#she’s already evil but instead all the moments in which she breaks and becomes a monster

[atopvisenyashill]

i accidentally went down the fake dany rabbit hole on reddit and to be clear, i think it’s fun to think about but it’s absolutely not gonna happen BUT one of the main pieces of evidence for this is…A Thing and that’s Dany’s memory of the House With The Red Door:

…one night Ser Willem Darry and four loyal men had broken into the nursery and stolen them both, along with her wet nurse, and set sail under cover of darkness for the safety of the Braavosian coast.

She remembered Ser Willem dimly, a great grey bear of a man, half-blind, roaring and bellowing orders from his sickbed. The servants had lived in terror of him, but he had always been kind to Dany. He called her "Little Princess" and sometimes "My Lady," and his hands were soft as old leather. He never left his bed, though, and the smell of sickness clung to him day and night, a hot, moist, sickly sweet odor. That was when they lived in Braavos, in the big house with the red door. Dany had her own room there, with a lemon tree outside her window. After Ser Willem had died, the servants had stolen what little money they had left, and soon after they had been put out of the big house. Dany had cried when the red door closed behind them forever.

She mentions the lemon tree more than once:

All that Daenerys wanted back was the big house with the red door, the lemon tree outside her window, the childhood she had never known.

And again she sees it in the house of the undying:

And there outside the window, a lemon tree! The sight of it made her heart ache with longing. It is the house with the red door, the house in Braavos. No sooner had she thought it than old Ser Willem came into the room, leaning heavily on his stick. "Little princess, there you are," he said in his gruff kind voice. "Come," he said, "come to me, my lady, you're home now, you're safe now." His big wrinkled hand reached for her, soft as old leather, and Dany wanted to take it and hold it and kiss it, she wanted that as much as she had ever wanted anything.

But we get it mentioned several times that there are not citrus trees in Braavos. Sam says it here:

Trees did not grow on Braavos, save in the courts and gardens of the mighty.

And then there is Arya's description:

Braavos, devoid of grass and trees ... They have no trees, she realized. Braavos is all stone, a grey city in a green sea. ... In the forest, they see all. but there are no trees here ...

Now, this could mean she stayed with the Sealord of Braavos, since he signed the marriage contract with Dorne as a witness:

"It is a secret pact," Dany said, "made in Braavos when I was just a little girl. Ser Willem Darry signed for us, the man who spirited my brother and myself away from Dragonstone before the Usurper's men could take us. Prince Oberyn Martell signed for Dorne, with the Sealord of Braavos as witness." She handed the parchment to Ser Barristan, so he might read it for himself. "The alliance is to be sealed by a marriage, it says. In return for Dorne's help overthrowing the Usurper, my brother Viserys is to take Prince Doran's daughter Arianne for his queen."

Except George has been Cagey As Fuck about this when asked TWO separate times:

Q: “Dany remembers a lemon tree outside the house with the red door in Braavos, but citrus trees shouldn’t really grow in Braavos’s cold, foggy climate. Is this discrepancy significant? Does it point to future revelations about Dany’s past. Thank you so much.”

GRRM: “Very perceptive of you. Yes, it does point to … well, that would be telling.”

And again here:

Question: “How old was Daenerys when she left the house with the red door, was it located close to the palace of the Sealord of Braavos?”

Answer: “That’s a interesting question. But I don’t think I’m going to answer it. There’s a certain revelation about the red door that will come into the books that I have yet to write. So we’ll keep an eye to it.”

Obviously there’s the whole lemongate thing, with some saying this means she’s a fake - some say Blackfyre, some say Rhaegar’s daughter. I think it’s more likely her memory is just faulty; she was so young when this happened, and we see Ned, Sansa, and Bran misremember things that traumatized them because it’s a very common coping mechanism. There’s theories around her memory as well - she was in Tyrosh or she was in Dorne.

But for me, it’s more about WHY he’s being cagey and WHY there’s this discrepancy in her memory. If she was really in Tyrosh or Myr or Dorne, why does that matter? I think it’s something that will only matter to Daenerys, and not the plot at large. Will she find the house with the red door or hear the story from Doran (or Areo??) and find out she misremembered that way? And why will it affect her? I’m not sure if “Daenerys realizes even those memories are tainted by the fact that she was only in Dorne because of politics and was sent out of Dorne and safety and now holds a grudge” because…the memories are already tainted by how sick Willem Darry was as he was dying.

Like, “Dany was Rhaegar’s daughter raised by Willem Dustin then sold to Illyrio and passed off as Rhaella’s last child who actually died, because it puts Viserys ahead of her in succession and gives him a Targaryen bride to marry or sell off and Viserys has spent the last few years torturing her into thinking she’s his sister, the same way Ramsey tortures Theon into being another person” is such a crackhead theory lmao but a revelation like that would shake Dany to her core. “Dany misremembered Dorne as Braavos” like that’s such a nothingburger so WHAT IS GOING ON. If she just invented a happier memory for herself to hold onto, what is the original memory hiding? Is it not even real, and while the lemon tree is our sign the memory is fake, the real secret is the red door and it’s going to be some metaphor for something?

The House With The Red Door represents everything Dany really wants from her life deep down and that’s to belong somewhere. So what I’m leaning towards is it’s not even a real memory, just something she cobbled together from several of Viserys’ stories. It’s not just that the lemon tree and red door were in the wrong place but none of it existed. Not the peace she had, not Willem Darry. That seems devastating enough that if none of it was real, that she can never find peace, that the red door she was chasing all these years never existed. I think it might be, emotionally, a big step in her deciding to burn king’s landing.

But it was not the plains Dany saw then. It was King's Landing and the great Red Keep that Aegon the Conqueror had built. It was Dragonstone where she had been born. In her mind's eye they burned with a thousand lights, a fire blazing in every window. In her mind's eye, all the doors were red.

and later on:

She saw sunlight on the Dothraki sea, the living plain, rich with the smells of earth and death. Wind stirred the grasses, and they rippled like water. Drogo held her in strong arms, and his hand stroked her sex and opened her and woke that sweet wetness that was his alone, and the stars smiled down on them, stars in a daylight sky. "Home," she whispered as he entered her and filled her with his seed, but suddenly the stars were gone, and across the blue sky swept the great wings, and the world took flame.

If there was never any red door, never a lemon tree, if even her sweet memories of Willem Darry are somehow false, just a scared child trying to make sense of the world, I think that loss will completely push her towards the path of destruction, and she won’t just embrace the dragon, she’ll embrace its devastation as well. Behind the red door isn’t her salvation, only destruction.

The door loomed before her, the red door, so close, so close, the hall was a blur around her, the cold receding behind. And now the stone was gone and she flew across the Dothraki sea, high and higher, the green rippling beneath, and all that lived and breathed fled in terror from the shadow of her wings. She could smell home, she could see it, there, just beyond that door, green fields and great stone houses and arms to keep her warm, there. She threw open the door. “… the dragon …” And saw her brother Rhaegar, mounted on a stallion as black as his armor. Fire glimmered red through the narrow eye slit of his helm. “The last dragon,” Ser Jorah’s voice whispered faintly. “The last, the last.” Dany lifted his polished black visor. The face within was her own.

GEORGE I AM IN YOUR WALLS

[majesticwren]

this is part II of this previous smutty one-shot. That one is still a stand-alone but, after this point, it is officially a multichaper. part III to come soon. edit: part III is done. be advised, this entire project is done solely for my pleasure, I am indulging myself so much with this. the angst that it carries (because yes there will be more coming - I am very good very evil) it's the energy I crave please don't come for me and trust the process I'll feed you smut. it is edited but not proofread. enjoy. a/n: hi :) me again back at it. I didn't like the first draft of this so I finally went back in and made it a little extra poly/gay with some more chemistry between kyle and will because I needed it. thank you bye 💕

trigger warning/s: angst angst angst, poly relationship dynamics, reference to sex, reference to threesome, smut, oral f receiving, shit loads of misunderstandings and miscommunication, swearing, OFC is unhinged and is her own trigger warning.

<- part I | part III -> prequel part I -> | part II -> | part III -> | part IV -> Masterlist

Erika sat still and collected. She had already been told off a few times because she was too fidgety so, now, it became a game of control on her own subconscious and nervous system. She was releasing her frustration on biting the inside of her cheek and lips instead. It was just as bad as bouncing her knee or just generally being unable to sit still and empty handed for longer than thirty seconds, but it was better manageable when her nail technician required her absolute stillness to work.

Not that she was winning. Not at all. Her mind was too busy. But, at least, it was fun to pretend she had everything under control. Everything was fine. Erika kept repeating it to herself like a prayer. She truly believed if she did it for long enough it would have become true. Because the alternative was heaving a breakdown, and she couldn’t afford one of those. Not when it risked to jeopardize the precarious balance her life had.

She was happy. She had been happy for a very long time. She had no right to suddenly feel like her very lucky, very privileged life could be somehow tight. And yet, she couldn’t shake her the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in a small box. Which was exactly why she spent every waking second feeling guilty and every sleeping moment being tormented by her subconscious painfully reminding her about everything she didn’t have.

It wasn’t fair. And not because she thought the universe was torturing her, but because she was aware she was the problem. 

She was a wild card; which was all fun and games until she got to moments of her life like that one when she decided she needed a revolution. 

When she was younger, she tended to act out. Sometimes she thought her family was too nice, so she went and created problems. Sometimes she hated being pretty and how easy life seemed to be, so she would become nasty. Sometimes people would assume she was nothing more than a pretty face, and she would think about the smartest, cruellest way to get revenge. Sometimes all Erika craved was attention and would indulge in sex, alcohol or drugs abuse to get what she wanted. It started when she was very young, some may say too young to understand the consequences of her actions. Her brother helped her out of most of the shit she found herself drowning into even before she was eighteen.

And then she met Kyle.

He had been different from any other guy or girl she had ever interacted with. She knew since the very beginning he was special to her; she was attracted to him like a moth to light. It was impossible for her to stay away. But he too became a rebellious act she did in spite of Mark when her brother noticed her interest, assumed wrong of her intentions and suggested her to stay away from Kyle because he had no intention of seeing her breaking his heart. So, she took him literally and proceeded to do exactly what Mark had asked her not to. She broke Kyle’s heart. And it took her time to understand her mistake and fix it. 

Thing was, she wasn’t a teenager anymore. She hadn’t allowed herself to act on a whim in a very long time and she wasn’t about to justify herself to risk to ruin her perfect fairytale life. 

She got to do the job of her dreams, having a career many would kill for, not only that but she was also making good money for her skill. And she got to travel the world side by side with her amazing, beautiful and talented boyfriend, making many friends along the way. It felt nothing but privilege to her. Some may had been deserved, but privilege all the same. 

The idea that she was going to possibly ruin it all was terrifying.

But, everything was fine, she reminded herself.

“So,” Regina, the girl working on her nails, sent her a curious look from the other side of the table. “You look very pretty today. I see you had your lashes done?”

“Just this morning,” Erika nodded, “and my hair too.”

“I see,” the girl’s look became suddenly cheeky. She was a proper chatter-box who lived for the scandalous gossip her clients brought to the salon. They all were. There and at the hair salon just across the way. Which was mostly pleasant and harmless, but Erika had a feeling of what was coming and didn’t have the patience to hold a conversation. “Any special occasion?”

She shrugged. “Just a little party between friends.”

“Oh?”

“My brother is coming back from Australia after a month,” Erika decided to give in a little, “we organised a small gathering for him.” 

“You are an awful lot beautiful for just a casual event.”

“Can’t change perfection, sorry darling,” Erika giggled, finding some soothe in the distraction that conversation brought.

Regina chuckled too. “And what about your dashing boyfriend? Is he gonna be there?”

Erika grinned proudly, knowing very well how pretty Kyle was and how much attention he always got. Thankfully she wasn’t the jealous type. “Of course. You might be in for a treat actually,” Erika raised her chin, basking into her own bragging. “He is around and will pick me up when I’m done.”

“Oh,” Regina shook her shoulders, all excited, “You just made my day. Girls!” she called referring to the rest of the salon, “Erika’s boyfriend is popping by!” A small burst of celebrations occurred between the girls present, someone clapped, someone tapped the work surface and a few howled, just for everyone to then cheer joyfully. Erika too, giggled to herself allowing herself to let go of some of her concerns.

Thinking about Kyle made it better. Mostly.

“You will understand what we mean as soon as you see him,” Regina hinted to the girl sitting next to Erika, who was giving everyone very suspicious looks. “I tell you these Australians are something else.”

Erika shook her head, rolling her eyes. “What can I say, eh? We are the best country in the world, after all.”

“Well, tell me about this party, girlie,” Regina continued, focusing back on the final details her nails. “Are all your famous friends going to be there?”

“No,” any trace of joy left Erika. She huffed as enthusiasm washed off her. She was just exhausted. “Just a couple,”

“Well? Cheer up, love, what’s that sudden long face for? You can’t be all done up like this and be sad. Not on my nails.”

“I’m sorry Regina,” Erika sighed, “I am just tired, it’s been a long day and I haven’t slept at all well.”

“I bet. With a guy like your boy, I’d struggle to sleep every night too.”

Erika chuckled. She knew exactly how to respond to keep that little chitchat going, just to occupy time, but she didn’t say it. She was done talking. Not because she didn’t enjoy it, only because she was done holding up a mask. Her social battery was running out so quickly and she still had to deal with the last bits to get ready for the party and the event itself.

It wasn’t like she wasn’t looking forward seeing her brother after so long. She was so happy he was coming back to the UK; she missed him so much. But the idea of a party with all their close friends was enough to make her feel exhausted already. To be precise, it was the idea of a party with Will present that made her feel completely overwhelmed. 

Will was her problem.

Her chest still ached thinking about how cold and awkward it had been between them ever since the night they spent together. He didn’t seem to have any problem with Kyle, they kept spending as much time together as they could. Which wasn’t a surprise. But with her he was a completely different guy.

They hadn’t talked since the morning after. And ever since, Will had been plainly avoiding her. If they were so unlucky to cross paths, the words they exchanged were brief and distant. No eye contact.

Saying she was heartbroken wasn’t enough. 

Erika was aware they only had sex once and no one had talked about feelings. Yet, she wasn’t prepared to be treated so awkwardly. Especially after what they had. It meant something to her. It meant something Will stayed that night and they all slept snuggled on each other. It meant something that she now knew the scent of his skin or how he snored when he was on his right side. 

Being aware of what they shared and that Will now took part of her away, even if he wasn’t willing to accept it, was the only thing she had been able to think about. And it was her burden to carry. Every time she had to remind herself how things were going to be carved a deeper hole into her chest. And at the same time there was a need, a hunger, gnawing at her bones, leaving her feeling cold. And alone.

The most shameful part of it was that she didn’t have the heart to open up with Kyle about it. For the first time, she found herself keeping secrets from him. 

She felt dirty every second and she knew Kyle was trying his best to understand her and leaving her space, although she also knew he was hurting knowing something was happening. It was a price she was willing to pay, though. She had no intention of being the reason to slip any doubt in between him and Will. 

Erika had tried to soothe whatever was going on between them in the second-best way she knew how to be close to Kyle, since she had decided not to talk with him, and that was through sex. They had a way of always finding each other when they were intimate. It created a connection that was able to reassure her and take away some of her pain. Although the thought of Will was never gone for long.

She had thought about it long and hard. For some time, she had even started to get extremely concerned, wandering whether or not she had made the biggest mistake of her life and had cheated on Kyle right in front of him. But then she pretty quickly realised that wasn’t the case. The worth Kyle had to her was unchanged, Kyle still owned her heart. Only now it also ached for someone else too. 

“Oh,” Regina cooed, “heads up,” the moment she hinted to the entrance door, the bell ringed, announcing someone’s arrival. 

Erika followed Regina’s gaze and immediately melted into a warm smile as she recognised Kyle. Her body relaxed, her skin warmed up and her spirit shone a little brighter for him. 

“Hey,” she chirped.

The salon seemed to fall into an awe. Erika was hoping it was only her impression, although she didn’t miss the awkward, timid look Kyle sent all around. The more eyes set on him he found, the more his cheeks blushed. 

He held his half empty gym bag in one hand and was still wearing his gym gear, which was composed of baggy shorts and an unmatching old hoodie he had ripped the sleeves off only so he could show his arms. It was incredible how effortless his prettiness was. He could still look so attractive even in the lowest maintenance circumstances. It was mind blowing.

“Hey baby,” his voice broke her train of thought, “you ok?”

“Your girlie here seems to be very tired,” Regina looked directly at him, sending him a challenging look, “she said you keep her up all night.”

“Pardon?” Kyle blushed violently. His pale eyes glimmered of interest as he looked back at Erika, puzzled but amused as a timid smile peeked on his lips. 

“Nothing. Ignore her, please,” Erika sent a warning glare to Regina, hoping she could behave herself.

Kyle cleared his voice and nodded, “Right. Are you almost done?” He wondered leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the lips.

Erika looked back at Regina who nodded, looking at her own work on her nails. “Almost. Ten, fifteen minutes?”

Kyle’s attention didn’t move from Erika. “Do you want me to come back?”

“No,” Regina replied instead, offering a kiss-ass grin, “stay, have a seat on out booth, we got lovely colourful magazines and fresh cucumber water! Just ask.”

To his sudden confusion, Erika chuckled, leaning her head back as she looked up at him. “You are very popular in this establishment baby, you might want to consider switching career.”

“Oh, yeah?” he wondered leaning in for another kiss, causing some of the women around them to ooh them. “And what would you have me do, ladies?”

“Just stand there and be pretty. That’s more than enough.” Erika explained. 

Kyle offered a large smile to everyone present. “I see. Well, I’ll be sitting over there where everyone can easily look at me while you finish up.”

“Thank you,” Erika cooed and looked at him as he crossed the small salon and dropped himself on the small booth by the door. 

“Will says hi, by the way,” he casually began, opening up a random magazine. 

Erika choked. 

She turned towards Regina, as if hiding away could somehow shoo off the feelings that hit her like a landslide of heavy boulders rolling above her chest. So many questions crowded her mind, but, above anything, she was outraged.

What did it mean that Will said hi? Just like that? Casually? Like nothing happened? Was that the next step? From the awkwardness of knowing they saw each other naked and had sex to the complete denial it even ever happened? Was she that forgettable? And why would Kyle just say it like that? Like it was the most normal thing in the world? Did he think nothing happened too? That night meant nothing to him? Was he truly so blind not to notice how she was hurting and how Will hadn’t talked to her in a week? 

Or did they simply just decided to continue hang out with each other without her?

The room around her felt suddenly too small to breathe. The low murmur surrounding her and the ambiance music became too loud to bear. She felt like she was falling into a black void and sit there, unable to move, was unthinkable.

“Are you ok?”

Erika ignored Regina, shaking her words with a shrug. “Yes. Can you hurry up?”

“I mean I have the last layer of polish to do,” Regina frowned, “are you not feeling well?”

“No, I am ok, thank you. Just finish up, I just remembered I have something urgent I need to do.”

Erika barely managed to sit after that. She felt uncomfortable in her clothes, under her own skin. When her nails were finally done, she had never bolted out of that place as quickly as she did. Generally, she’d indulge in some small chit-chat and a drink or their flavoured water, just as courtesy. Not that time. She didn’t even stop to give Kyle the time to get up.

“Hey,” he shouted at her as she went through the door, “Hey, Erika, hold on,” he continued and when she didn’t stop for him, he grabbed her arm, bringing her to a hold. “Baby, what’s wrong?

She hissed, shaking her head. “Nothing is wrong. Let’s just go. Mark will land in a few hours,” 

“Yes. I know. I am the one who needs to go pick him up.” Erika tried to escape his hold, but Kyle held on, his grab was gentle but solid. “Will you stop one second? What happened? What did I do?”

Her heart was squeezed between guilt and regret. Erika raised a hand to him, cupping his cheek. “Nothing.” God, she wished she could pick him up and press him into her chest, “You had done nothing wrong; I just want to go home.”

How much she wished that could be enough. She wanted to drown into his eyes and disappear.

Kyle hesitated. His eyes cruised on her face, trying to read the answers he wanted from her features. And still, he kept his tongue tied.

He knew. She was aware Kyle knew something was up. He had known since the very beginning and she knew he was smart enough to connect the dots, only he never dared to overstep. Even though she desperately needed him to shake some sense into her.

He let her go, releasing a soft huff. “Ok.” He raised his hands peacefully, “Let’s take you home.”

“I’m gonna be late,” Kyle pushed his face in the crook of her neck, brushing his lips on her collarbones. 

She released a soft giggle, bending underneath him. “Passport control always takes ages,” Erika argued, wrapping her legs around his waist and keeping him exactly where he was standing in response. “Mark can wait,” she purred, her hands were all over Kyle as she sat back on her vanity table surface, pulling him closer.

He caught her lips in a heated kiss, unable to deny her. His big hands moved on her sides and down to her thighs. As soon as his palms touched her skin, Erika purred, melting under him. He easily lifted up the soft material of the silk shift she was wearing, exposing her.

“You are so bad,” Kyle pressed his smile on her chin, “you’d let your own brother wait all alone in the airport after the longest flight ever just to have some more sex.”

“Yes,” she pouted, ready to beg if necessary, “you should take it as a compliment.”

They had been going at it ever since they came home. Everything that was supposed to be said, everything that they were supposed to talk about, that Kyle wanted to ask and Erika needed to say, was forgotten once more just so they could find their connection skin on skin. 

It was blissful. Selfish, maybe, from both parts. And yet tremendously sweet. When she was between Kyle’s arms her mind was quiet and she felt safe. There was nothing threatening to hurt them. Nothing wrong.

And she simply couldn’t let go.

They had sex already twice in the midst of getting ready but it didn’t seem like they were done. It was easy for her to forget she was supposed to concentrate on doing her makeup and let him finish to dress up to go and pick up Mark. 

Kyle followed her neck, down to her chest, kissing, licking and nibbling on her soft, sensitive skin. When he continued down her sternum, unbothered by the thin material dividing him from her direct skin, Erika understood his intention and encouraged him with a soft whimper. 

He kneeled in front of her throwing her legs over his shoulders. His hands traced to her waist, surrounding her like a belt and holding her steady. His attention was only for her as he looked up, pale blue eyes glimmering with hot lust. 

“I do not have time,” he reminded her, bending his head and pressing his lips against the inside of her thigh, “but I can’t leave you knowing you are so needy.”

“No, you can’t,” her breath was hot and heavy as she looked at him move. “God,” she dared to chuckle, pushing a hand into his hair and keeping balance with the other. “You are so pretty in between my thighs it fucking hurts.”

“Yeah?” He wondered, only pretending not to be aware of the effect he had on her. The smirk he pulled gave her a shiver. He kissed higher up on her thigh. His lips were close to her core she felt his hot breath on her exposed flesh, and yet not giving her the satisfaction yet. 

She whimpered, nodding and stretching, feeling her need to find pleasure becoming an inconvenient ache pressing on her abdomen. “Please, Kyle,”

He didn’t let her waste anymore breath. Holding her steady, he pushed his face into her, and ate her up like she was made of honey. Erika almost lost every faculty as soon as his tongue caressed her folds, and she was completely gone by the time he started sucking her flesh. A moan vibrated through his chest, sending her to another planet.

The air soon filled by the obscene noises of Kyle’s mouth wrapped around her sex, accompanied by her moans. She wasn’t even trying to keep quiet by then. 

Pleasure started to build up inside of her stomach, sending electric shivers all across her limbs. Erika barely managed to balance herself up with an arm, but she didn’t care, she craved to push her fingers deeper between his hair just to hold him. In response, he looked straight up at her. His blue eyes were astonishingly beautiful. Making eye contact in such a moment was ravaging, so powerful her skin crawled with goosebumps, as pleasure only built. 

Erika didn’t take long to reach her edge and didn’t do anything to try and hold herself. She let herself go as her pleasure took over, growing through her, tensing her muscles as shivers crawled on her skin. Kyle skilfully guided her through her pleasure, following the movement of her hips and the quickness of her breath to know when she got close reaching her orgasm and then, he gave her exactly what she wanted, exactly what she needed, accompanying her through her release. She unravelled against him, her body shaking uncontrollably between his arms, as she called his name, lost in yet again another wave of pure bliss.

She then watched him rising to his feet. They were both out of breath. Erika felt pure electricity flowing in between them and under her skin and when he cleaned his chin and mouth up with his hand, she quivered, biting down on her lower lip not to beg him for more.

She needed another shower. A freezing cold one.

Erika slid her hands across his bare chest, looking at the scratch marks she left on his skin with extreme pride. “I wish we could just be like this all the time.”

“What? Having sex instead of being responsible and do adult things?”

“Precisely.” She looked away hiding from him, herself and everything else. The moment he’d leave her she would have only gone back to go insane again.

Kyle smiled softly. It was like he caught a glimpse of her sadness and, cupping her face, he made her look back at him. “I wish you talked to me,” his sweet request hit her right in the middle of the chest and ripped her apart. “You know I am here for you and I will always give you what you want. But I wish you’d tell me what’s wrong.”

She froze. Erika wished she could quit being that way. She wished it was just easier; she wished she let herself accept it could be easier. Instead, she pushed him away. “Yes,” she murmured sadly, “I know.” Erika attentively got back on her feet, still feeling her legs weak underneath her.

Kyle nodded. Her closing up to him once more was clearly something that hurt him. She saw it, she knew him well enough, and just wished she could be different.

She tried. For a moment they looked at each other and she truly tried to make her thoughts and emotions into words, but the knot in her throat silenced her. Her hesitation costed her their moment because Kyle was the one who broke eye contact and let her go.

He moved across the room and in the bathroom, quickly making himself presentable before slipping into the clean t-shirt he had already put on twice before and that had been promptly removed and thrown on the floor twice over. Then, he quietly picked a pair of white sketchers and sat on the edge of the bed to put them on.

Erika wanted so bad to pretend everything was ok. They just spent a couple of hours having fun, ignoring responsibilities to just fool around with each other, yet the air between them was suddenly frosty. She still faked it. She was so good at it. She pulled her stool back in front of the table and sat back down, looking at herself in the mirror. 

She was a mess. Her makeup needed to be re-done. She needed a thick mask to cover up all the hurt showing in her eyes.

“Is it Will?” Kyle finally broke the silence. “Actually, don’t answer to that. I know whatever is going on with you is connected to Will. I am not stupid.”

Erika closed her eyes and looked away, hiding from her own reflection and Kyle’s gaze in the mirror. “We don’t have time for this.”

“We do. Passport control takes ages,” Kyle reminded her. “Erika, please, it’s me. Tell me. I need to know if I did something wrong, somehow?”

“You didn’t. You never would,” Erika turned over to him, “But please, I am begging you, I can’t deal to talk about Will.”

“Did he hurt you?” His voice was suddenly so severe it scared her.

“What!?” She shook her head, “No! Of course, not.” Despite the fact that he hadn’t acknowledged her for days now and that distance between them was hurting more than she could ever say.

“Then what? What happened the other night that made you have such a change of heart? I thought you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did,” Erika needed to reassure him. Now more than ever she noticed the frustration he felt in his inability to reach her. There was something tormenting him in and now he wasn’t hiding how desperately he wanted to fix whatever was hurting her.

Erika got up and quickly moved to him. Her hands moved around his face without her even thinking about it, she needed to touch him to make contact. “I did enjoy myself. I wanted it.” Erika had to fight not to let memories flood into her mind.

“Then what is it? I left you your space and I don’t mean to overstep, but I thought you’d take a moment and then you’d look for me. But you haven’t. You are shutting me out.”

“I am not,” she knew he was right and still proceeded to deny it, “I did look for you.”

“When? You are over there and I am over here, I feel you slip away through my fingers.”

Erika took his hand and pressed it against her own chest, letting him feel her taking a deep breath. “I just did. I do it all the time.”

Kyle shook his head. “Sex isn’t enough anymore, Erika. I need to know what’s going on in your head. In your heart. I can’t take it anymore, please tell me what’s wrong. Tell me how to fix it.”

“You can’t fix it,” she shook her head, “It will pass. It doesn’t matter.”

“It clearly matters. It matters to you. It matters to me. And it matters to Will.”

Erika chuckled sarcastically, shaking her head. “Well about that I doubt.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means nothing. Kyle, please,” she huffed, trying to regulate her emotions in a way that wasn’t falling into an argument with the only person who didn’t deserve any of what she was throwing at him. “Go and pick up Mark. Let’s get through the party and then,”

“Then what? Will you talk to me then?”

“If I say yes?”

“I want to believe you.” Kyle looked up at her, defeated, “I need to believe you. But I don’t.”

“Ok, I can deal with that. What I can’t deal with is talking about Will now.”

“You will have to deal with him sooner or later, he is going to come over.”

“Yes, I am aware.”

“I just don’t understand what happened. You just shut both of us out.”

“Kyle,” Erika shook her head, “please, I am begging you.”

He looked so hurt. And so precious. Erika felt the need to scream and break something. It wasn’t fair, he didn’t deserve being treated that way. And yet she couldn’t bring herself to do anything different. In her chest guilt and shame vibrated, twisting her stomach painfully.

“Right,” Kyle dropped it, “fine.” He got up and leaned in, softly kissing her forehead. 

“I am so sorry,” she whispered, looking away, trying to fight her tears and her own pain. She hated to put more weight on Kyle’s shoulders, especially since she had the impression he felt somehow responsible.

“When you are ready, I’ll be there,” he left her. “Get ready. I’ll be back soon.”

“Ok,” she whispered and watched him leave the bedroom feeling suddenly so lonely and lost.

She hated herself sometimes. She knew why she acted the way she did. She understood her ways and yet she wished she could snap her fingers and just stop being a prick. Especially with Kyle.

He left without saying goodbye and when she was left completely alone, Erika stood in the middle of her bedroom for an ungodly amount of time, just looking at nothing, spacing out into her own doubts and despair.

When she realised she was so cold she was shivering painfully, she decided it was time to get a grip. To not let her brain take over and ruin her completely, she put some music on letting the living room speakers play loud, as she hopped in the shower, hoping to wash her problems off her skin.

An hour later she had all the arrogance to lie even to herself and think she was stronger than ever. Able to tackle anything. Everything was fine. It was still her favourite prayer. 

She had decided to melt her nerves helped by a shot of tequila to get her going. Her make up was done. Her hair fixed. She looked pretty, expensive and unbothered, just like she wanted. A perfectly executed mask. She only pretended she was wearing a cute outfit she casually picked, when she had the specific plan to be looked at.

Will was going to be there and she had every intention of getting his attention, one way or the other. It became a matter of pride. If he was doing everything in his power to ignore her and pretend nothing happened, she was set to make it as difficult as humanly possible for him. She needed to win. It was easier to think it that way than sulk. She was done being passive to her own pain. She wanted answers and she would have got them by the end of the evening. 

She even had the time to get the ambiance around the apartment just right to host a small gathering and just double checked with the catering that they’d be on time to set up before their friends arrived. 

When the doorbell went off, she gasped with surprise, fooling herself she could act completely cool. Everything was fine.

She hopped across her apartment on her tippytoes, still not wearing shoes. She was hoping it could be Kyle and Mark already even though she knew it was way too early. After picking Mark up from the airport, which was a potential forty-five minutes’ drive in traffic, Kyle was supposed to drop Mark back at his own place before driving him back there. It couldn’t be them. Plus, Kyle had the keys to get in the house. But she still answered the door with the same enthusiasm and expectations. 

“Hello,” she chirped, “come on up. Fifth floor,” she explained, realising it was probably the much less exciting catering guys coming in to set up.

Erika was still fiddling with her golden hoop earrings when she opened the door, ready to welcome their hired employees with a big smile. In the background played Rich Girl, by Daryll Hall and John Oates. “Hi, welcome,” as soon as her eyes set on the person standing by the entrance, she choked. Her smile hanged on her lips, and slowly froze when she realised, she wasn’t going to welcome Kyle or her brother and neither it was the catering. 

“Will,” she frowned, her throat sealed shut. It was the first time she saw him in days. She hid behind the door, trying to hold herself up. She had been doing such a good job, she couldn’t crumble the first second they interacted. “What are you doing here?”

He had his hands dug deep into his trousers and was looking straight at the floor, doing everything in his power to avoid eye contact. “Mark’s party. I was invited, remember?” 

The monotone in his deep voice drove her insane, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to slam the door in his face or choke him out more.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes. I know. I mean this early.”

He shrugged. “I can come back if you prefer,”

Erika widened the door, sliding to the side and signing him to come in. “Don’t be stupid. Kyle and Mark aren’t here yet though.” 

She did everything in her power to maintain her decorum. If she wanted to survive that evening, she needed to rise above. And yet, she already couldn’t think clearly. 

As Will entered her home, awkwardly looking around, she inhaled deeply his scent. She was taken by a primal need for her to know what perfume he was wearing. But it went deeper than that as she realised what she was looking for was the smell of his skin, bare, sweaty and marked by sex.

It was beyond her. Memories hit her stronger than ever. She felt his callous hands on her skin, his ghostly fingers traced her body, making her doubt what was reality and what was dream. She could still taste his mouth on her tongue just as clearly as she could feel his curly hair in between her fingers. Just like she was still in his arms, she could feel the pressure of his hold, or the weight of his body on hers.

It was excruciating. Unbearable. Made her want to rip her hair out and run away, never to come back. But mostly, it made her feel so small and insignificant. She wouldn’t have made it. 

She wanted him so bad it hurt in places she wasn’t aware could hurt for a person.

Will still didn’t look at her. “Do you have any booze?”

“Fridge for beer or wine, and mixers, don’t touch the bubbly. Freezer for vodka. Wine rack for more wine and tequila. Knock yourself out.” She turned around, pretending she didn’t care. Maybe she could have hidden in the bedroom until someone else arrived? 

No.

She had promised herself she’d stop being a coward and a prick and would handle the situation. And that was actually the perfect occasion to get what she wanted.

“I’m gonna finish getting ready. Mind letting the catering people in when they arrive?”

“Sure.” She heard him pop a beer open.

She wondered if he was looking at her then. She hoped he was. She was ready for a fight. She was ready to get it over with because she couldn’t take to have that awful, awkward situation hanging above her life, shaving off happiness from her current relationship. But, deep down, she was still naively hoping to get what she wanted. Which was Will.

She turned around, deciding to get to her best weapons immediately. First artillery fire. She leaned against the bedroom doorframe, looking directly at Will, ignoring how intensely he was studying every title in Kyle’s collection of pop-punk vinyl CDs. She didn’t know him to have ever been that interested in that music genre before.

“Do you like my dress, Will?” She wondered casually and watched his reaction with a dangerous, magnetic smile printed on her lips.

She watched avidly how he stiffened, raising his head and widening his shoulders, which only made her ego grow. Will didn’t move for the longest couple of seconds as his eyes traced up on the wall in front of him. He didn’t dare to look back but his eyes did move on the dozen frames patching up the wall retracting professional pictures of wrestling matches. Only the best of her work, exposed like in a gallery. Will had more than one spot on her wall. Now she was starting to understand why she liked to portray him so much.

“Don’t ignore me.”

He hissed, clearly bothered by her voice. “I am not.”

“So?”

“I dunno. Doesn’t matter what I think, does it?”

“It does if I am asking.”

He huffed and then hid behind his beer, taking two good gulps of it before just shaking his head. “Sure. You look very nice. But you know that. So, why bothering asking me?”

“How would you know? You haven’t even looked at me once.”

Will tutted and let his head fall back, releasing some of his frustration in a huff. He was still not facing her. “I am not playing your game, Erika.”

“Look at me, Will.” She ordered, summoning all her strength not to let any of her desperation show. She wanted to sound authoritative and not like a little scared girl who just wanted to be held. Somehow it made sense in her mind that that could be her best plan.

It seemed like he was willing to fight her. For a split second he held his position, without daring to move. He was holding his breath. But then, something gave in and he did turn. Not completely, as if he was still trying not to expose himself to her. But he did. And when he did, his eyes sliced through her like daggers, severe and detached. She didn’t recognise the cold in his gaze and kept stumbling in the fear that she was continuing to make mistakes.

That moment was the first that Erika realised it wasn’t only about the sex anymore. She wasn’t only looking at a man that couldn’t recognise being the same who held her so tenderly. But she also couldn’t recognise the Will she had liked and respected for so long from before. Before everything, they had been friends for a long time. Years. They shared trips, work, holidays, accommodations, moments of their lives that will always connect them. And yet, she was now cut out of it.

She was hurting so bad.

But, for the life of her, Erika didn’t dare to show an inch of it. He didn’t deserve it.

If that’s how it had to be, then she was determined to make him regret his choices.

Will shrugged. “So? What am I supposed to look at?” She was the one who was hit. But Will wasn’t done. “Let’s do this like civil adults, shall we? I am here for Kyle and Mark, let’s get through this. In a couple of days, I’ll be on the road again in Japan.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Knowing he was going to be gone fairly soon disheartened her. It didn’t seem like she was going to prove any point, let alone win at anything. And he was going away soon, maybe that was it, that was her answer. Let it go, for everyone’s sake. 

“You know what I mean.”

“No.” Erika crossed her arms, willing to appear as defensive as possible, “I do not know what you mean, William.”

The smile he whipped out was pure scorn. He took her words like a cheap shot, shaking his head. “My, my, you must be very upset. I rattle you pretty bad, don’t I? Don’t worry. You stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours and everyone lives happily ever after.”

“You are such a cunt.” Erika scoffed, raising her chin high, “I wish I never met you.”

“Oh, don’t you worry darling, the wish is mutual.” 

He went right to the jugular. His words slipped her throat. She felt something severing inside of her. Her chest was empty and squeezed, she was unable to breathe.

She closed herself in her bedroom, leaving Will alone. 

What was she supposed to do now? 

That was answer enough. Will gave her exactly what she thought she wanted, and in the meanest way he could possibly think to clear any doubt she may have had. Only, it was nothing like what she had hoped for.

She wanted a drink so bad. Somehow, she thought alcohol could fuzz her rational thoughts and soothe her. The only problem was that Will stood between her and her booze and she had no intention to look at him ever again.

Damn it. Damn him.

Erika cried in silence, huddled on the floor like a desperate little girl who couldn’t even take rejection on the chin like a champ.

She had ignored hearing Will moving around her apartment, turning on the tv and even talk loudly on the phone. It didn’t matter what he was talking about, to her it mattered the way he laughed and chattered like nothing bothered him. Then, when the catering showed up, she still ignored him when he tried to ask for direction – again acting like nothing happened between them. He even knocked on her door a couple of times, and she still didn’t respond.

By that point, Erika's only concern was to pick herself back up, fix what Will had just broken and keep pretending. For Mark. For Kyle. For herself.

By the time she had fixed her makeup for the nth time that evening, the first guests started to arrive and that was her queue to waltz out of the bedroom and be the perfect, prettiest host. She could only hope Kyle and her brother would arrive soon.

[curls101]

Tav Loredump Round 2 (Evil Edition): Regan Coleridge

me and @ms-scholars-gown-bnoc have been embarking on our Evil playthrough while we wait for a Act 3 bug to get fixed and they're taking over our brains

LIST (from @tolkien-fantasy )

Round 1 with my good boi Ralxire

This is Regan. Human, Knowledge Domain, Cleric of Mystra. Absolutely gorgeous, but also the most power hungry woman to ever live.

Why did you pick the race you did for your Tav?

Again, I'm trying to play all the races and honestly... I think this was the only way I was ever going to play a Human. It should be the first red flag amoungst my characters - I never play humans. Especially as we'd already established my bud was going to play Drurge, I knew I was going to need to make a really neuanced Tav

Why did you pick the class you did for your Tav?

Listen... I love evil clerics. I love them. I love the idea of piety as not inherently good, but rather neutral at best. Devotion as a force of destruction is my whole shit. I also love the idea of the persuit of knowledge/power as a neutral act.

Mystra is a neutral goddess - not a good one. She is magic. Magic is a tool, something to be understood. Regan does not see magic - or Mystra - as something beautiful. It is a power that can be harnessed and should be harnessed to the extreme.

What is your character’s moral alignment?

Neutral Evil / True Neutral depending on how you look at it

 How did you choose your Tav’s name, if you gave them a unique one?

The party Drurge was already called Cordelia and King Lear happens to be my favourite Shakespeare play. Regan had the right vibe for me - plus some of her scenes have been alarmingly close.....

Coleridge is an injoke just for me. I hate Coleridge. I was made to read the Ancient Mariner in a single night and I've never forgiven him for how long it is.

What are your character’s strongest and weakest stats (strength, charisma, etc)? 

Highest is WIS at 18 (currently). Lowest is DEX at 8. She's a tank

 What is your Tav’s origin story? 

When Regan was about 10ish she was given to a clergy of Mystra. Her parents lacked the means (or, in Regan's eyes, the will) to raise her. She would have been a wizard - most precious to Mystra - but she lacked the aplitude. Knowing that ejection from the monestary would spell her doom, Regan comitted herself to reverence instead. Day in and Day out she performed perfect piety. She contented herself to a future of kneeling at Mystra's feet.

Then the mindflayers happened and suddenly kneeling didn't seem so appealing.

 What was the most significant moment in your Tav’s origin story? 

I think we're in it. But in truth, it's not a single moment that is significant. It's the day-in, day-out subservience of worship. That grated on her.

 What deity, if any, does your character worship? 

Mystra. As the font of power. In future.... perhaps a more apt god will replace her.

 What is your Tav’s biggest priority or goal?

The persuit of power, enough that she may exert it on others.

If your Tav didn’t become an adventurer, what else would they be doing?

I think she'd either still be in that Temple, or she'd become the Main Villian of another DnD campagin

What is your Tav’s most used weapon or spell? 

We're still pretty low level, but I think it will be Spirit Guardians.

 What is your Tav’s favorite school of magic/weapon type?

Her go-to is Weapon and Shield - ideally spear or mace. She's a radient magic girl

How does your Tav fight in a combat situation?

She is in the thick of it, tanking blows and throwing out healing as she can.

 Does your Tav know any other languages besides Common? 

Likely several! Celestial at the minimum

 If your Tav could/does multiclass, what other class would they choose?

Paladin. Hard to think of an Oath she wouldn't break for her convinience though

Which of the companions does your Tav trust most? 

Cordelia/Drurge is cheating, although that's probably true. She sees Gale as imminently manipulateable, so likely him. Everyone else has too much self preservation

Which of the companions does your Tav distrust most?

Shadowheart. Cleric rivalry. Also, she's smarter than she lets on

 Who is your Tav’s biggest rival?

Mystra.

 Who is your Tav romancing, if anyone?

Sorry Gale......

If you’re romancing anyone, why did your Tav fall for them? And why did that character fall for your Tav?

This is some toxic stuff. This isn't a nice romance. Gale fell for her early - and who wouldn't! She's gorgeous and devoted to knowledge. She adores Gale's long winded explainations. Her relationship to Mystra is almost as complicated as his is. He just... didn't see the red flags until it was already too late.

Does Regan love Gale? I think unfortunately yes. But she doesn't love him to make him better. She loves his aptitude for magic, his boundless ambition that drew him to the Orb. She sees his folly not as a moment of weakness - a moment where his inherent insecurity led him to do something terrible - but merely poor execution. She lacks the moral compass that would make Gale better, in another timeline.

 If you’re romancing anyone, who fell first and who fell harder?

Gale and Gale. Sorry, bud

 How does your Tav act around their crush?

So confident. In the real world, she'd be the kind of girl to act supremely aloof around her crush and it would seem like she hated them

 What is your Tav’s favorite moment they’ve had with their lover?

We haven't got to weave sex yet, but it will be weave sex

 What is your Tav attracted to? What are their turn-ons and turn-offs? 

Power, bby. Or, more specifically, ambition. The willingness to chase power.

Turn offs are laziness, lack of ambition and extreme morality

 Does your Tav have any biases against other classes or races? 

Not specifically, only moral stances

 What is the most prominent color in your Tav’s color scheme?

White + pink/orange tones. Ideally I want to lean into white + gold for peak High Priestess vibes

 What is their sense of humor like?

Sarcasm. A little mean, but not intentionally.

 What is your Tav’s guilty pleasure?

Wine and sunbathing. Lounging like a cat. Fine, expensive things - things she's never had

 How easily offended are they? How do they act when offended?

Not especially easy to offend, but if you do get on her bad side, you're never recovering

 How does your Tav react when someone insults their friend/partner?

It depends what her relationship to them is. She's not quick to violence, but verbal beratement is on the table

 How does your Tav dress for different occasions, like very fancy situations?

Regan would have the wardrobe of an empress if she could. Her fashion sense is like... Ethereal Seductress. That dress in Act 3 is going to be a staple

 How did your Tav get their scars, if they have any?

Currently, she doesn't have any. That won't last

 What is your Tav’s relationship with their family?

Nonexistant and she's going to make it everyone's problem

 What is your Tav’s opinion on nobility and authority?

Complicated. She has respect for people who are "self made", but dispises those who are in power by virtue of their birth

 How does your Tav react to wearing the Wavemother’s robe? How do they react to their partner wearing it?

She would wear it 24/7 if she could. She would LOVE Gale in it. She's exactly the kind of woman who would have a thing for dressing up their partner

 What is your Tav’s favorite type of environment? Like in a tavern, a library, out in the wilderness, underground, etc.

Library, ruins...Surrounded by lost knowledge on all sides

 What would your Tav’s Zodiac sign be?

Gemini

 What is their favorite season?

Summer

 Where in the world does your Tav want to visit the most?

Anywhere and everywhere. She's never really been anywhere

 What is the biggest mistake your Tav ever made?

This... is tricky. Unfortunately for the world, she's pretty on the up-and-up rn. She would say something like "not finding another way to apply herself to the arcane"

 What animal best represents your Tav?

You and I both know it's a Fox or a spoiled all-white Cat

 What flower/tree/plant best represents your Tav?

Angel's Trumpets! Gorgeous. One of the most deadly flowers in the world, actually part of the nightshade family. The symptoms of it's poisioning are....knarly. But it's still widely cultivated because it's just so pretty. Comes in pink.

( This means that two of my BG3 characters have toxic plant connotations btw - my drurge in my solo playthrough is a Spores Druid called Amanita Ocreta )

 What does your Tav smell like? 

Chanel CoCo Mademoiselle

 What song best represents your Tav?

When I was making her, this song came on and it was just perfect

Gale @ her though:

 ALSO this is the theme for the run:

What would be your Tav’s favorite music genre?

Pop forever

 What role would your Tav play in a highschool AU? (nerd, jock, bully, goth, etc)

Mean Girl. She's basically Regina George already

 What is the most important item your Tav has?

Regan doesn't have many! Honestly it's money. She never had money before, she didn't need it. Now it's everything

 Where does your Tav feel most at home?

The Center of Attention

 What is your Tav’s philosophy on life?

That ultimately the world is merely about power. Regan has the reductive but unfortunately common view that it is the duty of the smart and capable to grab for power, and the weak to suffer. She'd be a hustler irl.....

 Does your Tav think more with their heart or their brain?

She doesn't have a heart to think with

 What does your Tav want in their future? (domestic bliss, more adventure, a family, etc)

Stability in a position of power. Control.

 What is your Tav’s worst fear?

To be forced to serve

 Is your Tav easily tricked or deceived?

Yes. Her power grabbing is transparent

 If your Tav was granted a single wish, what would it be?

Godhood

 How does your Tav feel about keeping secrets, both their own and others?

A necessity. Secrets are to be used and traded like all else

 How would your Tav react to a love confession?

Amusement

 What are your Tav’s biggest insecurities?

That someone will see her ambition for what it is - fear and insecurity.

 What decision would your party have to make in order for Tav to consider splitting off from the group?

The destruction of knowledge. Sitting around waiting to die. All other positions she at least sees as malleable

 What is your Tav’s favorite food?

Fruits

 How generous is your Tav, especially to those they don’t know?

Regan does not believe in generosity for its own sake. Only for gain.

 If an evil character told your Tav that they wanted to change and help them, would they believe it?

Hah... Well, they'd be talking to the wrong girl

 What meme describes your Tav the best?

  What does your Tav want to be remembered by?

Influential. Strong. Powerful. Awe

 What Tarot Card best represents your Tav?

The Magician both upright and reversed

 What would be your Tav’s major in college?

Buisness or Economics

 Does your Tav consider themselves a hero, villain, victim or something else?

Victim or Hero. She is a Villian though

 How good is your Tav at giving advice? How good are they at following it themselves?

Regan only gives advice to maniplulate others into doing what she wants or to earn their trust. She doesn't take advice. She's too self-important

 How does your Tav get along with each party member?

Gale -> He loves her. She loves that about him Astarion -> They're running the same grift. They get along accordingly Shadowheart -> Tentative. Regan is who she pretends to be La'zel - > They haven't figured each other out yet Wyll - > N/A Karlach -> N/A Minthara - > Remains to be seen. But something tells me they'll get on

 What are your Tav’s other hobbies?

Reading, mostly. I think she learns sections of history for fun.

 (Free Spot: Ask any question you’d like!)

Weirdly, I always think about Caeser when I think of her? I think she's also aiming for like taking an obscure religious office and turning it into power.

[aladaylessecondblog]

4:20:05 (Raphael x Tav, pt. 4)

Tw: Noncon, blood drinking

If, Tav thought, I can survive losing three loves, I can survive this. This is nothing.

She healed the bite mark on her neck in front of a mirror, and stared at the scar that formed beneath her fingers once she was done. It was on her darker skin, thankfully--easier to hide than if it had been on the paler part just on her shoulder. No one would think anything of it.

Let the devil leave his mark, it won't matter. It's just another scar.

She had plenty of those already, what was one more?

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

The next twenty minutes of time with him were spent on her knees. Five times he turned up, saying not a word the entire time. Tav found she preferred it this way, honestly. No quips, no remarks, no attempts to probe for weaknesses. Only a few minutes of tongue work that would lead to her swallowing down his seed and his vanishing before she could get back off her knees.

(If only, she thought, every other pain could be banished in the same way. Swallowed and forgotten.)

These visits were actually bearable; it was the OTHERS that stung her most.

Tav had just seen off a lone Gur traveler (how unusual, she'd thought briefly) and was finishing hanging up some washed clothes to dry when she heard the familiar step and voice behind her.

"Such a pity, to see the Lady fall so far."

"As I've said before," she replied, not stopping her work, "I can adapt to almost anything."

"There are no circumstances to which a man may not become accustomed," Raphael started.

"Particularly if he sees that they are accepted by those about him," Tav finished.

"Ah, so you ARE well-read! Brava, my dear, brava indeed."

She took a deep breath, and grabbed the empty basket to carry back inside. A hand at her elbow stopped her.

Deep breath. Pretend nothing is wrong. Pretend this is all normal.

"What an immense mass of evil must result from allowing men to assume the right of anticipating what may happen," was then whispered in her ear.

Then a dark chuckle sounded off.

"It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness," Tav added.

She was turned and pressed against the nearest tree; a moment later Raphael's lips were on her neck.

"What do you want?" Tav asked suddenly, "You could have just as easily spilled everything and...taken...everything from me."

"Oh, now what would that accomplish?" There was a smirk, and a slight nip. "My little mouse, you would obliterate anyone he sent after you. We BOTH know he would never range this far out himself. And as I recall, you're in possession of a Daylight spell...it wouldn't end well for those poor defenseless spawn, now would it?"

"Why would you care about some vampire spawn?"

"Because, oh apple of my eye," he whispered in her ear, as his hips pressed close against hers, "When you break, I want to be there to see it."

She gulped slightly. A second later Raphael's lips curved into a grin against her jaw.

Anything I say he will take as a challenge, she thought, and chose instead to stay silent.

"Perhaps the pieces will be of use once they have fallen," he went on.

"To be killed, I imagine."

"How you wound me, Tav, to think I have such a lackluster imagination," Raphael tutted at her, "Imagine it. Your flesh, my supper; your blood, my wine; your soul, my plaything."

"That's just saying you mean to destroy me with extra steps."

And then, of all things, Raphael knelt.

"Pain, I can take. Spilling my blood doesn't mean anything anymore," Tav went on, as he lifted her skirts, then prompted her wordlessly to hold them up. "Men are alive who were dead. The gods they prayed to don't even remember. Nothing--"

"Nothing is real anymore," he finished the sentence for her, in exactly the words she was planning to use. "Everything is the same, save four people among all Faerun, the hells, and the Outer Realms. One person unknown, Cazador..."

There was a brief chuckle as he reached up to slide her underwear down with both hands. She stepped out of them, and shivered when he kissed his way up her inner thigh.

Why is he doing this? He is NEVER the one on his knees.

"...then you, and me...we are all that remember what came before. A clean slate for us all."

Tav looked straight ahead. He wanted her to ask who the fourth person was, and she refused to take the bait, already knowing what would result. He'd probably offer to tell her if she added more time to her debt, and she would do anything to avoid that.

"So quiet, my pet." A kiss at one of her thighs. "Does the idea not please you? Shall you not rejoice that some of what you lost can be yours again?"

"No," Tav replied, eyes half-glazed over as she stared into the distance. "Because I won't be getting any of it back."

There was a dark series of chuckles against her skin. A moment later, he moved one of her legs over his shoulder, and pressed forward. His tongue swept over her clit and pleasure leaped in her gut. She shut her eyes and let out a soft moan for him, knowing he'd demand it if she didn't.

The stiff bark of the tree pressed to the back of her head began to sting. She tried to imagine something else--anything else, but all that came to mind was Halsin, and the way he'd eaten her out that first time. Against a tree, like Raphael was doing now.

She opened her eyes again, and moved one hand to the back of his head. There was a brief smirk at the touch.

He must've been practicing with Haarlep.

His tongue circled and pressed and flicked in more practiced a way than she'd ever expected of him. It was a struggle not to show too much enjoyment--she hated it, hated every little touch and press of his tongue. But her body responded to it anyway; pleasure thrummed through her veins with every movement. Pleasure she couldn't choose not to feel.

I hate you. I HATE you.

Had he been any other man...

Deep breath as his tongue moved lower, and then back up again. His free hand moved up her thigh and turned, pressing one finger and then two inside her.

"Oh--"

Tav gasped, and found herself clenching at Raphael's hair as his hand started to move. She wanted to imagine someone else, anyone else, but there was nothing for it. She couldn't--she was determined she would imagine no one else, that she wouldn't let herself range that far. Better not to remember them that way. Better not to remember anything good they'd done.

It would make this easier.

"I do so love hearing your voice call out for me," came his arrogant tone, when he pulled back for a moment, "I shall have to remember to do this more often, now I know you like it so much."

"Bull--shit--" Tav groaned, "You, on your knees? You don't do that for anyone."

"But I've done it for you," Raphael purred, "You should be pleased. No one else has had that particular honor."

She didn't have a chance to say more. His head moved down again, his tongue teasing and caressing at the swollen bud even as his fingers thrust inside her. Ecstasy was rising, rising fast, so quickly she could do nothing but let the little moans fall with every move--

--and then, suddenly, it stopped. Tav let go of his hair, breathing hard, not wanting to meet his eyes as her leg moved down and he came back up.

She could already in her mind see the smirk on his face, the glint in his eyes.

"Did you really think I would let you finish any way other than on my cock?" he growled softly in her ear.

"How..." Tav was breathing hard as she replied, "...how stupid do you think I am? I know you better than that."

It seemed to be the right answer. Raphael chuckled darkly, and turned her face towards his. A second later his lips were on hers, his tongue pressing forward to ensure she tasted herself. At least now, now, she could close her eyes, lose herself for just a moment.

When he pulled back, she blinked--and his cambion form greeted her the moment her eyes were open.

She knew what he wanted before he even asked it, and looked down to unbutton his trousers, freeing his cock and stroking at it for a few moments before looking back up again.

"You're enjoying this too much," she said quietly.

"That sounds like defiance."

"It's not," Tav replied mutely, "Besides, if you wanted me quiet you'd say so."

A moment later he reached down, bringing her up, legs spread and her knees at his sides.

She kept her dress out of the way, took a deep breath--and gasped anyway when he thrust inside her. No matter the preparation he'd given her, the fact was his cock was bigger in this form, and it spread her almost painfully.

"It could have have been like this, little mouse," Raphael groaned, as his hips pistoned roughly against her own, "Endless pleasure, you yielding only to me..."

"You...wouldn't...have kept your...oh...your word." Tav struggled to speak at the speed he was moving against her. "You're a devil, devils lie."

"I WAS being honest with you, even when you weren't being honest with yourself." His mouth moved to her neck, and he teased her skin with his teeth. "You were simply too much of a fool to see it."

He was silent only for another few seconds.

"Do you hope for it again, my dear? The chance to do what you refused to before? Is that why you say you won't pursue your last loves? Answer."

"No," Tav replied automatically. She moaned at a deep thrust, and raised her hands to his shoulders. "That's not why I--said that."

"Then why?" there was another groan. "Tell me--why you said it. And be honest."

"I don't plan to pursue them," she gasped, "Because...because I would rather not have them at all, than have them and lose them again."

She was almost glad of the orgasm that tore through her then, that had ecstasy race through her veins in lusty heat, that raised her voice in one final moan and left her clenching down on Raphael in more than one way. It let her shut her eyes to everything, for a precious few seconds.

"Oh," Raphael's voice husked against her neck, "My poor, poor Tav...so much you've suffered. If only you would trust me, you would see..."

He moved slowly against her, not overwhelming her with the sensation, but still filling her nonetheless. She would have enjoyed it, were he anyone else. From the sound of his breathing, it wouldn't take him much longer.

"S-see what?"

Tav gave a slight yelp when she felt his sharper cambion teeth sink into her skin, and quailed (from what, she wondered, she'd had her blood drunk before!) as his tongue swept over the blood that resulted.

It was just a slight trickle, but he drank every drop, thrusting softly, until finally he buried himself as deeply as possible--and with his body shuddering, spilled himself empty inside her. His mouth came up, breathing hard, to press a coppery kiss to her lips.

Only when the last aftershocks of his pleasure were gone did Raphael reply.

"That if you want someone who will not be lost to an assassin's blade, you need look no farther than the man before you."

Another kiss.

I hate you.

Finally, he withdrew, giving a brief glance downward before letting the skirts of her dress fall back down. He let her stand on her own two feet. After he commanded her to fix him as well--as she was tucking him back into his trousers and rebuttoning them, he spoke again.

"Three hours. Forty-four minutes, and thirty-seven seconds."

A sweet nothing in her ear, it sounded like.

"I thought you wanted me broken, but...that makes it sound like..."

"You're of no use to me truly broken, my pet. I only want you more...amenable."

"What--what use am--what do you want?" She looked back at him.

"What I wanted last time, Tav." His forehead pressed gently against hers, "The Crown of Karsus."

Raphael's lips were brushing against hers--

--and then, suddenly, he was gone.

Tav sank down, buried her face in her hands, and began to sob.

[excessive-vampires]

Dealing With Demons Chapter 15: Raising the Stakes Part 1 Riley

Masterlist with CW

Taglist: @demyxdancer @softvampirewhump @d-cs

Riley stood next to Cee as they waited for the Uber. It was awkward, Cee was still fuming and Riley didn’t want to risk making her even more angry, but they had about a million questions for the headstrong woman at their side. They decided to just skip to the most important question. 

“I still don’t understand how you could call Avi your friend? They were possessing you. Do you have Stockholm Syndrome or something?”

Cee sighed. “I was waiting for you to ask.” She sounded tired. “Riley, do you know what it’s like to be so thoroughly trapped that you know that there’s no way to escape without becoming trapped in a different way?”

After a moment of thought Riley responded. “No.” 

“Well, I do. And I chose the cage that was gilded. Besides, it’s not like Avi never considered my input or did what I wanted to do instead of what they wanted.” 

“Why would they do that?” 

Cee shrugged. “It’s like having a roommate, you’ve got to compromise if you want things to go smoothly. And if things weren’t going smoothly I could always mentally sing all the shitty country songs I still have memorized until I got what I wanted. Plus, we could feel each other’s emotions. Unless they were blocking me out, which they can’t do if I don’t ask them to, as per the terms of our deal, if one of us was sad so was the other. So we each had a vested interest in keeping each other happy.”

Cee closed her eyes and learned gently against a wall before continuing. 

“And it’s not like Avi’s pure evil or anything. They were incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to live like a human. I gave them something they thought they would never have. You can’t imagine what that means to a manifestation of avarice.”

“And what did they give to you?” 

“Fun, and a future, and someone I could rely on to take care of me when I needed it. And like a million dollars.” 

“What?”

“Oh yeah, we’re filthy rich. Avi owns this resort in Vegas, it brings in the big bucks. Plus they’re an expert at the stock market.” 

Riley tried to think of how to respond to this information. “You’re paying me back for this Uber.”

“Of course.” Cee’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. But it still reminded Riley so much of Avi that they had to look away for a minute or risk drowning in conflicting emotions. 

Just then the Uber pulled up. As Cee walked towards it Riley remembered that Avi had asked them to take care of her. Despite everything, they felt they should keep their word on this one, and maybe even go the extra mile. 

“I’m going to ride with you, make sure you get home okay.” 

“Don’t you need to stay with the team?” 

“They’re not going to send me on a mission with guaranteed combat. I can take the time to stay with you.”

“Okay, thanks,” Cee said unenthusiastically. Riley suspected she was still bitter at being made to leave the base. 

“I could stay with you after you get home too, for protection.”

“You can’t do anything to protect me, so don’t try.” Cee’s tone wasn’t cruel, just matter-of-fact and tired. She climbed into the car and Riley followed, choosing not to respond. 

The ride was silent. Cee stared out the window. The driver, thankfully, decided against making small talk. Riley tried to prepare themself for a long ride full of awkwardness. 

But they were still within sight of the building when it exploded.

“Stop the car!” Riley yelled, unnecessarily, as the driver had already slammed on the breaks. Almost as soon as the car was no longer moving Riley was out the door. 

They vaguely heard Cee call out, “Call nine one one!” and get out of the car as well, but they didn’t wait for her. Instead they ran as fast as their long legs could propel them. 

…… 

When they reached what was left of the base they ran inside without a second thought and headed towards Coleman’s office, that’s where the team had gone after Riley left. They saw Mike first. He was conscious, and his leg was pinned under a huge chunk of rubble. 

“Mike!” Riley called out and ran towards him. 

“I’m fine.” His voice sounded anything but. “Well, not fine, but I’m not gonna die. Check on Sil, she’s over there, I think she hit her head.” 

Riley looked in the direction Mike was pointing until he saw a flash of red. It was Sil’s hair, and as Riley got closer they could see it was matted with blood. But they also saw her chest rising and falling. 

“She’s breathing!”

“Oh thank god.” 

Upon looking her over, Riley realized she seemed vulnerable while unconscious. It was often hard to remember that Sil was the youngest on the team, and one of the youngest casters in the Bureau. It wasn’t hard to see now. 

Riley jumped when someone grabbed their arm, they turned to see Cee, face red from running and coughing from the dust and smoke. 

“Uber driver called nine one one.” She got out in between coughs. “Where’s Coleman?”

Shit, Coleman. Riley scrambled over to the remains of Coleman’s desk and started searching through chunks of concrete wall. Cee followed and helped. Eventually they uncovered Coleman’s head and half her torso, the other half was trapped under rubble too heavy to move. 

“Director? Director Coleman?” Riley asked, panic rising in their voice. 

Coleman coughed. Then she lifted a hand weakly and Riley grasped it. As she squeezed their hand she spoke in a raspy voice so different from her normal clear commanding tone. 

“Agent Bishop… Cliff Mason has to be stopped. Call in help from the other bases, from the FBI, from everyone.” 

“I know, Director, I know.” 

Then the sound of sirens began approaching. Riley stayed with their team until the paramedics came, and Cee stayed by their side.

[meltthefrozenheart]

Frozen 2 Theory: What If the director willingly left seeds for a possible 3rd installmeant?

Totally personal, but the more I analyze it, the more I notice some sort of pattern around Frozen 2: the movie is very careful at showing in its opening WHAT idea Anna and Elsa had of themselves before the Accident (which, following Jennifer Lee prespective, happened that same night), and how that tragic event and the Separation distorted the Sisters view in opposite ways, which reconnects perfectly with the events of the first Frozen.

The insteresting thing is the focus given by Anna and Elsa on the characters of the story:

Anna says "Who cares about danger, when there is love.", and focuses on making the Prince and the Princess kiss each other in an exxagerated way;

Elsa instead says "They wake the Fairy Queen, who breaks the spell and saves everyone!", and her focus is on the good Fairy Queen defeating the evil Snow Goblin;

Both narrations obviously work in their own regards, but also compliment each other: even if for Elsa "kissing won't save the Forest", this doesn't stop Anna from closing the story with an "And they all get married!", and having her older sister laughing without contradicting her. This is clearly a way to show the Sisters simpler and happier times, when fantasy and games were their only issue.

But what makes me more curious is how Frozen 2 than brings Anna and Elsa both to a very specific ending: Queen Anna is engaged to Kristoff, but their "big moment" still needs to happen, while Elsa has just begun as the Fifth Spirit, without facing an actual threat yet, just destroying Prince Hans ice-memory.

Both Sisters have found their own place in the world, but there are also sides of their story which relate to them, but it's NOT ONLY about them:

If Anna thinks about Hans as a Villain, she also views Elsa as a Hero, her hero, as she has always done since the first movie, when she had so much hope in her "Sure you can. I know you can.";

If Elsa views Kristoff as Anna true Love Interest, it's because he proved time and time again that he's a true Prince for her amazing and brave little sister , who she always trusted to be Arendelle true leader in her place "Your life awaits. Go enjoy the Sun and open up the gates.";

I'm sincerly convinced this new situation perfectly suits both Kristoff and Hans because we've seen Anna and Elsa already going through a lot of things about themselves.

I've always loved idea to see our Snow Sister being the one taking charge in relation and thinking about others issues, diving into Kristoff's childood, his original family and how he met Sven, and how the Trolls help him regarding his trauma, as well as finally getting a clearer idea of Hans , seeing a little more about him and Sitron, and seeing finally the Southern Isles, a kingdom we only know for having thirteen heirs to the throne:

If Anna was the one that gave great importance to both of them in Frozen, now, thanks to Elsa in Frozen 2, we have now the key to truely know the past:

With the Sisters have both their lives consolidated, then I think it becomes quite clear they can't be the source of trouble to actually subvert the expectations of the story a third time, or, to be more specific: in order to involve Anna & Elsa directly and don't lose the focus on them, the issues must come from something that's fits their new status quo, but still has a deep and personal connection to them, both emotionally and narratively.

[mooflettes]

Tbh, I think that Pecharunt used to be mischievous but never causing any real trouble. But after being banished, he became a lot more malicious and revenge driven. I’d say he needed the masks so that he can absorb them and be able to see where Terapogas is. Despite all this, he keeps his mischievous side as a facade, as a coping mechanism to forget about the physical and mental pain he has to constantly endure. Almost like a mask if you think about it.

I’d say that Pecharunt renamed itself to ‘Dokutaro’ or ‘Dokuwāro’ to sound more menacing.

Now, I really hope Pecharunt becomes the main antagonist on its own in this fic since most antagonists tend to be evil teams who sometimes controlled legendary Pokémon, in my opinion, it’s gotten a bit stale. So it’ll be interesting to see a Pokémon acting as an antagonist on its own and acting malicious (Pecharunt actually wants to KILL Millie).

So whatever Project Venus is, I can see Pecharunt sabotaging it and using it to its own benefits.

Now, for some headcanon powers, I think that he can release souls that he absorbed to have some kind of hive-mind. To make up his lack of combat skills, he’s a master at manipulating others and a master at psychological warfare. As he was able to manipulate Kieran to do what it wants but leave Kieran in the dust.

He would also kill his victims by manipulating them to kill themselves, since to him, it’s easier to absorb souls this way.

And, by psychological warfare, he does that again and again even at the end of the fic as before he unfused and everyone was celebrating, he used the last of his power to blast at Carmine as he knew that Kieran would save her. And that does happen. Carmine would be overwhelmed with guilt from that incident onwards. Since Kieran is now trapped in the timeline where the future paradox Pokémon live. Which is why I said this ending has a hollow victory, the protagonists won, but at what cost?

Kieran would break out of Pecharunt’s control later on by the protags, only to suffer later on again.

Since if I were to put in Pecharunt’s words when asked by the protagonists:

“The world has betrayed me, so why should I play fair?!”

(He can speak but choosing to Poké speak instead)

SORRY FOR RAMBLING ON AGAIN. I have some ideas but I think I gone a bit overboard. But again, you choose to use any of these ideas if you want!

WTF THIS ANSWER GOES HARD!!! I DONT THINK YOU REALIZE IT BUT YOURE A BIT ON THE NOSE WITH WHAT I BELIEVE ABOUT PECHARUNT WOULD IN PROJECT VENUS! Ofc, I wanna keep the twists and turns surprises, so I can't rlly go in-depth with how right you might be or WHO "Project Venus" is.

But I do believe that Pecharunt could absorb souls and release them, or like the toxic chain, chain those souls to itself (Think of how Shinigami gets Yuma to follow her around in Rain Code)

But it is also parasitic, in which it infects itself onto a main host and then that host has most of its power, which it can inflict onto others via zombification, resurrection, etc!

I cant say who or what gets possessed in Project Venus other than the obvious, but I'll say that the idea will actualky be used in canon, soon.

About Carmine...she is HEAVILY GUILTY for how she treated her brother, and in the fic I plan for Carmine and other characters to have tender moments, as pokémon doesn't fully get to delve into the nitty-gritty of family issues like I want them to (ie. Grief, jealousy, tension, etc.) And we already see such an example with Millie and her mother

I wanna cover as many bases as I can without making Millie seem like a "woe is meee" type character. While she is our protag and she has her moments I want to allow her, and many others, to at least gave clarity

ALSO PLEASE DON'T APOLOGIZE! YOUR RAMBLES ARE MUCH APPRECIATED AND IT'S MOTIVATING ME TO WRITE AGAIN! I SHOULD REALLY GET TO WORK ON THE NEXT CHAPTER SOON TBH LOL BUT UT DOES MEAN BUNCHES YOU SHOW GREAT INTEREST!!!

[asphalt-eater]

a very incoherent analysis(?) of the funky evil bird woman

so ive seen a lot of interpretations of lorelei's character being a yandere type or just generic manipulative evil smiley woman and while i don't hate those, i do think they miss a lot of the potential her character has. what im trying to say is that lorelei could be a very tragic character.

she's the parallel to doppel and glass, which i know surprised quite a few people (i'm quite a few people) because wouldn't alchemy be a better fit? they're both performers, with a general theme of transformation? but alchemy is parallel to bandy, and doppel and glass parallel to lorelei as we now know. i think this isn't just because of the idea of shattering glass or whatever, i think it could also be in, say, backstory

the part of doppel and glass's backstory i want to focus on is: rich parents in magic phobic kingdom, child ends up escaping. that's a very simplified version, but it is relevant to what i want to draw on. so, what if instead of the child being magic and running away out of fear, it was more just a simple talent, and they stayed? so what im suggesting is a younger lorelei had a talent for singing, and looked aesthetically pleasing? then she stays, and her parents see this as an opportunity to get rich, so they sign her up for all sorts of competitions and then shows, she gets famous at a young age, and never really becomes free to be herself, always needing to have a good public appearance?

this theory is supported by a couple of things. for starters, the general toxicity of the music industry, which sort of speaks for itself, and the black swan character. lorelei already has a swan motif going on, especially a swan lake one, and the whole idea of her "black swan moment" had been a very popular image in this admittedly extremely small fandom, prompting a lot of fanart. but of course, it also brings to mind the film black swan (a film i have not seen), which is about an artist trying to break free from the image they have been attached to, becoming the black swan.

this has been mostly just an incoherent ramble, but i hope i was at least semi-successful in getting my point across lmao.

also i would like to mention

the only time a swan sings is when it is about to die.

[wastingoxygensince1983]

Kinda a long post so sorry to everyone,

Man I can't stop thinking about the crown keepers. There's something about the characters and the chemistry from this group that just hits.

And since we learn that Orym and Fearne were gonna be in the bell hells campaign I'd been wanting to have a crossover between both adventure parties.

But I realized that although it sounds good on paper is almost impossible to pull it out.

Bell Hells is a group of 7 players and the crown keepers are 5 at the moment(without counting Cyrus because he is more like a NPC).

That would means that we would have a table with 12 people on it plus the DM/GM and I think that would be too bad and would bring negative aspects instead of the positive.

But looking for ways to make it work I came to this dumb idea.

Less a crossover and more a crossover event. Where we have a two episodes event for the crown keepers at the same time than the main campaign and the exu episodes would be somehow connected to the main campaign.

Like imagine if to be able to break the mini divine gate from Rudius, Otohan needs to break(or do something) with multiple seals(like Tarizdum in cr2). And the solstice is close and there's two seals left. BH needs to be in two places as one and they can't. So they contact Dorian and the CK; which would immediately drop everything to go help.

This would also help with the paragons call, that for me is a huge group for the bell hells party. Maybe Otohan split her crew and send some to one seal and the other with her goes to the other. And CK would have to fight against one part of the paragon and BH would fight the rest.

It would be a two weeks event where the exu episodes play on tuesdays and the main campaign would be on thursday.

Obviously the exu episodes with Aabria and the main campaign with Matt.

Besides the obvious problem with excedules for all of them. The major issue I see is that Matt would be exhausted after those two weeks(we can't have Dariax without Matt playing i).

We can include some CK things on it; like maybe Polska decide to help Otohan to hurt CK. Or like Jourrael lore mention they are looking for the circlet and we can see that while CK are doing the mission for BH, they appear and attack Opal. I would love to imagine after meeting them on cr2, the inevitable end would become some allied or even friend to CK through Aimee's sheer level of chaotic genius+dice gods.

And the solstice is a huge event in Exandria. Is Lolth just gonna ignore it? is already interesting that her circlet was activate close to the event and she chose a champion very close to the solstice. Is she planning something?

Like I said, I realized that I could never get Opal and Laudna interacting, bonding over having incredible powerful evil beings in their head, gooy creepy powers.

Fearne and Morrigan meeting and doing the spiderman meme because the hat yeet them both to Exandria.

Imogen having migraines after interacting with Opal and Dariax's antics.

The reunion of the Original Exu Party. The CK talking with Fearne and Orym about what happened on Bassuras.

Bell Hells meeting and watching the chaotic gremlins doing anything.

But at least there's a lot of things we could have.

Maybe at the end of the crossover event, we can have a pre recorded message from one of the groups to the other.

[tiffanylamps]

Lamps you KNOW i HAVE to ask about catholic guilt but sexy!!!!

Turnip, you have picked my most slutty, debauched, utterly filthy wip to date. Just ask Cay, she's read the snippets, she knows all about the super unsavoury plans 😩💀 From this tag game

I'm putting a read more break here cause... yeah....

catholic guilt but sexy is set in a Beyond Evil au, where Yu Yeon lives and Dong Sik follows his family's religion. So much so, that he becomes a priest of a small parish. His life is pretty quiet, he has his friends and his flock, and he's even beloved by his local community. He's... he's okay. (Even if on the inside he feels like screaming). Everything is going according to plan, he's doing fine, until... A snobby, uppity, good-looking prick from Seoul gets transferred (banished) to his parish to be his new Deacon. Han Joo Won enters Dong Sik's life and absolutely destroys it. He is Dong Sik's demise. His doom. His very-own Judas, who has come to kiss him on the cheek.

He is brash and unrestrained, he talks openly about things he disagrees with, he doesn't care about what's expected of him by the church or God... and as time passes, his warm honesty, his single-minded determination, and his utter devotion to Dong Sik, rips the wool from Dong Sik's eyes to reveal what life could be like if he just let himself have it. Han Joo Won isn't Dong Sik's doom. He is his saviour. [Or... Dong Sik meets Joo Won and finds it impossible to repress his sexuality, which results in some freaky, freaky sex. Ngl, in this fic, there's a lot of guilt and shame, a fuckton of internalised homophobia, angst, and some pretty heavy BDSM, but a lot of love... so much love]

Here's a snippet of one of my favourite scenes... Just to be absolutely clear, this fic is rated a hard E. It was super hard to pick a short snippet, but I think you'll like what I've chosen. This snippet is of their first kiss. Obviously, Joo Won kisses Dong Sik first and these few paragraphs focus on Dong Sik kissing him back.

Dong Sik wants to cry. You fool, what have you done? But Joo Won didn't do anything that Dong Sik hasn't already spent twilights and sunsets dreaming about. 

Up until this point, his unwavering desire has trickled like a stream. But after he’s felt the warmth of Joo Won’s lips, he has become drenched with a waterfall of need. He silently prays that their Lord will have mercy on him. He is only one man, only a man… and Joo Won is a magnetic force too powerful to vanquish. So, he finally doesn’t fight it. He might find the strength one day. But not now. 

Joo Won breathes him in as Dong Sik gingerly brings their lips back together. It’s been so long since he’s done anything like this, almost Joo Won’s entire lifetime… Which… oh fuck, what a ghastly thought. There’s a smile against his mouth as fragile as origami in inept hands and it draws him in, asking to be treasured, begging for him to be the one to admire it. Dong Sik doesn’t know if he’s worthy - he might crush it and forever lose this opportunity - but he doesn’t stop himself from gently kissing Joo Won anyway. 

Joo Won moves closer with a bubbling, restless energy that reminds Dong Sik of the blooming riots of spring. A time for youth and life; gleeful as young love permeates the air with a joy that Dong Sik hasn’t felt before. It’s an infectious feeling and for a second, he allows himself the solitude of just basking in it. He can pretend that he’s free from the eyes of God and hell and anyone in between. He can pretend he’s living out the springtime flings of his youth, instead of the quiet comforts of his autumn years.

- So... yeah... that's the priest fic I was working on. At the moment, it's kind of a dead wip but I hope you've enjoyed what you've read. Thanks again for sending me this. (this fic is guaranteed to send me to hell... if I ever actually finish writing it lol)

[animatedminds]

Catching up on "My Adventures With Superman"

I've been watching this one but doing it in the stints thing where I take a break for a couple weeks and then binge a few episodes at once. Just did one of those to catch up to the present and thought I'd share my reactions to the latest episode... seeing as it features my favorite of all of Superman's villains: the illustrious Mr. Mxyzptlk.

I know I'm Super late on this (ha), given that this is six episodes in, but I think I'll just give my thoughts on the two-parters coming up as they come/conclude and then my final thoughts on the show as a whole when its over. You can already get a bit of that towards the end of this, though. Episode 6: "Kiss, Kiss, Fall in Portal." So, this one reminded me of Spider-Verse. Not the movie. The original comic. And not in a good way. It has that same "we'll introduce the multiverse to give every bit of continuity ever made an established place so that we can homage everything... but actually devalue everything by forcing it to fit into a very rigid and contrived paradigm" feel.

For a while I've been starting to think the people who make this show don't actually see Superman's world and characters as especially interesting, which is why they've mostly been turning them into imitations of other things. The Legion of Lois'es, especially, really brought that feeling out: so the ultimate evolution of every prominent Lois Lane in every previous Superman property we've ever seen is... to cease to be Lois Lane and become Flash Gordon instead? It's such a jarring contrast for the primary Lois in this series to be someone whose main motivation is to become a reporter and help people by getting answers, only for the show to say "once you become the best you can be you won't even need to be a reporter anymore - then you'll be a cool sci-fi hero and do cool sci-fi hero stuff!" - and it then feels like Lois feeling insecure falls flat because none of these characters even do the things she or any other Lois we've ever seen cares about. I think it mostly hit me this way because this doesn't really get a resolution. The characters give the Multiverse Police the slip (which I do love, see below), but there isn't really a "I'm going to be the best I am because that's who I am, not what you think I'm worth" moment from Lois. She (and thus, the show) just kind of internalizes it.

I might be being harsh on it, I think. But it's comes off an idea that was intended as a homage on paper but ceased to work as one in execution - and instead maybe felt a bit like the opposite. On top of that "we love these characters and put them on a pedestal through nostalgia, so what if characters in-universe actually had the same reactions to those same characters and treated them the same way" is pretty much an idea I've never seen work out - it always just ends up turning characters into reflections of fan reactions, instead of allowing them to be... well... characters.

I'm explicitly not getting into the Clark implications, firstly because everyone overreacts the hell out any time an evil Clark or Clark-like character shows up in anything these days, second because the issues with the concept are evident even before Clark comes into it, and third because - due to the first - I think people are focusing too much on Clark specifically and not enough on how the concept as a whole wasn't great to characters involved (except Jimmy / Jalana because this show's versions of any Olsen continue to be a treasure).

And fourth because the "the characters discover some versions of their friend went bad" does actually line perfectly well up with the season's overall plot about Lois' dad being a paranoid nutter, but the Kryptonians maybe being evil and Clark being an unclear cog in the gears of this strange mystery. It's a plot decision I really liked in this show: I'm suspecting we might end up with something Iron Giant-esque, where all evidence points to the hero being a monster, but the hero refuses to fall into expectation as their friends refuse to fall victim to the fearmongering.

But... overall, all that is why I really liked how the main characters' ultimate response to the judgmental multiversal police squad was a "screw you guys, we're going home" without even a goodbye. Screw that noise. Presumably the Lois'es from other continuities who pointedly aren't among the Lois'es actually in the judgmental multiverse police squad did something similar. Live your life as yourself. Good message, though I think show could've been more overt about delivering it.

On the flipside, Mxy was fun. He was a tread to Lois & Clark's "more malevolent Mxy who wants to be a god" idea, which is... hate to repeat myself... fun. But being fun it what's most important where Mxy is concerned. It's a little less interesting to have a Mxy who needs power because he wants to be a god vs a Mxy who already has power and finds concepts like godhood boring, but I don't think traditional Mxy is in line with how this show envisions threats, and regardless he was delightfully tricky and - let's face it - is one of the two big things absolutely carrying the episode (the other being Clark and Lois' relationship, as usual).

All in all, the show continues to hit me two ways at once: I really love the way it's interpreting the characters and their relationships - again, Jimmy is fantastic and Lois and Clark's relationship is nuanced, adorable and continually keeps me invested - but the plot decisions that surround those great characterizations keep missing, often feeling like they're wasting good concepts.

I hope I'm wrong about the feeling I'm getting that the writers maybe have some overall apathy for Superman's world and characters, but bit by bit the show keeps making me wonder - I just wish the show would start feeling excited to reinterpret these characters rather than flippant.

Either way, though, fun episode. More Mxy is always a treasure.

[purplerakath]

Cobra Kai S1 - fixing Sam and Miguel's break-up.

Before I dive head first into S2 and S2 related rewatching revelations, I figure I'll put down to paper my full deal with the Sam and Miguel break-up. Which I alluded to earlier in the 'undercutting Sam's plot' post from the other day. How I'd go about reworking the break-up so that Sam, Miguel, and Daniel all get to have a proper moment of growth from it.

Because Daniel's fucking 'I told you so's after really bother me!

So what Happened?

Sam is lying to her parents about dating Miguel. Miguel notices, and makes it clear to her he notices, she's aware she's screwed up spectacularly and tries to fix it... only to have her phone taken away at the worst moment because Yasmine crashed her car into Johnny's 80 years ago. So Miguel gets drunk, and is already keyed up on Robby and Sam being together, and handles things very badly.

Now at this point, yes, Miguel has fucked up. Big. And Miguel deserves every bit of shade this brings. And Miguel ends up growing from this moment (into a monster but that's not the point of this post).

The issue is that Sam, and Daniel, are completely vindicated in everything. Sam is sad about the break-up because she liked dopey nerd Miguel, and dislikes drunk jealous Miguel or angry warrior Miguel. While Daniel is just like "See, see, Cobra Kai is evil!"

What should we do Instead?

So the key thing that has to stay the same is Miguel turns into a monster. Like- as much as Miguel being a dopey lovesick puppy is adorable and Xolo is very good at that, it isn't conductive to the plot. Still, he can become a monster for Ep 10 without just letting Sam off the hook, and letting Daniel know his part in this.

As that's my other big issue (outside of Sam not getting growth) is Daniel comes out of this never really seeing that Sam lied to him for weeks/months over having a boyfriend.

So here's my pitch:

Sam and Miguel are trying to work through this problem, with Sam less so 'I'll tell my dad' and more 'This isn't about you, it's about him.' in their conversation. Something heartfelt and both sides acknowledge the other's feelings to some degree. (But, clearly, Miguel doesn't feel good about being basically exiled from half her life.) Daniel spots the two of them talking and comes over to see what's going on, because that's obviously "Cobra Kai's star bully" with his daughter. Miguel gets awkward, Sam gets awkward. And Sam introduces him as either 'a friend from school' or 'her lab partner.' To which Miguel absolutely feels like he doesn't matter so respectively answers with 'a friend is a bit presumptuous' or 'I don't even qualify as a friend, huh?' and leaves. This diverges into two scenes, the 'Sam and Robby show up' and Miguel is drunk and mad as in canon, and the other scene between Daniel and Amanda relaying this all to his wife. Who chuckles and shakes her head, "That's her boyfriend." "Sam doesn't have a boyfriend." "From what you just told me, she doesn't anymore. Because she was afraid to tell you about him." Cue Sam coming home, heartbroken, and when Daniel moves to go after her. Amanda stops him, "You and your stupid rivalry with Johnny have done enough."

Now the problem with this is it doesn't fit in with the Johnny/Daniel plot of that episode (this is also when Daniel finds out who Robby is, and Johnny finds out where Robby's been). But I don't honestly think that plot really... works, in this season. It's a will they/won't they plot ending in another 'they won't.' With all the fallout from it being either a return to Status Quo (Johnny with both Daniel and Robby) or no actual fallout (Robby and Daniel).

Which can't spur any forward movement on their characters. With Sam realizing she messed up that can get used to fuel her making up with Aisha. And rather than 'Sam is roadblocked by fate from even trying to fix this' (which I felt was incredibly lame the first time I watched it, and hated the whole lead-up to their fight), she made an an actual attempt, she just fucked up.

And Daniel realizing his actions have consequences... can go in the pile with every other time he's ignored evidence his actions have consequences.

But at least we can skip his 'I told you so's in the next four episodes.

[bearpillowmonster]

Superman Flyby

I've read a lot of scrapped drafts of movies but I can't say that I've liked a lot of them, Resident Evil, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales- So when I saw a video performing one as an audio drama, I figured I'd try it out that way.

This one has narration? I didn't like that, it's not in the script, it's just adapted that way to explain what's going on so I quit that and just moved over to the script, so much for that idea. This is only the second draft which for some reason in Hollywood, there needs to be draft after draft (that's not how I write, I just edit but whatever) so I don't know how 'finished' or how planned this was to go to screen, they had a cool costume for it already though (but they also had one for Superman Lives and that had script after script)

Firstly, Lex finds a crashed shuttle of one of the Kryptonian war people (not Zod or anyone else we know but one of Kata-Zor's men, Jor-El's brother). And the guy puts him in a chokehold, passing on his memories and understanding before dying, basically passing on his task to Luthor, to find Kal-El.

Then JJ, uh- has the Kent's landlord make advances toward Martha and then young Clark has to fight him off? After that we cut back to Krypton...yes, Krypton. In this draft, it's not the explosion that's making them send him away, it's the invasion/war and Lara is on the run. I didn't mention that Kata-Zor has a son...Ty-Zor and he's about Clark's age. With the minion dying earlier, he never made contact and told them where Kal-El was so they're still looking.

I'm gonna take a break and give you what I think should happen from here forth, it's not what I expect but it's constructive criticism since it's so...divisive. Instead of making it a Zod or Zor-El, at the end, I want to see them injured and replace parts to become Brainiac, a fake-out and potential overall villain that embodies all of Superman's greatest foes. It's just stupid enough to work! But I think Clark's overall mission should be to find an actual resolve on Earth to save Krypton or become strong enough with the yellow sun to take down the Zors.

Ok, back to the actual script. Clark has a roommate named Jerry Shuster which I don't even need to explain that reference. Yeah, Lana was there earlier and Clark introduced himself but that's it, he's older, never to be seen again. Lois is introduced as the freshman in his college...Clark's a senior *gulp*. Other than that, I kind of like the disposition, though different, seeing Lois firstly in this sort of awkward situation rather than the way we're used to, none of the dialogue has stood out to me though, they mention that she's just as much alien as he is but that's literally her second paragraph, SHOW ME.

Clark, has a moment where someone's making advances towards Lois and he stands up but the guy keeps pushing him. With his mom, he pushed him back but with Lois, Lois pushes him back defending Clark, I don't like the situation but like I said, I like the disposition. Aaaannnnddd we're right back at the Planet where Lois is her usual self. Why did Clark end up there though? Because he thought he'd meet Lois there again after she said that's what she wanted to do.

Luthor's running for Prez. In a way, being in a position of power or even with Law Enforcement, it'd make it easier to find Kal-El. But he shows off...Luthanium, a battery chip, made of what, hmmmm, NOPE. But Lois makes a scene and now Luthor puts a hit on her. What's strange though is that JJ has this obsession with Clark's fly being down, thinking it's funny, maybe in the movie it would've been but here, it's ironic because it's called FLYby, I wonder if that's where the title came from.

Anyways, I skimmed the rest, it wasn't holding my attention. Superman dies but Jor-El brings him back saying he's apart of the prophecy about two princes? too many things going on. There are some highlights like Lois riding a motorcycle after knocking out Lex and Superman fighting a robot but it's all context issues, those are basic ideas but the way they're presented is eh.

They did end up going with one idea I had about saving Krypton. They give him these 5 pieces which create a portal to his world but that's the literal end of the script, just as he jumps in.

And the casting they were getting...oh boy. Scarlett Johansson or Selma Blair as Lois? Ok. RDJ as Lex? Can't see it. Brendan Fraser, Henry Cavill, Josh Hartnett? Mmn. Shia LaBeouf as Jimmy...actually-that kind of makes sense for the time period.

'If you don't know what story you want then why are you telling it?' Is my mindset but then-

“The thing that I tried to emphasize in the story was that if the Kents found this boy, Kal-El, who had the power that he did, he would have most likely killed them both in short order. And the idea that these parents would see – if they were lucky to survive long enough – that they had to immediately begin teaching this kid to limit himself and to not be so fast, not be so strong, not be so powerful. The result of that, psychologically, would be fear of oneself, self-doubt and being ashamed of what you were capable of. Extrapolating that to adulthood became a fascinating psychological profile of someone who was not pretending to be Clark Kent, but who was Clark Kent. Who had become that kind of a character who is not able or willing to accept who he was and what his destiny was.

“The idea in the movie was that he became Superman because he realized he had to finally own his strength and what he’d always been."

He has an abstract version of it thought out so how did he draw his conclusion? Do I look like a mind reader sir, I don't know

At least we don't have to worry about it-

Wow. I mean, I guess he learned and has someone writing it for him now, he wanted to direct Flyby but they were more keen on him writing it. Ta-Nehisi Coates actually worked on Black Panther comics so that's cool? But at the same time, this has been in development from what I understand as a long time, at least I remember hearing about a black Clark Kent pretty far back, like it doesn't seem like it was just 2021, I remember it being rumored before then but maybe I'm wrong? And yeah, this is apparently a black Clark, not Calvin which upset everybody but as with Tron, people don't listen to feedback unless it's Sonic.

But it's still worrying that the direction is going anywhere because of when I read that James Gunn hasn't even been handed a script yet, I was kind of paused. Is it even done? Like- it just seems like someone who says they have a really cool project but refuse to show it (oh poop, is that me? (but in my case, I actually have a lot finished, it just needs made (someone help)))

[campbluelake]

Tomorrow | Eri | MM.5

Unfortunately, none of the answers Malyce has been supplying them with have been particularly satisfying to Eri. She’d been hoping this would cast a light on the situation in such a way Malyce would seem irrevocably redeemable or not. But instead of black and white, things are as gray as ever. And unpleasant shades of gray at that, likely all too similar to the fluorescent hues of Hell’s corporate offices.

“Tch... I thought I already said I was sick of all this business speak bullshit. You fucked up big time, dude, y’know? Trading all of us for one successful movie… No offense, but that’s the worst deal I ever heard of. You know plenty of people become successful without asking an evil salaryman from hell for help, right?”

She knows she’s preaching to the choir though, which is why she heaves a tired sigh. Despite everything he’s said, she’s still not angry at Malyce. Frustrated? Yes. Disappointed? Absolutely. But she’s not mad.

Which is why she cracks her knuckles while staring down the man of the hour. And it’s Malyce to whom she marches up to, eyes narrowed. Even as he winces during her approach, the intense look in her gaze doesn’t waver. And then finally she comes to a stop in front of him, raises her hand, and…

Bap!

Slaps Malyce across the back of his head.

Bap!

And then does it a second time.

“That first one is for making this a nightmare for Suz and Yuyu and everyone else, you absolute moron. And the second is for rollin’ over like you’re already dead. Which, newsflash! You aren’t!”

It doesn’t occur to her she’s breaking her own no-violence rule.

Instead, Eri raises her hand again like she’s about to slap him for a third time… only to instead bring it down to gently rest atop his head instead. She ruffles his hair affectionately, even as she gives him a look fiery enough to melt glass.

“Yeah, some people might have it out for you and yeah, you might deserve it— uh, again, no offense. But even if you’re a little freak, like hell you’re gonna waste all the time and energy we put into being your friend by just giving up, got it? If you’re so ready to throw away all the good times we had, I’m gonna fuck you up so bad it’ll make the haircut I gave you look like a masterpiece. Not that I thought it was that bad, but you get me, yeah?”

She removes her hand, smirking.

“And really, who gives a shit what comes after, y’know? Your evil plan got fucked over anyway when Nikonyan decided to antelope or cantaloupe or whatever it is. So save the angsty ‘I’m gonna die by your hands’ talk for after we’re all outta here, got it? I’m sure Sayacchi would prefer to hunt ya for sport in a more exciting place anyway.”

Not that she exactly condones Saya doing any such thing, but she figures it’s inevitable someone will go after Malyce. But until then…

“No more rollin’ over and acting like this is your fate. I ain’t friends with losers, got it? If you don’t like your fate, do somethin’ different. Max said himself humans always gotta choice. And you’re still human deep down, even if you’re more… green now. Though Yuyu’s green too, so maybe you guys can be green together…? Uh, anyway.”

She shakes her head, shoves both her hands into her pockets. Her Tamagotchi chirps as she does so, awakened by an accidental button press. The pixelated creature bounces up and down excitedly, as if cheering them on (at least, that’s what Eri would say if she took notice of it in that moment).

“Everyone’s asked real smart questions already, so I’ll ask ya this instead: If you live to see tomorrow, what will you do? And don’t give me any whiny shit like, ‘Wait for Vual or Max to kill me’ or whatever, yeah? I wanna know how you’ll see the world and treat others if you get to live.”

She lingers by him for a moment, not yet wanting to go back to her seat until she hears his answer. After all, she half suspects him to give a self-deprecating, bonkable answer.

And please — please — nobody remind her that it’s highly likely a broken contract spells Malyce’s own demise instead. It hasn’t occurred to her friendship and sheer willpower might not be able to void business arrangements signed in blood.

Because surely anything is possible with friends and determination!

[genshinarchives]

AaAA- I saw your request are open so may I ask a small scenario centering around the "I'm a villainess but I'm not evil!" casts? There's only 5 characters for your request so you can choose which characters would you like to write :]

Ah as for the prompt : what if villainess!reader ignores the casts for a while, too busy attending her duties as a heiress and the new-found problem in the onigasaki clan.

Kamisato Ayaka, Gorou, Arataki Itto, Thoma, Naganohara Yoimiya / female reader.

Synopsis: You ignore them because you're too busy with your heiress duties.

Author's notes: Ask and you shall receive~ This is an AU where villainess!reader is the characters’ S/O, and it takes place in the Katsugeki Arc which happens one year prior to the current events of the game.

I’m a Villainess but I’m Not Evil! (Navigation)

#KAMISATO AYAKA

Ayaka let out a quiet sigh, catching her older brother’s attention. With a single eyebrow quirked up, Ayato set his brush beside the document he was about to sign and laced his fingers together in front of him.

“Is something on your mind?” he inquired, though he already knew the reason behind her being in low spirits today. It’s quite obvious if you think about her close relationship with Onigasaki’s heiress and the fact that the latter has been kept busy solving the case of Yuito’s poisoning.

“Lady (y/n) hasn’t responded to any of my letters, and I feel like I’m being ignored,” Ayaka confessed, her eyebrows furrowing.

Ayato clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “You know what a busy woman she is. Her brother was poisoned recently, and she didn’t sleep at all just to make an antidote for a poison nobody knew the cure to. She even had to take over in solving the case on her own, and don’t get me started on how busy she is with her duties as the heiress.” He shook his head at Ayaka in disappointment. “You could try to be more understanding of her situation.”

She visibly deflated at his chastisement. “That doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to be upset... and maybe feel a little selfish for once.”

The head of the Kamisato Clan rubbed his temples. “If you’re that desperate for her attention, then why don’t you send her a letter to give her your support and encouragement? I’m sure she’ll appreciate it, and maybe you’ll even get a response.”

She immediately perked up at her brother’s suggestion. “That’s a wonderful idea! I should get started on the letter right away-” Gracefully rising to her feet, she then pattered towards the door and called for Thoma the moment she slid it open. “Thoma! Please prepare a blank sheet of paper, a brush and a pot of ink in my room!"

Once she had left to write the letter for (y/n), Ayato mused, “Oya oya... My sister’s love for Lady (y/n) knows no bounds.”

#GOROU

"(Y/n)."

Said woman didn’t bother looking up from the document she was reading at her desk and ignored him. Quietly approaching her side, Gorou nudged her arm in hopes of getting her attention. She merely hummed in response and moved her arm away from him.

"(Y/n), look at me. Please," Gorou implored. He never begged because it was unbecoming for the General of Watatsumi’s army; it simply didn’t suit his image, but he was growing desperate as the days passed. Ever since Yuito got poisoned, she didn’t spare Gorou a single glance and was preoccupied with finding the fool that dared to harm her only family.

As a sharp sigh slipped past her lips, (y/n) finally looked at her fiance, though with a frown instead of her usual smile. “Gorou, go to sleep. I’m busy."

“You’ve been ignoring me for five days!” he snapped, having had enough, “I asked Her Excellency for a one week break specifically because I wanted to visit you. I missed you, yet you don’t seem to care that I came all the way from Watatsumi to see how you’re doing.”

(Y/n)’s eyes widened for a moment before she averted them guiltily. “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to make you feel neglected. What with Yuito’s poisoning and me officially becoming the head in a few months, I have a lot on my plate right now.”

He sighed quietly and took both of her hands in his, making her meet his softened gaze. Leading her towards the futon he had already laid out on the floor, he then forced her to lie down and soon joined her as he pulled the blanket over their weary bodies.

“You’re obviously tired and frustrated, (y/n). Please, just rest with me,” Gorou quietly pleaded whilst pulling her against his chest, his chin nestling itself on top of her head, “You worked tirelessly to create an antidote for Yuito. You deserve a break."

#ARATAKI ITTO

"Arataki-san, you can’t just-”

“Step aside, Jin!”

(Y/n) almost dropped the conical flask in surprise when Itto unceremoniously barged into her lab. Spinning around to face him, she then narrowed her eyes into a glare, unhappy at the fact that he just entered without her permission. She let out a huff as she set the flask on the counter.

“Itto, didn’t I tell you to never step inside my lab unless I gave you special permission to do so? There are a lot of dangerous chemicals in here that you don’t how to-” She didn’t even get to finish her sentence because the half-oni had grabbed her wrist and was already dragging her out of the room. “Hey- Hold on a second!"

Itto didn’t halt his long strides until they had exited from the Onigasaki Estate - and for the first time in days, (y/n) greeted the warmth of the afternoon sun, the gentle breeze that whistled past causing the tail of her lab coat to flutter behind her legs. She suddenly felt the tension in her body dissipate, and he turned his head to her with a grin splitting his face in half when he felt her relax.

“About time you touched grass!” he exclaimed, using one of the phrases she had taught him before, “When you ignored me for a week, I thought I did something to upset you.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. “I was going to serenade you with the gang’s help tonight, but this morning your cousin told me that Yui-bro got poisoned and that you’ve been holed up in the estate, working your butt off to nurse him and to find the perpetrator.”

(Y/n) pressed her palm against her forehead as she said, “I’m really glad Lord Hidemune stopped you from embarrassing yourself.”

He laughed loudly, drawling out, “Come ooon~ Don’t say that.” Releasing her wrist, he then cupped her face with his large hands and gently bumped their foreheads together. “It’s fine to work hard and all, but don’t forget to breathe in some fresh air once in a while, 'kay?”

#THOMA

Thoma expelled a deep sigh when he was answered with silence once again. He had made mitarashi dango this morning in hopes that she’d allow him to see her, even if it’s only for a few seconds; alas, his efforts were ignored. Was this how she felt when he shut her down every time she tried to explain why she had poisoned Yuuko? Biting his bottom lip, he crouched down and left the plate of dango just outside of her room.

“I’ll leave the dango out here,” he announced, standing up again, “Please don’t overwork yourself.” When he didn’t hear a response from the other side of the door, he let out another sigh and then walked away.

Thoma was becoming increasingly worried for (y/n)’s mental health since she had shut herself away in her room after Yuito’s poisoning a week ago; she was no doubt working hard to identify the person behind the murder attempt, and with the addition of her becoming the new head of her clan... she must be very stressed.

But that’s why he’s here.

He has plenty of connections within Inazuma, so catching the culprit should be easy as long as he probes into the right places. If he has to get his hands a little dirty to lift some of her burdens off her shoulders, then he’ll gladly do it.

A shadow cast itself over Thoma’s eyes as he strode out of the Onigasaki Estate, murmuring, “I’ll get revenge for you, my aster.”

#NAGANOHARA YOIMIYA

Spinning on her heels, Yoimiya stamped her hands on her hips as she stared at (y/n)’s bedroom window from outside of the estate. This is the third time she’s been turned away from seeing her beloved, and nobody would even tell her why! Although she did overhear about Yuito’s recent poisoning and that (y/n) has been stressed with her duties as the clan’s heiress from the gossiping servants, she wanted to hear it from (y/n)’s own mouth.

Yoimiya tapped her foot on the ground whilst humming pensively. If (y/n) is going to continue ignoring her until an entire week has passed, then Yoimiya will just have to lure her out herself, right? As she formulated a foolproof plan in her head, a mischievous grin grew on her lips and she then rushed off to set it in motion.

Night soon fell, and (y/n) left her room to check up on Yuito. As she dragged her feet through the hallway, the panicked shouts of her servants in the courtyard caught her attention.

“What the hell is going on?” she muttered. Just as she was about to walk in the direction that she came from, Jin was seen briskly approaching her from the other end of the hallway.

“Lady (y/n)!” he called, appearing exasperated for some reason, “Yoimiya is-” The moment (y/n) heard Yoimiya’s name, she wasted no time in racing to the courtyard; as soon as she stepped foot outside, a loud bang resonated across the sky above, prompting her to lift her gaze. Her eyes widened.

Fireworks bloomed in the night sky, forming a familiar red flower that she recalled as the villainess’ favourite flower - the dendrobium.

“Yoimiya... She must have started a commotion to lure me outside so she could set them off for me to see,” she mused, giggling softly. (Y/n) then smiled at the fireworks burning brightly in the darkness, the blooming sparks shining down on her like the morning star.

Taglist: @coco-goat-milk @m3gitsune @bouquetofrosehearts​ @melkxsh @irethepotato

[plus-size-reader]

Leverage

Magnus Bane x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 2107 words

Warnings: none

Summary: Magnus taking a special interest in you, Clary's human best friend who resembles a lover Magnus had centuries ago

Just a concept I was tossing around. Let me know what you think and If I should work on a mini-series based on this

—————————————————————————————————

“Just stay close and don’t say anything” Jace reminded, leading you and the rest of your party into Hardtail, his eyes focused on the surrounding crowd, constantly scanning for danger.

This whole thing should be easy.

All they had to do was find Magnus and get him to give Clary her memories back. All things considered, it should have been an in and out mission, something they had done a million times before.

...but they could never be too careful.

Especially considering that they had been forced to bring along some dead weight, in the form of you, as extra insurance.

Just in case the Warlock in question tried anything.

“This is a terrible idea” Alec grumbled, the words falling on mostly deaf ears, though by this point, even Clary was wondering if bringing you along had been the right call.

You were insistent, as soon as you found out that you could be of help but you weren’t blind. You knew that you were in over your head, heading into a downworlder bar with a couple of shadowhunters without any real idea what you were doing there.

Under any other circumstances, you would have turned tail and ran in the other direction, but this was for Clary.

If this ‘High Warlock of Brooklyn’ could give Clary her memories back, and help her figure out what their next step was, you were going to do anything you could to make that happen.

“We don’t even know if this will work-” he continued, earning an elbow to the side from Izzy, who knew exactly where he was going with that.

She knew what they should have already figured out, that once you found out why you were here, you were going to freak out for sure. After all, it wasn’t everyday that you found out that you bore a striking resemblance to someone else, long dead.

It wasn’t something you would be prepared to hear, so it would just be better if you could all get through this without you figuring out what you were actually doing here.

You took notice of the strange exchange between the Lightwoods but decided to ignore it.

The two of them were known to bicker, even to someone who had known them for a few short weeks, and you had more important matters at hand.

Like making sure you didn’t accidentally bump into a vampire or something as you made your way into the club.

“Keep your head down, and don’t go too far” Clary whispered, webbing her fingers with your own as you passed through the crowd, your grib unintentionally tightening as the reality of the situation set in.

Clary was built for this, it was in her blood, but you weren’t.

It wasn’t until you showed up to things like this that you realized just how far out of your depth that you were.

“I’m not going anywhere, trust me” you whispered back, focusing more on putting one foot in front of the other more than anything. Before now, you were sure that the correct answer to the question Jace asked you was yes.

Now that you were here though, you weren't so convinced.

You understood that getting Magnus to meet with you was a long shot in the first place, and you couldn't afford to mess it up, but you just weren’t sure why they needed you. Out of everyone here, you were the most out of place.

Anyone looking in on the scene in front of them would have seen just how much you didn’t belong. Not that anyone around you was all that concerned with you so far, all too focused on the music and lights.

As long as you did as you were told and kept your head down, everything would be fine.

All things considered, your job was easy.

You just had to stay out of the way, and hope that Jace and Alec didn’t need you for whatever it was they thought you could be useful for. Which could have been anything and you wouldn’t have known any better.

The Shadowhunters were so secretive, only telling you what they thought you needed to know, and even then, they always tended to leave out the important stuff.

It made working with them very difficult.

Still, you did what you were told and kept your head down, doing your best to blend in until something changed, which didn’t look like it was going to happen at first.

All in all, it looked to be a pretty standard conversation, though you couldn’t hear any of what they were saying from the distance you were at.

Of course, It wasn't until someone shot an arrow into some guy in the background that you realized just how wrong you were. Evidently, there had been an assassin in the crowd the entire time and no one noticed until Alec put him down.

Which, in turn, spooked the reclusive Warlock into nearly diving back into his wormhole.

He got his jewel, but from the looks on Jace and Clary’s faces, they didn’t get nearly as much as they were hoping for. The only thing that kept Magnus in place was the redhead’s grasp on his wrist, which likely wouldn’t be enough to hold him.

Clearly, they needed something else, which was exactly why they brought you.

You had inadvertently become the most important part of this mission just now, and that meant it was your time to shine, even if you didn’t exactly know what your part to play was.

Without missing a beat, Izzy shot over to whisper something in your ear, something that really didn’t seem like it would work. Though, by this point, you weren’t sure that you had any right to question any of the shadowhunters.

After all, you didn’t even know they existed until a couple weeks ago.

You shot Izzy one more questioning glance, just to make sure she was serious about this before she nodded, telling you to continue with the plan. If anything was going to get Magnus to stick around, it was this.

“Magnus, wait!” you called, doing your best to cut through all the noise that Alec’s arrow and subsequent murder had brought on, which worked surprisingly well.

As it would turn out, just because the Shadowhunters had neglected to tell you that you looked like the long lost love of his life didn’t mean that Magnus was going to. Even the sound of your voice was enough to ring alarms in his head.

He hadn’t heard that sound in so long.

Almost immediately, the Warlock spun around on his heels, his attention finding you immediately. It didn’t make sense, and there was no way that he could have explained it but there was no denying the truth.

Not when it was staring him right in the face.

It was you, and it didn’t matter how it had happened, not now. All he cared about in this moment was that you had come back to him, after all these years. . It was incredible, but even with as thrilled as Magnus was, staying here wasn’t safe. If Valentine managed to find him here, that meant that he likely already knew where the others were.

Every second he spent away was another second evil had to prevail.

Not to mention the fact that he couldn’t exactly trust the shadowhunters to tell him the truth. For all he knew, Magnus could have been looking at some glamour of sorts, and they were tricking him.

He was just having a hard time believing what he was looking at. After all this time, it didn't seem right to see you again.

“You always did like places like this” he hummed, that same far away look clouding his vision as had been this entire time.

No one had ever looked at you like that.

He was looking at you like the whole building could come crumbling down around you and it wouldn’t have mattered one bit. Like you had physically put the sun in the sky, and you barely knew who he was.

“I’ll be in touch”

...and with that, he was gone.

Though, the thought of walking away from you a second time was nearly enough to break his heart, he didn’t have a choice.

There would be no opportunity to talk to you if he was dead, besides, if they wanted to get Clary’s memories back, they were going to need his help.

~

“Who was he talking about? Who does Magnus Bane think I am?” you started, already asking all the questions that they should have seen coming but no one bothered to answer them.

They weren’t even sure they were going to need you when they asked you to tag along, and just because you had helped them out a little back there didn’t mean the Shadowhunters owed you anything.

You were still just some mundane.

The only reason you were still here was because of Clary, that and they needed you once Alec realized that they were going to have to meet up with Magnus in the first place.

Someone had to get him to agree to help.

“Don’t worry about it. All that matters is that he agreed to help us” Jace shrugged, ignoring you, which by this point was par for the course.

You were so tired of everyone acting like you weren’t here. .

“Come on. I did you a favor back there, can’t you at least tell me what I did?” you sighed, turning your attention to Izzy and Clary instead, because you already knew the males in your party couldn’t care less about what you’d done.

To them, you might as well not be here and you had come to terms with that. You just wanted to know who he thought you were, that was it.

In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t even that big of a deal.

“The last partner Magnus had, she looked a lot like you” she allowed, recalling the photograph she’d seen, which might as well have been you a couple hundred years earlier.

You couldn’t believe it.

All this time, you were masquerading as someone else, someone that you didn’t even know existed, and everyone else knew all along.

It was ridiculous.

Though, before you could inform the surrounding Shadowhunters of just how ridiculous, Jace chimed in just enough to let you know that, even still, it wasn’t really your place to ask questions or have opinions.

“We were hoping to catch him off guard, we needed the upperhand” Jace shrugged, truly not seeing how wrong this whole thing was. Not only did they use you without bothering to tell you what was going on, but they exploited him too.

It wasn’t right.

“You should have told me!” you scoffed, thinking that at the very least someone would have had the decency to fill you in on the plan but it would appear that no one thought about that before now.

Jace didn’t even look all that interested in having this conversation at all.

“I would have helped even if you told me beforehand, you know? It would have just been nice to know what I was walking into” you continued, well aware that you were basically talking to yourself but not caring enough to stop.

You couldn’t be both the mundane they didn’t even care enough to address by name and a member of the team that they used when they needed help.

You could be one or the other, but not both, and certainly not at once.

“Well, now you know. Congratulations! Can we get going now?” Alec called, several paces ahead of all of you by now, and not stopping even still. He didn’t care at all about whatever little moral dilemma you were having.

He was much more interested in getting back to the institute before another assassin got the better of one of you.

“Thanks Alec, I appreciate that” you countered, not bothering to cover up the sarcasm flowing from your lips. If he could talk to you like that, there was no reason you couldn’t give it right back.

The truth was that it didn’t matter what they said or how much they pretended this wasn’t a big deal. What had happened back there with Magnus was a big deal, at least, it was a big deal for you.

After all, you just found out that you looked like some dead chick that was hooking up with one of the most powerful warlock’s of all time.

How was that not supposed to be a big deal?