#that would be a very interesting thing to explore

[eggzeroni]

I love answering questions 1. You truly are a young prodigy. (I refuse to elaborate.) 2. Sherlock's 3. It's all going on in my head lmao- I kind of love it but I'm still waiting for my AO3 account to be made, I'm very excited. 4. Johnlock 5. John gaped at him. "You just solved a case, a murder, for God's sake, and you're bored?!" 6. Sherlock (not including names, my most used word is 'room'.) 7. Still exploring. STILL. 8. YP (Young Prodigy) 9. Slightly unclear, but the latest dates I have are 24th August 2024 - 2nd February 2025 10. Like... 4 weeks? I think? 11. My Enola Holmes Oneshots- 12. Younger sibling x sibling's best friend (by that I mean platonically and also I don't even know if that exists or if I just made it up lmao) 13. Sherlock (ofc :3)/ HL 14. I get inspiration from other writers cause there are so many amazing ones :3 15. STORMY! 16. My bed :') 17. I usually write a bit, edit a bit, repeat. Which I know is really bad but I can't help it. 18. I don't have the exact sentence but once I made a character speak when they were dead AND PUBLISHED IT- I had to make it so that the character was speaking in someone's mind because I was too lazy to go back and rewrite it- 19. If guns were a thing in the 1800s. Lead me down a rabbit hole. That era is actually really interesting. 20. 2024 :') I did write beforehand I just didn't know where I could publish. 21. isn't this question nine? 2024 though <3 22. I write for myself to look back on, so no, but then again I've never gotten a comment that wasn't from a loved one, so how can I be scared :') 23. Old, poetry, progressive 24. I just take breaks, look at other people's writing and get ideas. 25. I like drawing, reading, painting, digital art, poetry, history, philosophy and if I carried on it would be the length of an entire fic (lmao) 26. I can't concentrate with other people around, I have to kick them out my room. But I can write with music. Funny thing is I can't go back and edit it with music, so where's the sense there? 27. That climax point where your fingers just fly across the keyboard and even you can feel the adrenaline from the scene- 28. editing and planning. Currently the stage I'm at now with my ACTUAL book with my original characters. Bro I wanna write :') 29. Very easy. It takes me a few seconds. 30. here :3

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[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

curious about your take on riddle's dream. i have seen people en masse claim that riddle yearns to a deliquent/"if he wasn't traumatized, he would be in a pop music club" and... it feels like such a literal interpretation (although there are some who are obv just joking) to the point of misinterpretation? i'm not very invested in riddle's story arc, but to me it read like a pretty clear "what if i was the worst version of myself (which riddle has been raised to see as being disobedient) and i was still loveable".

[You can read my thoughts on the book 7 chapter 12 part 3 update here!]

I think there’s a lot of different ways to interpret the dreams because of how… vaguely they’re written + their length + every player coming into the dreams with their own experiences which inform their POVs. For this reason, I don’t feel comfortable outright stating X or Y interpretation is “wrong”, and nor do I wish to be used as a means to validating one interpretation over the others. All I’m going to do this ask is explain how I personally interpreted Riddle’s dream. That’s all.

I don’t think Riddle wants to be a delinquent; this would be conflating a child’s desires to that of a delinquent. Yes, Riddle was detained be a police officer—but not for any violence or serious criminal actions. He was detained for singing in front of the police station (without a license) and causing a public disturbance (because of his amplifiers). Furthermore, Riddle doesn’t engage in any other criminal behaviors (unless you count not going to school, but a minor isn’t usually held liable for that; the onus is on his parents for not sending him). I think it would be more accurate to say that Riddle’s wishes are very child-like ones. He wants to be able to play with his friends all day, he ignores studying and obeying rules, he can eat tarts and drink sugary tea whenever he wants, he has doting parents that are always emotionally there for him, etc. These are not marks of delinquency, they are the innocent longings of an inner child that never got to be recognized.

While I don’t think it’s a guarantee that Riddle would be in Pop/Light Music Club had he had a more lenient mother, I do think that Riddle would want to explore creative outlets. He is noted as having a very strong imagination, but is limited in his life experiences and struggles to think for himself or to act outside of the concrete, as is defined by rules and laws. If these restraints were loosened up and he had actually been allowed and encouraged to explore other avenues, he might have found an interest in the arts and expressing himself through that. It could be a visual medium, a written medium, a musical medium, whatever.

I think music is what we jump to right away because he has a band in the dream, but I could easily see him dabbling in other areas too. Maybe music was chosen because it’s a group activity, and Riddle longs to be that setting. A happy family, a boy with lots of friends, you name it. You could also argue that Riddle went with music because that’s what he knew from his dorm members. Adeuce are in athletic clubs, which Riddle is sort of rubbish at, and Trey is in Science Club, which of course covers topics Riddle would already be studying irl. Cater’s club is the only one with a significant degree of creativity allowed. Riddle might have based his hobby in the dream off of Cater’s experiences. One telltale detail that supports this theory is that Riddle mentions people keep leaving because the band can’t stick to one genre, which is also true of Cater’s irl Pop/Light Music Club. Another thing to consider is that Riddle is able to conjure the look of delicious cakes and cookies but not replicate the taste because he’s not familiar with it. You could say this is also true of his being in a band. He looks the part, but we never hear him participating in it—perhaps because Riddle could have seen Cater rushing to a club meeting in his outfit, but not have actually heard him play. Therefore, it’s possible that Riddle’s dream is just pulling from his shallow understanding of what “being in a band” is about… the camaraderie of it. This, again, loops us back to Cater’s relationship with his fellow club members. It’s less about the actual playing and more about the vibes and hanging out with one another. Maybe Riddle heard stories from Cater about this and got curious? This same logic applies to other aspects of his dream. He seems to emulate what he has heard from his dorm members in general. Loving parents who are there for him (like Trey), the bout of delinquency (like Deuce), the ability to speak his mind (like Ace). Riddle is wanting to be more like his peers, who were able to have “normal” experiences. To me, it feels like he used his dorm members as templates (which he combined with his own desire to have a fulfilling childhood) because Riddle himself doesn’t have a clear concept of what it means to live freely. After all, he only has like 1-2 months of playing with Trey and Chenya to go off of compared to a few years with his Heartslabyul classmates.

As I said earlier in this post, I don’t think the Riddle we see in the first layer of his dream is meant to be “the worst version of himself” or “Riddle but disobedient”; it reads as more of Riddle indulging in everything he missed out on in his childhood. Sweets, parental love, playing all day with friends, loudly and openly expressing himself through music, exploring creative ventures, making happy memories… I don’t believe these are bad things or borne out of Riddle wanting to be rebellious or disobedient, they’re just consequences of acting like a kid.

I do find it interesting that so many aspects of himself were entirely written over. However, I don’t see it as Riddle thinking he has to be a different person (as in, having a different personality?) in order to be worthy of love. Riddle was definitely still able to make friends as a child even with the quiet personality he had then. It was possible. Nothing in his backstory makes me think Riddle believes he wasn’t deserving of love—but he may think that love has to be earned, that love is conditional. And what is that condition? Following the rules, obeying, performing well in exams. That’s what he was taught would earn him success and his mother’s love and that’s what he enforced in early book 1. I think… Riddle definitely wants to be someone else, but in the sense that he wants to be born into different circumstances. Parents that get along, a dad that has time for him, a mom that dotes on him, no magic, no expectations to shoulder, lax rules, etc. This ties in with Riddle wanting to live the childhood he feels he never had. A childhood where he had no friends, where he studied all the time, where his mother calorie counted for him, where he was not allowed to play video games or watch movies, where he was not allowed to choose his own clothes or career or anything. Several of these sentiments were expressed post-OB.

Now that being said, everything I just discussed covers only the first layer of Riddle’s dream. I see the idea of Riddle thinking he has to be someone else coming through a little stronger in the second layer of his dream. That’s the part where everyone is being chased through the destroyed rose maze. Here, we see a much more extreme and even more domineering Riddle than what we saw in book 1. He lords over his students such that even his versions of Ace and Deuce have fallen into line and mindlessly follow his commands. The mob students are scared of him—and though Riddle is aware of it, he is content. They salute him and praise him for his iron fist. He is the most correct, after all. He is ruling just as his mother would, he is being the person his mother wants him to be.

This is expanded upon further in the third layer of his dream, in which he faces his inner darkness. Riddle confronts the truth: that he is desperate to cling onto the dorm leader seat, because that’s all he has going for him. He has driven away his classmates, who fear him and resent him. There’s his mother, but she has not granted him the affection he craves, and her approval is conditional. He is alone and unloved. This potentially recontexualizes details seen in earlier layers. Why is Riddle in a band? Maybe because he wants to be like Cater, who seems easygoing and approachable. Why does Riddle live many other aspects of his dorm members’ lives? Why do the characters conjured by Riddle’s darkness to fully believe that Cater wants to transfer to Scarabia—a dorm known for having a friendly and relaxed leader? It could suggest an insecurity in Riddle, a worry that he, as he is, is not enough. Not smart enough for his mother’s approval, not kind or cheery or normal enough to make friends. So all he has is his crown, which he reverently claims to. It’s one of the few things he has to call his own, a decision he made for himself and something he earned through his own merit.

But ultimately, I see Riddle’s truest desire as… being his own person, having his own independence and things he chose for himself. Not letting himself be ruled by the shadow of his mother. (His Phantom fittingly seems to dangle him on strings, as if Riddle is its puppet or marionette.) It doesn’t mean complete chaos or anarchy, and it doesn’t mean being like other people. It means defining his own rules for how he should live. Walking forward on his own path. Making his own identity, not tied down to that of his mother. Riddle is so used to being to do what to do or how to be—by his mom, by some arbitrary set of rules. The fact that he confesses to the things he actually wants after his OB… that he wants to stand up to his mother over winter break… that he confronts the dream version of his mom with the declaration that he will open this door with his own hand, that he will walk forward on his own path… I think that says a lot.

…. Weeeeell, like I said at the start, that’s one interpretation 🤷‍♀️ It’s not necessarily “correct”, and it’s liable to change (especially since all of this information is still very fresh; I’m still taking the time to digest it myself). The wibbly wobbly dream magic is open enough to invite all kinds of interpretations, so I encourage you to take this all with a grain of salt and to come to your own conclusions?

I think it’s interesting that it’s Riddle’s dream that has resulted in many different interpretations, especially on the English speaking side? I wonder if that’s because the average EN player skews younger, so those fans can relate a lot with the struggle for identity and finding freedom from one’s parents, even if their circumstances aren’t exactly the same as Riddle’s. We project our own experiences and feelings onto Riddle, which informs our interpretation of his dream.

[thelov3lybookworm]

Misapprehensions and Confessions

(moodboard creds to @sunshinebingo hehe she made it so pretty 🥹)

Day 1: First kiss

Summary: It has been a regular routine for Gwyn to seek out the spymaster for training. And when he suggests helping her out with getting reaccustomed to society, it doesn't take too much persuasion for Gwyn to agree. But when he doesn't show up one day, Gwyn takes up the liberty to accompany herself into the city.

That one decision is all it takes for it all to fall apart.

•○●⛦●○•

Word Count: 3013

Warnings: none for this chapter, though theres going to be yummy angst in the coming parts heheheh 😋

A/n: SURPRISEE!!! WE'VE BEEN KEEPING IT FROM YOU ALL BUT ME AND POOKIE @sunshinebingo HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A GWYNRIEL FIC TOGETHER FOR @sjmromanceweek 🥹

heres the first part for the mini series for day 1 <3

Read on AO3 here

ANYWAYS, ENJOYYYY!!!🥳🥳🥳

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Gwyn's pov.

Gwyn adjusted her belt around her waist after making sure her white t-shirt was perfectly tucked into her high-waisted jeans, then turned this way and that in front of her mirror, her high ponytail swishing at her back as she assessed herself from every angle. Deciding she looked good enough for her weekly trip to Velaris, she walked out of her dorm room, closing the door behind her.

By the time she reached the balcony on the highest level of the House of Wind, her hands were slightly shaky and her cheeks a little flushed. And they had nothing to do with the pace at which she had climbed the steps to the man landing of the house. The reason why her heart was beating faster, chest heaving, adrenaline rushing and her lips were parted stood at the railing with his back to her in a black t-shirt and equally black sweatpants, the curls of his dark hair tousled as though freshly washed and barely towelled. The afternoon sun gilded the edges of his perfect silhouette and added a bright outline that complemented beautifully with the dark shadows swirling around him. 

Gwyn sighed wistfully. 

A few wisps of shadows rushed to her at the sound, as excitable and ticklish as they always were. Their nuzzling caused her to giggle and their master to turn around. 

“Hello, Shadowsinger,” Gwyn laughed, not yet able to look at him thanks to the shadows who wouldn’t stop circling her.

“Alright, alright, I missed you too,” she said to the shadows. “You saw me this morning at training. And you, little sir,” she pointed at one in particular, “stayed with me for a good hour after.” 

The one shadow booped her nose and settled on her shoulder and remained there even when the others moved away from her face so she could see their master. When Gwyn was finally able to look Azriel in the face, she found him staring at her with a look that caused her cheeks to burn. 

Gwyn wondered if she would ever be able to control her blushing in his presence. Wondered if the hazel eyes looking at her would ever not make butterflies come to life inside her.

Today marked the third month since their first outing. It had been during one of their private training sessions at night that Azriel had proposed to be her companion while she braved one of her biggest fears; exploring the world outside the library of the House of Wind. Three months of walking beside Azriel as he showed her around Velaris and a few other places of the Night Court, drinking in every information he offered, his advice and praises, leaning on him for security or simply comfort. Three months during which her gratefulness and admiration for him had grown exponentially, turning into something akin to what the protagonists in the novels she read felt for their love interests. 

Being an avid reader and a good observer, Gwyn knew that there were signs that did not lie. There were certain things heard and seen that hinted at those which remained unvoiced. The stolen looks and the smiles, the banter and subtle flirting, the touches that had gone from accidental to very much intentional and welcomed; all of these combined with the meddling and teasing from their friends and family made Gwyn hope that, perhaps, if she dared be courageous in ways she hadn’t been yet, she could live a life where her daydreams would be reality.

Unfortunately, no amount of reading or even praying had helped her take the leap from hoping to actually confessing her feelings to Azriel.  What if she wasn’t enough? Not pretty enough for this stunning male, not strong enough to be worthy of him, her mere 29 years no match to his 500 of existence and experience? 

And yet, the way those hazel eyes were looking at her right now, appreciating and silently approving of her chased away any doubts, his smile making them float away like the shadows that brushed her cheek as they made their way back to him. He extended a hand towards her.

“You ready, Berdara?”

Her name being voiced by his deep voice caused a fluttering in her heart. And a tingle in other places of her that she blushed even more just thinking about. It got worse when she took his hand and felt a shiver run up her arm at the feel of his skin.

“To spend time with you? Always.” She admitted with a smile.

Azriel brought her hands to his lips for a kiss on her knuckles worthy of a romance novel. Gwyn’s heart beat wildly in her chest as she followed him closer to the railing. As she had done many times before, she wrapped her arms around Azriel’s neck and allowed him to effortlessly lift her up bridal style.

Gwyn was enveloped in his arms and his scent, his shadows acting as another blanket that wrapped around them both. It almost felt like they were pulling Azriel and her somehow closer. 

“You still won't tell me where we're going today?” She asked. 

His wings began spreading behind his back, the sunlight revealing the blue and purple veining on them.

“You’ll see when we get there soon.” 

“Can you at least give me a hint?” She insisted. 

Azriel rolled his eyes. “As much as I hate to admit it for fear that your head grows bigger, you’re too smart for me to give you a hint without risking that you find out before we get there.”

Gwyn frowned at him, although she glowed inside at the compliment. 

“If it sucks, I’m putting a stop to our weekly outings.” She warned him with a lie. 

Azriel looked down at her with a tilt of his head. The smirk that tugged at his lips made him look downright sinful.

“You won’t.” He said. 

“How can you be so sure?” She raised her eyebrows. 

“Because,” he leaned down, his face now so close that the tips of their noses almost brushed, “You won’t dare deprive us both of our favourite day of the week.”

He shot up into the sky without warning. Gwyn squealed and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

She wanted to retort and challenge his last claim. But he was right. And he knew that he was right. It was something they had told each other before, word for word even. A confession that had come out during a picnic on a cliff overlooking the sea, in between a conversation about their respective pasts and another that had been filled with laughter. 

There had been another confession on the edge of her lips back then, threatening to spill out without her permission as he had cradled her cheeks to swipe away her tears. But fear had made her swallow it, just like it did every time they met up.

Gwyn had promised to herself that she would be brave and strong. But confessing one's feelings, she had realised, was much harder than luring a beast or cutting down any physical enemies. She was a Valkyrie, always ready to fight and protect. She had been trained to use every weapon that had been put in her hands and had learned how to turn seemingly harmless objects into deadly ones. Yet Azriel was a ribbon that she had yet to find out how cut.

One day, she vowed as she gazed at him while they flew above the clouds. Soon, she decided when he pulled her slightly higher and brushed his lips to her forehead. 

The flight to their destination was shorter than Gwyn had anticipated. They landed in front of a building at the border of Velaris. But while she had always seen it in a state of construction, now the green tarpaulin had been removed to reveal a place that looked like it had come out of a dream.

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

Azriel's pov.

Azriel had been on many dates. Romantic, platonic, work related. He had been to plenty.

But none compared to this.

The time he spent with Gwyn. Watching her smile freely, gave him a sense of purpose, a sense of him doing something right. She was beginning to open up to him, and it made him feel like he was on top of the world. The fact that she trusted him, no one else, to take her down to the city and get reacclimated to socialising after a traumatic event no female- or male, for that matter- should have to go through was truly a freeing feeling.

It made him feel like he was not just inherently bad, like he wasn’t just a sadist who tortured people for a living and a messed up sense of obligation. The tainted hands he owned, the shadows that he used to spy on people, they could be used to bring comfort, happiness.

They could make someone feel secure, safe.

Even now, as Azriel placed his hand gently on the small of Gwyn’s back, the feelings remained. He led her into the beautiful two-story white stone building with wide terraces on each level. Gwyn stared at the place in awe, marveling at all the green plants they had been able to fit on the ceilings and at every column and railings. Azriel watched with rapt attention as her eyes roved over every surface, wide with wonder.

As they climbed over the few steps that led to the entrance, he nudged Gwyn, motioning with his free hand. Her lips parted as her gaze landed on the fountain that glimmered inside no doubt what was the lobby, only confirming this place as coming out of a dream. It was the epitome of elegance and romance.

And Azriel wondered if she too described this place as that. As something romantic.

Wondered if she knew he felt such feelings. That there was a reason he brought her to such an intimate place.

He told her to wait, then hurried over to the reception. One of the workers dressed from head to toe in pristine white garments tinted with light gold shimmer led the two to a table in the far back.

The inside was almost opposite from the outside in that the outside seemed to be shining under the afternoon sunlight. The interior, though, was darkly lit.

Everything seemed mysterious, from the candles that hung from sconces, to the ones that stood proudly on the candelabras on the white cloth covered tables. Stained glass windows covered large portions of the walls, changing colour with every step they took, further adding to the dark allure. One moment, they displayed a plethora of reds, then blue the next step.

It was easy to assume the glass panes were most likely charmed.

The worker stopped at a table next to a window that displayed a beautiful portrait of a woman peering up at the skies, her eyes upturned and hands raised in prayer. It almost looked haunting.

Azriel hurried to pull Gwyn’s chair back for her, then walked over to the other side to settle down himself.

“Azriel, this place is beautiful.”

Even the syllables of his name rolling off her tongue made his ears turn warm.

“You think so?” She nodded, her eyes still wandering around. “So you like it?”

She looked almost offended that he’d even asked such a stupid question. “Of course I like it! Anyone would love this place. It is so beautiful.”

Azriel folded his arms over the table, smiling as he gazed at Gwyn. “It opened recently, so I thought we could try out the food.”

She nodded. “I’ve seen this place before, but I think they were under construction then.”

He hummed. “So, what have you been up to this past week?”

She groaned, leaning back in her seat and dragging her hands down her face. “Don’t ask. Merrill has been bothering me so much. It’s almost like she’s trying to kill me or something.”

Azriel raised an amused brow. “Why is that?”

Her brows furrowed in annoyance. “Are you laughing at me?”

“Me? Laugh at you? Never.” He raised his hands, his smirk widening.

She huffed. “Go away. I won’t tell you.”

He chuckled, mirroring her position. “I’m sorry, I won’t laugh. Please, tell me how the awful female has been causing you woe.”

“One day, I will force you to work with her, and you won’t be so amused anymore.” She grumbled under her breath.

It only took a bit more encouragement, but she finally began speaking, forgetting his initial disrespect to her frustrations. She spoke throughout the whole time they spent in that restaurant, and Azriel was only too happy to listen.

Time lost its meaning, and before long, they were walking side by side down the market square.

“Can we go home?”

Azriel glanced over at her, then towards where the sun was setting. “Why?”

She sighed. “I need to finish researching some nymph-fae relations from centuries ago. Merril wants me to hand them in before tomorrow.”

Azriel’s lips twitched, but he nodded dutifully, avoiding her narrowed eyes as he bent to scoop her into his arms.

“One day, Azriel. I will make you pay for making fun of me.”

Azriel only looked up to the skies, then pumped his wings, catching the breeze and gliding over it. She squealed, her hold tightening on his neck. Azriel found it adorable, how she never really got used to flying. Each time, she’d make surprised noises and cling to him tighter.

“Would it kill you to give me a warning?!” She said into the skin of his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

He’d be lying if he denied not warning her before jumping into the skies on purpose.

Lights were beginning to come on by the time he levelled out, and he squeezed Gwyn’s waist, prompting her to glance down. She smiled, her eyes tracking over all the tiny lights and their reflections off of the Sidra.

“I can never get used to this.”

He said nothing, just watched her. Sure, Velaris was beautiful and he himself remained in awe of the city, but nothing was more beautiful than Gwyn smiling. The way her eyes twinkled, the way her skin crinkled around her eyes and lips, the way her freckles shifted. Everything about her had him hypnotised, and he would never, ever, complain about anything in his life if he got lucky enough to see the sight all day, everyday.

For now, though, he was grateful he could even see the beautiful sight twice a day at training.

Too soon for Azriel’s happiness, his feet made contact with the floor on one of the house of wind’s balconies. It was the one closest to the library. He didn’t even know why he always picked this particular balcony to land on, but maybe in his subconscious, he wanted Gwyn to feel safer by landing in the place closest to her place of comfort.

Gently setting Gwyn on her feet, he straightened. She turned to him, and he knew what was coming.

It was a ritual, almost. After every outing of theirs, Gwyn would turn to him, smile, thank him, and then kiss his cheek.

It always left him a blushing mess.

He could see her preparing to rise onto her tiptoes, smiling up at him. Maybe if he kissed her cheek before she could, maybe he wouldn’t be left flustered?

Yes. And she might get shy and blush…It would be perfect, his shadows whispered excitedly.

But… no. It would be too forward of him.

Why? They complained.

Because I do not know if she is comfortable enough with me kissing her, he replied to them.

She likes master.

No. And even if she does, I do not know if-

Here’s the thing about his shadows. They were just that, shadows. Wispy, dark tendrils of smoke. But they could be corporeal when he needed them to be.

And being their own beings, when they wanted to be. 

So Azriel wasn’t expecting them to become semi solid at that moment as Gwyn’s lips were barely a hair's breadth away from his skin.

Nor was he expecting them to push against his other cheek, making him turn his head in surprise.

Azriel’s eyes widened as he realised the proximity between him and her. He only had a moment to turn his head away, hoping her lips would land on her cheeks.

Alas, he was too slow.

Her lips grazed his cheek, sure, but they also touched the corner of his. 

He froze, his gaze fixed on her face, the skin tinting a deep, beautiful shade of red. She pulled away quickly, her heartbeat so loud that Azriel could almost hear it.

He swallowed, his own heart beating in his throat. Blood rushed to his neck and ears as he looked at her, her eyes wide and lips parted.

I could get used to this sight, he thought.

But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. He needed to apologise.

“Gwyn I-”

“Bye-”

They both spoke, then stopped. Waiting for the other to speak. Neither of them did.

It got so awkward to the point that Azriel sighed, taking a step away. Maybe it had not affected her as it did him. Maybe he had imagined her heart beating quicker. Maybe he imagined the blush on her face.

It was not a big deal, he wanted to tell himself.

But he knew that it was. A very big deal. At least to him.

But still, he bowed his head, offered her a smile. Motioned for her to speak.

“See you next week, shadowsinger.” She mumbled with a sweet smile. She didn’t meet his eyes, staring instead at the one shadow that had refused to leave her side the entire outing and was now wound around her wrist.

He watched her go, feeling the need to say something but fearing it wouldn't be enough.

It had never been before.

He had never been.  Not for himself, not for anyone.

But, for Gwyn, could he ever be?

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

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@starswholistenanddreamsanswered @cumuluscranium @byyalady

@lilah-asteria @girlswithimagination @garden-of-runar @girlswithimagination

@sunnyspycat @artists-ally @milswrites @kingdomofstarrynights

@berryzxx @buttermilktea11 @loving-and-dreaming @yucanbmylxdy

@mellowmusings @dnfhascorruptedme @fuckingsimp4azriel @moonchildlv @curiosandcourioser

[1800titz]

TDIAG MASTERLIST

The one in which there's a sex club, Greek stage names, an exploration of boundaries, an open house, a pair of dress shoes, and and two evident sides to a very interesting man.

TDIAG things | TDIAG asks | NSFW ALPHABET | TDIAG extras | THE MAIN MASTERLIST

CHAPTER 1

The pilot episode feat. a gangbang

When Harry was twenty two, if a dangerously overconfident, time-hopping doppelgänger had pulled up in a freaky, rubber balaclava ('listen, mate' — hand on the shoulder and everything, like the reenactment of a cliché, time-honored rite of passage), and told him that in the very near future, his Friday nights would be indefinitely spent wearing a Greek moniker in the form of a fetishized allusion, that he’d be garbed by a latex mask to protect the sacred, fragile veil of secrecy— Well. He'd probably get a head start for padded walls and a straight jacket. Consider he was doing himself a favor with that one. But if he were told the same thing at twenty three, he'd probably choose to overlook the minor detail of reality imploding and sit back in his armchair, swirling his whiskey with excitement. Twenty three was an eventful year. He’d started casually enjoying whiskey after a long workday (honestly, a palate milestone in and of itself) and became enlightened on the fine art of tactically-applied suffering (and with it, gained a whole new appreciation for high-quality restraints). Because sometimes, a well-placed bruise and bliss just happened to go hand-in-hand.

A/N: Slowly reworking this one but. IT’S officially BACK ON WATTPAD

[help-help-i-need-an-adult]

Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher

I don’t even know how to word how going through the trials twice and then being forced to fight monsters and be called a mutant for your whole life would be that much more interesting to explore with the added layer of being a trans woman. The angst.

And then Jaskier coming along and getting to know her despite her very high walls and being her friend and calling her soft things and genuinely thinking she’s wonderful and worth protecting.

What if Jaskier helps her finally accept soft nice pretty things as something she can have? What if Jaskier is the first person she comes out to?

What if Jaskier is a trans man, and how would THAT make this different?

Just… I’m not a writer and can’t put the pieces together the way I’d like but I listen to music and think about it often.

If you see this post you’re legally required to tell me at least one trans woman headcanons you have for a canonically male character, I never get to see transfem headcanons like that, give me them, and for equality of my own please know estrogen could have saved Insector Haga and Dinosaur Ryuzaki I will not elaborate, also Yuya.

[luigilore]

more dad!luigi 🥲maybe w a little boy who’s smart like he is 💞

AHHH okay so i am working on longer dad!lu stuff but for now…

your son would love reading from the jump like as soon as he learns how to walk he would just toddle over to you repeatedly with more and more books. luigi and you both justify buying him new ones constantly, like the bookshelf in his nursery was almost already full and he had just turned one... would be very very curious, almost always squirming in your arms to be put down once he can walk + explore...

luigi lovesss a family excursion usually either in nature or a museum, there’s a really cute science museum near u guys that ur son loves. when he’s older luigi would love to go on bike rides, hikes, etc with him. re the out of control book problem: you eventually become weekly library patrons like yeah the nice librarians all know the mangiones and think ur the sweetest family.

when he’s a bit older ur son asks ‘why?’ a lot and luigi never wants to tell him ‘just bc’ or ‘bc i said so’ so that definitely helps his development! just so patient and willing to explain things to him! ur son can also naturally be pretty shy esp when he's younger... clutching (hiding behind lu's pantleg 🥹) and luigi is always encouraging him to push just a littleee bit outside of his comfort zone <3

very indulging in his interests like when ur son goes through a space stage luigi ofc buys sticky stars to stick onto his ceiling, would also buy him a kid-sized telescope and go star gazing with him!!

[cyberstrm]

-> sweet and scarred

dr greg house x gn!reader

cws: mentions of surgery, healed surgical scars, house being house, slightly spicy making out

a/n: mouse bites

you watched greg get changed while you sat in his giant double bed. you had just got back from your seventh date, and things were going very well. he was funny, kind, with a hint of angst which definitely intrigued you. you'd met through your friend Allison, who had invited you to a charity drive for the hospital she worked at, and met greg. although she had warned against involving yourself with him, you couldn't help it, and the next thing you knew, you were going on dates with your friends boss and slowly but surely, falling for him.

"you alright?" greg's voice cut through the silence, now in a tshirt and joggers. he limped to the edge of the bed, but didn't sit down.

"y-yeah, sorry. just lost in thought." you replied, smiling. you started taking your jacket off, slightly nervous. "thanks for letting me stay the night"

"what kind of gentleman would i be if i let you walk home in the rain?" he asked rhetorically. "here, you can sleep in this"

he chucked an oversized grey tshirt at you.

"thank you," you smiled.

"i'll be on the couch," greg mumbled, "goodn-"

"stay," you said quickly, unsure where your confidence had come from. "i-if that's okay," you felt your cheeks grow hot.

"sure" he replied, wondering round to the other side of the bed and lying down. "you can get changed, i promise i won't look," he shut his eyes with a comical and exaggerated squeeze.

you chuckled, and quickly stripped and slid into the tshirt. you chucked your clothes to the floor, making a mental reminder to not forget them tomorrow. as you changed, you ran a hand over your stomach, feeling the scar tissue under your palm.

truthfully, the reason you had attended the charity drive for the hospital with allison was because two years ago that hospital saved your life. the emergency surgery you required had left you with a large abdominal scar. you felt quite neutral about it, but when it came to dating and intimacy, it was a source of anxiety.

you laid on your side, looking at greg, who still had his eyes shut.

"you can open them now" you giggled. greg blinked his eyes open, and turned in bed to face you. his eyes scanned you, lingering at your bare legs.

"suits you," he mumbled, not taking his eyes off you.

you were both silent for a few moments, before greg moved his hand and gently put it on your waist. his thumb stroked your skin affectionately, making your stomach flutter. his hand wondered, first to your ass, then back up to your hips, waist, lower stomach. as he inched towards the scar, you flinched.

"don't," you muttered, grabbing his hand.

greg's eyes narrowed, and you saw a flicker of his diagnostic curiosity in his steely eyes.

"why" he asked, but his hand didn't move or continue moving upwards. you could tell he wasn't asking 'why' because he wanted to overstep your boundaries, or was angry that you hadn't let him explore, it was more that he was just incredibly nosey.

"because i said so," you laughed, moving his hand and placing it gently back to your waist.

greg sighed. "i know you had surgery"

"what?" you replied, suddenly feeling quite exposed. "how-"

"i searched your medical records," you replied bluntly.

"wh- you what? jesus, that's such an invasion of my privacy!" you exclaimed, sitting up. you felt anger burning in your chest. maybe allison was right, maybe you shouldn't have got involved.

"i'm sorry, force of habit" he said casually, still lying down. when you didn't reply, he sighed again. "but you're right. it was an invasion of your privacy. i'm sorry."

you took a deep breath. at least he already knew, which saved you the effort of explaining. besides, allison had warned you, and it's not like your medical records were that interesting besides your surgery.

"it's okay. just...ask next time. don't go digging around."

you lay back down, facing him.

"you don't have to hide it," he said, looking into your eyes.

"hide what?"

he rolled his eyes. "your scar,"

you blushed, both from not getting what he meant and the idea of him not caring was both incredibly sexy and incredibly nerve wracking. you didn't say anything.

"i'll show you mine if you show me yours." he smirked. you thought for a moment, and nodded.

you both sat up, and he rolled up his joggers on his left leg. on his thigh was a shallow pit, like part of it had been scooped out. it was a slightly different shade that the rest of his skin. you could see the stitch scars, little dots circling the wound.

"wow..." you mumbled to yourself.

"you definitely can't beat me in the 'ugly scar' competition." he teased.

"it's not ugly, greg. it's a scar. can i..?" you nodded towards it, moving your hand towards his leg.

he thought for a moment. "be...be gentle." he said quietly. you'd never seen anyone look so vulnerable.

you caressed it gently, running your fingertips along the scar. you could hear him breathing shakily, and pulled away.

"thank you, for showing me." you whispered. you laid back down and leant on your elbow, and greg followed, looking slightly frazzled.

"give me your hand," you asked, and he did. you gently lead it up your shirt, and onto your stomach, where the scar was. you removed your hand and let him roam freely. he slowly lifted your shirt, and you were left unable to hide anything.

he leant down and kissed your scar, repeatedly. up and down the raised flesh, softly and with purpose. he kissed your entire stomach, down to your hips, and back up to the scar. you felt breathless, and if you weren't blushing hard before, you definitely were now.

"so beautiful," he mumbled to himself between kissing your skin.

he stopped and raised his head, before kissing your lips. he wasn't rough but he certainly wasn't gentle. he was hungry for your lips. before you knew it, you were straddling him, kissing him heatedly.

his hands gripped your hips, thumbs circling your skin gently. he occasionally stroked your scar, letting you get used to his touch.

you pulled away, breathless.

"w-we should probably get some sleep." you panted, looking at his bedside clock that read '1:56 am'.

he lightly grabbed your neck and pulled you in for one last kiss, before you hopped off and laid down.

"night, greg,"

"g'night."

[esosage]

I need stone to become a magical girl while working for robotnik, so that he has to watch quitely from the sidelines while the doctor attempts to hunt his magical girl persona down. Like, he wants to tell ivo so bad, but just cant because of dumbass magical girl rules. So he just has to sit back and watch robotnik desperetly try to find the guy thats like litterally one foot away from him.

Also, stone gets a very cutsey magical girl fit because i know that man can absolutely rock it. And Oh! maybe shadow is his animal companion to boot.

(Bonus points if robotnik somehow becomes a magical girl too from trying to hunt stone, but on complete accident. Like one moment he's about to catch this fuck ass magical girl, and then all of a sudden, light errupts around him and next thing he knows he's in the most poofy dress known to man and he HATES it! extra bonus points if its pink btw. Because while men can wear pink and absolutely slay in it, robotnik doesnt think that, and haveing him go out of his comfort zone is very entertaining to me. I think it would be interesting to explore how robotnik deals with being feminine, and femininity in general. Especially since his character prioritizes his image A LOT! at least sm1 robotnik does, and this au takes place vaugly around that time.)

(Oh, And extra extra bonus points if he's now forced to work with stone as a magical girl, due to being one. Hell maybe thats how he finds out stones the magical girl hes been hunting all this time, with stone finnally being able to tell him since theyre on the same team now and all that jazz.)

Honestly, i might write more about this au later down the line: I'm starting to get attached to it lol.

[starlightshadowsworld]

Concept: There’s a moment that Jason and Leo have that I feel could’ve been interesting to explore with Jason and Percy.

At the start of the series Leo likes Jason but he’s also very jealous of him. Because Jason is everything he’s not.

He’s tall, blond, conventionally attractive and got the girl. On paper Jason is perfect in all the ways Leo isn’t and he both loves and resents him for it.

And the turning point, when Leo first realises thats not the case is when they all learn about Beryl Grace. But It’s not that Jason’s mother is dead that does it.

It’s that Jason has no memories of her. He is sat listening to Thalia recount a tragedy and for the first time Leo doesn’t envy him at all.

Because the only thing Leo has ever had to hold onto to keep him going is the memory of his mother. His mother was a loving, kind woman and Leo would never want to live a life without any recollection of her.

For the first time Jason looks so painfully lost and alone. For the first time that perfect mask shatters and Leo sees the real Jason.

And that’s who he befriends for real.

Now I’m not saying that Percy is jealous of Jason or that he should be. But much like Leo he also views Jason as this perfect kind of person.

He’s blond superman. He looks like every popular kid that used to bully Percy. And much like Leo, Percy both loves and resents Jason for it.

And I think an interesting turning point could’ve been Jason meeting Sally.

Unlike the rest of his friends, Jason has no real concept of what family and thus what a parent is supposed to be. He never met his father, he met his mother’s corrupted ghost sure but he only really learned about her from Thalia.

And of course he cares about Thalia but he hasn’t been her little brother in over a decade. The closest thing to a parent Jason’s had is Lupa who raised him as one of her own.

But even that was temporary. And well first rule of the Wolf house is self-reliance…imagine learning that as a toddler. And then being sent to and growing up in what’s essentially the military.

All Jason’s experiences with adults are that he has to serve a purpose and once he’s served that purpose, he will be discarded.

Meanwhile Percy, similar to Leo dealt with a lot growing up but he always had Sally. He always had someone he could be himself around. Someone who loved and cherished him no matter what he did.

Jason meeting Sally in my eyes is him doing his best to be polite and respectful. All things Jason does normally so it’s nothing out of the ordinary at first.

His father’s domain does contain hospitality after all.

But it doesn’t ever go away, not even when the rest of Percy’s friends are a lot more at ease with Sally. There’s such a noticeable difference between the Jason that Percy knows and the one that shows up to his house.

To the point he genuinely thinks Jason’s more at ease fighting monsters than talking to his mother.

And while his mind immediately jumps to oh Jason’s showing off or something, Percy quickly tosses that thought out. Because Jason just isn’t like that as a person.

He’s always respectful. He always asks if there’s anything he can do to help. He always sits closest to the door at dinner. He’s the first to leave. He never stays over. He never comes over if he knows Percy isn’t there, even if others are.

He waits to be dismissed at the table. He always looks kind of unsure if he’s left in the room with her…..

And then it hits Percy that Jason is afraid of his mum. It sounds ridiculous but it makes sense. He’s never seen Jason be this tense around anyone. The guy called his dad’s Greek equivalent unwise once, he’s not afraid like that.

But in the face of Sally Jackson, Jason freezes. He doesn’t dare look her in the eye nor even breathe to loudly in her presence. It’s the way Percy once felt around Gabe.

It’s then he realises another heartbreaking thing, that whenever his mum is around Jason seeks him out. Kinda glues himself by Percy for the rest of the visit.

And now he feels bad for being a bit annoyed by it when he wanted to talk to Annabeth and bam there was Jason.

Because Jason was scared and he sought him out. Not even his own sister but Percy. And it’s just this moment where Percy doesn’t see some unstoppable perfect image.

He sees a scared kid. He’s reminded that Jason is only a year younger than him. But he’s been in this fight long before Percy ever knew it existed.

And Jason had no one. He doesn’t know what a caring home is like. So he sees the embodiment of that in Sally, has no idea how to act.

And it frightens him.

Percy wonders how he never noticed it before. How Jason wears such a mask so well. But he’s seen the real Jason Grace.

And he won’t forget him.

[traincat]

What are your thoughts on your friendly neighborhood spider-man?

I'm probably not going to watch it. Like, it looks fine, it's just that I know the Peter characterization is going to annoy me beyond reason so I'm not putting myself through that. I think the choices surrounding the Osborns are interesting -- I've previously talked about how I think there's an interesting interpretation of Norman and Harry as either Black or Jewish, because those are basically the only ethnic groups where the famous "Osborn hair" curl pattern shows up, but that with Norman in particular you need to balance it on Peter's side by admitting some things canonically, which I don't see YFNSM doing. But I do like the decision and I think Norman's role in it seems interesting. It's just Peter where I'm like I'm not doing this to myself. It's always just Peter.

I'm standing by these comments. I was just trying to watch gay tomb raiding nonsense and I was assaulted.

But I'm trying to do this thing where I'm not endlessly bitter about recent Spider-Man so instead I'm going to rec Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2005) (NOT 2019 that was a disaster) (you want Peter David you don't want Tom Taylor) as a comic because I think it does some really fun stuff.

Really interesting arc looking at what would happen with Peter if May had died instead of Ben! Really exploring May's influence on Peter and how she's the person who made him as good and kind as he is! (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #8)

Interesting fallout from Civil War! The revenge of Deb Whitman, the woman Peter drove to a mental breakdown just by being himself! Flash defending Peter! That's his man! Betty is here! (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #16)

"I thought you were wholesome!" okay gay boy.

Also note Flash's clothes -- they're the same clothes Peter is wearing at the start of Back in Black, which means he was crashing at Flash's place when he was on the lam after switching sides in Civil War. I love them.

The cuffs are even rolled up on the pants! Peter's either 5'10" or 6' even depending on what canon source you trust, and Flash was 6'2" before he lost his legs, so that's a fun detail with the pants. (ASM #539)

Peter and Betty being freaks about each other! Betty getting to know, even if only just for a bit, that Peter is Spider-Man! She never stopped loving him, not ever, no matter who else she was with! Not ever! Freaks! (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man#20)

Also an otherworldly spider monster tries to lay eggs in Flash. Because that's a thing that happens.

Why are the three of them like this. (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #22)

I have my issues with Peter David but he is a very solid Spider-Man writer and there's some really good fallout from Peter's Civil War identity reveal here. Jonah gets to punch him in the face and it's deserved.

[rubberduckyrye]

I've been seeing a fair bit of "Shuichi treats people more like cases than people" sentiment, and while it is an interesting idea for Angst Purposes, I just don't think that's very in character for him realistically.

Especially when people talk about the runaway cases he dealt with.

I think a lot of people think "runaway" and think "children who are in abusive homes who NEEDED to run away" and not "Children who got emotionally devastated by something and made an irrational choice in the heat of the moment" because there is a fundamental difference between the two. Even still, you should not leave a runaway child to fend for themselves! They are vulnerable! They need help!!!

Whether they need help getting home or help into a new home.

I think that also people don't acknowledge it when Shuichi says that he checks up on the runaway cases post-investigation to make sure everything's still okay and going well. I'm also sure that, as part of the process, he learns from the runaway child the reason why they ran away, and if the reason was as devastated as domestic or sexual violence or severe neglect, he would NOT just send them off home.

That is not in character for him.

He has a lot of very human interactions with his classmates (outside of Kokichi, who is explicitly hated by the narrative) and tries (maybe fails, but tries) to be considerate towards them and their inner feelings.

His interactions in his LSEs aren't just acting, he's still being "himself", and his interactions with characters like Kirumi (I.E. validating her and humanizing her, insisting that her love for him isn't bad because she is his equal) despite playing the role of her "master." And in Gonta's, he knew Gonta was upset over scaring him so he comforted him and reassured him that everything was okay.

Also in Kirumi's FTE's, Shuichi offered to be Kirumi's "master" when she was playing a joke on him with the whole stray maid thing, and in Kiibo's FTE, he offers to continue helping Kiibo find new avenues to explore via his robot emotions and the whole robot business thing.

Shuichi doesn't just, stick around only to figure someone out and then get bored of them when he's done. I'll be the first to admit it, how Shuichi treats Kokichi specifically is pretty terrible at times, but that is a narrative flaw that does not apply to everyone else.

He's very thoughtful, tries his best to be accommodating and supportive, and does try his best to make connections with the people around him. He almost overextends himself just to help others--which is something that he would do for runaway children as well.

I think people need to give Shuichi more credit than just seeing the Runaway Cases thing and immediately thinking his neglectful person who only cares about solving mysteries because canon didn't explicitly state how he handles those cases.

[theadventurek9]

Yes!!!

As I am approaching Aayla's retirement from obedience I am trying to think what's next? In no way is she mentally ready to retire from training. So we've started scentwork and as always will have hiking and exploring to do. She can do rally a bit longer but I suspect her hips might be getting arthritic so the multiple sits in rally won't be something she can do long term.

When Aayla had her surgery for her elbow dysplasia and spent 8 months in restricted exercise I saw the mental damage that caused. She was on extreme exercise restriction for three months, then limited exercise for another five. While I tried to work on low movement brain games it just wasn't enough for her. She went from agility, obedience, rally and disc to...very easy tricks and puzzle games only. Her frustration tolerance drastically declined and even to this day is more vocal, easily frustrated and frantic about work.

It really changed my opinion on retirement and working dogs with limitations.

A lot of dogs that are good at sports need work. They thrive on training and physical movement and we expect them to just be able to stop. To just be happy to go on walks and stay at home.

I personally now value mental health over my dogs physical health. All in moderation of course. If she ends up a little sore after hiking with running and playing but is mentally suffering with only leash neighborhood walks, you bet I'm going to let her have her off leash time and give her some pain management medication after.

I do let my dysplastic dog run agility every now and then. She LOVES it and lights up whenever she gets the ability to do it. She jumps only 12" compared to what she used to do at 20". I monitor her after and she doesn't appear to be sore after so we will keep doing it. Though I have the knowledge of we did it on a more regular basis she would get sore. But I value her joy and happiness over risking her getting sore.

Just because Aayla no longer is eligible for our big goals (MACH, ATCH, AKC OTCH) doesn't mean that I should just stop with her. She wouldn't be happy with just that. We can play other activities that keep her going and challenged.

I've never been that interested in being competitive at scentwork. It's not my thing. Yet it is an activity that Aayla likes and she can do for the rest of her healthy life. So I will do it for her.

I don't think the idea of what retirement should be is talked about enough in dog sport spaces.

People "retire" dogs from sports all the time. The dog gets too old to safely play, acquires an injury that makes the sport unsafe or uncomfortable, or has a behavioral or temperament issue that makes the sport unenjoyable. I don't think anyone can argue that it's unethical to keep pushing a dog in a sport to their detriment.

But what I see from there, I can argue with. So many people get high drive working dogs and do... nothing with them when they retire. They often refer to them as a "couch ornament". They leave them home on sport weekends. They use the lack of finances or time to do an extra sport as the excuse to stop coaching and building new repertoires with the dog.

We spend so much time arguing these dogs NEED jobs, then do nothing with them for months to years at the end of their working life. Retirement (for humans as well as dogs-- but that's a whole new can of worms) should not mean doing nothing. Living beings aren't meant to stop learning and growing and doing. Puppies are less capable, but we don't do nothing with them until six months anymore. We meet them where they're at. It's so important for physical wellness and neural plasticity that we do the same with our retired dogs.

I have a dog whose health meant he would be retired in any serious competitive context. Biting a sleeve or suit is too high injury risk. He can't jump his full obedience height or to catch a disc. He will never get the AKC RACH or OTCH I had him slated for. But he still plays! He comes with to mondio club and is preparing to trial in obedience with no jumps. He trials in AKC preferred obedience and got his rally choice title, the highest level without jumps, last fall. We're going to compete for our UKC RACH this trial season, since they don't require jumps for rally and let you jump minimum height. He still competes in every disc dog competition my competitive dog does, and even surprised me by placing in the last two despite only catching rollers. We started shed hunt and a Nosework class even though I currently don't have the funds or time to compete in more sports.

The biggest difference I've noticed in him since competing with him and taking him to classes again? He's so so much more behaviorally sound. He's happier. He's fulfilled. And he's physically more sound on top of that, because he's using his body in healthy ways and is not so pent up that he's injuring himself with normal movement.

Retirement should mean a new phase in life, not life being over. Rest and stagnancy are not the same. Quite honestly, if my retired working dog isn't ready to learn a new activity or play a new game, it's time to have a serious talk with my vet about quality of life.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hi! Super sorry if this is a way too specific request. But do you know any systems that don't just treat magic knight/gish type characters as half-spellcaster and half-martial? Specifically looking for something that allows a magic knight sort of character to excel at magic and/or weapons to the same degree a more standard caster or martial character would, even if this means sacrificing something in a third category.

Sorry again if this is too obscure, take as long as you need with it and if you can't find anything that's okay too. I hope you have a nice day/night!

THEME: Magic Knights

Hello friend, so I started by looking for games where the characters were all blessed with supernatural powers, because I think if you're all supernaturally gifted, you're more likely going to get that balance you're looking for. That being said, I think I've also included a little bit of variety both in the basic recommendations as well as some add-ons at the end, so I hope that there's enough variety for something to pique your interest!

MourningStar, by devindecibel. @devindecibel

Lucifer, the former Archangel of Light, has died.

& their ever gloriously radiant body became the star which warms us.

We are the devilkith, those descended from the exiles of the Brilliant Garden & Hallowed star systems of Creation; those cursed to exalt sin.

We defend the Mourningstar, a haven for misfits, guarding the last iota of the Cosmos not conquered by the ever grasping empire of God.

Mourningstar is a “satanic” “biblepunk” dark science fantasy game about resistance, rebellion, othering, theology, individuality, misfits, colonialism, divine politics, infernal magic, & exploring the stars as swashbuckling devils. You will tell the story of a crew of Advocates, attachés to the Court of Lucifer & special agents of the Seven Prodigious Broods, the noble Archdemonic houses of devilkith in the Mourningstar System. Advocates explore the universe of Creation in their Chariot starship, defend the oppressed, skirmish with Angels & intrigue, & fight for the spirit of fierce identity.

Mourningstar is mechanically inspired by heavily narrative games, so I expect the archetypes provided to give players a strong concept to start with. One archetype is the Bastion, which is a knight whose armor is powered by demon blood, allowing them access to blood magic and access the ghosts of past knights' wisdom.

That being said, in its current stat, this is a crunchy game. Set-up is rather complex, and the game is built for campaigns, so if you're going to play this one, you should prepared for a long haul.

Thematically, Mourningstar is pretty specific; it's biblepunk, it's science fantasy, and it's rebellion. Your characters will have big grievances and bigger losses, but at the end of the day, your band of freaks is going to pull of some pretty impressive adventures. Currently the designer is working on updating the game, so you might want to keep an eye on this one!

Freelancer, by mammothbronco.

Welcome Freelancer, Freelancer takes place in a world of your choosing. A world balanced between an age of light and an age of dusk. Betwixt a time of prosperous endless summer and an unforgiving winter, a forgetting of things, a time where swords and blood rule. The makers of powerful artifacts known as relics have vanished; their knowledge disappeared within the dusk. The wealthy hide behind their walls, lusting for such an artifact, but the price is more costly than blood.

Freelancer feels very old-school fantasy, where magic is rare and difficult to wield. One thing that is very common in these old-school style games is the containment of magic in objects, rather than in innate abilities.Spells are things contained in relics, making them rather available to everyone.

There is still a distinct magic class, but the corruption of magic and the fact that you can use a relic without being a spellcaster feels like it puts folks on a slightly more equal playing field. Freelancer also feels more grounded in the typical fantasy tropes, which I think lends itself to leaning into the knight tropes that you might be interested in.

Guillotine: Crown of Blood, by Tally Owl Press.

Dive into a Gothic world that's rife with subterfuge and spellcasting alike, in this PBTA (Powered by the Apocalypse) hack that combines the dynamic, character-driven mechanics of Amour Astir with a dark, sprawling Gothic setting where the Crown reigns supreme. The Crown is a monarchical force that uses its populace for cannon fodder, magical tithing—whatever it wants. You play as a revolutionary with an axe to grind: some reason to want the King's head on the proverbial platter. You have magic, bargains, weapons, and grit at your disposal. You might even have friends and allies, if you're especially lucky. Either way, you and your players will craft a revolutionary narrative where the magic and prowess of the many can overcome the greed of the few.

Magic takes front and centre here, but according to the character sheets, your intent and approach seem very important and thus I think you could use weaponry to the same level of skill, as long as you put some thought into it. PbtA games are more focused on what makes the story interesting, rather than granular details such as weapon modifiers or range bands.

The character options for this game are drenched in themes and arcs; I think that this is a kind of game where you'll be sacrificing something personal and heartbreaking in order to succeed.Because you're fighting against the Crown, I think that your characters are going to feel much less knight-like, unless you play the Shadow Cavalier or perhaps a Partisan. If you want pathos and grit, you want Guillotine: Crown of Blood.

In Extremis, by @keganexe.

In Extremis is a tabletop roleplaying game designed for 2-6 players, about fighting back the man using necromancy, that uses the LUMEN system by Spencer Campbell. Inspired by The Locked Tomb trilogy, players take on the role of exceptionally powerful witches who use their mastery of life, death, and the human condition to keep them and their own safe from other planetary invaders who want to steal their land.

As a Necromancer, you are one of a handful of hideously powerful death witches that protect the planet Hecate, the final holdout for The Coven, from the ever encroaching war of the Corvus Dominion.

In Extremis was the first game I thought of when I saw this request, mostly because I'm familiar with the source material that inspired this game. You are first and foremost a magic user, but your ability to use a weapon is so so so important. The game is also built on the Lumen system, which rewards character abilities that stack, as well as tactical play that focuses on teamwork.

If you want gritty, dark badassery and a lot of corpses, you probably want In Extremis.

Dawnfire Warriors, by matara

The worldlords, the Nowdead Gods, have fallen and the lands they once ruled with wrath and divinity have exploded into an age of unprecedented warfare. You, as a dawnwalker, are a nigh-immortal juggernaut of death clad in the gods' own armor: dawnplate. Stride into battle with your honor guard and your allies, to claim territory and seize the drops of Godhead Ichor dripping from the astral corpses of the Nowdead as they hover over the world, morbid reminders of what came before.

Now is a time of war and fire. Shod yourself in dawnplate and carve through armies to claim what is yours.

Dawnfire Warriors is a one-page, high-strategy tactical game. It requires a grid and something to use as minis, to track your moves. That being said, combat is abstracted out to losses; how exactly you defeat your enemies or what weapons you wield is completely up to the player; all that matters is how well you take out your enemies, as well as how quickly you take them out.

Every character has magical armour and dawnfire abilities, which is attached to the armour you wear.There are three different kinds of dawnwalkers; the Marshal, whose abilities centre around leadership, the Tidewall, whose abilities focus on overwhelming the enemy, and the War Wizard, who's excellent at transporting forces around the field.

If you want a game that's more about strategy than history or lore, maybe consider Dawnfire Warriors.

Our Spell is Steel, by Switchback Worlds.

Our Spell Is Steel (OSIS) is a tabletop RPG built with the Forged In The Dark system, utilising a d10 dice mechanic influenced from World of Darkness.

You play as an Imperial Mancer, a mage who serves an Empire built on magic. Your world is surrounded on all sides by the three ancient Powers: the godlike Dragons, Spirits and Fey, locked in an eternal struggle for supremacy over each other. The Mancers learned the mysteries of magic from these Powers, which is now their only means of defending humanity from the overpowering beyond.

Your group forms a team of Mancers called a Clave. Mancers are born to serve the Empire, ruled by callous and ambitious Trueblood bloodlines who would be more than happy to sacrifice Newbloods like you as fodder and bargaining chips against the Powers.

Caught in the bloody game between gods and mages, will your Clave be the one to fight back against your fate and topple the board, lighting the fires of a magical revolution? Or will you perish before your time, your soul bound into servitude to the Powers, or your own magic killing you as arcane bloom chokes your veins?

All of the characters in this game are magical, but how they use those powers varies; different disciplines give you different kinds of powers. Forged in the Dark and WoD games (inspirations for this one) both give you the ability to improve different parts of your character sheets in different directions. So you could likely make a Wizard who focuses more on building up skills that rely on weapons, or you could start as an Ironheart and then tack on some Wizard abilities as you grow.

Other Thoughts….

Brimstone and Lead Arena, by MummyLaundering is very tactical and embraces magic for all characters, but uses guns instead of traditional fantasy weapons.

Magic & Might, by The_Bellmont, treats your character's magic and might equally, but the game itself is rather simple, and doesn't have the complexity that you might be looking for.

Echoes of the Broken, by Scribbles & Dice Games, appears to be a point-buy system that centres around characters that are supernaturally powerful, and I've recommended it in the past!

Exalted 3rd Edition, by Onyx Path Publishing, has sorcery that is immensely powerful, but I don't know how much the game separates sorcery from martial abilities; all of your characters are incredibly powerful, but I don't know what magic looks like for the martial characters.

Heart: The City Beneath by Rowan, Rook & Decard, has some really fascinating player options, including the Vermissian Knight, whose armour is train-powered, and who possesses an aetheric field that both protects you and can fuel your abilities.

Finally, if you like what I do, you can leave me a tip on my Ko-Fi page. <3

[notebooks-and-laptops]

Okay so. It seems I'm in the minority about not liking the Spike-With-A-Soul plot. I've not really interacted with the Buffy fandom before this so its wild to me this is how people view it. Because the thing is...

Buffy is at its best, always, when it rejects the concept of ontological evil Vs good and of all the shows from that era (charmed is a big one that comes to mind) I think Buffy when it got a few seasons under its belt was one of the best shows at rejecting the ontological evil Vs ontological good mindset despite the fact that it's a monster of the week show. Oz, Buffy, Faith, Spike, Buffy, Willow, Harmony, Xander, Riley, Anya, Warren, Jonathan, Andrew - all of these characters are continuously used to show moral complexity, particularly that goodness is a choice and what does it mean to be a harm to others?

And spike epitomises that. He is the monster who suddenly had to deal with not being allowed to kill people; which led him to form bonds (particularly with Buffy and Dawn, but I'd argue he makes bonds with the rest of the Scoobies bar maybe Xander too) which led him into empathy and trying to do good even when it came at his own expense. There is this lingering question by season 6 with spike; if you removed his chip would he go back to how he was in season 2? Would he kill and maime and torture, or would he make the choice to be good just like the rest of the Scoobies have to do daily even when giving in would be easier.

And I think spike would have a wobble sure, very Anya esque in that regard, but I think he'd ultimately just like Anya NOT find it easy to go back to being 'evil' after having his chip removed even without a soul. And the lore implications to that are FACINATING and way cooler to explore than like. Soul = good, not soul = bad.

And also...I know people are like 'he was irredmiable after seeing red so it had to happen so we could like him again' but uhhhh that's actually one of the reasons I DONT like spike getting a soul. It really feels like the writers wanted a cop out, a way for us to go on shipping and engaging with Spuffy and absolve Spike. See he did a terrible thing but he can still be your pathetic little favourite wet man because we gave him a get out of jail free card! And that's just...kinda nothing to me? I mean sure he worked for that soul, did the trials, but it's not the same as actively having to deal with doing a terrible, unforgivable thing and where you go from there. It's just. It feels so cheap. Like they wanted the 'edgy, brutal' scene but they didn't ACTUALLY want the consequences so oops he's got a soul now don't worry about it he can still be your fav little guy. (And yeah, I mean. I do think the writers would have struggled with spike after seeing red if they didn't do something drastic - but if they weren't willing to grapple with it they shouldn't have done it, otherwise it just feels even more ick to me ya know.)

Idk I like season 7 for what it is but I think ultimately it was a backslide from so many interesting things set up in season 6, even willow kinda goes back to having good Vs bad sides rather than just being a complex individual with capacity for both. And spike is the Biggie for me because I'd have MUCH rather had the plot of 'buffy removes spikes chip and trusts that he's become a better person and doesn't need it anymore' than 'spike has a soul now so he's chill'. Also I think it would have made his plot with the first and potential killing waaaaay more engaging if they hadn't been able to write it off with 'but he has a SOUL now'.

(I think a really interesting plot would have been everyone THINKS spike has a soul even spike but it turns out he DOESNT and what the fuck does THAT mean?)

[revna-writes]

Results of Writing Trade #2!

Trade with: @obstinatejules (actual living angel I think)

Results from the trade!

"To Build a Home" obstinatejules - Chapter 1 - Original Version revna-writes - Chapter 1 - Rewritten Version

"Le Academiae Artes Notoria" revna-writes - Chapter 1 - Original Version obstinatejules - Chapter 1 - Rewritten Version (wow)

overall thoughts

For one, wow, that was super fun. I'm honestly amazed by how well this entire experience lived up to my expectations lol. Part of that is definitely due to obstinatejules being so cool, she was super fun to write with and bounce ideas off of. Plus, I got great material to work with :)

But also, fun aside, it was so helpful??

Writing skills I grew doing this:

Literary analysis and reflection: I spent a long time reading the original and taking notes on a lot of stuff: the characters, their characterization, the plot points, what the piece means, what its themes are, what emotions it is exploring and how, unique aspects of the way it is written, and, 'what unique aspects can I introduce to accentuate and build on this foundation?'

Slice of life / fluff / fanfic genres: I don't have a lot of experience in these worlds, and It was really cool learning about specific phrases, tropes, ways of description, etc., and how to combine them to really make the piece live up to its genre

2nd Person Perspective: very new for me. It has its own considerations- for example, it's much more intimate for the reader, which is both its greatest strength and weakness.

Present tense: as a limited 3rd person past tense girlie, swapping to present tense was hard!! But also really interesting. There really are tense-specific ways to express things that do not work in past tense, and it was fun playing around with those & learning how to make present tense work for me. There is absolutely a different feel to the writing, and as steeped in past tense as I am, I didn't really realize it could make a big difference. I'm excited for the day when I choose to make a story present tense as an artistic choice because of the things unique to it.

Communication skills: Throughout this process with the chapter trades, you know, I'm talking to a bunch of different people with a bunch of different backgrounds, across multiple different generations. So, I'm having to figure out ways for each person to best connect with them, assess our expectations for what's going down, and then also our timeframe, what chapters we want to trade, and then any questions we may have about each other's piece. It's been really good to get me out of my shell, and also, it's helped me relax a little bit and communicate 'more effectively'.

There's also some more nebulous things, like, being intimately introduced to the way someone else writes fundamentally shifts the way I write ever so slightly. I am introduced to brand new ideas, new narrative techniques, new word choices for the same ideas and emotions, and I'm introduced to these in a way that is so much different than how I would see them as a reader.

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me lol.

Writing Trade!!

Hear ye, hear ye, it's time for a writing trade!

How It Works

You DM me, "I'd like to trade!" (or anything else that indicates you want to participate!)

We exchange chapters. I send you a link to mine, you send me a link to yours, we read each other's chapter.

We each re-write the other's chapter! In our own style, with our own approach, but hitting all the same plot points with the same characters.

We exchange the re-written chapters!

Okay but what's the point?

It's a great way to develop your skills!

You get to see how someone else would handle the same story!

You get to share and talk about your story (critically!!) with another author!!

We get to have fun together!! with writing!! (:o?!?!)

I want to do this with someone so BAD, hfdgkjfngkfd!!!! Seriously y'all i am FIENDING to do some cute writing trades.

If you are interested, please DM me!

[beebfreeb]

sorry if this question is a bit stupid/redundant but im curious how your wir ocs became their own thing in hard times in houston? did they just evolve beyond, did you just want to see how they'd work outside of the wir setting or did you disconnect them from it for another reason? how ocs/aus grow into different ideas and settings is just interesting to me!

Very simply: Me and my friends in a VC went ohh wouldn't it be funny if we made a human AU? Like, how would these characters act if we forced them to be people in a society? And I wanted to be self-indulgent and make characters southern.

And then the madness took me. What I love more than anything is thinking about how and why characters act the way they do. Which I was already doing beforehand but now I was like, wow... their childhoods and the ways that SOCIETY impacts them!!!

So yeah it was a fun little "omg what if" because I like designing human versions of characters that me and my friends got kinda crazy with pretty quickly. However before an actual normal human AU there was a Resident Evil one. Because as a joke I drew @metalpincer's OC kissing a certain character. And then it just kept going.

Classic power of Yes, and- teehee. And at a certain point, my focus with the video game versions became more of an exploration of people existing within a society where their existence is based around a performance and being a product, rather than interacting much with the canonical movie plot. LOL.

I love character studies. I love putting strange dysfunctional people in a mundane situation and seeing them act weird. And most importantly, I LOVE PLAYING BARBIE DOLLS WITH MY FRIENDS!