loathing. I don’t know how else to be with someone. No matter how much I’d like to.”

Because he did want to. There had been moments with you that had brought him such unexpected bliss, touch and pleasure more euphoric then anything he could have imagined. And he wanted to experience that again with you, all of it with you. But he wanted to experience it without it being marred from his past. “I care about you — deeply. For longer then I should admit… My feelings for you have been about more than sex and attraction for quite some time now.” He knew what you were saying was the truth. He’d seen the look on your face in the Last Light Inn — the hurt and pain etched into it when you thought he only saw you for sex. That in the last few weeks you too, had been stepping away from the physical — and yet, you still spoke to him, protected him, cared for him.

But he couldn't stop the little voice in the back of his mind. "Really? You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure. May I hug you?” You asked carefully, your brows furrowed ever so slightly.

Uncertainty flooded through him. No one had asked his permission like this before. No one had offered affection without some end in sight. But he remembered your previous soft touches, and noticed how cautious you were being now. He nodded his head, convinced. He awkwardly moved his arms out, unsure of how to do this.

You wrapped your arms around him slowly, giving him ample time to change his mind or pull away. He felt your fingers bunch the material on the back of his shirt, tugging at it gently. Your scent filled his nostrils, your warmth seeping into his cold body. No one had very touched him like this, comforted him like this. He choked back the sob that almost escaped him, his mouth puckering before he wrapped his own arms around you — burying his head into the side of your neck and pushing into you more.

Astarion wasn’t sure how long you stood there like that — but he didn’t really care. He hadn't realized how long he had yearned for this, for you.

It took every fiber of his being to pull away from you, but he caught your hand before you could fully pull away. "Honestly, I have no idea what we're doing... or what comes next." He placed his other hand on top of yours, enveloping them with what he hoped was a tender touch. "But I know that this? This is nice."

You gave him another life-changing smile, “It is. Isn’t it?”

He couldn't stop himself from matching your expression, “Gods, I feel so foolish — I don’t know how to do this, to be romantic or anything without—“

You interrupted him softly, “We will learn together. And take our time doing so.”

“Ugh, why do you have to be so patient and kind? It makes me like you even more.” He said exasperatedly, staring at your now intertwined fingers.

You looked up to the now inky black sky, “It’s getting late,”

He chewed the inside of his cheek, “I don’t want to turn in yet. I just got you to myself…”

“There will be more nights, I promise.” You assured him.

His eyebrows rose as he had an idea, but the worry of rejection flooded through him, “Would you, if you wanted, you can say no—“

“Starry.” You gave him a reassuring nod, your eyes telling him to speak up for himself.

“Stay with me tonight?” He asked in a hushed tone.

You quirked your lips, “Perhaps you need more time before we share a tent — even just to sleep. I do not want to rush you.”

“I—I must admit I quite enjoyed having you next to me while we just slept at the inn." He confessed.

“You would be comfortable with that?”

He nodded, “Yes, I believe so.”

“And if you change your mind?”

“I will tell you. I promise.”

“As you wish, love.” You squeezed his fingers once more, before beginning to lead him back towards the camp.

He stumbled behind you for a moment, slightly dazed.

Love. The name made his heart swoon and flutter. Gods, his name on your lips had made him come alive again, but that single word made him feel like he was the only person in the world.

• • •

Thankfully the rest of the party had retired to their tents by the time you two returned. The campfire snuffed out, and supplies tucked away. Scratch had lifted his head from his watch on a rock as you approached, but settled quickly as he saw who it was.

You had changed in your own tent, insisting on that boundary until more time had passed. You had been shivering in your nightclothes as you slipped into his tent and immediately hid under one of his blankets. Astarion had chuckled before joining you, leaving a respectable amount of space between you. A comfortable amount for him, as you insisted.

He couldn't help but look at you laying next to him. When he had laid next to you in the inn he had to force himself to look away, but he allowed himself to now. Your face and hair glowed in the soft light of the few candles he had kept lit. His eyes focused on your lips as you licked them before speaking.

“You are much braver than I am.” You whispered, keeping your voice low so as not to wake your sleeping companions.

The vampire scoffed, “Me? Brave? Darling, don’t make me laugh. I made Karlach wear me like a backpack today to cross over vines.” “To say what you did tonight first… I had been trying to work up the courage but I… I think I care about you so much it just terrified me.”

He had seen you stand up to cambions, run through burning buildings. But that is what terrified you? “Why?” Your brow instantly furrowed, your eyes flashing down. “I… I never thought you would reciprocate. I was happy to take whatever scraps you gave me because I just assumed… I’ve been told I’m hard to love most of my life. Too loud, too much.” “I could never have enough of you.” The words left Astarion’s lips without a second thought. Instant tears formed in your eyes, turning them silver in the glowing candle light. You clutched your chest for a moment, before brushing the tears away, “Oh, you can’t just say things like that.” “Even if they are true?” He asked, tilting his head.

“Astarion… I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

He scoffed, "If anyone should be asking that it’s me.”

You shook your head at his intended self-deprecation, before settling onto the bedroll as you prepared yourself to sleep.

He watched your eyes flutter open and closed for a few times, before he spoke again quietly. “Would you tell me one of the things?”

“Hmmm?” You asked with a hum, your eyes still closed as you rolled slightly closer to hear him. “A few weeks ago you— you said that you wished I could see myself the way you do… How do you see me?”

Though he was overjoyed with you reciprocating his feelings, he couldn’t help but be bewildered by them. Why him? Out of all the people you had met and befriended, why in the hells had you picked him? He was violent, arrogant, traumatized…

Your expression softened as you opened your eyes, a happy sound escaping you as you thought. “I love the way you act when you think no one is looking.” He blinked. “What ever do you mean?” “Oh, when you hum around camp when doing chores or… oh, that cat at the inn. You were so delighted, petting that the little thing.” You smiled at the memory, “Everyone is afraid of being perceived, I know. And with the walls you built around yourself… it is such a lovely sight to see when you let them down for a moment.”

He stared at you in disbelief. You had been seeing him for longer than he realized.

He whispered your name, before choking out. ”I— Thank you.”

You looked over at him like he was the stars in the sky. “Goodnight Astarion.” You said sleepily, your eyes fluttering closed as you began to doze off. “Sweet dreams, darling.” He rolled over onto his back, his eyes moving from your form to close and see you in his dreams instead. A smile tugged on his lips as he fell into his trance.

And so began the nights of you joining him in his slumber.

Even just laying next to him, your presence was a gift. Blanketing him with safety and companionship — granting him a peace he had never known.

The deepest intimacy he had ever experienced. And he wasn’t afraid of it. It wasn’t painful.

And perhaps that is why the moon came up every night — so that the stars did not feel so alone.

Part IV

#bg3 fanfic #bg3 astarion #astarion ancunin #astarion x reader #astarion x gn reader #astarion x tav #astarion/tav #astarion/reader

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neonscandal · 1 year ago

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Manga With Me: Obscure Head Canons (and Hypotheses) You’d Probably Develop When Reading the JJK Light Novels, Pt 1

For an anime with literally no filler episodes 🥹... the first light novel provides a brief insight into the days before (and behind the scenes of) the trauma. As someone who thrives on the misery of being a JJK fan, would the experience be complete without them? The answer doesn't matter because everything you need is below the jump! I saved my biggest theory for last so hop to the end for it.

⚠️ Spoiler Warning for Jujutsu Kaisen Summer of Ashes, Autumn of Dust and season 2 of the anime (manga spoilers are vague at best).

Head Canon: Gojo is the Riddler Purely For His Own Entertainment ✨

As someone who can process things the way a Six Eyes holder probably can, there’s no way he allows Yuji and Megumi to get the drop on him during their surveillance of sensei on his day off. But he takes them around (at a distance) doing silly things like record stores and maid cafes because I think it prompts them to enjoy things they wouldn’t. Especially Megumi. It’s kind of sweet, both their inherent curiosity about him but also lonely the way that he explores his whims so far removed from everyone else. It really highlights that “Who is Gojo Satoru?” question when you realize even Megumi’s interest was lowkey piqued at the possibly knowing a bit more about Gojo.

In the second story, Gojo speaks in straight up nonsense (think Mad Hatter) and it is no wonder when he's working alongside the most straight laced sorcerer there is, Nanami Kento. To a degree, I wonder if it’s genuine chaos spilling from his head or if he knows, after years of pushing Nanami’s buttons, how to precisely drive him up a wall. I question whether it's for his own entertainment or to his own alienation. Maybe Geto really was the only one who could follow the winding thread of Gojo’s thoughts.

Head Canon: Gojo Secretly Worries About Nanami

I think with Haibara’s death and the knowledge he would have made light work of whatever caused it, Gojo makes it a point to join Nanami on missions.. just in case. After all, Nanami and Shoko are all he has left from before. He’s lost many people and, as the strongest, I don’t think that fear is something he’d admit aloud, but its reality is demonstrably what pushes him forward physically and philosophically. In the story where they go on a mission together... it almost seems like an unspoken and uncomfortable understanding between them, the elephant in the room neither want to point out. People around Gojo never wanting to acknowledge how his strength eclipses theirs is rather common which we see with Nanami in this story and even Ijichi later. So while he may make light of this chasm, he still pops in as an unsolicited protector. With grace, he allows Nanami to assume he's just being a nuisance but I really think he takes an ounce of prevention where possible when it comes to the people he cares for. After all, imagine the turmoil if he ever came to realize his absence could make or break another person's survival again.

Head Canon: The Elders Have Always Known, If It Came Down to it, Gojo Would Always Choose Geto

There’s a reason they kept the idea of reanimating the dead a secret specifically from Gojo. In fact, they should probably consider themselves lucky that he was so vehemently disgusted with the curse user capable of such puppetry. I wonder if he experienced hope before allowing the reality of the sham magic to break his heart all over again because, in their secrecy, it seems like they know the lengths he’d go to protect and choose Geto. Geto was allowed to walk the earth for 10 years after his execution was ordered. Maybe they were right to keep it close to the chest. Gojo still saved his body, after all. To what end when he knew a body can run the risk of becoming a curse?

Head Canon: Gojo Saved Ijichi's Life but Condemned Him to Something Worse

Okay so this is kind of a manga spoiler (though I believe the flash back is during the Premature Death/Hidden Inventory arc) but, as a student, Gojo straight up told Ijichi he was weak and should find something else to do so he doesn't get himself killed. So he does. He becomes a steadfast and detail oriented manager which is a critical fixture in jujutsu society but damn, doesn't it just put Ijichi in an ivory tower of suffering? Years pass as he sends first his juniors, then fresh sets of kids into dangerous battle after dangerous battle. Some survive, some don't and all serve as a reminder of his powerlessness. He can cross every "t" and dot every "i" and it still doesn't prevent what happened to Yuji at the Juvenile center from happening. What does that do to one's soul?

Head Canon: Gojo Still Thinks "We Are the Strongest"

As seen with the Premature Death/Hidden Inventory arc, we know that Gojo saw an exponential growth in response to the losses suffered. It seemingly drove a wedge between he and Geto as Geto struggled to grapple with his powerlessness. With his defection, we see where Gojo changes his posturing from "we are the strongest" to "I am the strongest" but in the back of his mind (Alexa, play "Always Forever" by Cults 🫠), we know he still holds a soft spot for his first and last warm spring of youth. At the end of JJK 0, he refers to Geto in the present tense, as his "best friend, [his] one and only." Even after everything, I truly think Gojo leaves space for Geto beside him. This is furthered in the light novel during a story which is placed post Junpei and upon Yuji's return to life at Jujutsu High. Yuji, while still playing dead, helped a kid who had a grade 3 curse that seemed to be resurrecting and, after exorcising it multiple times felt he needed Gojo's assistance. When Gojo refused, he resigned himself to ask Nanamin for help wherein Gojo employed a Teachable Moment (TM).

He approached Itadori, who was hanging his head. "In this world, tragedies too often end in misery, even when it's possible to help. But the problem isn't lack of strength or getting there too late." As Gojo passed Itadori, he patted him on the head without making eye contact. "The main reason it happens is that people forget they have the strength to help."

This was enough to restore Yuji's confidence in his own competence but also sounds informed by what happened between Geto and Gojo in a sense. I interpret Gojo's assertion to center Geto to be the assumed lack of strength (which was most pertinent to how he was advising Yuji) and himself with the poor timing. Ultimately, to Gojo it doesn't matter because he never thought Geto was weak. The insecurity was a product of a situation he failed to reason himself out of, at the time, and it bred resentment within him alone. I don't think Gojo blamed Geto for anything that happened with Riko nor could he blame himself. It simply spurned him to figure out ways to limit his vulnerability in the future. In the face of that loss, Gojo still said they were the strongest and maybe in that moment with Yuji, he was employing a lesson he wished he could have been in a place to tell Geto to quell his festering guilt and grief. You can be strong and still fallible.

Hypothesis: Mimiko and Nanako (and Anyone Else...) Going After Managers is Not a Coincidence

As we saw with JJK 0, Geto's twins were rather merciless in going after the suits who make everything covert about jujutsu society possible. Based on what we knew at the time, the managers provide cover for sorcerers on missions (with curtains, getting them transportation to, providing cover stories) and plug them in with resources as needed. But we begin to realize that managers serve additional purposes. In season 1, we see that they are sometimes part of the investigative force when it comes to getting information around developing situations. With the Shibuya arc and the arc that follows, we see that they are also integral means of liaison and communication between sorcerers and to other points of contact within the community, including windows.

So. Windows are people who can see curses but aren't sorcerers which begs the question, what are managers? As we learn and can infer with Ijichi, who was a former sorcerer in training, managers are people who can see curses and may even be able to manipulate cursed energy. They aren't full blown sorcerers but they aren't completely helpless either. So why go after them?

As we see in the story centered around Ijichi's "boring day" at the office. Managers are sorcerers' only connection to the "human" world. They are what keeps them tethered to their mission in protecting others while similarly upholding the etiquette and traditions around how the rest of the world works. They maintain a very delicate balance of things alongside the supernatural. Without them, you'd have the unchecked ego of teenage Gojo basically just doing as he pleases without curtains or respect to the possible implications of a civilian seeing him work out in the open. To suit Geto's needs during JJK 0, why should sorcerers operate under some guise of hiding their strength for the sake of those who are weak? As to what happens during the Shibuya arc.. imagine the fear, the anxiety. Imagine the chaos! Imagine the curses it would yield.

Hypothesis: Yuji is Still the Main Character, We Just Haven't Seen the Curse that He'd Manifest When Broken Saying it louder for the people in the back

Certain corners of the fandom have largely cast Yuji aside. With the release of JJK 0 and appearance of Yuta, many wonder why Yuta isn't carrying the series. Afterall, his inherent overpowered-ness and ability to copy any technique for sure casts him as the next gen Gojo, right? In the literary sense, we've seen the rise and fall of his story. We haven't seen the last of him by any stretch of the imagination but he is, as we discovered, also jujutsu society royalty. A distant cousin of Gojo's, actually.

Of the main cast of first and second years, Yuji and Nobara are subsequently the only characters who do not have apparent ties to jujutsu society. Nobara, plucked from the countryside, is tested by Gojo upon her initial introduction to the series to make sure she's crazy enough to cut it. Yuji's origin is still a ways from truly coming to light but his inherent strength and the simple ability to house Sukuna and maintain his identity has, in many ways, been indicated to be an anomaly. Subsequently, as the viewer or reader, we know there's more to the story which has yet to come. I won't go into it here given my desire to not spoil the larger manga story but I think laced within the light novels is enough evidence to talk about Yuji and what his power and subsequent threat level is.

Yuji, for all intents and purposes, is an outsider. From what we can tell, he has experienced loss. Most apparently with his grandfather but we also assume he is a victim to the MC syndrome that leaves him orphaned and prime for a journey rife with struggle. He's fifteen with the pure heart of a child despite any previous hardships and just so happens to be armed with the mission to help people.

Yuji approaches the introduction to this new society with the wonderment of a kid finding out superheroes exist. But this naivete, this untempered light, actually has the capability of being something so fearsome when we learn how curses manifest through negative emotions.

In the anime, we see this as Sukuna scratches at Yuji's mental when they realize the possible origin of Tsumiki's curse may have begun killing it's victims when Yuji ate the finger. Mahito employs a similar means of manifesting ill will in Junpei that ultimately also becomes a burdensome guilt that Yuji bears. Countless times in the Shibuya arc, Yuji is forced to witness catastrophic losses of his mentors and friends while he can only stand idly by. The survivor's guilt is compounded by the shame of his own inability to help which only gets worse.

Since Yuji is relatively noble and sincere in nature, he considers these losses personal failures. He takes ownership of any sins against others that Sukuna commits when he is not in control over his body and, subsequently, his spirit takes a beating time and time again. He sought to do good in the world but his ledger becomes increasingly bloody through no means of his own and it weighs on our sunshine character.

It's easy to lend a hand to a child who has fallen, but it's a teacher's job to show a child how to stand up unassisted. It isn't always easy. - Gojo Satoru

The first light novel closes the gap between how Yuji went from training in a basement away from anyone who'd want him dead a second time to being under Nanami's care. While wrapping up Nanami's case, Gojo is uncharacteristically somber in requesting Nanami's assistance. He explains that Yuji requires Nanami's influence as someone who knows human suffering. The losses shared between them are unspoken and are not acknowledged within this exchange but, from what we know, hang as a burden between them. Still, both Nanami and Gojo have continued on as sorcerers somehow, from the grief of their youth into their late twenties. But Gojo gives voice to the concern that, because of Yuji's bravery and altruism, that the reality of what's expected of a sorcerer will one day break his heart if someone with emotional intelligence isn't able to help temper it. They seem to both understand the precariousness of youth and have both been shown to insist in protecting it where possible. This exchange and their mutual understanding is how we have Yuji under the care of Nanamin. It's also where we get the heart rending reminder that "Being a child is by no means a crime," and "You've escaped death many times. But that doesn't mean you've become an adult."

In the last story of the book, as Yuji is reunited with the other first years, he is contemplating a situation he encountered that still lacked resolution. He'd exorcised the exact same demon several times but to no avail. He hopes to enlist Gojo's help but Gojo encourages him to think about the problem more because not everything can be solved by fighting and exorcising when the source of curses is from human emotion. As Yuji races off to resolve the issue that's been weighing on him, Gojo reflects on his responsibility to preparing Yuji for the ups and downs that are sure to befall him.

Itadori's sincerity was a more significant attribute than his being Sukuna's vessel. As a result, trauma had the potential to become a curse more fearsome than anything else, a nasty curse preventable only by confronting one's own heart. Instead of cradling that heart, Gojo could teach it to be prepared. That's what it meant to raise students.

While the story resolves without consequence, we see that Yuji's reflection on the situation is as endearing as one would imagine though still a bit warped. He is galvanized to be stronger, dedicated to providing the help the people need whatever it may be, and to not give those he cares about reason to worry which seems in line with what Gojo was hoping for. But being offset by his consideration for how others feel like Nobara and Fushiguro when he died, it almost feels like he's creating an even larger burden of expectations for himself. This gives rise to Gojo's very real concerns about how far someone can fall into despair, especially someone who is such a beacon of positivity.

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the-greek-mythos-project · 7 months ago

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The Greek Mythos Project

Hello everybody, my name is Camila and I am the creator of The Greek Mythos Project. My pronouns are They/Them and I can otherwise be found on Tumblr as @ixhkor-and-ambrosxa. Any and all questions can either be directed here or there and I'd be happy to help any of you :).

So... What Is This Project And Blog About? Well, it's about The Greek Mythos Project. The Greek Mythos Project is a new thing I've created here on Tumblr in order to showcase smaller artists waiting to get out there, feel like their audience is too niche, and to ultimately learn more about Greek Mythology. It originally stemmed from a smaller, more personal project where I intended to 'rewrite' all of mythology in order to learn more about it and to generally get back into writing, but as I thought more about the specifics, I realized how time consuming and burnt-out I would be. That thought lead to another and another... and then I was like: what if I release this idea into the world and allow others to participate in it? Then I'd still be able to learn more about all of it, but I could also meet new writers and see more writing styles. So, here we are, with a blog & all.

What Is The Project's Main Goal? The ultimate main goal of this project is to showcase others' work. I myself--as a writer of lesser-known characters--know how hard it is to get that niche audience or even gain the courage to let loose those 'weird' headcanons so I wanted to provide an easy way to get that. I want to know those niche writers and characters and 'weird' headcanons--one of my general hyperfixations is worldbuilding! So, even if nobody else wants to read it, I want to. I want to know, I want to learn, and I want to be. So, the ultimate goal is getting out there, but there are some lesser and more personal goals such as networking, learning to work with wider and more diverse audiences (knowledge, headcanons, and otherwise), and having something bigger than myself to work on so I don't end up spiraling. It lets me know, as someone who struggles with mental health, that there's always going to be something to fall back on, such as this project :).

What Is This Project Exactly? The Greek Mythos Project will hopefully be a long AO3/Wattpad fic made up of the POVs and Stories of various characters in Greek Mythology. The end project will hopefully be arranged in chronological order and include as many stories and versions of the stories as they can. The possibilities and submissions can be endless but the only restriction this project asks for is that it keeps to one POV only. I ask this because this is the vision I am hoping to pursue but there will be a companion-fic set that you can submit to if you want a Multiple POV submission. Each chapter that we post will include your socials, how to find you, how to find your other works, the submission-fic notes, personal notes on the fic, and anything else you or we decide is best to put. Of course, you can opt out of any and all of this and I can just put anonymous <3. This project is essentially a mass Character Study/Introspection, if you'd like it in more simple and fandom-based terms :).

What Are The Project's Requirements? Other than having only one POV... there aren't really any. Of course, there's a level of trust and respect required on both sides once we all start working with each other, but that's just the basics. The word count can be anything, Spicy & More Graphic scenes can be taken once we have a coordinator for that and/or get further into it, and hopefully we'll have editors and beta-ers if you, as a writer, want or require them. If anything, I can help edit and work with you. This is a pretty formless job; it can be writing, it can be art, it can be mood boards, it can be collabs. As long as everything's communicated effectively, nothing should be a problem.

How Do I Submit? Currently, the best way to submit things is through the Ask Box on this page. I'll also be opening up the submissions tab/thing but I have zero experience on my part with it so the safest bet's through the ask box. Same thing with private posts, they don't always work so, when in doubt, go to the ask box :). Feel free, whenever you submit via the ask box, to put a little line at the bottom or top with your information, any notes, etc for me to put in when I eventually post this. Also, please check in on this blog every once in a while in case we need to ask to clarify something <3.

Can I Participate Even Without Socials? Yes, you absolutely can! Our ask box will always have an anonymous option and even if you have something or another and just want this to be separate, feel free to tell us you want to be anonymous! I and those who I may be working with will completely get and respect your privacy! /pos /gen

What Is The Project's Deadline? As of now, there isn't one. This project is supposed to be long term, which means it should still be going five or so years from now (depending on how the world's going at that time, at least) and so there is no deadline going on for the submissions-end. On my end, I plan to start picking it up and publishing around Late-August or July because I hope by that point, we'll have some submissions or at least be working a lot more on this as it picks up and also I know this month is really stressful for a lot of people with final projects, exams, etc and getting ready for Summer so hopefully that'll be a decent amount of time to really get things going.

Can I Help Out? Yes, you absolutely may! I'd love some editors to help back me up on things, beta-ers, Spicy-Scene coordinators (because that's just not my editing cup of tea) and other people that's going to be crucial to bringing this to light. Again, this project is based on community and I love people so feel free to reach out so we can work together to see what's the right fit, aka schedules, genres, etc! I might even create a discord server if we get large enough!

Any Other Comments? Feel free to ask questions. This and my main account are always free to pop in if you'd like, just know that it might take me a while to get back to you... it's a bad habit :(. Also, fandom-based characters and chapters are completely on the table! I personally find it much easier to write in a fandom-based setting so if that's your jam, feel free and make sure to tell us where you're comin' from so we showcase it! At some point, too, I'd love to make a little 'spreadsheet' thing on here to show who's working on who to maybe get people out of their shell or introduce others or maybe even collab on stuff!

Anyway, I think that should all be it :). Feel free to ask questions, interact with us, or even share the #The Greek Mythos Project on other platforms if you'd like or with friends! Also keep up with us on the same tag for updates, questions, or even maybe prompts/challenges if ya'll would like :). See you at some point and have fun!

Edit: Below Are Little Clarification Posts Along With Updates & Stuff That Seem Important <3

The Greek Mythos Project: What We Accept Within Submissions [7/28/24 - Updated Post]

The Greek Mythos Project: The Submission Process

The Greek Mythos Project: Meet Our (Currently Small) Team!

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cairavende · 1 year ago

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Worm Arc 5 thoughts:

Young lady, is your team about to make a deal with Nazis? What have I told you about making a deal with Nazis? Don't do it! That's what I've told you.

The school meeting was probably the hardest chapter to read so far. Do not want. Give me more horrible cape shit instead.

Also, Alan can die in a fire. Alan can get resurrected and die in another fire. Twice. Alan is absolutely a 3 fire asshole.

So many good wolfspider moments!! AHHHH! Taylor runs into the building to rescue Rachel. Rachel comes back to rescue Taylor. Rachel's dogs defend Taylor when Rachel isn't there. Taylor tells them to stay back so they won't get hurt!! RACHEL GIVES TAYLOR HER JACKET!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taylor fucking rocked during the whole fight, I couldn't be more proud of her. Figuring out how to deal with Oni Lee, desperately working to save Newter, the shit she pulled on Lung? Beating him a second time? Giving orders to everyone, keeping people focused, and sharing money at the end to earn goodwill? God damn that is some top notch shit.

Seriously, the Oni Lee fight was crazy. That man is scary but Taylor found a way to lock him down.

Coil’s sniper!!!! I had heard about him with no context before, so I got super excited when I realized this was the scene that birthed him! Fuck ya you Clint Barton motherfucker, I love you.

“I made his crotch rot off. Accidentally.” Fucking amazing line.

Holy shit though, she just fucking cut out Lung's eyes without a second thought. God damn. Fuck girl. And you still think you want to be a hero? Child villainy clearly runs in your fucking blood!

It looks like the Nazi survived, that's really too bad.

I love Newter he is fun. Taylor made some comment about him being attractive "if you looked past the odd appearance" and I'm just sitting here going "the odd appearance is what makes him attractive!!"

Labyrinth is super fascinating and I want to know more about her.

Taylor, child, have you put any thought into the fact that you've defeated Lung twice, Oni Lee once, and Bakuda once? That basically the entire leadership of the ABB is going to have it out for you forever? Not that you could have prevented all of that (I mean, if you hadn't blindly attacked Lung on your first outing you could have but we're ignoring that), you had to defend yourself, but are you going to plan for the future? Or just hope that Lung never escapes again and the other two forget you?

Interlude thoughts - There is that unethical parahuman testing I've been waiting for. I knew it had to show up sometime. Why leave all your subjects tattooed though? The people running this are either kinda dumb, or the tattooing thing is part of an elaborate scheme and they want people to look into it. I really hope Gregor the Snail and Newter figure out what they want though.

#Worm #Worm Web Serial #Parahumans #Cairavende reads Worm #Taylor Hebert #I want a “My daughter is a supervillain team leader” bumper sticker #SHE GAVE TAYLOR HER JACKET AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#WOLFSPIDERWOLFSPIDERWOLFSPIDERWOLFSPIDER

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chaotic-super · 1 year ago

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Background Rhythm

Read it on AO3 here!

“Come on, you won’t feel any better if you just sit and wallow alone in your loft.”

Lena pulls Kara through the bar by her hand, her grip tight so she doesn’t lose her through the crowd that seems to be getting thicker by the second.

“I won’t have to sit and wallow alone in my loft if you stay and hang out with me. I’d much prefer to be there than here. This isn’t my scene, Lena.”

“I know, but what better time to push yourself and enjoy everything life has to offer than when you’re feeling a bit shitty?”

Kara sighs and lets Lena pull her through the tightly packed space. She’s not a big fan of it, and people are standing too close for comfort. She keeps her grip on Lena’s hand tight, afraid that a single moment of distraction will cause them to be separated and then her buoy in this ocean of people will be lost.

Lena pulls her to the bar and wraps her arm around her waist to keep her close, the bare skin of her forearm pressing against the small of Kara’s back, the skin there deliciously exposed by the crop top Lena insisted she wear mainly for her selfish enjoyment but under the guise of making her look hot as hell to get back at her loser of an ex.

Kara watches Lena closely as she orders for the pair of them, her eyes lingering on the sharp curve of her jaw and the confidence held in the stiffness of her neck. She trails her gaze down that neck, and then she settles on her collarbones before flicking her gaze away abruptly when she realizes how much she wants to lick them. Totally not appropriate.

She shouldn’t be thinking about Lena like this, not when she’s being a good friend and getting her out of her loft and away from the pity party she’s been throwing herself since finding out her loser of an ex was cheating on her.

Mike was by no means a great boyfriend, but he was sweet, and he was someone Kara could always laugh with. There might not have been the greatest level of support, but she was always able to look past that because while he wasn’t there for her, he was more than she had without him, and somehow, that was enough.

It made it sting all the more when she found out what he was doing behind her back. He wasn’t even making up for being shitty behind her back when they were together. He was cheating on her with multiple women for the entirety of their relationship and still had the balls to complain when she made him pick his socks up off the floor or take his feet off the coffee table. It would have been nice to find out a different way though, because finding her boyfriend and a random woman getting steamy in her shower in the middle of the day was not fun, and she’ll never look at her bathroom the same way.

Mike admitted to what he did after a little pushing but it was probably just to hurt her after she kicked him out of her place and made it clear they were no longer together. She can’t even understand how he managed to get with so many girls though; he’s nothing special in the sack.

Lena touches her arm and it makes her jump. “Hey, you ok?”

“Yeah, just thinking.” Kara plasters a smile on her face, one that is faker than the one the bartender is currently giving a drunken patron down on the other side of the bar.

“About Mike?”

“Yeah, just thinking about how much of a douche he is,” Kara admits. “Mostly just wondering how he managed to find so many other women to sleep with when he was so mediocre. They must have all been one-night stands because there’s no way anyone was coming back for more.”

Lena snickers from her side. “Now that’s the attitude you should be having. You’ve gotten past the part where you’re just sad and missing him. I’m so proud of you.”

“Yeah, but it’s making me realize how pathetic I was to date him in the first place.” Kara shrugs, taking a large gulp of the drink Lena ordered for her. She winces when it reaches her throat. Whatever Lena got for her is strong.

A frown covers Lena’s face and she takes a second to look around the bar, her focus drawn to an empty booth across the room. She grabs Kara’s hand again and rushes them over to it before it gets snagged up. It’s still covered in empty glasses from the last group that was here, but she just pushes them into a little pile on one side of the table and tucks herself and Kara into the opposite side of the booth.

“Now that we’re not surrounded by a bunch of sweaty people, I can tell you that you’re the least pathetic person I know. I might not know what was going through your head when you decided to date the human embodiment of that one fork you always avoid in your cutlery drawer because it has weird vibes, but I do know you, and I know that you’re not pathetic.”

Kara shakes her head. “I think I was just using him.”

Lena’s eyebrows furrow. “I don’t think you could use someone if you tried, no offence. You’re too nice.”

“Not on purpose, I don’t think. Looking back at it though, I’m sort of realizing that I wasn’t with him for the right reasons.”

Lena covers Kara’s hand with her own and shuffles close to her side so their thighs touch and she can pull their joined hands into her lap. “How so?”

“I was only with him because it was better than being alone.” Kara’s voice is small but the words are so sure. “I don’t want to be alone, Lena.”

Kara hadn’t intended on being so direct, but there’s just something about the sudden onslaught of emotions, Lena’s caring face and her soft voice that draws it out of her like it’s the easiest thing on the planet.

Lena wraps her arms around her, pulling her close so Kara’s head rests against her shoulder. “You’re not alone, Kara. I’ll never leave you alone, I promise. “

Kara clings to Lena, her fingers digging into her back like she’s afraid Lena will pull back and make a break for it at any minute despite her being blocked in the booth.

The fingers in her back hurt, but Lena’s not letting go for anything. Not until Kara is secure enough to do so and believes every word she says. “I got you. I’m not going anywhere, I swear it. I’m right here and you’re not alone.”

“Lena,” Kara whispers, adjusting her grip but staying just as close. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.”

“Am I a bad person for using him like that?” She whispers her question.

Lena just barely shrugs, but being so close to her, Kara feels the tiny movement. “I don’t think so. I think that people do silly things when they’re scared, and I think he’s enough of an ass that he deserved it anyway.”

Kara nods against her. “I’m sorry I’m ruining the night. We haven’t even got through one drink yet and I’m already a mess.”

“That’s ok. I brought you here to help you move on. It seems as though my idea of a boozy night isn’t what you need. It’s an emotional chat kind of day.” Lena cards her fingers through Kara’s hair, fully aware of the way Kara always relaxes when she does that.

“Can we get out of here?” Kara asks, her eyes begging until she spots their still full glasses. “After our drinks though.”

Lena sighs. “Yeah, sure.” She’s disappointed that her plan hasn’t worked and made Kara feel better, but she can see that Kara is getting uncomfortable being here when she’s so emotional and by the way she keeps turning her head towards the crowd, she must be self-conscious.

“Are you upset?”

“No, darling. I’m not upset. We can leave whenever you want.” Lena is quick to reassure her, so she doesn’t have time to filter out the pet name before it leaves her mouth.

Kara doesn’t mind it at all though, her cheeks flushing. Nobody has ever given her a pet name outside of her family before. Even past boyfriends only ever called her by her name. Her head ducks forward, her eyes closing as she follows through with the movement. She lifts it again after a moment, keenly aware of Lena’s gaze on the side of her face, probably focusing on her blushing cheeks.

“Ok.” Kara breathes, her fingers circling her glass before bringing it to her face for a healthy sip.

“Ok,” Lena repeats, following Kara’s lead and taking a sip of her drink. She scoots back to give her a little more space to breathe but stays close nonetheless, her knee resting against Kara’s.

There are several moments in which Lena thinks about starting up a conversation, but each time she opens her mouth, she sees the distant look in Kara’s eyes and the way she’s lost in thought. It’s better just to let her work out her feelings before pushing her to talk again.

Their glasses get steadily emptier and emptier as the minutes tick by, and once they are both empty, Lena pushes them across the table to join the other empty glasses over there. The movement breaks Kara out of her distant staring and she looks up to meet Lena’s eyes. “Sorry. I’m not exactly making this a fun night for you, am I?”

“That’s not what tonight was about. Tonight is about you; we can do whatever you want.” Lena bumps her shoulder into Kara’s gently. “If you want to sit and stare, we can sit and stare.”

“And if I want to dance instead?”

Lena rolls her eyes good-naturedly but is worried that Kara’s just saying that because she feels bad that all they’ve done for the past few minutes is sit in silence. “I suppose I can make that happen but I must warn you, I don’t know how to dance properly in a club.”

“Me neither. I don’t think I know how to dance outside of a club either, so we’re as bad as one another.” A smile sneaks its way onto Kara’s face, and Lena’s worry ebbs away with it.

Lena shakes her head, offended that Kara has no faith in her dancing skills. “Hey, I can dance outside of a club, just not in one.”

“Really?” Kara sounds genuinely surprised and Lena shoves her arm in response.

“Yes! Why is that so shocking?”

Kara shrugs. “I don’t know. You just don’t seem like the type. What kind of dancing do you do?”

“I can dance ballroom,” Lena says casually, although her cheeks flush. She’s just grateful the dim light hides it somewhat.

“Really?” Kara’s eyes light up. “Where did you learn to do that?”

Lena tilts her head, cracking her neck and making Kara wince before she answers. “I’m a Luthor. I didn’t get a choice. Lillian made sure I had the training she deemed necessary. Being a trained ballroom dancer was never a choice I would have made for myself.”

“So if you had professional training, does that mean that you’re good at it?” Kara’s grin is growing larger by the second, and her eyes are getting predatory in a way that shows her true intentions.

“When have I ever not been good at something, Kara? Of course I’m good at it.”

“Can you show me?”

There it is. Lena could see that coming. “Perhaps we should head out then, huh? I don’t think even my skills can work with club music. I’ll call my driver and get him to come and get us, and then we’ll go to my place.”

“Yes!” Kara hisses in celebration, her fist pumping in the air. “I’m so excited.”

“Whatever. You better get ready though because you’re about to have a ballroom lesson when we get back to my place. You might want to go and grab some water before we go so you’re not dancing on wobbly feet.”

“Ok.” Kara dives out of the booth with no more prompting necessary. “I’ll get you one too.”

Lena watches her go, her eyes pinned on her retreating form. She’s not a big fan of ball dancing. She wasn’t lying when she admitted to being good at it, but it’s never been a passion of hers. However, she needed a way to wipe the sad look off Kara’s face, and she succeeded. It’s insane what she’s willing to do with that woman.

She truly doesn’t understand how anyone could be as stupid as Mike. How could he cheat on Kara when he had the world’s most beautiful and wonderful woman to himself? Lena can only imagine what that would feel like.

Kara is leaning up against the bar, and it takes a moment for Lena to come to her senses and get in touch with her driver, Frank, so he can come and get them.

She tucks her phone away as Kara comes back with two glasses. “He’s not far away, only ten minutes.”

“We better hurry then. We’ll go and wait outside for him in a minute. Drink your water.” Kara instructs her, already chugging hers out of excitement to get out of here so she can see Lena dance. She hasn’t been as excited about anything in a while.

Lena sips her water, not particularly bothered about leaving it half-finished by the time Kara has finished hers and instead ushering Kara out of the booth once more and towards the door.

Together, they fight their way through the crowds, and Lena questions why she ever thought a club was a good idea since neither of them goes to clubs regularly and are much more inclined to stay in for a quiet night. She supposes she thought a change would get Kara out of her funk. It might have worked to an extent, but it’s not something she would do again.

They clamber into the back of the car in a mix of unruly limbs and Kara settles beside Lena without a care of how much she’s leaning into her, not that Lena minds. They spend the entire journey so entwined they might as well be playing Twister.

Kara almost pulls Lena’s arm out of its socket as she drags her up to her penthouse, the blonde impatient to see her dance.

“Slow down, slow down.” Lena chuckles as Kara taps her foot while she unlocks the door.

“Lena,” Kara whines when she makes a show of opening the door extra slowly.

Lena giggles to herself. “Come on. We’ll have to move some of the furniture out of the way.”

Kara nods quickly, following her inside before heading right to the middle of the room. “What do you want me to move?”

Kara’s impatience makes Lena shake her head again. “You do know that ballroom dancing is about grace and poise, right? Maybe a little bit of patience will get you in the right state of mind for learning. We have all night, Kara, just relax.”

The words hit Kara deeply, and she drops her head forward for a second while she takes a deep breath, making a conscious effort to let go of all the tension in her shoulders.

She looks back up at Lena afterwards with a much more relaxed expression, and Lena smiles at her. “Much better. Let’s move the couch and coffee table first.”

They each grab an end of each piece of furniture and shuffle it as far back as they can so there’s a large empty space in the middle of the living room. Lena crinkles her nose at the rug. “That thing is heavier than it looks, but if we want the true ballroom experience then we need the hardwood floors.”

“I got it.” Kara offers. “I’ll roll it, and then we can drag it away together.”

“Ok. I’ll set up the music while you do that.” Lena grabs her phone and connects it to her speakers. She has to find a decent playlist, so it takes her a few moments to set it up. The music rings out gently, all slow and delicate to start with.

Kara is waiting for her with the rolled rug, so she grabs the opposite end and they heave it out of the way and prop it against the nearest wall.

“Ready?”

Kara nods. “Show me what you’ve got.” She gestures to the empty space in the living room and takes a step back.

“Ah, ah. We’re in this together. You’re dancing with me, just follow my lead.” Lena pulls Kara into the middle of the room and guides her hands to where she wants them, one hand clasped in hers and the other on her shoulder while Lena places hers on Kara’s hip. “Follow my feet.”

Lena starts them off as slow as she can, not paying any mind to the rhythm of the music while she’s just showing her the basics, but as Kara gets the hang of it, she speeds them up to match it until they are turning and stepping in time with the melody.

A couple of songs in and Kara finally garners enough courage to look up rather than at her feet because she’s afraid she’ll step on Lena’s toes.

Their eyes meet and Kara’s mouth is split into a toothy grin that toothpaste commercial actresses would be jealous of.

Lena’s not focused on her smile though. Not when she’s got a close-up view of the blue eyes that haunt her dreams and nightmares alike, the ones she sees every time she closes her eyes and the ones that inspire the majority of decisions she makes.

Unbeknownst to her, Kara is having the exact same thoughts, her mind buffering because she can’t handle the emerald-green eyes staring back at her. She clears her throat when her brain decides to start functioning again. “You’re really good at this.” She whispers.

“I’ve had a lot of practice.” Lena continues guiding her, flicking her into a spin and then dipping her low, their faces so close they can feel the ghost of each other’s breaths against their lips.

Kara is pulled back up, and whether it’s the closeness, the heat of their bodies, Lena’s hand on her bare waist or a mixture of all of the above, she can’t stop herself. In a movement that is much more confident than any she’s made whilst dancing, Kara leans in and moves her hand off Lena’s shoulder to cradle the back of Lena’s head as she pushes her lips into Lena’s.

A gasp is released between their lips, but neither knows who it originated from. However, neither is about to start investigating, the kiss taking precedence over everything. Their lips move together and it’s getting rougher and more desperate by the second. Kara’s hand fists Lena’s hair, messing it up from her usual neat style, and Lena’s fingertips press into the small of Kara’s back, pinning her in place.

Their hands are still clasped together but are no longer held aloft, instead just swinging by their sides softly in time with the motion of their lips.

Oxygen becomes a problem though, and far too soon, Lena has to pull back for a breath, her forehead remaining pressed against Kara’s because she can’t bear to move away. Kara probably wouldn’t let her move away anyway though, because her hand is still in her hair and scratching softly. “What are we doing?”

“Something I’ve wanted to do for a while but never had the balls to admit,” Kara whispers. “Not even to myself.” She adds.

“Me too.” Lena smiles, pushing back in for another frantic kiss, her tongue making itself known as it slides between Kara’s lips.

Kara jumps. “You have a tongue piercing?” She leans her head back to look into Lena’s eyes.

Lena presses harder against Kara’s back, unhappy with the sudden distance. “Yeah, want to feel it?”

“Definitely.” Kara allows herself to be pulled back in, and Lena allows her to experience that piercing close-up. She gets lost in the sensations of it and the music that is still marching on in the background, and now that she’s tuned into the endless rhythm, she’s aware of the way Lena is dancing her tongue to the beat of the music, completely dominating her mouth and claiming it as her own with the poise and grace of a ballroom dancer.

Kara would have thought the next step would be obvious; they would head somewhere soft, and they would become considerably more naked, but instead Lena just lifts their dangling arms once more and begins pulling her around the room again in a slow, gentle wave, their dancing continuing with their lips pressed together.

There’s no escape from Lena. She’s all-encompassing and the only steady thing in the room despite being the thing moving the most. Kara doesn’t want to escape; she wants to be closer.

They somehow gravitate even closer, so close there’s no room for even the strongest of breezes between their bodies. Lena’s lips retreat for a moment, but only so kisses can trail across Kara’s cheek and then down her neck where those lips attack her vulnerable flesh.

Kara happily leans her head back to give Lena all the space she wants, and she’s made even happier when Lena presses a leg between her own, bringing them impossibly closer. The hand on her back slides down to grip her butt and push her hips into the thigh nestled between hers, and the sound that comes out of her mouth in response is nothing but guttural.

The moan breaks Lena out of her Kara-induced spell and she releases her neck to ask, “What about Mike? Is this a rebound thing?”

Kara peers at her through half-mast eyelids. “Who?”

“Good.” Lena smiles, forcibly rolling Kara’s hips into her thigh. “Very good.”

Check out the SG Fandom event Supergirl Mayhem here! It's for artists and writers!

#supercorp #supergirl #lena luthor #kara danvers #kara x lena #fanfic #cw supergirl #supercorp endgame #supercorp fanfic #chaoticsuper #kara zor el

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bluebelleisabelle · 1 year ago

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I think it's predominantly the excitement of Monster High returning, but I wanna talk about "Growing Ghoulia" and "Spell the Beans" (especially since I've seen other people talking about the new episodes). Just a bunch of random points that I really appreciated. So, yes, this post will include spoilers for the episode "Growing Ghoulia" and "Spell the Beans" :)

All the new episodes this month have been wonderful so far, but I honestly really loved this one and "Spell the Beans" (but knowing me, the clankie episode tomorrow will likely come out on top <- pun intended. Don't be surprised if I post all about that one tomorrow too jhsjssjh).

No, but honestly, I appreciated the use of "allegory" (if you'd like to call it that) in regards to Ghoulia's need to top the horror roll. Ghoulia says, "it's hard for zombies to get points. We're not as fast as other monsters. I wanted to be the first zombie to be number one and show everyone they misjudged us."

Many could interpret it as disability allegory, or generally, any minority group that is prone to being judged solely on the basis of stereotype. And Draculaura pitches in with her own personal example. Due to her love of witchcraft (something that is shunned in monster society), she feels the need to prove herself as a means of "showcasing" that she is a responsible and kindhearted person amidst the act that she practices what society deems as a "filthy human habit".

In the episode "Spell the Beans", Draculaura states that she uses witchcraft to create, and that it is a fun hobby. Being a witch is her identity, and she wishes to prove to other monsters that witches can be good people. It is entirely dependent on what you use the powers for. Through these two episodes, we get to see Ghoulia and Draculaura's identities even more deeply, as well as the fact that they care so much about serving as pioneers (within the groups they identify with) towards a better, more accepting future. I imagine, even if kids aren't reading into the episodes as much as I am JJSJJ, that this underlying theme about identity and acceptance means a lot to so many people watching.

Also, can we talk about Ghoulia's reaction to Draculaura practicing witchcraft?? It's so wholesome! She's immediately like "that's so cool!" and then quickly realizes how unfair it is. Not because it's a "human" practice, but because of her goal in the episode: to be at the top of the horror roll. She is not bothered by Draculaura practicing witchcraft. As a matter of fact, she finds it very impressive and intriguing.

Also the visuals?!? Like, as a writer and filmmaker, the whole heart-to-heart scene with mid-falling, suspended tree leaves around them made me like "OMG CINEMATOGRAPHY", even though it's literally animated JSJSHJ. But still.

ALSO "Spell the Beans"!! With Dracula and Draculaura sitting with their backs to the tombstone. Like.... ooooo damn I love myself a good heart-to-heart scene, especially when the characters use the space in that way. There is so much that can be gathered through just their position during that scene. A sort of metaphorical (and literal) wall stands between them. It's a space where they can't exactly face one another, but can still engage in their conversation. LIKE OOF. FEELS.

And then of course, a definite highlight...

MONSTER HIGH CANONICALLY HAS AN LGBTQ+ CLUB!!

GUYS. MONTHS AGO I MADE A LIST OF G3 FRANKIE HEADCANONS AND ONE WAS THAT THEY ATTEND A QUEER CLUB BUT LIKE--

I DIDN'T THINK THEY'D ACTUALLY INCLUDE IT, BUT I AM SO HAPPY THEY DID!!

And they said "queer" too! Just like Twyla said "autism". I know it sounds small, but the writers (in order to avoid angry, homophobic parents) could easily have been like "this is the Ghoul Wraith Alliance, a place where people can celebrate identity". Sure, it would be sweet, but it would leave too much to the imagination. That is typically fun, but as a queer person myself, it is such a joy to hear these words being spoken aloud in children's media!! This made me so happy, and I have nothing but absolute respect for the Monster High team working on this show!

Nah, but overall, I'm so glad Monster High is back. They do such a great job not shying away from topics and communicating these topics in validating ways. Pumped for tomorrow's episodes (watch as I shit my pants at school, cause I'm gonna be there at 5 for theater production callbacks hehe).

#lol sorry this is a lot #and I didn't even really reach a conclusion #I just wanted to talk hehe #monster high #g3 monster high #monster high g3 #gen 3 monster high #monster high gen 3 #mh #growing ghoulia #monster high ghoulia #ghoulia yelps #draculaura #monster high draculaura #monster high episode

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fairytale-poll · 10 months ago

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SEMIFINAL ROUND, MATCH 1 OUT OF 2!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Mofurun as “Mofurella”

listen. they do an episode where they’re all sucked into Cinderella and they make the trans teddy bear Cinderella. Incredible story writing, 10/10, no notes.

Mofurdella is even plot relevant, that episode is how they get the Rainbow Carriage for their group attack anyway MOFURDELLA FIRST CINDERELLA PRECURE EPISODE TO GET ONE MOFURILLION VOTES

Ella of Frell:

She’s had a “gift” of obedience placed on her, and her quest is to figure out how to get rid of it. I love her

I was so enraptured with this book as a kid, it had such an impact on my young mind. Got me into fantasy.

BEST CINDERELLA!!! please use the picture from the book cover and not the movie 🙏

brave, smart, a linguist, a nerd, she evolves steadily and beautifully throughout the book, with a sharp voice that never stops being distinctive and fun to hang with.

complex character coool as fuck premise and also. the nostalgia of it all

#cinderpoll #round 6 #semifinals #ella of frell #ella enchanted #gail carson levine #mofurun #moforun #mofurella #precure #mahou tsukai precure #pretty cure #mahou tsukai prettty cure #cinderella #fairytale #poll tournament #poll bracket #character polls #polls

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blooxorsista · 9 months ago

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Blue Exorcist - 3x09: Rin, Izumo, & the Rescue Scene

Okay, I was reading the comments under the latest episode (3x09), and I wanted to type something out, but it ended up being pretty long and I decided I'd just post here instead.

Basically, this post will address Rin and Izumo's character development in this arc, and the importance of the rescue scene in the most recent episode.

I've already mentioned that this arc is probably my favorite in the whole manga (although I'm not currently caught up), but the scene where Izumo cries for help and Rin comes to her rescue is probably one of my absolute favorite scenes in the series.

The scene was just so impactful to me as a reader, which I wrote about in my analysis from when Chapter 60 came out.

So needless to say, I was SO excited to finally see this scene animated! I was also especially excited to see the Nine Tails dance from Izumo, and was slightly disappointed that they may have adapted it too faithfully to the manga, with still shots instead of a moving dance. Maybe they didn't want to assume what it looked like and chose to play it safe. (It's fine, not a deal breaker!)

It wasn't totally apparent in the anime episode, but manga readers know that Rin noticed Izumo crying from the vent. That's why we saw his wide eyes right before he exploded through the ceiling. It was seeing Izumo that caused him to move into action.

It may be easy to overlook since it moved so quickly in the anime, but that scene is extremely important for both Rin and Izumo's characters. Up until that moment, Rin had been struggling internally about fighting humans. When he's trapped inside the giant zombie, he can hear the voices of the humans that were inside (in the same way he could hear Kuro). That's why he was having a bit of a mental breakdown, asking his father what he should do.

He KNOWS that he has to cause harm to humans in order to succeed in this mission. But it's easier said than done for him, because as someone who has been constantly demonized and struggled with his sense of self, he has drawn himself a red line in his own personal code of ethics. To him, the zombies ARE human. And hearing their voices just confirms that for him. They are still conscious inside of their experimented bodies. So in order to fight them, he would have to harm these humans who were essentially innocent victims of this organization.

For Izumo, she finally accepts her true feelings about others, and asks for help. Up until this point, she's put up a strong front, thinking she had to handle everything on her own and couldn't trust anyone. Now she lets all her walls come down and accepts her vulnerabilities.

And it's exactly in this moment that both Rin and Izumo have a synchronous realization. For Rin, seeing Izumo crying, asking for help, in her most vulnerable state -- it's the catalyst for him to resolve his own inner conflict.

In an instant, he has made his decision and strengthened his resolve (either consciously or subconsciously) to harm humans because all he cares about in that moment is to save Izumo.

It's enough to snap him into action. And that's HUGE development for his character. We even see him hesitate slightly at the end of the episode when the zombies fill the room, before ultimately slashing through them with his sword, because he knows that that is what's needed to save Izumo and her mom. In fact, I'd probably argue that this hesitation is due to Rin having to consciously decide to attack them, meaning that when he moved to save Izumo, he reacted subconsciously.

I just felt the need to point this out after seeing so many comments complaining about Rin and Izumo's actions and character development this season. In truth, their actions and motivations align.

Another common complaint I saw was about how Izumo should have taken Rin's offer for help the first time (on the bridge). I'd like to point out that running away wouldn't solve Izumo's problems. Even if she were to be rescued and escape with Rin and the others, Gedouin still has her mother and has already threatened to use her little sister if Izumo refused. In her mind, staying was the only solution, because her goal was to protect her family at all costs.

Despite what we know of the Nine Tails, Izumo believes that she can take control and use the possession to her advantage and destroy her enemies. That way she wouldn't have to worry about them coming after her or her loved ones again.

And for Rin, he's coming to learn that "good" and "bad" are not so easily distinguished. His view of the world has been turned upside down after realizing that not all of the "bad guys" are demons.

And as a side note, I also want to mention the animation style. I know it's been a bit of a controversial topic this season, since the style is so different from seasons 1 and 2, and that a lot of people have complained about some of the episodes. However, I had a feeling that the animation team was just prioritizing the more important scenes over the others (after all, there is a limited amount of time and budget, so it would make sense to spend more time on the biggest scenes, if you have to choose).

And I was glad that this seems to be holding true up until now. I was happy with the quality of the scenes that featured Izumo this episode (much like how I thought her backstory episode was high quality), and especially the rescue scene. And I loved that we finally got to see posessed!Izumo colored and animated!

I'm also curious as to how the next episode will be adapted. I was reading through an old rant of mine from when the corresponding manga chapter came out, so I'll be curious to see if I feel the same way after watching the next scenes play out.

All in all, I'm still enjoying this season and getting to experience the manga come to life with animation and voice acting!

#blue exorcist #blue exorcist 3x09 #blue exorcist season 3 #ao no exorcist #rizumo #original post #ane #rin okumura #izumo kamiki #analysis #read more #also i'm not saying this season is perfect #but i'm still having fun #tags #my analysis #anime #season 3 #3x09

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goodolreliablejake · 5 months ago

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What genre is Chainsaw Man? Or, more accurately, what type of story is this?

I watched the anime first, and I became so invested that I immediately read the manga. At that point, I understood Chainsaw Man as an Action-Comedy with Horror aesthetics. I had the big twist with Makima spoiled before I started, yet I still imagined it as a story that was going to see Denji learn and grow as a person and ultimately end up better than he started.

But I think it was around the time that we saw The Chainsaw Devil in his full glory that I reconsidered. The plot at the point hit me like a ton of bricks, and I said "Wait… I think this is legitimately a Horror Story."

Chainsaw Man is in some combination an action-horror-comedy. But what order do those elements go in? What kind of story is this?

My first impression was informed by its place in Shonen Jump. In the back of my mind, I was thinking "this is a dark and twisted story with thematic depth, but it's still a Shonen Battle Manga. This is still going to be a Hero's Journey." But the further on I read, the more I had to face the possibility that this is a Horror Story, with a bleak and tragic ending that sees the characters' lives destroyed, their worst qualities enabled, with the moments of hope only serving to build them up to make it more interesting when they are crushed. It's the kind of story that would disturb me, but it would also stick with me.

You'd think it'd be easy to tell what kind of story this is, but it's harder than you'd think, because it's still ongoing. The ending is going to inform how we read it.

On the comic side of things, there's always the possibility that we end on a less decisive note. Rather than triumph or tragedy, maybe Denji ends up right back where he started, having learned little. I'm thinking of when Asa had this big revelation about how she acted aloof because she was jealous of her classmates' camaraderie and only wanted their acceptance and dedicated herself to becoming a better, more open and friendly person… Only to immediately undercut the revelation with Bucky's death. Bam! Right back to square one, back to isolation and jealousy and cynicism. And it's darkly hilarious.

These different tones and elements of CSM attract different audiences, and I think that fans end up rooting for one ending over another; their emotional investment in the story is investment in it turning out to be one kind of story, rather than another. And it's easy to love these characters. It's easy to want them to be OK.

I think that's what's so polarizing about Chainsaw Man 167. I don't think it's the sexual content. Maybe there are people complaining about it in a puritanical way, but I haven't seen them. No, what I've seen is people wanting these characters to develop into healthier, more mature, fuller people. I've seen people wanting this scene of sexual abuse to be more than just a dumb throwaway joke for shock value. They want the issue to be examined with nuance. I've seen people empathizing with the characters on a level that shows that the tragedy is maybe too-effective, to where it makes the story too personally painful to continue reading. In short, I think this chapter has made some people realize that this might not be the type of story they want it to be.

And perhaps the worst possibility of all: that it turns out to kind of be none of those things. There's always the chance that it turns out to be a lot of different evocative ideas and vibes that ultimately didn't cohere. I know people have a lot of faith in Fujimoto, but we've all seen it happen too many times before, with other beloved but messy works.

Chainsaw Man still has a hold on me, and I'm not going to stop reading. But I won't flippantly dismiss the concerns of those who were distressed by the recent chapter, either. There are reasons, and they matter, because they'll ultimately define the work that fans have already invested a huge amount of time, thought, and emotional energy into.

#csm #chainsaw man #csm 167

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drdemonprince · 1 year ago

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my thoughts and values align with yours re: STIs and risk AND i keep coming up against resistance to the recent discussions as a high-risk person still living almost entirely isolated amidst the ongoing pandemic. and when i take a second to breathe and think, i realize these are not conflicting at all. the friction isn't that i view illness morally or that i think we should avoid all risk. it's that the majority of folks without question take precautions to reduce STI exposure but the majority of people no longer consider doing the so minorly inconvenient precautions to reduce the spread of covid, which i would argue is much riskier than STIs at this point. and it's so exhausting because then i have to, based on my risk analysis of covid, take way more precautions because no one else is looking out for me. community care and harm reduction are my biggest driving values and i grieve how absent they are around me. i just wanted to share in case others are feeling similarly while reading this discussion. you rock and i so hope i get to engage in a beautiful public kinky scene some day.

Hey, thanks so much for sharing and walking us through your thought process.

What I might add is that individual people might not seemingly put much effort into COVID mitigation anymore because they have next to zero institutional support in doing so. Many of my disabled friends have to work in areas with a high risk of COVID exposure: waiting tables, stocking grocery store shelves, working as home health aids or phlebotomists, or teaching in schools. Some of them are high risk themselves, but because they have no choice but to work in areas where their life is put on the line, they have very high stress decompression needs and feel already resigned to their disposability in society, and so they do also go out to bars with their friends or hold parties or visit clubs.

I also know people who are able to socially distance quite strictly, test regularly, are vaccinated and boosted, but who intentionally make plans to visit cruising spaces or gay orgies very rarely so that they can remain relatively safe COVID wise but also not kill themselves out of despair (I'm not being hyperbolic here, that's exactly what some people have told me are the competing risks they face when they balance COVID exposure against isolation. And I know that many high risk populations face these same severe negative mental health outcomes too -- in fact, I know high risk people who choose to go out in public at times in order to remain sane, but who have to sit with the fact that it could be a mortal danger to do so).

I also think about how the queer community came together in the fight against AIDS to make condoms available, to educate one another about safer sex practices or harm reductionist practices, to engage in sex together in risk mitigating ways (such as gloved fisting) and how they pushed for the government to make drug treatment available to them. I see a lot of queer and disabled advocacy groups doing similar work today to spread accurate data on COVID as best they can, promote masking, organize solely outdoor events, encourage vaccination, and remind people of the stakes.

And I see such a massive gap between the ways in which risk mitigation was made possible through such community efforts, and how catastrophically the government fails us regarding COVID. We are not given free tests anymore. Vaccines aren't free anymore either. It is no longer a state of emergency. Many of us have been forced back into in-person work at our jobs. Our unemployment benefits have been cut. Student loan payments are roaring back into action. Disability benefits and medicare's expansion is rolling back. We no longer have accurate testing and tracing data. Masks are no longer required.

If a person wants to behave responsibly regarding COVID, how are they even supposed to? They can wear a mask in public and not experience in-person community to the extend they might like or need. But they can't actually prevent themselves from getting or spreading the virus because they've been forced back to work. I understand many people do not even take these small steps to reduce harm and that it is dismaying and outrageous. And I think you have ever right to feel outraged by it. But I also think individual behavior flows from social support and institutional pressure, and nearly all of that is heading in the wrong direction right now.

And I think about how collective the push for better government interventions regarding AIDS was, and how much the push regarding COVID instead is focused on targeting individual people for the actions they've made within a very unsupportive context. It was not beneficial to view individuals who had bareback sex or shot heroin as the origin of HIV, and I don't think it's helpful to understand COVID as a phenomenon of individuals failing to mask now.

Granted, it took HIV activism YEARS to get to the point of ACT UP. And we're not so many years deep into COVID yet comparatively. Personally when I look at all these facts in context I see a population that largely did take COVID seriously for a time, but who, due to a mix of institutional failure, mass misinformation, risk resignation, and despair, no longer do so in their behavior.

I don't believe in moralizing emotions and I think from your perspective you're affected by all these factors PLUS the massive risk of developing Long Covid symptoms or worse. And I know you know and live all this shit already so forgive me for preaching to the choir. But I do want to gently push back against the idea that most people don't care about COVID the way they care about STI's. I believe our discourse on both has been horrifically poisoned by individualism, capitalism, and institutional failure.

Some articles I have written on the subject:

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