#she was just incredibly lovely chatting with folks

[trekkiemage]

[five-bi-five-mind]

Can i request toxic ex!wanda trying to get reader back no matter what it takes after doing her wrong and not knowing her worth? And reader just being extremely mad and done with wanda. I'd love to be manipulated by her 🥰🤝

Me & the Devil

Fandom: Marvel

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Genre: Dark fic (seriously dark!!) + Smut & Angst

Words: 11.5k+

Summary: It took everything ounce of strength you had to leave Wanda behind. When you did you tried your best to rebuild a life for yourself without her. You had a new career in a city far away and you were trying to restart your love life too. Only it was going horribly for you so far. Until Kate Bishop happened. Was she going to be the person to finally get you over Wanda? You thought so, until Wanda showed up at your door. And when she did, nothing prepared you for the measures she took to get you to let your guard down...

Warnings: toxic!Wanda; strap-on use (r receiving); face-fucking/riding (Wanda receiving); unhealthy relationships; oral (Wanda receiving); fingering (r receiving); choking; dub-con; kidnapping; non-con voyeurism kinda; alcohol mention; stalking; top!Wanda; bottom!r; dom/sub dynamics; tiniest bit of mommy kink...

A/N: lol this is the darkest thing I have ever written... you said toxic ex!Wanda and I really gave you toxic. Maybe it's not quite the request you asked for but... oops. But seriously folks take the warnings serious!! And tell me if I need to add more.

It happens almost every single time. You were starting to think there might be something seriously wrong with you to be ghosted so often. This was a pattern at this point: You’d connect with someone and meet up for a date. The date, in your mind, would go amazingly. Both of you would laugh and chat and they’d usually be the one to say something like “let’s do this again” and you’d happily agree. But then after you both part ways and a few days pass there’s no text, no call, no signs of following up on that hopeful promise to meet again. You’d text them once, maybe twice if you really felt strongly about meeting, but still you’d be met with nothing. You got ghosted. In the past six months, this has happened way more times than you’d like to admit. The first two times, you could convince yourself that they just weren’t that into you. It wasn’t you, it was probably them. But then it kept happening and happening and happening. How long could you say it wasn’t you? What were you doing to repel so many people? 

After the last date you went on and then were subsequently ghosted, you were really considering giving up hope. But then somehow you got convinced to try again. This time it was a little different though. It wasn’t someone you met on a random dating app or a girl who happened to randomly pass her number to you at a coffee shop or a bar. No, this time it was someone you actually kind of already knew. It was someone you worked with, someone you already had a sort of established friendship with. 

Usually, you’d be hesitant to agree to dating someone who had a professional relationship with you. Not to mention, she was kind of above you in the chain of command at your work. But when Kate Bishop waltzed right up to you and asked you out she was so charming and kind. She reassured you she would understand if you said no and that nothing would be weird if it didn’t work out. She smiled at you in the most endearing way and never failed to make you laugh even from your very first day working with her. Why wouldn’t you say yes? Honestly, you were just shocked she saw you as anything more than a work friend. So yeah, you decided to agree to a date. After all, it would be incredibly hard to ghost someone you have to see regularly at work. If things didn’t work out, she promised you’d still be friends and it wouldn’t affect the workplace. And while, yeah, a lot of people probably say that, you really believed that she meant it.

Prepping for the date had you honestly giddy this time. You asked some friends to accompany you to the mall so you could buy a nice outfit. When you asked what the date would be, Kate gave you the name of an entirely too expensive restaurant. She promised it would all be on her dime, no matter how much you protested. Her exact words were that she wanted to “sweep you off your feet” and you couldn’t help the blush that reached your cheeks when she said that. So, if you weren’t paying then the least you could do was invest in something nice to match the place she was taking you to.

Honestly, you were actually really excited about all of this. You had never thought of Kate as more than just a coworker, but you were really ready to see where this night could go. It felt like a turning point for you after all you had been through. Six months of getting ghosted was one thing, but all of that really added salt to the wound that was your horrible breakup that happened prior to all of those failed dates. This would be different though, at least you hoped. While you didn’t get to know all the other people who ghosted you well enough to know their character, you did know Kate. She was almost the exact opposite of your ex. She was kind and patient. She wasn’t so damn serious all the time either. Wanda was… well, you didn’t even know where to start. She was cold, she was controlling, and more than anything she had a darkness in her that put you on edge. She didn’t seem to listen to you and only wanted to pay attention to what you had to say when you said that you were leaving her. It was like all you were was a toy to her and it made you miserable. The fights you two had towards the end still shook you. When you and Wanda got together it all happened so fast. One day she saw you and then suddenly she was everywhere. In a blink you found yourself in a relationship with her and you didn’t even know how it all happened. 

Not that you didn’t want to be with her. You had loved Wanda. You had loved her so profoundly, so deeply, so painfully that it was all you knew when you were with her. But then she grew different. More controlling, less caring. After a while you realized it wasn’t the healthiest situation to be in and you begged her for a change. Maybe you would’ve stayed and even dealt with her temperamental nature if she at least opened up to you, but it just didn’t feel like an equal relationship. She expected too much from you with nothing in return. It didn’t feel like love anymore, it felt like ownership. That change you pleaded for never came, so finally you pried yourself away from her.

The thing is, you knew once you left Wanda, you really had to leave. It wasn’t just that you packed your stuff and found an apartment. It was that you picked up your whole life and moved it to another town across the country. You found yourself an apartment and a job before you even left to make sure you had stability and wouldn’t chicken out. That was ten months ago. It took you four to feel like even trying to get back out there. Even though it went rather horribly up until now, with Kate, you thought maybe you could be ready for something real again. 

Except, when the night you’d found yourself eagerly waiting for came and went with no sign of Kate, all those thoughts of restarting your romantic life plummeted. You had gotten to the restaurant, donning the beautiful dress you had bought for this very night. Bragging wasn’t really your thing, but as you got ready and gave yourself a once over in your apartment, you thought to yourself that you had this in the bag. If she was going to sweep you off your feet with a nice night out, you were gonna make her jaw drop with the way you’d make your entrance. 

Admittedly, you were early to the restaurant than Kate requested you meet her at. She had a reservation for the both of you so when you walked in you immediately asked to be seated. You couldn’t help the way you fiddled with the silverware in front of you as you anxiously waited for her to slide into the chair across from you. Only when the agreed upon time came and went, you felt that pit in your stomach that said your hopes were about to be shattered. At first you told yourself it was Kate, she was often a little bit late to just about anything. But then ten minutes passed and then twenty and suddenly you were feeling embarrassed and sick to your stomach and furious all at the same time. You paid for the glass of wine you had ordered and nervously sipped on before walking out of that gorgeous restaurant that promised a fabulous meal with nothing but an empty stomach. 

You weren’t sure if it was the wine that you had mixed with a lack of food or the fact that your eyes were already tearing up in anger just the tiniest bit when you told the waiter you wouldn’t be eating, but you weren’t pleased. As you stormed your way out of that restaurant and waited for an uber to take you home, you didn’t hesitate to shoot Kate what was probably the tenth text in a row. Each one was a little more angry than the last. Of course, it didn’t start out angry. Your first few were concerned but a little joke-y, but then when it became apparent she wasn’t anywhere to be seen, well, then you didn’t hold back too much. 

What was work going to be like when you finally saw her on Monday? You had this naive little idea in your head that you and Kate would hit it off so well that she’d want to spend the whole weekend with you. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but you really thought you could predict that you and Kate would fall into this crazy, cliche romantic relationship after what was supposed to be a dazzling first date. Honestly, you had kind of expected to not be going home alone, or maybe not going home at all. Kate even joked as much when talking about what to expect for this date. You had rolled your eyes at her bluntness, but if you were being honest with yourself it had given you a little thrill. 

All of that is gone now. The uber picked you up and dropped you off and all the while you somehow managed to keep it together. The tears that threatened to slip through back at the restaurant had been restrained as you sat alone in the back of the car and blankly stared at the thread of messages you had sent to Kate. They all sent, but the last message to be read by her was the one you sent saying you were on your way. Fucking typical, she chickened out at the last second and couldn’t even tell you to turn around.

The more you thought about it as you climbed the stairs of your apartment complex, the angrier you got until you could tell the emotions you were holding back were starting to overflow. Damn, you had been actually excited for this night. Yeah, when you matched with people and agreed to a coffee date with the others you had a little excitement for them too, but not like this. Not like Kate. She felt like this beacon in the darkness that was the last ten months. She felt like she was the one to pick up the pieces from what your last relationship did to you. How could you have been so wrong? 

Now, instead of having a crazy romantic night like you had hoped, you were going to change out of your gorgeous outfit and fall apart alone in your bed in your coziest pair of pajamas. It was a pathetic way to spend the evening, you thought to yourself as you got closer to your unit. How could it possibly get any worse?

“(Y/N),” A familiar voice said from right behind you as you approached your door. You hadn’t realized anyone was even behind you as you made your way to your apartment, so the presence of anyone was going to make you jump out of your skin. But when you heard your name being called your blood ran cold and alarm bells went off. Surely it couldn’t be who you think it is…

You whipped around so fast it made you lose your balance on your heels. A hand shot out quickly though, wrapping slender fingers around your elbow and steadying you. “Hey,” the voice said and you swallowed hard. 

Now that you were face to face, the source of the voice was exactly who you thought it was. Wanda stood there entirely too close to you, with her hand still wrapped around your arm. All you did was gawk at her, in utter disbelief of the turn the night just took. If there was anyone you were expecting to show up, it was certainly not her. You had hoped, as you made your way back home in disappointment, that Kate would be waiting right outside for you. Of course, knowing your luck these past few months, it was the last person you’d ever want to see showing up after such an awful night. 

The circumstances alone made you want to double over in fits of laughter. It was all so just on point with how your life has gone since you left her. Of course Wanda would show up after yet another failed attempt to move on from her. It only feels even more like a cruel joke from the universe that she shows up before you can get home and wipe your face of the frustration tears that you shed as you stomped up the stairs to your apartment. 

It took you a moment to realize that Wanda still had her hand on you and you ripped yourself away from her as if her touch suddenly burned. She didn’t seem phased by your actions, but instead was wearing a surprisingly soft expression. It seemed to add to your embarrassment and frustration. 

There was a moment where you thought maybe you should say something. Right now, the only one to speak was Wanda and all she had to offer after showing up out of nowhere was a measly “hey” so there was a lot that needed to be said right now. For starters, maybe you should ask how the fuck she found you. It wasn’t like when you two broke up you readily gave her your address. In fact, you didn’t tell her much of anything when you left. You knew she had a business trip scheduled for the same time every quarter. So, you took her absence as a means to pack your stuff in a flash and leave. It was that trip that allowed you to prepare, you had given yourself a deadline to find a job and an apartment and leave and that’s exactly what you did. The only thing Wanda knew when she left for that trip was that you were incredibly unhappy with her, to which she just rolled her eyes as she walked out the door. That was the last time you saw her. 

As you settled into your new place the same day Wanda was returning for her trip, you had left her a note and that was it. When that first night alone without Wanda came, you knew she saw the letter. There was one call from her that lit up your phone that night. You ignored it and that was that. She didn’t leave a message and to your surprise, she didn’t try again. 

You thought the book was closed on that relationship after that. Apparently, tonight as she stood right in front of you for the first time in almost a year, you were very wrong about that fact.

“What do you want, Wanda?” You cleared your throat as you spoke. It was rough, you were trying to sound strong and demanding. But after fighting back the urge to sob the whole car ride home, your voice wasn’t coming out the way you wanted. 

“It’s been awhile,” She gave you a small smile, but you didn’t miss the way she absolutely dodged that question.

“Why are you here?” You pressed again. Although, you honestly weren’t sure if you wanted to hear the answer. There were two reasons for that. The first being, you were in a vulnerable state and just wanted to crawl into your bed and lick your wounds. The second being, again, you were in a vulnerable state and if she said the right things she could take advantage of that. She always knew to say the right things. Being near her right now was dangerous. Not only because you were so unprepared to see her again, but because you were feeling so utterly hopeless and your pride was, at this point, completely shattered. 

“I wanted to see you.” Wanda still had that hesitant smile on her face. She looked down at you as if she was actually nervous. Like she was trying to approach you with the utmost caution in fear that you would flee at any second. She wasn’t entirely wrong to think that either, because you were ready to run. Except, she was standing right at your doorstep, so where exactly would you run? You could close the door in her face and lock her out, but you knew Wanda. She was nothing if not persistent. 

There was no response to that statement that would make you feel any stronger or even saner. You wanted to keep your dignity, even if you already looked pretty distraught. So instead you just exhaled, long and slow, before turning to your door.

What was your game plan right now? You couldn’t really tell. It was going to be a horrible decision if you let Wanda take one step inside your apartment, but you had a feeling that was her ultimate goal. Right now, you were running through different things to say. All you could really land on was pleading with her to meet you another day, when you’re less upset and tired. Maybe if you promised her you’d meet with her she would agree. Of course, knowing Wanda, if you said you’d grab coffee and catch up (which is a much friendlier way of putting what would inevitably be a very awkward conversation) she would hold you to that. But anything would be better than letting her slink right on in through your front door.

“Let me help you with that.” Wanda was directly behind you now, her hand reaching out to touch yours. You didn’t realize your hands were shaking so hard until you were trying and failing to get your house key into the lock. The way her hand wrapped around yours as she steadied it and guided the key in, surprisingly helped ground you. It was the familiar touch, even if it was brief and innocent, of her hand on yours that suddenly felt like you were able to catch your breath. 

It was like a shock to your system and now all your nerve endings were finally waking up from a long sleep. It was a weird rush, no matter how brief, to feel with the warmth of her palm pressed to the top of your hand. Accompanied with that was the buzz that you always felt when she was in your personal space as she leaned closer to you from behind. And just like that, once the door was open, her hand slipped from yours and it was all gone.

You squeezed your eyes shut for a minute and took a deep breath. The rush of feelings with just that small of a touch from Wanda was not a good sign for you and definitely not a good sign for your will power either. 

Wanda waited patiently behind you as you began to take the first step into your own apartment. To your surprise, when you turned back around to face her, she hadn’t crossed the threshold. Knowing Wanda, you had expected her to push her way in, to already have one foot in the door as she convinced you to let her stay. But no. Not this time. Instead, Wanda stood there patiently, her eyes boring into yours as she studied your face.

She still had the posture and facial expression of someone who was trying to be incredibly delicate. It was as if she was totally aware that she was walking on eggshells and, for the first time since you’ve known Wanda, she actually cared not to misstep. You were surprised to see her at your doorstep tonight of all nights, but even more so you were in complete disbelief at how patient she was being. If you were to have bet your money on anything, it would have been that the next time you saw Wanda she’d tear you a new one. Maybe she’s changed. Maybe this is why she didn’t contact you after that first night when you left. Was there hope that she could’ve taken a step back and looked at the way she treated you? Why did your brain automatically go to this idea that she actually took the last ten months to work on herself and now she was back to apologize and show you she’d grown? 

Your last thought shot anxiety straight through your veins. That was a slippery slope your thoughts were going down. A slope that might lead into you crashing painfully into the emotionally unavailable wall that was Wanda Maximoff. Except, she was still waiting there, with bright shining eyes that told you she was just relieved to finally see you again. And you, well, you were just standing there in the gorgeous dress you spent way too much money on for a girl you’d known for ten months who didn’t even have the decency to text a rejection to you after promising you the night of your dreams. So why not let the woman who did actually show up and was trying to be kind to you in for the evening? And what’s one more glass of wine? At least this time you’d have company so you wouldn’t just be drowning in your pain and humiliation. 

“Do you…” You paused for a moment watching Wanda’s face for any signs of insincerity or some kind of nefarious plan. She looked back at you with nothing but a soft smile and hope in her eyes. “Do you maybe want to come in for a bit? We can- I dunno… talk?”

“I’d love that.” And just like that you watched as she entered your apartment. When you got this place you had made one promise to yourself and that was to never let Wanda in if she ever found you. You had thought that the minute you’d let her back in she’d consume your life all over again. But here she was, at your doorstep, acting like a completely different person and suddenly that promise to yourself went out the window. You were so taken aback by her patience and gentleness with you in the brief time you’ve been reunited that you didn’t think to ask one important question. How the fuck did she find out you lived here?

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, she just never showed?!” Wanda leaned back in shock as you nodded vehemently. You two were currently sitting on either side of your couch, with half a bottle of wine already gone through. It had started out as small talk once she entered your apartment. Yes, it was awkward at first, but at least the wine had loosened up some of your nerves. Wanda seemed more relaxed than you had ever seen her. You never thought you’d be describing her this way, but she almost seemed bubbly. It was like a whole new Wanda was sitting right next to you and you were loving everything you were seeing.

The conversation stayed on you the whole time, which also was a bit surprising. Wanda wanted to know how you were doing and even praised you for how independent you had become. It was shocking, but with every proud smile she gave you, you felt your heart swell with pride for yourself as well. 

Somehow, eventually, Wanda asked you why you were so dressed up. That’s when you were surprised by the wave of guilt that hit you in the gut. You shouldn’t feel guilty. It’s been almost a year, so there was nothing to feel remotely bad about. Except, when she asked you that question, you looked down at your lap and fiddled with an invisible string while you mulled over possible ways to respond in a way that made you feel less ashamed.

To your utter surprise, Wanda didn’t even flinch when you decided to tell the truth and confess that you had a date with your coworker who didn’t show. Instead, the part that made her so emotional was the fact that Kate stood you up in the first place, not that you would have a potential new romantic partner that wasn’t Wanda. Where was all the possessiveness she usually showed? You haven’t had the chance to ask Wanda what she had done in these past ten months apart, but you had a feeling you were in for a long, inspiring story about how she’s ready to be a better woman. Even if you didn’t know the full story, you could see in the way she was upset for your pain and only your pain that she had really grown. It was this change that had you so mesmerized by her. It was this display of compassion for your bad night that had you scooting closer to her until your knees were touching. And when Wanda’s hand, after waving in shock as you admitted that you still haven’t gotten a single text from Kate, had innocently landed on your bare knee just below where your dress ended, you didn’t move it. 

“Well, she’s made a huge mistake,” Wanda shook her head. “I mean look at you…” The hand that wasn’t on your knee motioned to your whole body. 

“I know! I paid a lot for this dress, you know.” You giggled, shocked that the sting of tonight’s rejection wasn’t quite as strong as it was a few hours ago. 

“And it was worth every penny.” Wanda’s eyes darkened slightly as they raked up your body. “You look… fucking incredible.” Her voice was slightly lower as she said those last two words and suddenly you felt something shift. It was like something heavy filled the air, an electricity that was almost too much to bear.

Wanda looked back up and locked eyes with you. That gentleness that you had seen all evening was replaced with something else and suddenly you realized you were currently standing on a metaphorical cliff, one more step and you were about to fall right back into Wanda. 

But then she leaned forward and you found yourself leaning too. She was right there next to you, with barely any space separating you two. The smell of her familiar perfume suddenly felt stronger and had your head swimming. The warmth that radiated from her presence was blanketing your entire body, and all you wanted to do was close the gap. Why not jump off that cliff? Obviously, nothing else you’ve been doing has worked so far. This was a sign, the girl you were excited for didn’t even have the respect for you to show up, but who did show up? Wanda. And the whole time she’s been sitting and listening and not pushing anything. She’s changed, that’s what you wanted. You had told her as much when you had all those arguments up until the end. Sometimes it takes a major leap for someone to right their wrongs finally and that seems like what was going on here. That’s what you hoped was happening. So why not indulge? You closed the gap.

The way Wanda let you come to her was surprising. Old Wanda was usually too guarded to let you take the lead, but she was letting you now. Your lips met hers in a hesitant kiss at first, but soon it grew into more. It was familiar and new all at the same time. You surged forward and tangled your hands in her hair and all the while Wanda let you. When you leaned back, pulling her with you, your lips still connected, she happily followed until she was hovering over you. Not once did either of you break the kiss. It was soft, but still had a hint of desperation on your part. Wanda let you take the lead, with your tongue tentatively running against hers when her lips parted for you.

While Wanda’s willingness to let you take the lead shocked you, she still showed that she was enjoying the kiss just as much as you were. When your head met the arm of the couch and Wanda’s body came with you as you leaned back, you felt the way she rolled her body into yours. It was a subtle movement, but you could tell it was her way to get as much contact between the two of you as possible. Meanwhile, the more Wanda pressed her body down against yours, the more your dress rode up. You were so lost in the way Wanda’s lips felt on yours that you jumped when you felt her knee press between your legs. That act felt like someone pouring ice cold water straight on your body.

“Wait!” Your voice was muffled by the way Wanda was still trying to kiss you, but when you pulled back she stopped. Your hands moved down to push at your dress, trying to cover more of you as Wanda shifted her weight so she could still hover over you but get some distance from your face.

For a moment, as you looked up at her, both of you breathing hard from the intensitive of it all, you thought you saw a flash of anger appear in her face. It was brief. A blink and you’ll miss it kind of moment, but you swore you saw it. It was like a crack in the perfect Wanda that sat with you all night. You had stopped the kiss because you thought it was going too far for one night, but when you did you were hesitant if it was the right call. Now, even though admittedly you could be wrong, you were glad you stopped. 

If there was one thing you recognized on Wanda, it was the look she’d get when things didn’t go exactly the way she wanted them to. When you pulled back, it was such a brief moment, but you could’ve sworn you saw that familiar look. But then she was looking back down at you again with that gentleness you had seen all night, except this time things felt different. It was like all the warning bells were going off in your brain now. Something inside your mind told you that you had fallen into a trap and now you were too far into it to get yourself out.

But then another part of your brain wanted so desperately to shake that off. She had been so gentle with you, so kind and caring. It was a whole new side of Wanda and it was one that you had dreamt of for so long, especially in the early months after your break up. It wasn’t even like she was the one who started the kiss. You kissed her. Not only that, but you were the one to pull her on top of you. It wasn’t like it wasn’t enjoyable. It was everything you missed. It was fucking fantastic. Still, something told you to watch your back. 

You were trying so hard to shake that paranoia off. It was probably just a new form of trust issues you’ve developed after being rejected constantly for the last six months. Yeah, that’s what it had to be. Right? 

A moment passed and neither of you had moved after you had tried to push Wanda back. She remained hovering over you and suddenly you felt so small lying there beneath her. Finally, you pressed a hand to her chest, trying to indicate to her to move off you. She didn’t budge.

Instead, she stayed there, staring down at you. The look of anger never came back, but that gentleness wasn’t there either. It was all replaced with an emotion you couldn’t quite place as she cocked her head and flicked her eyes to where your hand pressed against her before looking back at your face. 

It seemed like she was calculating something. Like Wanda was trying her hardest to plan her next move with you and was weighing her options. It was in that very moment that you realized the gentleness, the patience, the lack of anger when you told her you had tried to start dating again, all of that was an act. She really was a wolf in sheep’s clothing and she had you pinned right now. 

A shiver ran down your spine as that realization sunk and it did not go unnoticed by Wanda. It was like a spark that lit a fire in her, when she saw you react like that. You were helpless underneath her and that was all it took for her innocent facade to melt completely away. She leaned back down, attacking your lips with her own in an instant. 

Your hands braced against her chest as she leaned back down, putting more of her weight onto you as she kissed you. Every alarm was going off in your mind as she kissed you with an intensity that had you spinning. Your mind told you to push back, to make her stop, but then it was always this shift in Wanda that got to you. She was kissing you with that same passion that had you weak at the knees. You always hated how possessive she was with you in public, but in private it always had you reacting in a way that you really should’ve felt more shame for. And she was kissing you with that same, desperate, possessive energy you wished you didn’t miss. 

The hands that were bracing Wanda’s chest were now grabbing at the fabric of her shirt as her tongue licked into your mouth. Her knee went right back to where it was, pressing in between your legs. You groaned against her mouth when she pressed it a little harder and you could practically feel how smug she was when she felt your hips roll onto her leg to gain more contact. 

Wanda pulled back on her own this time. You were breathing hard and you could tell your face was flushed from how worked up you were just from a little bit of contact and her kiss. “This is going better than I thought it would,” Wanda let out a low chuckle as she knelt above you. You gave her a skeptical look as you tried to catch your breath. “I thought you’d put up more of a fight, but I guess I didn’t need to try too hard to remind you.”

“Wh- What are you talking about? Remind me?” You stammered, your head swimming.

“That you’re still mine,” she hissed.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit you. None of tonight with her had been real. She hadn’t changed, you had just felt sorry for yourself and were vulnerable so you let yourself dream and pretend. Now, you were facing the consequences of your actions. You had fallen back into Wanda and backpedaled on every little bit of healing you had done after leaving her. The worst part was, as she looked down on you with such self-satisfied triumph, you weren’t sure if you could claw your way back out again.

You sat up then, trying to squirm your way out from under Wanda. She didn’t move, but she did let you. When you tried to stand from the couch, it felt like your legs were going to give out from under you. She had you so disoriented from her whole act that you could barely stand on your own two feet. 

“I think…” You kept your eyes glued to the floor as you spoke. “Wanda, I think you should leave.”

“Oh?” Wanda cocked her head to the side as she stood up too. You had taken a few steps away from the couch, but Wanda was quick to rid you both of the distance you had so desperately tried to create. “I don’t think that’s what you really want.”

“Yes, it is.” You weren’t convincing. Anyone would be able to tell you were two seconds away from buckling again and begging for forgiveness. This whole scenario felt disturbingly familiar. 

“I don’t think so,” Wanda taunted. She took another step towards you and you stood there frozen. “I think you’re dying to beg me to stay.” The once exciting charge in the air changed even more until all you felt was the painful buzzing in your ears as your body shook with an excitement you were trying so desperately not to acknowledge. It was impossible to ignore though, especially when Wanda was stepping up into your space again, brushing her whole body against you as she slipped behind you.

“No…” you whimpered your response to Wanda, but even you knew you sounded pathetic.

“Shhh,” Wanda cooed. Her hands moved to brush hair from your neck before you felt the tips of her fingers dance on the exposed skin. You still stood there, locked in place, trying to hold back a shiver as Wanda’s lips pressed to your neck from behind. Your eyes screwed shut when you felt her brush them up to your ear. Her breath against the shell of your ear made you shiver and your hands balled into fists. “Do you really want to be alone tonight?”

She was turning your vulnerability against you. Of course you didn’t want to be alone tonight. But did you really want to spend the night with your apparently still toxic ex-girlfriend? As much as you wanted to say fuck no, you did. God you wanted her. Maybe you had never really even stopped wanting her.

You didn’t have to answer for Wanda to know exactly what you were thinking. She had her hooks into you and you were hers again. Or maybe you were always hers and even when you were free from her you never really were. With how easily you fell back into her after almost a year, you were starting to think you were really overestimating how much progress you made.

Wanda’s lips brushed your ear before you felt her hands on you now. They were making their way up your body, starting at your waist and moving to your chest in a way that almost made you feel manhandled. “You’re going to have to convince me,” Wanda’s voice was sickeningly sweet in comparison to the way she groped and squeezed at your breasts through your dress. 

“Get on your fucking knees,” Wanda growled, the false sweetness leaving her voice and being replaced with a demand that had you jump. To your surprise it was like your body was compelled to do exactly as she said. You dropped to your knees and she stopped in front of you. The grin that spread across her face was menacing enough to make you gulp. She had a glint in her eye that told you any sort of soft, caring charade she had when she appeared at your door was long gone. No, that was all an act to get you to invite her in and invite her in you did. Now you were at her mercy and the thrill of that was clearly getting to the both of you.

As ashamed as you should be to have fallen back into Wanda Maximoff like you said you never would, you couldn’t help but feel anything but nervous anticipation. She licked her lips as she looked down at you. You squirmed under her gaze as you knelt there. Wanda took another step up until she was towering directly above you. Her hand shot out and immediately tangled in your hair, yanking your neck not-so-gently to look directly up at her. She smiled at you, all her teeth showing as she smirked. “Good girl.” She purred. 

Wanda’s hand moved from your hair to stroke down your cheek until she reached your lips. You stared up at her, utterly frozen, as she traced your lips with her fingers before uttering one word. “Open,” she demanded and you did exactly that without hesitation. Two fingers slid into your mouth, the whole time she never broke eye contact. Your body was trembling slightly from where you knelt in front of her and as her fingers pressed down on your tongue you instinctively began to suck. 

A sadistic chuckle left Wanda’s lips as she looked down at you. “Looks like you haven’t forgotten your place.” Her voice was low, threatening almost. Your face flushed, but it was like your brain wasn't in control of your body anymore. Suddenly, you were on some kind of autopilot, fulfilling the role Wanda always wanted you to take. The worst part was, you were okay with it. You didn’t realize you even missed it, but then again you caved so easily to her. Of course you missed it. No, actually you craved it. Your whole being ached for it. 

Wanda’s fingers pushed into your mouth a little deeper and you continued to let her. Not once did you break eye contact, even as Wanda’s twisted smile grew. Finally, after a moment, Wanda pulled her fingers from your mouth, only to grab your chin and keep your head tilted upward in a painful position. “It’s too fucking easy,” Wanda sneered.  She let go of your chin then and you took a moment to look down and give your neck a break. 

You didn’t notice then that Wanda was backing up from you for just a second. When you ran your eyes up Wanda’s legs to meet where her hands were you realized she was tugging at the buckle to her jeans. You watched with wide eyes as she undressed in front of you before stepping right back up to you. All the while, your mind was screaming at you to put a stop to this. All you had to do was kick her out, right? So why did you just stay on your knees and stare? 

“Wanda, maybe we should-” You were cut off by the hand that shot out and tangled in your hair again, giving it a hard tug.

“Shhh, baby,” Wanda cooed. “Let me use your mouth for something else.”

You flushed and those alarm bells in your mind sounded louder, but still you reluctantly nodded. There was something deeper inside you that said you needed this. You needed to please Wanda. It felt so horribly wrong to give into this feeling that you thought you had buried deeper inside yourself. But then Wanda was tugging you closer until suddenly you were between her legs, being practically smothered by her already wet pussy and all of those alarm bells silenced all at once. That feeling you thought you had buried got stronger with the way Wanda was rolling her hips against your face and your hands went out to brace yourself on her thighs. As she began to ride your face the moans she was letting out were just spurring that feeling on until nothing felt wrong anymore and everything about tonight felt just so fucking right. 

You were surrounded by Wanda. Her hands held your head still as she fucked herself on your mouth and all you could do was take in every moment of Wanda as she used you. And it was fucking glorious. You didn’t think you could miss something so much and be totally unaware of it. Or, it wasn’t that you were unaware… It was that you got so good at ignoring it that when you finally acknowledged your need to indulge in your Wanda problem it woke back up with a roar. 

Wanda’s hands were tugging hard at your hair as she kept riding your face. She was moaning your name as she moved and you did your best to encourage more of the sounds she was making above you. Your tongue lapped hungrily at her clit as best as you could with each time she would grind down onto you. You didn’t even care that you were being slightly suffocated by her. Wanda was overloading all your senses right now and all you could do was greedily accept it. It was like a fucked up rush of twisted joy was coursing through your veins as she practically fucked your face. She was using you like an object, no ounce of gentleness left in her as she got herself off, and meanwhile you were just happy to be useful. 

The part of your brain that should feel shame for all of this was finally, utterly switched off as Wanda repeated how good you were being for her and how much she missed your mouth when she came all over your lips. Her hips stopped after a moment and she released your hair. You took in large gulps of air you didn’t realize you needed until you felt the burning in your lungs. Wanda also seemed a little frazzled, like the intensity of her own orgasm had taken even her by surprise. But after a moment of catching her own breath, she slipped back into the collected, controlled Wanda you knew. 

“Get up,” Wanda ordered and you did what she said. Your legs felt a bit weak as you struggled to stand, but Wanda was on you in a second, steadying you by the elbow so that you didn’t topple over on yourself. It was the smallest action that didn’t even really mean kindness, but you were so far gone into Wanda again that even that made your heart swell. 

“Take your clothes off and meet me in your bedroom.” Wanda’s hands were back on you, already tugging at your dress and pulling it off for herself without waiting for you to fulfill her request. You did the rest before looking back up at Wanda. She looked at you with an excitement that had you curious. Seeing the curiosity in your eyes she answered before you could even ask. “I have a surprise for you.”

Your eyes scanned the room you two were in. How did she have a surprise when she came here empty handed? 

Wanda’s grin grew wider until you started to feel the drunkenness that came with being with her start to get replaced with something else. “It’s waiting for you in your bedroom,” She winked.

“Waiting in my…” You were trying to connect some dots. 

“Bedroom,” Wanda finished. “Now, come on.” You felt like your whole body had stalled as you tried to think through things. How was there a surprise there left by Wanda? She hadn’t left your sight since she showed up at your door. 

Wanda tugged on your hand and you realized she was pulling you in the exact direction toward your bedroom. Your apartment had multiple rooms: one your office, one your bathroom, and one your bedroom. So how could she possibly know to go to the right one? Your stomach dropped as she tugged you closer. 

You started to drag your feet and Wanda paused for a second, looking back at you with thinly veiled frustration.

“How do you know where my bedroom is?”

“Lucky guess,” She shrugged and you could hear the irritation in her voice.

“Wanda, what’s waiting for me in there?” Your blood ran cold as you asked that question, realizing you were suddenly terrified of the answer. 

“A surprise.” Wanda’s voice was devoid of excitement as she said it this time. You realized she was getting angry and this was your warning to stop pressing. But there were two things wrong with this moment right now: What was behind your bedroom door and how had Wanda been in there without you noticing?

“Wanda, have you…” You didn’t want to ask it, but you had to. “Have you been here before?”

Wanda snorted at that and gave a hard tug on your hand, pulling you with surprising force right up into her personal space. Her hands then moved to grab hard at your hips so that she could press her own bare body into yours without you being able to escape. “Stop acting stupid,” Wanda leaned forward to whisper into your ear, her voice eerily sweet. “I’ve been here the whole time.”

“W-What?” It felt like the air was knocked out of you. Wanda’s nails dug into your sides as she held you there. 

“Did you think I would just let you leave?” Wanda chuckled. “I’ve been here, waiting the whole time. I know you could feel me… Especially at night.” Wanda’s nails dragged up your bare skin. “When you were alone. I know it was me you were thinking of.”

A flush grew on your cheeks and you wondered, with horror, how much of what Wanda was saying was a guess and how much of it was her watching you when you never even knew. 

“Why now then? Why reveal this to me now?” That’s what was really bothering you. Somehow, the rest of this wasn’t surprising. It was on brand with how she was before you left her. Controlling and secretive. She hadn’t changed a bit. Right now, you were shocked and furious, but still you couldn’t silence the fucked up voice deep inside you that said you wer relieved she was back. Wanda was a piece of you that you desperately wished you didn’t need, but as much as you tried to tell yourself you didn’t belong to her, tonight proved that you might always feel that way. 

“Because,” Wanda seemed to be blatantly annoyed with you now. “That girl was getting too close this time.”

Kate. You had honestly forgotten all about Kate. Letting Wanda touch and use you had wiped any thoughts of any other woman out of your mind. In fact, until this moment,  you forgot that you should feel angry and embarrassed for being rejected and stood up. You had just been so lost in Wanda’s return that everything else melted away. But now… Now you weren’t feeling anger towards Kate. No, with the way Wanda spat out the word “girl” as she spoke, you realized she was probably well aware of who Kate was. You were concerned. 

“What?” You ripped yourself from Wanda’s grasp and took a few steps back. “Wanda, what did you do?”

“Only what I had to.” She followed each of your steps with a long stride of her own. “She wanted what’s not hers. I couldn’t have that, now could I?” The way she was looking at you as she cocked her head to the side sent a chill down your spine. Maybe this wasn’t actually the Wanda you knew. Maybe she had changed. When you were together you had seen a lot of sides of her, but not this one. This one made your palms sweat and your stomach turn. You’d never seen Wanda hurt another person, but just because you didn’t see it didn’t mean she wasn’t capable of it. What did she do to Kate?

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Wanda scoffed. “She’s not dead.”

Thank fucking god, you thought. Maybe Wanda was just exaggerating. Hopefully, Kate was just fine. Although, your gut was telling you everything wasn’t quite that simple.

“You’ll see,” Wanda reached out her hand and cupped your chin. Your eyes met hers and you saw the sadistic twinkle in her eye as she grinned down at you. “It’s part of your surprise.” 

You gulped at that, not liking the sound of it one bit. At this point in the night you made a lot of choices with Wanda already that you promised you wouldn’t do and the way she was acting now was making you sick to your stomach. She needed to leave, tonight needed to be over. Tomorrow you’d go to work and hopefully see Kate there in one piece. And if she was then you’d apologize profusely for whatever Wanda did to scare her off from your date. 

“Wanda, you need to leave.” As much as you tried to sound commanding, your voice was weak and shaky. Wanda’s smirk just grew and you realized now she was looking at you like you were her prey and she was about to pounce.

“Now, now,” She tsked as her thumb went up to press against your lips. “It’s really hard to take you seriously when you still have my cum glistening on your lips, pet.” 

You tore your head away from her and wiped at your mouth, as if that would make any difference in erasing what had just transpired between you two. You let her claim you, you let her mark you. You almost let her take you to your bedroom and fuck you senseless until the pain and humiliation of tonight were washed away. Of course, now that humiliation was back tenfold and mixed with it was a gut wrenching fear for Wanda you had never felt before. 

“If I had let that girl show up for your… date,” Wanda practically spit the word out. “Then, you wouldn’t have gotten a taste of mommy’s cum now would you?”

You were speechless. The way she was talking, the way she was acting. Was this how Wanda was all along? It made you scared, so scared that you quaked where you stood. But also… the way she had been handling you all night, claiming you, mixed with the glint in her eyes as she realized she had you right where she wanted you and the demanding tone she was taking… As sickening as it was, it excited you. 

Like a light switch the frustration left Wanda’s face and was again replaced with the excitement she had before. Wanda’s hands were back on you, turning you around and leading you back towards the dreaded surprise that awaited you in your bedroom. Despite what it all meant, you let her guide you without any more protest. “Close your eyes,” Wanda whispered in your ear. “And don’t open them until I tell you to.”

For whatever reason, you did exactly what she said. It was like you were wired to obey her. Like someone else stepped inside your body and now you were doing all the opposite things you should do. Except, you couldn’t blame anyone else but yourself. You knew, this was all you. This was why you ran, because you were Wanda’s little play toy and you wanted to be more than that. At least, you thought you wanted to be more than that. 

The creak of the door swinging open brought you out of your thoughts and you knew your way around your apartment well enough to know Wanda was leading you to your bed. With both her hands on your shoulders, she pushed you down until you were forced to sit on the edge of your bed. Still, you kept your eyes closed. No matter how anxious you were, you were going to be good for her. You needed to be good for her. 

You could hear Wanda take a few steps back from you, but you still had no idea what this surprise was. Something told you, in your gut, that it wasn’t going to be a good one. Yet, still you were so ready to accept whatever Wanda had to give you that, with a wave of shame, you didn’t think you cared whatever it might be. 

“Open them,” Wanda ordered. You opened your eyes slowly, just as you were told. First, you just stared at Wanda. She was beaming as she stood in front of you. Then, you turned your eyes to the side and practically leapt out of your own skin. “Do you like it?”

All you could do was sit and stare. There she was, Kate Bishop, bound and gagged. She was helplessly facing where you sat, restrained on your own office chair. You should’ve felt embarrassed or ashamed that she was seeing you in such a state of undress, but you were still in way too much shock to process much of anything. 

Wanda, in the meantime, was circling the bed. You didn’t really pay much attention to her at this point, still just fixated on the way Kate pulled at her bindings, trying to lean towards you. Kate’s eyes, at first, weren’t even looking at you. They were glaring at Wanda, as if she was trying to break free and protect you. But you knew. You weren’t the one in need of protection. Even in Wanda’s grasp, you knew that in her twisted possessive mind, it wasn’t you she felt threatened by. It was Kate. The woman who, as Wanda saw it, tried to take what was hers. 

You felt a dip in the mattress as Wanda crawled to you from the other side of the bed. Once she reached you, she stopped, kneeling directly behind you. Wanda’s hands came to circle around your waist and you let her. Your mind hadn’t told you to do anything to stop her, to take any kind of action at all. The logical part of your mind told you to untie Kate, but then a larger part of you, the part that told you that you were way too far gone, demanded you don’t displease Wanda anymore. 

Hands moved all over your body, running up and down your sides, groping your breasts, nails leaving marks in their wake. It was causing Kate to practically growl through the cloth muffling her mouth. 

“Oh, look at her,” Wanda pretended to pout as she cupped your chin and turned your head to meet Kate’s desperate eyes. “The poor girl is in love with you. She thought tonight would be the start of some big love story. She was stupid enough to brag about it with anyone who would listen. Too bad she doesn’t know you’re really just a pathetic little thing already ruined by me. Isn’t that right?”

Wanda’s hold on your chin grew tighter and you held back a wince. You knew she was waiting for an answer, but as Kate’s panicked gaze searched your face you felt too ashamed to utter a single word.

“I almost feel bad for her,” Wanda continued when you didn’t speak. “I mean, I can relate. Much like her, I wanted you the moment I saw you too. But she and I have one big difference…” Wanda dropped your chin again and her hands made their way down your body. You let out a gasp when you felt a hand move straight down between your legs and cup your pussy. 

“I already fucking took what I wanted,” Wanda snarled as you felt two fingers enter you. Your hand flew to Wanda’s wrist at the surprise intrusion, but you couldn’t help that your previous gasp had turned into a pathetic moan. “And I’m never letting you have her.” She punctuated each word with a pump of her fingers and you bit down hard on your lip to stop the sounds that were threatening to fall from you. Kate was thrashing in the chair in front of you and your eyes dropped to the floor. Your fingers flexed around Wanda’s wrist, but you still didn’t pull her away. At this point the only thing on your mind was to make her happy, regardless of the horrifying circumstances. Wanda has scared you tonight, she has made you take a giant backstep to which you won’t ever return from and she’s gone to lengths you’d never expect. Except, you were just too far gone now. 

Feeling Wanda inside you again was earth shattering. You’d spent so many nights alone and in those frustrating nights you had told yourself you just wanted somebody, anybody to hold you. That was a fucking lie. You wanted- No, needed Wanda. You were hers and no amount of time or distance changed a damn thing about that. It took one night, less than three hours even for you to fall back into place with her and realize just how deeply you needed to be hers. Wanda’s goal this whole time was to remind you and teach you and Kate a lesson and unfortunately for the both of you, the lesson was learned. You didn’t think you’d ever have the strength, courage, or even sense to leave Wanda ever again after this. 

With Wanda’s fingers pumping inside you and her bare body pressed to your back, your head was swimming. Never mind the poor girl who was forced to watch helplessly. Your eyes squeezed shut at the magnitude of shame you had for enjoying this as much as you were while Kate looked at you with what was possibly the most heartbreaking expression you’d ever seen. 

Before Wanda could make you cum she withdrew her fingers. You couldn’t help the whimper that left your lips at that, but quickly bit your lip again to keep from making too much noise. With the circumstances, it felt wrong to be enjoying all of this as much as you did. but this was Wanda. The one person who knew your body better than anyone else. Even after almost a year apart, she hadn’t forgotten the way you liked it when she curled her fingers inside you or the way you’d get so wet from her treating you in such a rough manner. 

At one point, when you were with her, you wondered what you had become. Never did you think you’d be someone who let another person utterly own your entire being, body and all. When you left you thought you could free yourself of that. But if you learned anything tonight, it was that you still belonged to Wanda. With the measures she had gone to and the way you kept letting her do whatever she wanted to you, that fact was pretty clear. 

You twisted your head around to see what Wanda was doing, only to watch her reach under your own pillow. What she revealed was very familiar to you; a dark red strap on that Wanda used to love to use on you. She kept it. Your eyes widened as you realized she wasn’t going to let you off the hook any time soon tonight. Or Kate for that matter. 

Your head turned back to Kate who had stopped struggling to stare in shock at Wanda too. For a moment you thought to get up and actually help Kate, if only so she didn’t have to watch what was to come next. Only, it seemed like Wanda knew exactly what you were considering, because she was on you before you could move a muscle. 

With a surprised yelp, Wanda had your body turned and your back hitting the bed in mere seconds. She swung her leg over your body at that and you just stared up at her as her predatory smile slowly turned to Kate. “Look at you,” Wanda was directly talking to Kate now. “This is killing you isn’t it?” Wanda’s hands were slipping under your knees now, bending them so that they could hook around your waist. The toy was lined up and your chest was heaving in anticipation. Anxiety was coursing through your veins, but so was this hard to ignore, appalling feeling of anticipation and excitement for what was to come. For what you missed so desperately. 

You held your breath as Wanda entered you with the toy that you never quite got used to back when you two were together. Now, since you were out of practice, the familiar burn of it stretching your pussy out reminded you of the very first time she used it on you. You squeezed your eyes shut again and couldn’t stop the pitiful groan that left your lips. 

Wanda chuckled from above you before she finally bottomed out inside you. “Was this how you planned to fuck her?” Wanda was still talking to Kate as she began to rock her hips. “Or were you going to be gentle? See the thing with her is… She likes to be ruined.” Your fingers tangled in the sheets as you tried your best to get used to how big her cock was inside you. Your desire for Wanda was completely in control at this point, letting Wanda start a steady pace with no intentions of stopping her. The way you could hear Kate struggling made you feel sick, but the way you never wanted Wanda to stop, despite her presence, made that feeling worse. 

Wanda’s pace kept increasing. Her body bent over you until she was pressed against you. The way she pumped into you was making the whole bed rock and the burn of her practically abusing your pussy had finally turned into extreme pleasure in a way that had your body arching into hers. You had totally given into this feeling now, all thoughts of Kate gone and replaced with how much you wanted Wanda to just keep claiming you in the way that she was. 

“Tell me,” Wanda growled into your ear this time as her hips slowed for a moment. “Do you really think she could fuck you like this?” 

“N-no,” you were trying to catch your breath as you spoke. 

Wanda snapped her hips hard and you immediately cried out again. “What was that? I don’t think she heard you.” 

“No!” You cried. “Fuck! No, only you can. Only you. Only-”

“Shhh, that’s my girl.” Wanda’s hand stroked down your cheek as she picked up the pace yet again. Her hand moved down your jaw until it stopped right on your throat. Her fingers wrapped around your neck and she squeezed. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt you, but still enough to make you struggle to take the much needed deep breathes as she fucked you as hard as she did. 

All sounds of Kate’s struggles were lost on your ears. Your body was trembling and you were two seconds from falling apart all over Wanda’s cock. Wanda was loving every second of it. She was moaning in your ear as she kept fucking you harder, just the sight of you turned her on beyond belief. The way her hand flexed and squeezed slightly more on your neck mixed with the way she was pumping herself into you with such a force had strangled moans coming from you with abandon. It took more strong snaps of her hips before you were falling apart on top of her with a miserable cry.

Wanda’s hips slowed when you came down from your orgasm and her hand left your neck. You took loud, gasping breaths for air. Your body was spent and splayed out on the mattress. Wanda was looking down at you with such a satisfied grin on her face and for a moment all you could think of was wanting Wanda to make you cum again. Except then you remembered.

Your head slowly turned to see Kate still there, bound with tears running down her face. What now? That was the only thing running through your mind. 

Wanda’s hand came back to your chin, turning your head so you were facing her again. The shame that was coursing through your veins again felt louder, more painful. Except she was stroking your cheek, looking down at you with more pride in her eyes than you’d ever seen before. 

“Shhh,” she soothed. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. Then you and I are going to go somewhere far away.”

You couldn’t help the shiver of fear that ran through your body as Wanda kept stroking your cheek in a gentle way that you hadn’t seen since she first arrived. Something told you that you didn’t really have a choice, but to go. 

A thousand scenarios ran through your mind about what Wanda was going to do with Kate. You felt pity for her and embarrassment at what she had witnessed. 

“I’ll go.” You heard yourself before you could even think about what you were saying. “But let Kate go.”

Wanda frowned for a moment, her hand pausing on your cheek. She looked over at Kate and then back down at you, the frown quickly leaving and being replaced with a conniving. “If I promise to let her go, you must promise to never try to leave again.”

You nodded furiously, taking this one chance to get Wanda to do your bidding. Kate would be free, even if it meant that you sealed your fate. Only, little did Wanda know, after tonight you didn’t think you’d ever have the strength to leave her again. She was the one thing you wanted that you wished you didn’t. She was in your veins, she was your entire being. You were hers completely and nothing, no amount of time or space, would ever set you free. 

You surrendered to Wanda the moment you saw her again. Even if you tried to leave once, you knew Wanda was going to spend a lot of time reminding you that you would never be able to leave again. 

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[roxannarambles]

I commissioned the wonderful @gotchibam to draw this piece and they just blew out outta the water, absolutely beautiful. There's not enough art of Nemona and especially not enough art of Nemona & Juliana, so I thought, why not? Not to mention I'm still salty about our Paldean friends being excluded from the DLC, so here's a little something to remedy that 💜🧡

In honor of the art being finished, I'll even post a Juliana/Nemona scene from my Teal Mask Rewrite fanfic that was mostly obscured due to Carmine and Kieran's hijinks. Because I did in fact have the whole conversation written, but I didn't put it all in since the 'ship really wasn't the main focus of the story. Scene behind a cut in case folks are not interested in 'ship stuff ^_^

They wandered the outskirts of the festival, the mood cozy and comfortable as they chatted under the light of the lanterns.

In the midst of their discussion, Juliana was saying,

"I dunno, I still think maybe I shouldn't have played Fezandipiti instead of Carmine."

"What? No, you did great, what d'you mean?"

"Well I just felt kinda bad, she seemed really deadset on it."

"Nahhh, she volunteered to be Munkidori! It's fine."

Juliana tossed the remains of her candy apple in a trashcan as they walked by. She sighed,

"I guess so. Though I got the feeling she only did that 'cause-- uh."

She hesitated, hoping Nemona wouldn't notice.

"Cause what?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"What?"

"It's silly, it's-- well. She made that weird comment, um. Thinking we were girlfriends?"

". . . oh."

There was an awkward pause as the two walked. After a few moments, Nemona asked,

"Does it bother you?"

Juliana asked cautiously,

"Does what bother me?"

"Just, um. People thinking . . . that. I mean, if it bothers you, we can tell them we aren't--"

"What, no, it doesn't bother me!"

"Oh, okay. Are you sure?"

Juliana laughed.

"Of course! Why would it? Like . . . somebody thinks I'm dating the coolest, most kickass, smartest girl in my school, oh nooooo, how awful, whatever shall I do?"

She'd held a dramatic hand to her forehead as she'd said it, and Nemona groaned,

"Unnngh, c'mon, Jules."

"What?"

"I really wanna know if it bothers you, I'm being serious--"

"I'm being serious too!!"

They slowed to a stop near some park benches. Nemona cast her a wary glance.

". . . you are?"

Emphatically, Juliana answered,

"Yeah, of course, I'm dead serious. You're the coolest, most kickass, smartest girl in my school."

"Nnngh, Jules!"

"What?? Nemona, I know you hate compliments but I am gonna keep saying it until you accept it's fact--"

Nemona buried her face in her hands, saying,

"Noooooo . . ."

Juliana drew closer and gently grabbed her hands, pulling them away from her face and holding them. Gazing deep into her eyes so she knew she was serious, Juliana told her,

"I mean it, Nemona. You're incredible. Every day, you inspire me. You attack life with everything you have. You love so deeply and you never let anyone stop you, no matter how often they've tried. You're sweet and you're brilliant and you're kind and you're literally the most amazing person I've ever met."

Blushing intensely, Nemona squeaked, "Oh . . ." Juliana let her hands go and cleared her throat. "S-so, uh, yeah, I mean . . . it doesn't bother me." "Okay. . . t-that's good. . ." "But, uh, hey, if it bothers you if people think we're girlfriends, I mean, that's fine--"

Nemona cut her off, voice incredulous; "--bother me? Of course not! How-- if-- if we were girlfriends I'd be the luckiest girl in the world!" Juliana blinked at her, startled. With dawning realization, she breathed, "Oh . . ." "H-hypothetically, I mean . . ."

Lips twisting into a wry smile, Juliana nodded, "Right, of course."

Her glance shifted away, and after an awkward pause, she ventured, "So, um . . . hypothetically, if we were girlfriends . . ."

Nemona answered quickly, "Yeah?"

Juliana's eyes returned to Nemona's. She inched closer to her, almost imperceptibly, and continued carefully, "Are you . . . the kinda girl who likes surprise kisses or likes to be asked, orrrrr . . ."

Nemona considered the question seriously before shrugging. "I mean, either's good, I guess it depends on the situation. . ."

“Okay. Got it.”

They gazed at each other in tense silence. The seconds stretched on and felt unbearably slow; one second, two, three . . .

Then Juliana took a breath and blurted,

"Could I kiss you?"

Nemona's eyes widened, almost comically large. She automatically wetted her lips and swallowed, her gaze flitting to Juliana's lips and then back again to her eyes. She stammered, ". . . u-um, h-hypothetically, o-or . . .?" Juliana laughed softly. "For real." After a lingering pause, Nemona nodded, a burgeoning smile threatening to overtake her. Juliana slowly leaned closer and lifted up a little on her toes; their eyes slipped shut as their lips met. It was very tentative at first, slow and careful and awkward, but it was also soft and warm and kind of wonderful.

Juliana felt Nemona's hand cradle her jaw as she pressed closer, deepening the kiss. Juliana could swear it felt like something bright and hot was thumping in her chest-- like hot coals being stoked to life.

"All right, EAT DIRT, DORKS!!"

She startled at a sudden shout and the force of something impacting with her back. A few seconds later, she realized it was a snowball.

[sylvies-chen]

ooooh the long awaited amsterdam episode!! let’s get right on into it folks, with…

TED LASSO 3.06 THOUGHTS

jamie and roy were really the shining stars of this episode to me on both the comedy front and the emotional front. they really were able to break through to each other in fun but kind ways and I love. I cannot stress that enough, LOVE. that jamie taught roy how to ride a bike. this sibling energy (or maybe something more if that’s your fancy) is everything to me

but you know who was an unsung hero of this episode too? DANI ROJAS. as always my baby had THE cutest contributions to the discussion and his lines got some very solid giggles from me

ok, now on to the tedbecca front…

so it was not at all what we expected. so what? are we gonna worry ourselves about this? HELL THE FUCK NO. like I’m sorry, it was a nice moment she had with that man but like… you want me to call tod on tedbecca over a man… whose name she never learned??? LAME. try again, cause that shit isn’t stopping me from my delusion nor is it worrying me

like sorry I’m just not over this so I’m gonna keep adding more— if they were trying to tell us that this guy was *it* for rebecca, in ANY way, they would have had her show even the faintest interest in seeing this man again. but nope! she was fine with leaving! some things can be beautiful being short-lived. they did their thing, and now they’re moving on.

rebecca singing to ted was also adorable and uh y’all we literally had ted fully admit to TEXTING HER TWELVE TIMES UNANSWERED?? that is simp behaviour if I ever saw it!! they’re still strong baby don’t even sweat it

now that I’ve got that off my chest… COLIN! GAY TRENT! THE LONG AWAITED CHAT!! Ooh my god this is so good I was so incredibly happy that they confirmed trent is gay and that they didn’t take the creepy route with it of him outing colin but instead said “oh a baby gay, as a seasoned gay let me just adopt him real quick” and proceeded to listen to his problems and offer real support and mentorship from one gay man to another. they found a space within each other to be who they truly are and I am so here for it. colin isn’t ashamed of who he is, he’s just conflicted about tmerging these two sides of his identity!

also the way he described it as an ache… an ache, y’all. I cried deep queer tears at that.

as for how this might play out with trent’s book though… remains to be seen I guess 👀

the pillow fight was adorable and I had been wanting to see that since the mention of it in season 1 but in terms of episode length, I feel like that whole storyline of deciding what to do could have been scrapped. a lot of the pacing issues with this episode could have been avoided that way, but I still liked it so idc

TED FINALLY GETTING A BREAKTHROUGH AND BEING GOOD AT HIS JOB THANK GOD

roy needs to realize that instead of thinking he doesn’t deserve keeley, to just shut that train of thought down and work to actually become a man keeley deserves. that’s it. that’s all. and it’s going to happen!

all in all, I do get why this episode could be quite polarizing and the pacing was very inconsistent but overall I quite enjoyed it!!

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Hehe. more!

What's your favorite video game? What about show? And movie? And on each, what makes it your favorite?

What are some blogs you'd suggest to people that are kinda like yours?

When did you get into The Elder Scrolls? What about Magic the Gathering?

How often do you typically practice magic?

Optional additional question because it is a bit loaded and not everyone wants to answer something like this: What's your most hated discourse in the pagan/witchy community? It can be valid or kinda just ridiculous, your choice.

You are feeding me and I love that.

What's your favorite video game? What about show? And movie? And on each, what makes it your favorite?

O...only one? I like a lot of video games...but honestly I can't get over how fucking funny the Monster Hunter series is. Like yeah, random person, go fight some fucking monsters. Take up to two cats with you. Here's a giant sword or a gun. Godspeed.

As for show and movie, uh...I don't...watch a lot of things, admittedly. I prefer to just turn on YouTube videos in the background instead of a show or movie. But if I had to pick, I'd pick Robin Hood: Men in Tights for movie and Legends of Chima for show. If you've seen the fights I've been picking on my main blog, I hope they've been entertaining.

What are some blogs you'd suggest to people that are kinda like yours?

*cackles* Time to summon the friends and the people I follow.

@windvexer - Out here doing the most when it comes to musing on ways to take things from witchcraft 102 to witchcraft 207. A bunch of their posts about divination have taught me more about how to read tarot better.

@stormwaterwitch - Hey kids, do you like seeing someone else's fully-developed elemental system? Do you like deities? Do you like books? My dear friend does it all!

@lazywitchling - DIY galore. As someone who enjoys putting things together, I also enjoy seeing her stuff too!

@sewceress - *grabs you* If you have ever thought too long about astrology, planetary magic, and stuff like that, you will enjoy this blog. That's a threat.

@aesethewitch - If you think it's neat how I can drag people for filth with a single card, you will enjoy Aese doing the same thing on their blog. This is also a threat.

@the-weaving-cryptid - If you enjoy region-specific magic and are interested in Appalachia, give Runa a look!

@strixhaven-study-hall - My dear friend Faust who is on that MTG pop culture shit with me. I need to bother him more, actually. And so should all of you.

@fernthewhimsical - Like with the note on Runa, Fern is big into regional stuff - specifically, Dutch paganism. Fae has all kind of cool posts and shit, I've greatly enjoyed chatting with them.

@creature-wizard - Do you like when I drop twenty-seven source links in one posts? Would you like better critical thinking skills about the bullshit that appears in online religious and occult and witchy spaces? Check out this blog. Particularly their stuff on the New Age to Alt-Right pipeline.

@crimsonsongbird - A fellow follower of Greek deities with some of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching devotionals I've ever read. She's also designed spells based on my OCs in the past!!! They're very neat (both Crimson and the spells).

@will-o-the-witch - Another wonderful reader and a Jewitch. Incredibly easy to chat with through the ask box!

@stagkingswife - Another fun blog to follow if you're interested in folklore or seeing someone who's really comfortable in her path! I enjoy learning about their unrecorded pantheon (which is different from a constructed pantheon, I must stress).

@breelandwalker - The author of what is hands-down my favorite book on witchcraft ever, Grovedaughter Witchery. If you enjoy actual history, debunking misinformation, and beginner-friendly posts (they have a whole advice page for beginners!), then Bree is a good blog to follow.

I think I'm running out of the ability to tag blogs, so I'll pause here. But I follow or am mutuals with all kinds of really cool folks here on Tumblr!

When did you get into The Elder Scrolls? What about Magic the Gathering?

I started playing Oblivion on my biological father's PS3 before Skyrim came out when I was a youngin (I'm gonna say around the age of 9?) and just kind of. Kept with it.

Meanwhile, I finally got into MTG in 2016, when the Shadows Over Innistrad and Eldritch Moon sets came out. My first ever deck was the Blue-Red precon, Dangerous Knowledge. And I hated it. This was before I figured out how to make Blue work for me. The first deck I ever built was a Red-Green Wolf and Werewolf deck, and I still have it to this day - it's my most powerful deck besides maybe my monoBlack Rat deck.

How often do you typically practice magic?

It depends. When I'm in my fallow period, it's literally nothing. Once I'm out, it could be anywhere between "for my entire waking day" to "like, five minutes" to "I have not done anything magical in two weeks". I am inconsistent as fuuuuuck!

Optional additional question because it is a bit loaded and not everyone wants to answer something like this: What's your most hated discourse in the pagan/witchy community? It can be valid or kinda just ridiculous, your choice.

I am biased on account of being a pop culture practitioner, but the "is pop culture magic/paganism valid or not" question that keeps rolling back around every now and again is stupid. We're all magical practitioners and/or religious folks. We are at equal levels of verification, which is "basically none to someone skeptical enough".

There are actual, genuinely good concerns that can be talked about in pop culture magic/paganism, but everyone keeps focusing on "it's faker than our shit lmaooo" instead of discussing things like copyright or capitalism. And even when people bring that up, it's almost always as an addendum to people saying that our shit isn't valid because it comes from a piece of media instead of cultural stories or history. It's like "damn, you're already biased, so I'm not going to listen to your points because you stink", you know?

Anyway, thank you for sending all of these in!

~Jasper

[terabyteturtle]

🩷 Lili De Rochefort SFW Alphabet 🩷

This will be the last request I'll be filling out for a while, as I have a lot of other writing endeavors that I want to work on for the moment. Hope you all enjoy this!

This was requested by a Wattpad user.

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Lili is super affectionate! Whenever she greets you, she always kisses both of your cheeks. At first, you just thought it was a stereotypical French thing, but later on, you learned that it was just because she really liked you. Lili also loves resting her hand on your shoulder, your face, or your own hand, and when you walk together, she’ll hold your hand and stick by your side. She just loves being physically close to you—even the most subtle of gestures fills her with joy. Oh, and if you do something nice for her, expect to be smothered with kisses and wrapped into a bone-crushing hug (Salt is not jealous of you). Lili doesn’t care whether you’re by yourselves or among others; you’re her darling and nothing will change how much affection she gives you.

B = Best Friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

You know that one preppy, rich girl that’s in every high school dramedy? That’s Lili to a T. As a best friend, she’d gossip to you about everything. From school troubles to new grains in the rumor mill, there isn’t one thing Lili won’t weave into conversation. She’d also want to do everything with you, from going shopping to seeing movies to having the best sleepovers ever. If she’s bored and has nothing to do, she’ll probably video chat with you just to have someone to talk to. When it comes to folks she likes to hang out with, you’re second to none. It’s miraculous that you’ve managed to become friends with her in the first place, given how picky she is. She’s dramatic, overexaggerated, and often pokes fun at you when she feels like it, but she’s incredibly loyal and cares so much about you. Your friendship would probably start at the mall, with her complimenting you (which is rare for her) and giving you style tips in a way that doesn’t sound derogatory for once.

C = Comfort (How do they comfort you? Are they good at it or are they kinda awkward? How do they like to be comforted?)

To comfort you, she’ll hug you, run her fingers through your hair, and softly console you, saying whatever she thinks will make you feel better. When it comes to comforting, it’s kind of a 50/50 shot with Lili. Sometimes, her method works wonders and it seems like she knows exactly what to say. Other times, she’ll accidentally come off as sarcastic, or what she’s saying will sound shallow and rehearsed. In all honesty, Lili doesn’t always know what she’s doing, which can really frustrate her. She likes being in control of the situation, and when she doesn’t know what to do, especially when you’re experiencing emotional turmoil, she panics. Over time, Lili will eventually learn how to feel things out and respond straight from the heart, rather than overthinking and saying what she thinks is best. Now when the roles are reversed, it’s a different story. Lili loves to be pampered, and when she needs comforting, that increases tenfold. Give her whatever she wants, whether it be a snack or a kiss on the cheek, and give her the gushiest compliments you can think of. If she has anything she wants to rant about, listen. Don’t give her advice—just hear her out and be attentive.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Lili hasn’t really thought about settling down, especially since she lives in a million-dollar mansion with a butler to tend to her every whim. She’s never had to cook or clean a day in her life, as she’s always had servants to do it for her. So, if you guys ever settle down together, good luck—Lili barely knows anything. In terms of cooking, she only knows how to bake, and even then, she only does it for rare occasions. If you can cook, that’s great, but if you can’t, then you guys are gonna have to survive off of baked goods until one of you learns how. In terms of cleaning, Lili will probably ask you to do all of it for her, as she doesn’t want to ruin any of her nice clothes with dirt, dust, or cleaning chemicals.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with you, how would they do it?)

If Lili had to break up with you, she’d probably call you over the phone. She wouldn’t want to do it in person out of fear of potentially crying in front of you. While on call, she’ll try keeping her composure the best she can because although it kills her to do this, she doesn’t want to have a dramatic outburst. After all, Lili still has a sense of pride and refuses to let anyone believe they hold power over her in any way. If she doesn’t break it off in a dignified manner, not only will she fear that you’ll think less of her, but she’ll also be frustrated with herself for not having any nobility. Afterward, she’ll remain civil with you, but there’s a strong chance you won’t stay friends.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Lili loves the idea of getting married. Lavish or extravagant events of any kind make her excited enough, but receiving tons of gifts while being the center of attention? She’s completely sold. She’ll want to get married fairly quickly, but her father would rather have her wait until she gets older. Of course, Lili obeys him; as much as she wants to be a bride, she still respects his wishes. A wedding's coming eventually though, so be prepared for it.

G = Gentle (How tender are they, both physically and emotionally?)

With Lili, it depends on how she’s feeling. Typically, she’s sweet and gentle physically, but when she’s super excited about something, she might go a little overboard. Her hugs will be tighter and more forceful, and she’ll go in to kiss you so fast that it almost feels like a slap to the face. Emotionally, it’s the same way. Usually, Lili will be sweet, polite, and approachable, but if she’s feeling angry or stubborn, then things can go south pretty quickly. She’ll get sassy and harsh with her words, often saying things she doesn’t truly mean. Lili doesn’t mess around when someone makes her upset—if that happens, even if you’re the one who angered her, she will not hold back.

H = Hugs n' Cuddles (Do they like hugs/cuddles? What are they like? How often do they happen?)

Lili loves physical affection in every way, shape, and form. For hugs, she’ll always wrap both of her arms around your torso and, depending on your height, place her head in a certain spot. If you’re taller than her, she’ll press her cheek to your chest. If you’re shorter than her, she’ll rest her head on top of yours. When you guys cuddle, Lili will sit beside you and rest her head on your shoulder, making sure your arm is securely around her. Both hugs and cuddles happen very frequently, as you see her almost all the time. She always greets you with a hug, gives you one when she’s excited, or crushes you with one if you do something nice for her. Cuddles happen whenever you guys are just hanging out and chillin’ together.

I = I Love You (How quickly do they tell you they love you?)

She’ll say it within the first month of the relationship. Lili’s really excited about having a lover, as it means she has someone new to help spice up her life. She’s never been interested in anyone romantically for longer than a week, so being in a long-term relationship is a new and unfamiliar experience for her. It’s something that she’s really enthusiastic about exploring, so Lili will want to dive head-first into the relationship as soon as it goes beyond a certain point. Because you’ve been together for more than a few days, it must be true love, right? At least, that’s what it is in her mind. Lili first told you she loved you over a video call one afternoon. You guys were talking to each other, getting ready to meet up for a date, and when it was time to head out, she blew a kiss to you and said “I love you, bye!” in French. You had no idea what it meant, and she refused to tell you just to mess with you.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they're jealous?)

Lili doesn’t get jealous with anyone except for Asuka. She’s very prideful and confident in herself, so she doesn’t really see anyone else as a threat. Asuka is the only exemption from this because, a while ago, she’d proven her strength to Lili by beating her in the fifth King of Iron Fist Tournament. The fighting heiress doesn’t get what you would possibly see in Asuka, but as her rival, she can’t help but have this irrational fear that your heart will suddenly belong to her. Because of this, Lili will try to keep you away from Asuka as much as possible, much to your confusion. Lili would rather die than admit she’s worried about her biggest rival, so you have no idea why she acts so defensive all of a sudden when she’s around. If Lili ever does get jealous (which, for the most part, is super rare), she’s 100% prepared to smack the hell out of whoever’s flirting with you.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Lili’s kisses are usually on the softer side, except for when she’s super excited about something. They always last for a little while; even when she gives quick pecks, her lips linger for a little longer than they’re supposed to. Since she wears lipstick nearly all the time, her kisses will always leave traces of it behind. She loves kissing you on your cheeks and lips the most. Both spots are nice and soft, and they’re also perfect for leaving spots of lipstick as a friendly little reminder that you’re hers. As for herself, she loves being kissed on the hands and lips, as she feels those places are the most romantic. Lili revels in receiving special treatment, and kisses in those spots make her feel like a queen (even more so than she already does).

L = Little Ones (How are they around children and what are their thoughts on them?)

Lili’s not very patient with children, so she tries to avoid them whenever she can. To her, most children are barbaric and incapable of having manners. She’d rather be around people she deems more civilized. She doesn’t necessarily hate children, but it doesn’t take much for them to get on her nerves. For this reason, and a bunch of others, Lili isn’t interested in having any children. Her father says that she’s still young and might feel differently in the future, but her mind is made up. If you’d like to have kids, then you might be able to convince her to adopt, but she’s pretty adamant about her decision not to have kids of her own.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Rise and shine, you’re probably getting up early. If you’re sleeping over at her house, then you’re getting ready for school together in the morning. When she gets up, Lili always has the perfect Disney Princess-style awakening. She never feels drowsy or tired in the morning, always waking up with a smile on her face. You, on the other hand, are always awoken by Salt aggressively licking your face. Once you’re up and at it, Lili will help you pick your outfits, do your hair, and perform a skincare routine to make your face look like it’s glowing. As for herself, she already has everything laid out the night before, and she’ll straighten her hair even though it’s already straight. If her hair doesn’t look absolutely perfect, she’ll attack it with the straight iron. Afterward, you guys’ll have a lavish breakfast together with a hot cup of rose tea, and then Sebastian will drive you both to school.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?

Nights spent with Lili involve cuddling galore, with Salt almost always by your side. You guys typically watch TV or listen to music together, talking about whatever comes to mind. More often than not, Lili does all of the ranting while you sit there and listen, injecting your own thoughts every now and then. You’ve caught Lili just sitting there, staring at you, on several occasions. It’s very rare for the two of you to stay up late, as you both have school throughout the week. You’ll only attempt staying up late on the weekends, which usually doesn’t last very long as Lili gets tired quickly. Before going to bed, she’ll give you yet another skincare routine to do with her, one that’s entirely different from the morning one. As the relationship continues, she’ll start to expect that you memorize each routine, so make sure all those essential oils stay fresh in your mind.

O = Open (At what point would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or take their time with it?)

Lili is very open with a lot of things, so it wouldn’t take much time for her to start opening up about herself. There’s a lot that she’ll be honest about right off the bat, to the point where it almost feels like an information overload. On the first date, you barely even spoke because Lili had so much to yap about, not just about herself, but about other things as well. However, she does have an image that she likes to keep up, so she’ll withhold any information that she thinks will make her appear weak (up until a certain point, at least). Eventually, she’ll realize that it’s okay to be vulnerable with you, and you won’t judge her or think any less of her. If you did, she’d probably smack the crap out of you.

P = Patience (How patient are they?)

Generally, she's not very patient, especially not with those she dislikes. She's hard to please, and anything not to her liking will fall under the wrath of her sharp tongue. Unfortunately, with you, she’s not much better. Just because you’re her lover does not mean you’re exempt from her snobbish scoldings. If she's impatient or upset with someone, she doesn't care who it is---she's letting them know. The only person Lili has ever shown some semblance of patience to is her father, and even then, she often gets frustrated with him for not letting her fight. You love your girlfriend, but sometimes you can't help but wonder how it feels to have her be patient for once.

Q = Quizzes (How much do they remember about you? Do they remember every detail or kinda forget everything?)

Lili is so self-absorbed that you wouldn’t expect her to remember a lot about you. However, that’s not quite the case. Sure, sometimes she might accidentally mistake something she likes for something you like, but for the most part, Lili remembers your likes, dislikes, hobbies, interests, etc. She might forget some of the minor details, but she will always recall the major ones, and that's what's important.

R = Remember (What is one of the most important moments of your relationship?)

One of the most important moments of your relationship was when you met Asuka for the first time, which happened only a couple days after you started dating. Originally, with the way they were glaring at each other, you thought they were ex-lovers. Upon hearing this, Asuka looked disgusted while Lili just stood there cackling. “Oh please, mon amour, she's my rival,” said Lili. “I'd sell every piece of clothing in my wardrobe before I’d even think of dating her. Besides, I’d never go out with anyone who doesn’t have a sense of fashion.” While making a jab at Asuka, your girlfriend implied that you had a good sense of style. Considering your relationship was still fairly new at the time, that was probably the sweetest thing she'd ever said about you thus far. Lili would obviously go on to give you more compliments as time progressed, but this was the first genuine one you had received from her.

S = Security (How protective are they and how would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Lili is definitely protective over you, and she’s well-aware of it. If someone tries to bother you, she’ll be on the attack, coming up with tailor-made insults in the blink of an eye. In front of you, she’d rather destroy her opponents verbally as opposed to beating them up; she just doesn’t feel comfortable with you witnessing any violence at her hand, even if you’re totally fine with it yourself. Rest assured, though, Lili will always defend you the best she can if the circumstance calls for it. If things get physical, she’ll fight for you without a second thought. When it comes to her own protection, Lili feels safe knowing that you’re there by her side. For example, if she has a nightmare and feels threatened about something, she'll call you and either tell you to come over or tell you to stay on call with her until she falls asleep. Your presence is soothing to her; just knowing that you’re there is enough to make her feel protected.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, etc?)

Because of how rich she is, it wouldn’t take much effort for Lili to do anything. She’s free to spend her money on whatever she wants, no matter how expensive it is. Luckily for you, that also includes dates, anniversaries, and gifts. And to top it all off, Lili doesn’t have to work for any of it because she already has it all at her disposal. So whenever Lili’s planning something for the two of you, expect her to go all out. She’ll book the fanciest of restaurants or the most scenic park reserves not out of necessity, but just because she can. Oh, and don't worry about how you're gonna get there; Sebastian will do all the driving in the Rochefort family limo. And while you sit there in shock and awe, Lili will just act like this is an everyday thing (because for her, it is). When she gives you gifts, they’re always super expensive; you aren’t even sure you should accept them half the time. If there’s something in particular you want, she’ll buy you the most expensive variant of it. It’s her way of showing you how much she values you; she feels her lover should only get the best of the best.

U = Ugly (What are some bad habits of theirs?)

Lili has a tendency of being dismissive of everyone's feelings but her own, and no matter what, she always has to get her way. If she doesn’t, she gets very frustrated and lashes out with nasty comments. She always ends up apologizing afterwards, and you know she doesn’t really mean it, but it still hurts.

V = Values (What do they value in a partner?)

Lili values someone she can spend time with. After school, she doesn’t really have much going on, so someone she can hang out with and talk to means a lot to her. She also likes those who’re laid-back and easygoing, as she finds them easier to be around. Lili’s hard to please and she knows it, so someone who goes with the flow and doesn’t mind doing whatever she wants is a must. However, she also needs someone with a backbone who isn’t afraid to stand up for themselves. She might hate it initially, but eventually she’ll realize the error of her ways and thank you for it later. Lili’s so used to just getting what she wants that she rarely gets resistance from anyone, so having someone who will stand up for themselves will teach her some important life lessons.

W = Wedding (How are they on the big day? How do they help plan it out? Are they emotional or stoic?)

Lili is absolutely thrilled on the big day! A huge event that revolves around her? And you get special attention as well? Yes, please. The whole thing is one big treat for her, and she loves every second of it. She’ll plan out everything with the biggest smile on her face, and you won’t have to worry about a thing. She wants the day to be absolutely perfect and will only order top-notch stuff. Every now and then, you’ll have to pitch in your own ideas just to remind her that it isn’t just her wedding. When the day finally comes, and the two of you are standing at the altar, she’s a bucket of joy. She’ll be smiling ear-to-ear, standing proud and proper in the finest silk bridal gown you’ve ever seen. As the officiant delivers their sermons, Lili keeps her composure very well, but on the inside, she’s anxious to just cut to the case and kiss you already.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them)

She used to hire a photographer to take pictures of her for social media, but why waste money on that now that she has you? You’re taking her photos now, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they can't stand, both in a partner and in general?)

As previously established, Lili’s a very picky person, so naturally there are a lot of things about others that she doesn’t like. However, there are three types of people she absolutely can not stand. First of all, Lili has no tolerance for anyone like herself. It’s fine if she can be arrogant, but anyone else who tries to flaunt or flex excessively will irritate her. Secondly, people with sharp tongues and thick skin also annoy her. If she can’t make them feel inferior, then she almost feels as though she’s failed (at what, you can’t really understand). Finally, Lili hates when people don’t practice basic personal hygiene. She just doesn’t understand how people can’t properly take care of themselves. Combine these three things and congratulations, you just created the person Lili hates the most out of everyone on Earth.

Z = Zzz (What are some sleep habits of theirs?)

Oh boy, this girl has a whole set routine laid out that she absolutely has to do every single night. Lili removes all her makeup with all sorts of cleansing water, throwing the makeup pad into her trash can when she’s done, which is filled with used makeup pads from previous nights. Then, she does her skincare routine exactly 30 minutes before she falls asleep. It seems excessive to you, but according to Lili, all of it’s necessary. Afterward, she brushes her hair out, puts in a bunch of straightening serums, and puts it in a loose top-bun that looks perfect every time. Then, before bed, she puts on a fluffy pink sleep mask. On the subject of sleepwear, Lili’s pajama wardrobe is just as large as her regular one, and everything inside is made from the finest silk and satin. Also, her bed is the most comfortable thing you’ve ever slept on in your life. Lili always sleeps on her back, whether you’re sleeping over or not. She’ll share her bed, but if you want to cuddle during the night, you’re gonna have to turn on to your side. Lili refuses to sleep anywhere but on her back, as she wants to prevent her face from touching anything throughout the night. This is because she doesn’t want to get acne, which is understandable, but she’s overly careful about it. If you really want to cuddle, she’ll put an arm around you, but she won’t move a muscle otherwise.

[ghuleh-recs]

In honor of @anamelessfool’s birthday I have made us all a mixtape of my personal must-reads from her incredible arsenal of fanfiction. You are not ready for how brilliant her writing is. There is truly something for everyone. Whether you’re a reader-insert enjoyer, a terzomega enjoyer, or even a late-1970s noir mystery enjoyer—Fool’s got you covered. Tight plotting, satisfying characterizations, and lovingly constructed lore can be found in every single one of her creations. Her world building is unmatched and never fails to blow my mind. Don’t even get me started on her young papa portrayals. I frequently have to kick my feet and scream into my pillow over how wonderful (and sometimes heartbreaking) they are.

To top it off, Fool is a terrific artist and such an interesting and lovely person. Have you seen @resin-popia?! What can’t she do?

Please do yourself a favor and check out the recs below. Be sure and leave some bday comments and kudos if you do! Like I said, there is something for everyone.

Recs under the cut.

Violence & Gentleness - Primo x OC

You made me forget myself...I thought I was someone else, someone good... LATE OCTOBER 1979 Primo has his work cut out for him as the bodyguard of the beautiful and fearsome Mater Emerita Jocasta. As mystery after mystery unfolds, it becomes harder to remain a honest man in this den of thieves called the Ministry.

For One Creature's Sake - Primo and Copia

"Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it."- Frankenstein's Monster Moments in Primo's and Copia's lives.

Ribbons & Ties - Terzo x Omega

For reasons beyond Terzo's understanding, he wants to give Omega a present for the ghoul's "birthday". It proves to be a lot more complicated than Terzo realizes.

Reciprocity - Terzo x Omega

Terzo and Omega spend a tender afternoon together. Nothing bad ever happens to them ever again.

No Deal - Nihil x F!Reader

1970Nihil was one of these friends of friends of friends. Some forty-something cat who lived further up in the mountains, in what you suspected was some sort of commune. Shit like that was pretty common around here. The higher up in the mountains, the weirder folks got. Could be the altitude. You've decided to live a quiet bohemian life, but one of your clients Nihil has plans for you that afternoon other than just chatting about the latest albums.

Sweeter Red - Copia x OC

Your kiss so sweet, your sweat so sour…sometimes I’m thinking that I love you... but I know it’s only lust. Copia is a scrungly little nerd and this totally happened to him. There's something about Cardinal Marian. Maybe it's the way she infuriates him with her laissez-faire attitude, or ingnites his soul with envy of her free spirit. Rage and love, at a certain point they merge together into an overwhelming burning in the heart and mind: passion.

VIII Strength - Copia x GN!Reader

VIII STRENGTH Strength (Physical and Will), courage, persuasion, influence, compassion Copia is a pent up sort of man, he always has been. He enjoys being Papa but on his worst days the title has a near physical weight pressed across his shoulders. He comes home to you, and you can tell when it's been one of those days. Luckily, he has you to guide him.

𖤐 you know the drill--bookmark, read, and leave kudos/comments!

Did I forget your favorite? You've got a standing invitation from me to add your own rec and reblog ♡

[redpandarambles]

When I was growing up I wanted so badly to find ace rep. To find just one ace adult that was happy and healthy. Who was out publicly as Ace. Who maybe even was proud to be Ace.

Someone who could act as proof to me that maybe everything was going to be ok.

Well, I'm no poster boy for success by a long shot, but I am ace and I am (apparently) Certified Old, so if anyone needs that rep:

Hi, I'm Panda, and I'm openly aroace, not just here but also in my everyday life. I take work meetings with a big ol' aroace flag on my wall, I have a pin for my rucksack when I travel to meetings, and my wife is knitting me a beanie in the aroace colours.

And yeah I got married, I'd always kinda wanted to, even though I feel little to no romantic and sexual attraction. Luckily I met an incredible allo pan person who takes me exactly as I am. More than anything we're a great team, always supporting each other and championing each other. She knows I love her even if I'm not conventional in the way I show it. 

Somedays I still feel like an oddball in my sexuality, being sex repulsed at 30 can make moving through adult spaces tricky at times. Sometimes I still feel incredibly lonely in my aroace identity, that desperate desire to be seen and not overlooked still burning strong.

But I'm lucky there too.

Through fanfic writing I've met a whole range of aspec folks, had commenters who resonate with my experiences and make me feel seen.

Then there's the fact that one of my best friends is also aspec. There's something incredible about being able to chat with someone who is just as puzzled by allonormative society as I am. Who just gets it when most people can't even begin to understand.

Being ace isn't always easy. But I wouldn't trade my aroace identity for the world. It's an integral piece of who I am, a part of me that I cherish even on the rough days.

And if I could go back in time and find teenage me, then I'd just want them to know they weren't alone and that there is nothing broken about them. That they are great just the way they are.

[3dprintcess]

🔒 (48 hours outside of TM? Doing TM tasks? It’s up to you 😎)

🔒- which taskmaster contestant would you choose to be handcuffed to for 48 hours?

Oh heck - 48hrs? That means:

Going to the toilet?!

Eating meals (one handed I suppose)

Sleeping, probably!

I'd get a bit smelly because oh heck I'm not showering/stripping I don't think?!

Assuming we can't get the handcuffs undone by any means, ofc.

There are definitely contestants that are a hard NO. Folks that have that angry edge to them, or who I think wouldn't suffer fools gladly, or who would get real grumpy after the first 3 hrs. Josh Widdicombe for example, or Lou Sanders - both on my very nope list.

A shortlist:

Mel Geidroic might be a good one - she is, after all, incredibly nice, with the added bonus of probably having already seen everything there is to see and not being especially bothered about it.

Victoria Coren Mitchell would tear me a new one, of course - not suffering fools gladly - but she'd be just so very practical about it, I'm not sure I'd mind. She might help me get my life in order, in fact. I could imagine her going "Oh for goodness sakes - just make the phonecall. Look, I'll type in the number..."

Tempted to go for Ivo Graham, just to see how his brain works, but I think the poor man would have a breakdown. Not that I'm especially difficult to be around, I don't think - just that I imagine Ivo would turn into a pretzel over the awkwardness of the situation.

Sophie Duker is too cool to be handcuffed to me, but if we were, I'd want to go on a 48hr escape room bender with her. I think that'd be hilarious and by hour 20 we'd be an absolute mess.

Lastly, maybe Mike Wozniak or Richard Osman for "terribly lovely seeming men who'd likely try to work with me to make it as smooth as possible" - I think they'd also be fantastic to chat to with great conversation.

Final answer - Sophie Duker, but only if she's up for the escape room thing (or equally fun days out). Otherwise VCM with the hope that she'd show me how to be a proper grown up!

[justyoursicanon]

Headcanons I wrote in school today

📌 Imagine the chase music you hear in Flee the Facility. Wilford has his own. It's either carnival or carousel music.

📌 Bing sometimes calls Google 'Connor' or 'RK800' to reference Connor from Detroit Become Human.

(He sets Google's friend nickname as RK800 in his chats with him)

(I think it would be ironic, from what little info I know about DBH, Connor is a deviant, and since deviants are androids that go against their programming from what I found in the fandom wiki when I skimmed through it, I find it funny thinking about Bing calling Google Connor knowing Google is the exact opposite)

📌 In return, Google calls Bing 'Deviant' on rare occasions.

(Thought it was fitting)

📌 Damien prefers milk chocolate, Celine prefers dark chocolate.

(Celine would find milk chocolate too sweet. Damien has a sweet tooth)

📌 Bing was originally programmed to learn and enhance through watching visual representations such as demonstrations and performances.

(One of my main headcanons for Bing is that he was created as a prototype for what I made up called 'Browser-Bots')

(Eventually I'll post the backstory of what 'Browser-Bots' are)

📌 The hankerchief that Eric always carries belonged to his mother

This is a long one:

📌 Yandereplier actually goes to college rather than high-school.

While she is still an obsessed loving maniac, she's grownto be more discreet and careful.

She's still incredibly skilled with her daggers and katanas.

She still styles her outfits with same colors as her original high-school uniform.

She also looks androgynous.

📌 Bim still hosts his original gameshow, but he often invites actual horrible people, like criminals and assaulters.

(Google, mostly Google Red, and Bing help track down Bim's contestants to kidnap invite them to his gameshow)

(Bim still eats the losers😋)

📌 Yancy calls Dark 'Boss'

(I found this headcanon on a tumblr post to which i cannot find, if you happen to stumble upon it please send the link or @ me because I NEED to reblog it again)

📌 Dark pays for Yancy's monthly paroles in envelopes and sends them to the prison.

(Gonna need to research on this more because I don't know shit about it LMAO)

📌 Illionis visits the Manor every month with Heist Mark being his travel buddy.

(Brings home souvenirs for the egos, asked or not)

(Sort of his love language)

📌 Google Red is a research extension, he summarizes the information he finds and has a built-in plagiarism detector.

He actually likes researching history.

He helps Yandereplier by teaching her history lessons.

(I headcanon the Google's are actually Google Blue's extensions. Uh not sure if that's actually canon or not)

(And since I like to think they are different extensions, they have their respective uses in their programming that benefit themselves and together as a whole.)

📌 Google Green hates Duolingo.

📌 Google Yellow loves it.

📌King of the Squirrels started dressing more formally when out in the forest, and more comfortably when in the Manor.

Started dividing the Manor's supply of peanut butter into different small containers for him and his squirrels.

📌 Murdock (Murderplier) hates Wilford.

But Wilford is also his favourite weapon buddy.

("Don't bring a knife to a gun fight my ASS Warfstache.")

📌 God of Night is constantly fascinated suspicious of The Host whenever Night drops by the Manor.

📌 Damien and Celine both play the piano. Dark plays the Violin.

📌 King of The Squirrels enjoys gardening.

📌 Bing plays the drums and or the electric guitar.

📌 Dr. Iplier actually owns prescribed glasses but for some reason never wears them.

(He just forgets and refuses to wear them)

That's all the headcanons I had today folks, and majority of this filled up one side of one intermediate page LMAO

I'm honestly so happy I'm spending time on writing when I have nothing to do in school, I'll try to keep this up.

I've also made drafts of some of my oneshot ideas from my previous post!

Many fics coming soon!!

[therogueduchess]

My leg/knee aches so much from all the walking up and down long and spiraling ramps, but it was so worth it. The creatures were gorgeous. (Pics under the cut) I nailed my mermaid look, and lost track of how many people went out of their way to tell me they loved it. (Pics also under the cut)

Food was delicious.

I chatted with a bunch of folks and didn’t just tie myself to my immediate coworkers, who mostly just stuck together at their table. I went solo to scope out the exhibits and socialize with folks from many other locations. I ended up in a delightful private conversation with the new Veep of Finance and his wife, and it turns out we have a lot in common.

One challenging situation arose that I had anticipated and planned for…and it was incredibly easy to handle. A nothingburger that is nonetheless a big deal for me precisely because it ended up so easy.

Had a really lovely sit down with someone who used to supervise me before she switched locations. In the process, I missed basically all the announcements of door prizes, except for hearing my name. I have no idea what I won, but I won something. I’ll find out in my emails on Monday, I am sure.

I was the driver for myself and two of my coworkers, and I actually wasn’t at all embarrassed by the state of my car, and they were so grateful that I wrangled us through Boston traffic so they didn’t have to. We talked about family life and changes we are all facing, and it was just so nice.

Got home tired and achey but elevated, and my kitty plastered herself against my bad leg for the night, and I didn’t let me talk myself into sleeping in and losing my morning plans. There is extra coffee in my coffee (and also some pistachio flavoring, at the recommendation of the barista who is to be commended for it), I have finished the therapy homework I had for the weekend, and because my afternoon plans had to be postponed the day now lays stretched out before me like a patient etherized on a table (sorry not sorry T.S. Eliot).

Perhaps I should break in a new notebook. Got any story prompts, my lovelies?

[flightfoot]

Fanfic Recs For Completed Lovesquare AU Miraculous Fics in 2023

By AU, I'm talking ones with a totally different setting, not just like a canon divergence AU. I'm thinking like Fantasy AUs, Sci-fi AUs, Royalty AUs, that sort of thing.

the legend of the firefly by @agnes-writes

“She’s… beautiful. If he were to describe her, he’d say that they bottled summer in her eyes, and painted the night sky in her hair. Her lips are curved into a wistful smile, eyes trailing the thicket of trees where Adrien stands. Her gaze sets his heart stuttering in his chest as it softens, and Adrien almost believes that look is meant for him.” OR: A pair of lovers create a romance that transcends time, and leaves a mark like no other.

This is an incredibly well-written folk tale, one that I highly recommend anyone who loves mythological, folktale, fantasy, etc AUs for Adrienette to read! It’s on the shorter side, but woven so perfectly that it packs an outsized punch, and feels like it belongs in one of those collections of folk tales and myths I read as a kid! 

Adrien’s a god, gifting prosperity to those under his protection, but never interacting with them… until a farm girl catches his eye.

---

The Mer-Human Race by @rosie-b

Bringing her hand closer to his lips, Adrien tried to plant a kiss on it, but Marinette pulled away before his lips could touch her. “Save it for your girlfriend,” she said teasingly. “Or do you still not have one yet?” Adrien smirked and crossed his arms. “It’s a girl,” he said. “And I know her in real life. That’s all you get. Now, let’s get back to planning, shall we? We have a mermaid to beat.”

Lovely world-building here! Merfolk and humans have had a treaty for a long time, so there’s a tradition where merfolk can challenge humans to a race, and whoever wins gets to ask for a reasonable sort of reward (in Marinette’s case, she wants to be allowed to captain a ship at a younger age than is usually allowed). Alya, Nino, and Adrien are naturally very encouraging towards Marinette, and luckily for her, a nice merman going by the name of Chat Noir shows up and challenges her to a race…

Yeah you can see where this is going XD. It’s fun, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

---

hands red series by katrinette

Summary for the first fic in the series, a serpent in these still waters:

Marinette’s on her knees before her new king, preparing to swear the oath that binds her to serve him to the best of her ability. To the man whose father had her parents killed. Every word tastes like ash in her mouth.

Marinette’s plotting to overthrow the corrupt monarch, as the French tend to do. She doesn’t know King Adrien all that well, since he just ascended to the throne recently, but she’s certain that he’s just as bad as his father.

Of course, rebellion’s aren’t very effective without help, so after biting her tongue with the new king, she rants to her partner in crime, a man whose true name and face she does not know, but who she deeply trusts nonetheless: Chat Noir.

---

May I Introduce Myself, Your Highness? by @chocoluckchipz

Whether picking up a stray animal off the streets or saving a dying child at the market, Adrien had always strived to be the best version of himself. Truly, he would’ve been the perfect candidate to be snatched up by a kwami, were he an orphan, dying somewhere remote after a short life full of nothing but suffering and misery. Yet as it stood, the sole heir to the French throne had little to complain about. Apart from, perhaps, a complete absence of a love life. That is until a mysterious girl, wandering around his gardens at night, catches his attention.

I love Fantasy AUs. It’s a bit unclear what’s happening at first, but it all gets explained in the last chapter. Also don’t worry about the age gap between Marinette and Adrien at the start of the story, I promise it’s not a problem in the end.

---

How Marinette Learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Ball by @rosie-b

Hidden from the crowds thronging around the busy fairy portal in Paris’s town square, a fae gate sits at the edge of the forest, locked, rusty, and full of ancient magic. Marinette thinks that this abandoned gate must not work anymore… but one day, a fairy disguised as a black cat steps through it.

Ah, Fantasy Soulmate AUs, my beloved XD. This ain’t the only one of this fic type I’m gonna be recommending. This is just a cute fluff fic without much strife. I love Marinette and Chat Noir being able to be childhood friends via his visits, even if he has to pretend to be her cat whenever he comes over, and I ESPECIALLY adore Alya being his chaperone and quickly becoming friends with Marinette in her own right. It ain’t a complicated plot, but it is a nice and warm fic.

---

a winter so warm by @rosekasa

winters were hard for even the best of vampires, but at least adrien had marinette to keep him warm with her cuddles. december was going to suck without her. so it was only to be expected to get extra cuddles in before she left, right? (well, not really, considering those heating supplements he was taking, but she didn’t need to know about that).

This one’s mostly just cute cuddly adorableness! It’s basically like all those “Marinette gets the Ladybug trait of needing to cuddle up to someone for warmth”, but with Adrien instead. And of course featuring Marinette being a very talented witch who just wants to help Adrien stay warm when she isn’t there XD.

---

Stitched Together by @nedjsmlfavs

Stitch Witch Marinette was just supposed to be having a nice, terrifying outing with her best friends. She never expected to find a magically trapped kitten, but here we are! Whatever happened to this poor little guy?

Poor Adrien, being transformed and chained up for ages, having no idea that he was gonna be rescued. But at least he got to have fun at Marinette’s place as a cat! 

Most of this fic is adorable, though with some dark undertones lying in wait. After all, SOMEONE chained up that poor little kitty…

---

Dreams of You by @chocoluckchipz

Dreams had long been his only escape. Dreams of Ladybug, the girl who had always been there for him.

If only in his dreams. And only while she was also sleeping.

Because with the first rays of sunshine gliding over her skin, with the first fluttering of her eyelashes, from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning, memories of Adrien would vanish from her mind.

She would go on living her life.

He would always be the only one who remembered.

At least until they meet in the real world and fall in love all over again, something that would’ve been easier to do if Adrien wasn't a prisoner in his own home.

Chocoluckchipz has some of the most beautifully executed lovesquare fics I’ve read, and this is no exception. Most of the fic is dedicated to Adrien wooing Marinette, spending time with her, with her own dream self acting as his wingman, giving her tips on how to get her to fall for him, all the while frustrated that she can’t share memories with her waking self, and that she and Adrien can’t share as much information as they’d like while asleep, due to limitations of the “curse” that allows Adrien to share dreams with his soulmate. 

It’s not all cute Adrienette fluff though. There’s a threat in the background waiting to erupt, as the weirdness of Gabriel’s ultimatum to Adrien about finding Ladybug or else being forced to marry Lila keeps on gnawing at him - and with good reason. This is a world with magic and kwamis still, and that fact makes itself very relevant in the last third of the story. 

It’s a well-written tale and very much worth a read!

---

delicate in every way but one by katrinette

When Marinette finds a wanted ad that provokes just enough questions in her mind that she can’t help answering it, the reward is sweeter than she could have imagined.

I love the little bit of worldbuilding we get here about vampire society, and Adrien’s usual awkward adorableness in asking Marinette for a certain necessary favor. It’s always neat to see such familiar characterization in a supernatural setting like this.

[kuwdora]

Fanworks Con 2023 Vid Premieres Squee Recs Here’s my squee-and-recs for the @fanworkscon 2023 vidshow Premieres! There’s a few vids that I haven’t found online yet but I still included them because they’re great and I’ll edit the post when I find links. I haven’t managed to watch any of the premieres from the It Follows vidshow yet but for now!! Enjoy the bounty of awesome new vids for many fandoms. Over 20 recs under the cut!

Some humorous and lighthearted vids...

Don’t Be a Lawyer by starlady This vid!!! She-Hulk!! To a song from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Really nailing the humor of the show, the breaking the 4th wall and it’s just even funnier with this song. I was wheezing the whole fucking time.

Sexy and I Know It by nestra Oh my god it’s Jamie Tartt from Ted Lasso. I laughed, I wheezed. Jamie Tartt is indeed sexy and he knows it. This is so much fucking FUN.

Four words on the top of your tongue by donteatthebee Okay apparently this is for this new show called Vice Principals and I have no idea what is gong on in this vid (nobody in chat did either). But what we do know is that Walton Goggins is fucking incredible and you get two middle aged men who love each other and even hump each other on screen and give each other pining and adoring looks? Well of course people’s fannish ears are gonna perk up. Amazing use of Taylor Swift, I still have no idea what’s going on by the end of the vid except that they will do anything for each other. What the fuck was that hot tub scene? Amazing. Also note the amazingly bland and dorky ties they are wearing. I have seen enough to know that I will watch this show. Odds Are by rhea Omg this is for 9-1-1 and truly the pinnacle of ODDS ARE. This show is too ridiculous for words. “Struck by lightening” repeats how many times in this song? And every single clip is different lightning!! Everybody goes through so much. Lmao. Beautiful people and family and gay folks and feelings. Shades of Purple by BlueshiftOfDeath Vice Principals vid about Gamby and Russell loving each other. There’s also a tiger and some shooting and I still don’t know what is going on but I’m also seeing arson and… Wow there is so much happening. There’s clips in this vid that I didn’t see in the other Vice Principals vid and I am even more intrigued. I’ve also never heard this song before but the vibe of the music is *chefs kiss* Consider me recruited. Duel of the Fates by jonesandashes, pollyrepeat Star Wars. I was NOT PREPARED FOR THIS VID. Oh my god I am howling. I was not prepared for the song and… everything else. Literally just giggling and covering my face the whole vid saying “whatttttt??” over and over.  This might be the greatest Obi-Wan vid I’ve ever seen. How the glass breaks on the beat at 2:06!!!! Sheer perfection.

At Your Pace by Rhea 9-1-1 show ‘cos that’s where Rhea’s heart lies and it is SO FULL OF LOVE FOR THIS SHOW. This vid is all about Buck and Eddie being an amazingly slashy couple. Also reminded me how I never finished the first season but damn they are so slashy and adorable together. This vid gave me the warm fuzzies and nostalgic slashy feelings.

Amazing vids with Amazing Vibes...

Heated by ultraviolet_catastrophe BEYONCE VID!!! I haven’t seen a Beyonce fanvid in awhile. All I could think while watching this is just how much fun it must have been going through all the music videos because damn the production quality and style of Beyonce’s music videos is gorgeous and yummy to watch, whewww. Outstanding editing here.

Underworld by VielMouse Alright so this is Stargate the movie with some video game music from also a 90s game. Someone in chat said “is this what taking acid feels like?” and honestly I think that is the right question to be asking while watching this. Wild and sonorous and, great overlays that really did put me back in 1994. Also Jaye Davidson is so fucking beautiful, my god. Outstanding vid. Love seeing Stargate again. Amazing vibes. The Wandering Song by periru3 This is a vid for the comic/animation Over the Garden Wall. Which I have no idea what that’s about but this animation is gorgeous and the editing is ALL VIBES for THIS WHOLE SONG.   Hush, Little Baby by bStro The Sandman vid! INSPIRED song choice for the cover of Enter Sandman. Amazing look at Death, Desire and Johanna Constantine, Lucienne throughout the show with some incredible money shots of Dream of the Endless, of course. But waaahhhh this is supremely epic and satisfying to watch.

Some vids about living in an age of resistance...

A Hazy Shade of Winter by Jayne L (JayneL) The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance vid! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck this vid is epic. This definitely has become the vid that I will forever associate with this song (and I have even vidded this song before, hah). This vid has incredible pacing and uses the stunning visuals of the show so well. I didn’t want to blink the whole time because I didn’t want to miss a single frame. Like, damn. Epic.

The hammer and the nail by stardust_rain Star Wars. Cassian Andor’s political education. Fuuuuuuuck. Mind the warnings on this vid, naturally, but y’all?? Do you all know how amazing it is to see Thea Gillmore music used in a vid?? Lyrics + tone of the song is so perfect for Andor. The pacing has me nodding and grooving along and it’s definitely a must-watch if you are into the show.

Multi-source vids that will make your jaw drop...

This is It by sandalwoodbox This is a pan-fandom vid (over 50 sources!!) about characters playing Go. It’s brilliant and it took me about halfway through the vid to actually notice each clip features a character playing black or white and throughout the vid the whole game is progressing, holy fuck, it’s so much fun and the lyrics are bangin’ for it too.

Bicycle Race by seekingferret Putting a Queen song to ALL THE BICYCLES EVER! There’s so many movies and tv shows in this vid and the progression of bicycle riding and then the moving frames with everyone riding their bicycle just escalates the fun. I keep losing it when I get to the bell chiming section and everyone starts falling off the bicycles, wahaha.

Relationship dynamics like whoa... A and B Song by mithborien A new Steve/Bucky vid FROM MITIHBORIEN!! I have been loving mithborien’s vids for an eternity now and oh my god just roll up into the con with a new Steve/Bucky vid and smack me back into my slashy feelings all over again. Tom McRae used to get around in fanvids ages ago but man I was so happy to hear him again for this vid in particular. The lyrical associations are fabulous. I feel wrung out after watching this vid.

Destroying Angels by Tafadhali Yellowjackets. Shauna/Jackie, fucked up teenage sapphics and cannibalism. This show is so fucked up and this vid doubly so, for all the right bad reasons whew. I was watching this and literally muttering “oh fuck” every 15 seconds. The vocalist is eerie, the underlying instrumentation during the verses is HAUNTING and foreboding. This vid does not pull any punches. The lyrics about ink and blood on her shoes and icy skin??  It’s a very intense vid..

Grandpa Never Gives Up His Money by ghost_lingering OMG NEW GHOST LINGERING VID!! This is for the 2018 film Trust about Paul Getty’s family. Whew the content warnings. Eat the rich. What an incredible use of The Beatles, too. The tonal shift at 1:15 is killer and holy crap this vid just keeps going and going and GOING and everything gets worse and…what a fucking rollercoaster, holy fuck. I’ve never seen this film but goddamn. A great vid for a fucked up family and movie. I’m kind of obsessed with the edits on the guitar in the last minute of this vid, too. Incredible stuff.

Don’t Take the Money by Anoel - not uploaded yet I don’t think? Will edit this post when I find the video online. Tag me if you see it! This is a Succession siblings vid and honestly I was not sure what to expect because I thought it was going to be the original song but it’s actually an MTV Unplugged cover featuring The Bleachers and Lorde. And oh my god it just really epitomizes how much the right cover can do wonders for a vid idea. Jesus Christ. These siblings got so fucked up and fucked over by Logan and that just hurts even more when you see all the human moments the siblings have for each other in this vid.

Heartwrenchingly beautiful and aching vids...

Man is Not Made by His Fractures by videobaths - also not uploaded yet? If someone sees this online somewhere please tag me?? Moon Knight vid!! “A man is not made by his fractures; he is able to mine them as a chance to emerge whole.” Aw, I really fucking love Oscar Isaac’s portrayal of Marc. This is a song I’ve never seen vidded before! Lil’ Was X’s Tales of Dominica. “Sometimes you’re angry / sometimes you’re hurting / sometimes you’re all alone.” If that isn’t the epitome of Marc’s life I don’t know what it is. Spectacular editing through and through. Live to Tell by AurumCalendula Star Trek TOS, Animated Original Series and Star Trek Discovery. A whole vid focusing on the Guardian of Forever! And the portal and the characters who go through the portals. Aurum’s cropping of the disco footage was so interesting and I think it did a lot to help it fit in with the other footage because everything is filmed so differently. But Aurum always makes my heart sing or ache and this is no exception. The difficulties of saying goodbye, aaaaahHHHhhh, just masterful storytelling here.

I Remember Damage by ohvienna An Ilsa Faust fanvid using a voice over from Station Eleven. Voiceover vids as the main audio track can be hit or miss for me but damn this really hit me. Just nailing the hurt and pain and perseverance in the face of unbeatable odds and coming back to your person time and time again. Fucking realness here.

The World You Thought You Lived In by BeatriceEagle This is: Adventure Time, Stargate SG-1, Farscape, The Magicians and Star Trek: The Next Generation. This vid explores what it is like for characters who are trapped living an entire life during a day. Heartwrenchingly beautiful. And painful! Cause then they lean into living out their life. But then the day ends and the characters have to go back to their other life. Aaaah, “say goodbye to the world you thought you lived in.” 😭😭😭😭 Very good pain.

Thousand Eyes by nu_breed_vids (nu_breed) This is a Korean TV show 손 : The Guest (TV). Åppears to be horror and trauma and really walloping the main character with the angst and whump. Mind the vidder notes/tags. In fact the vidder tagged this “Yoon Hwapyung is a whump magnet” which seems to track. The song choice is so ominous and slow-burn-y and goddamn, I’m not sure if this is some kind of demonic possession or whatever but I gotta check it out. The instrumental section with the drums and escalating strings is so TERRIFYINGGG with the blood and pain and losing himself. My god.

Blow your mind intense vids...

Psycho by lolachrome 长月烬明 | Till the End of the Moon (TV). A new Lola vid!! This is so fucking lush and gorgeous and the fucking attitude of this devil god character is fucking dreamy and intoxicating and terrifying at the same time.

Reincarnation by ExtraPenguin Star Wars sequel trilogy. Rey vid!! This is a constructed reality vid about Rey being the reincarnation of Anakin. The editing on this is so fucking slick and intense and incredible. So warning for lots of quick cuts and later flickering lightening shots. Oh my god. The intercutting between Rey and the original trilogy footage. I am foaming at the mouth. This vid is a (ahem) force to be reckoned with. It’s so cool and interesting to see Star Wars canon get recontexualized for this concept. And it’s executed so well!! Do watch if you are a Star Wars fan.

Never forget the antiheroes and misfits... Antihero by theletterelle Loki vid! It’s exhausting to always be rooting for the antihero. Oh, this is definitely reawakening my Loki feelings. The lyrics (especially the chorus!!) are so good for Loki. Do love, will watch again.

Superstar by sandalwoodbox A Nimona vid!! To Tegan and Sara! Oh holy fuck, I’ve come to expect and hope for awesome vids for this movie but this one is dark and still grooving with the beat. I did not expect this song to work so well with fame and propaganda. Oh my god, Gloreth's betrayal and Nimona and all the fallout with that. My. Goddddd. "I saw my first angel and it was you" omg NIMONA. Goddamn, these lyrics really punch you in the face.

[kazutakas-pinch]

Arcane AU

Yuiji

Yuiji is from a well-to-do family that oversaw an airship trade vessel operation in Piltover. They had minimal influence over politics until Jayce introduced the Hexgates. They gained a ton of power and influence out of nowhere and Yuiji was dragged into the family business with more urgency than ever. Before, he was happy doing mundane inventory counts and maintenance checks on the airships. He detests the politics that he has been suddenly exposed to. He's begun running away from home at inopportune times and maybe wandering a little further than he should be.

Yamato

Yamato was originally from Zaun, but his talent in Joltball found him recruited for a Piltovan league. (Idk, Joltball is soccer in Piltover, but imagine tech footwear and a more dimensional field with obstacles) He's constantly ostracized and isolated by his topsider teammates. He's persisting to bring back money for his folks, and he's just hoping to continue with the sport until he can afford to buy a house for his family in a more affordable neighborhood in Piltover and leave the sports league behind. He finds himself hanging out on rooftops and staring at the airships above for a sense of escape.

Hongou

Hongou's family is a very influential family in the world of politics, but he has so many older siblings, that his role in the family hierarchy is fuzzy and unestablished. He often ditches family functions (without much flack) to attend concerts, art installations, and sports events. He's Yuiji's best friend and he's incredibly good at distracting Yuiji when the young scion is supposed to be conducting an airship inspection or drafting an important letter to a trading competitor.

Nacchan

A young Zaunite tinkerer who is apprenticing under a clockmaker. The business is actually doing fairly well since it has drawn a decent amount of customers from the topside. Growing up, she spent a lot of time with Yamato running through the fissures and climbing into abandoned buildings. She built his earliest sets of Joltcleats and more than a few of them short-circuited and starting sparking when they definitely weren't supposed to. Yamato still visits her to get his pocketwatch tuned up. Nacchan always asks Yamato to bring her back Piltovan pastries back when he visits.

Seki

A Joltball player in the same league as Yamato. He's from a well-off family of architects and Joltball is just a hobby for him. When he's not practicing, he's studying to become a politician. He hopes to get to a point where he can be a policymaker and write laws for the good of Piltover. His initial goal was to focus on housing laws, but meeting Yamato (the first Zaunite he's ever talked to) made him start to think things differently. After matches, he began hounding Yamato to take him to get coffee and get dinner. Yamato initially refused, feeling that he was getting targeted for being a trencher (he was), but eventually relented because Seki was so persistent. They eventually became good friends when they got past their first impressions of one another.

Mayu

A young recruit in the enforcers. She got into the force through sheer display of skill, but her higherups still won't give her any major or dangerous assignments due to her age. She's usually plopped into checking tickets for cable cars and other public transport. Sometimes, she's monitoring security for trading goods. She's always terribly bored and upon meeting Hongou who would chat up a storm during her patrols, she became fast friends with her new source of entertainment. She would also soon befriend the young, drowsy-eyed scion who visited the airships for routine inspections.

Sakura

His parents are Zaunite engineers who moved to Piltover before he was born. His whole life, they've tried to assimilate into Piltovan norms and did everything they could to raise Sakura as the model Piltovan citizen. He's exasperated with his parents' obsession with image, but he loves them otherwise and is happy to take up the family business. He's currently working with them to design Joltball fields and arenas. When Yamato joined the League, Sakura's parents were insistent that Sakura not interact with him, but when Sakura noticed how lonely he was, he couldn't help but approach him.

Akiyama

Originally from a Noxian family, Akiyama ran away/was banished (?) (the story changes depending on who you're talking to) to Piltover because the tech and gadgets would be more suitable to a "soft" person like him. Being estranged from his family, Akiyama was happy to start a new life in Piltover and managed to score well enough in the exams to enroll in an engineering university. When he meets a sour-faced kid who barely goes to class and leaves early one day because he "has a job with his parents", Akiyama ditches class too to see what's going on.

[huginsmemory]

FUNNIEST SHIT JUST HAPPENED TO ME. So. Okay. Like I've been really busy with work and uni with the semester drawing to a close, plus with the new kitten being injured so I'm a bit disorganized. And I've also got this workshop thing for work that I'm going to this week that I've signed up to on the side. So I'm like ah yeah my coworker booked the hotel etc and I'm there for three days/two nights, coming back Thursday. And since I'm coming from a different area I'm carpooling in, and my other coworker I'm messaging is like I'm coming a day late, hope that's okay and I'm like oh, well, I wanted to come for the whole thing, so I catch a ride up this morning with some lovely folks who pick me up at 6:15 am and I'm like oh I thought it was in the evening it's starts??? And they're like oh that was yesterday, today there's a whole workshop today and I was like ohhhhh okay. Whoops my bad, didn't look at the agenda close enough. And then we go into the workshop and I'm like hmmm I don't see my coworker. Strange. Anyhow I'm like ahhhh okay maybe she's late, I'll go get us booked in. Go up to the counter and the guys really nice we r chatting and he's like hmmm are you sure it's under that name and I scroll up in my messages.

And I'm like. OHHHHH fuck.

Cause we're booked.

For the 26th and 27th.

I swipe down that upper menu to stare at the date. It says the 25th.

I swipe it up to stare at the dates of 26 and 27th again if I got it correct.

Yes it says the 26th and 27th.

I swipe down with the menu to recheck the date.

It's VERY much the 25th today.

I look up at the guy at the desk and go. "Ah there's been a scheduling error".

Anyhow I've found a cheaper place nearby (6 min walk) which is also fucking fancy but at least NOT $600 a night since I'm not sure it'll be covered. Apparently unbeknownst to me (a fool, who REALLY should've looked at the agenda properly) the workshop goes multiple days before and after the part that my coworkers and I are visiting it for. So I got a whole extra day of workshop. Which like. Not the worst thing in the world. Met a bunch of nice folks. Ate free food. But also... Incredible. Dude howwwwww

[blackjackkent]

Highlights from Rakha's further explorations in the tiefling camp:

She terrifies the group of small children trying to train for battle when the trainer asks her to encourage them. "Soak the battlefield in blood. Do not resist death, but embrace it!" The trainer is unimpressed by this: "Good job. Now they're even more scared." Rakha doesn't see why that's her problem.

The super inept fellow striking at a nearby training dummy has a slight panic attack on seeing Rakha's face; apparently he's not too familiar with orcish folk. Rakha is pretty fucking angry about this (especially in light of Aradin's 'half-breed' comment); she doesn't care about her own heritage but she knows what an insult is and is starting to realize that from some people she garners them just by existing. There is no option to punch him in the face, which she totally wants to do (and more, and more, spill his blood all over the training floor) but I suspect Wyll probably steps in instead and starts helping him, so she contents herself with sarcasm from the sidelines. "Try hitting the target."

She chats with Bex and Danis, who ask about her plans after reaching Baldur's Gate. "How can you make plans? I can't remember what I ate for breakfast," Rakha says. Bex, excited for their new life ahead, encourages optimism. The Narrator purrs in Rakha's head: "Surely destined for the slaughter. What would be more perfect than to die by your love's side, and know love was not enough?"

Okta, the woman at a giant cauldron on the camp's lower level, offers Rakha a bowl of gruel for having helped them fight the goblins off. The scent of the food triggers something strange in Rakha's head - memory. "Grey goo. I think I ate things like this in the past. When I was desperate." No image comes along with the thought, but the scent is familiar and goes along with a feeling of bewildered loneliness. She half-expects the woman to take it as an insult, but strangely, she doesn't, just offers the bowl more firmly and asks if Rakha has had similar hard times. Rakha feels tremendously perplexed and has no answer to offer, but she suspects the answer is yes.

INCREDIBLY unexpected little interchange: Another old woman near Okta - human, not tiefling - is selling potions. Ethel has a Durge-specific response to how tore-up-from-the-floor-up Rakha looks: "Oh! You're twitching something fierce, love. And your eyes! You look like you don't know the meaning of the word sleep." True enough. Rakha's two long rests have been scattered and fitful at best. This attention to her well-being from this stranger startles Rakha enough to admit: "I've had such a pounding headache recently." The woman of course has more questions, and slowly, Ethel manages to draw out from Rakha all the salient facts: she has no memory, she has intrusive thoughts, she sleeps with dreams of blood and slaughter. Ethel tuts and offers crooning words of sympathy and concern along with a healing potion. "Were you hurt recently?" she asks. Rakha shrugs sharply. "All I know is that right now, I'm imagining drowning you in the boiling stew over there." Her companions, who have never heard Rakha speak so candidly, all look at each other in bewilderment. Ethel laughs. "Oh, you cheeky pup," she says, and pokes Rakha playfully in the arm. "That might scare someone else, but I know what naughty girls need - a bitta love and care. If I was back at my teahouse, I'd make you a cuppa and tell you to put your feet up. Alas, here I can only tell you to be kind to yourself, petal. And encourage you to browse my bits and pieces, of course. Let me know if anything catches your eye." She chuckles and gives Rakha a wink. "Myself included." Rakha stares blankly at her. Any subtext is pretty much lost on her, but the strange kindness completely undeterred by the knowledge of Rakha's violent cruelty is... perplexing. "Thank you. For being nice to me," she hears herself say gruffly. "Sure! What else am I here for?" Ethel says airily.

-----

"Well," Gale says cheerfully as they wander away. "That was a refreshing bit of kindness in this little wilderness waystation, was it not?"

"Chk," mutters Lae'zel. "Platitudes and insipid benevolence are no solution; they merely invite carelessness." She squints at Rakha. "Do not be taken in; our business has not changed. We have no time for such prattle, or a visit to this 'tea-house.' Let us find Zorru and be gone from this place."

Rakha shrugs and says nothing. No doubt Lae'zel is right; it was a wasted conversation.

'Be kind to yourself' - what does that even mean? The words rattle in her head like scattered caltrops, stinging, painful for some reason she can't define. There is no kindness to be had in her, not for other people and certainly not for herself - nor does she wish it.

She wants vengeance and she wants answers. And she agrees with Lae'zel - this strange old woman can provide no answers; certainly not the ones she needs.

So why did Rakha thank her? Why did she even listen at all?