#they did in fact not need to fight the alchemy

[number-onekidqueen]

heyy !! i hope ur doing well (: can you write a luke x gn!reader where they are chubbier and short and luke Lovess the height x size difference but they thinks like making fun of them but in reality he’s just teasing ): they open up to him about past issues regarding that and he comforts them and says he’ll protect them ): maybe a bit of protective!luke

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐲?

Luke castellan x gn!chubbier!shorter reader

Summary: Luke loves to talk about all your physical differences and how you still fit together perfectly. But you have a few bad memories. 

Anon, I am sooooo sorry this took so long, I've had a mad case of writer's block lately, and I no time. It's kinda short and sweet (if you get what I mean *wink*) but I hope this is what you were picturing, and that you enjoy <3

warnings: mentions of fatphobia, mentions of insecurity, panic, teasing.

“Hey shawty!” 

Immediately, you stiffened. Even if you recognised the voice as one you trusted - Luke, your boyfriend of nearly a year, who you loved dearly - the nickname still made you feel cold all over. But Luke didn't mean the nickname in that way, you were sure.

Right?

You didn't have much time to ponder it however as a warm hand materialised around your waist, pulling you into him. You let the sandwich you had been making for lunch settle onto the table, freeing your arms so you could reciprocate his embrace, although rather stiffly.

"How you been?" He murmured into your hair, while he peppered kisses on your scalp. And then he noticed. He pulled away from you, still gripping your shoulders but gazing at you with concern. "What's wrong?"

You decided to drop it. He wouldn't have meant it that way. Even if your boyfriend before had, Luke wouldn't do something like that. "Nothing," you replied, forcing a smile, "you just caught me by surprise is all."

There was a pause in which he scanned your face, searching for signs you weren't telling the truth. He still appeared wary, but he seemed to let it slide for the moment, scooping up your sandwich plate and tugging you along to his table. Loud greetings hooted about, as his fellow Hermes siblings noted his and your appearance.

Your suspicions were confirmed as you sat, after saying hello to everyone, when he clasped his hand in yours, resting it on his knee. This was something he always did when you were feeling overwhelmed or sad, to reassure you that he was always there. He hadn't been convinced by your facade then. Damn.

Beginning to eat your sandwich, you were wincing at the near-stale texture of the bread, and how hard and dry it was in your mouth. Chiron must be running on his last few loaves and forgot to get extra supplies. You were glad for the distraction of Chris, who was always happy to explain his schemes with grand theatrics, and hand gestures that often tipped over glasses. That and Luke's wild laughter from beside you got you through the unpleasant meal.

"-and you won't believe what happened next, and even though it is coming from me, it was pretty damn impressive-"

"Ok man, I'm gonna interrupt your yap session right there while I can. Anyone getting seconds?" Luke asked, holding up his own plate.

"No dude, I'm sooooooo full, how are you not?" Chris groaned, laughing.

"He didn't steal my bag of jerky, Rodriguez!" Someone down the table accused.

"Hey, that was in the middle of the cabin floor, it was fair game!-"

"I'll have some," you volunteered, turning to Luke, and accepting his hand to help you rise from the benches.

"See, lucky I can be a big back with them!" He laughed, walking away with you and back to the table filled with food.

You weren't hungry anymore, at all. Every delicious, hot meal on the table that had tantalised you only moments before now seemed like soggy sticks. Luke had mentioned stuff about your body twice now, in such a short period. You were sure he meant it now. He must be just like your ex in that respect, even if he had treated you better. He felt the same as your ex had done. Even after all this time, your body wasn't good enough- you weren't good enough-

"Hey, you can't decide? Try the macaroni, I just had a bit and oh my Gods-"

"Uh- I don't really feel too hungry anymore." You said awkwardly, gulping down your insecurity.

"Ok," he said slowly, and there was his brown eyes again, deep and full of questioning. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's all fine just... not hungry." You smiled weakly, praying he would drop it as he did earlier. Your stomach rumbling punctuated the silence. He frowned at you, second helping forgotten and pulled you to the side of the dining pavilion, near some dense bushes where you wouldn't be seen.

"Hey. Please tell me what's going on," he begged, squeezing your hand. When you looked in his eyes, you knew you were a goner. You cracked.

"Do you still- like-like- do you still like me?" you mumbled, gazing down at your feet.

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused, "Y/N, I love you, so yeah, of course I still like you."

“I- just- I- I know you didn’t mean any harm and I know you only meant to tease, but it just reminds me of my ex sometimes.”

"Wait, what? What does?" He urged, pulling you closer.

"Just the... you know, like little comments- it's just-it's kinda like the stuff he used to say that hurt my feelings."

He pulled away from you, face hardening. 

“What did he say to you?”

“It was nothing, just he commented on my weight constantly and how much shorter I was than him and sometimes- look it doesn't really matter. It's just that the 'hey shawty' and 'big back' and all that, it shouldn't, it's stupid of me, but it reminds me of him... and like, I know it was a mistake dating a guy that was older in the first place, but the biggest mistake I made was letting him say the stuff he said."

"Don't you dare call yourself stupid," he began sternly, "because if anyone here is, it's me. My gods, baby, I'm so sorry I said stuff like that, it was just a joke or a little pet name to me, I-I didn't know it reminded you of that-ugh, if I had known I would've bleached my mouth out."

You laughed a little, and his face brightened.

"You know I don't wanna be anything like him, right? Man, if he was here I might have a hard time stopping from doing something to him, what a dick."

Laughing again, you nodded, smiling at him.

"And, you know you're also perfect right? Like who cares if you're shorter or a different shape to me? That's what makes you, like you, and I love you for all of it."

He kissed you swiftly, sweetly. It was warm, and you were both smiling through it. He was Luke, not your crusty ex that had broken contact the minute he got accepted to college. And he would always love you for who you were, you were sure of that now.

He broke apart, your noses brushing. "I love you," he whispered, each syllable falling softly on your upper lip.

"I love you too," you whispered back. He backed away reluctantly, holding your hands in both of his tightly.

"Ok, let's get you some macaroni now, because I'm not kidding when I say that it hits-"

And you let him lead you back to the chaotic normality of camp, with all of the delicious food and comforting people you loved.

[jess-the-vampire]

Professor Caduceia and Snakely

Checked out the storyboard for the deleted s1 episode "Homesick"

You can read it here : https://t.co/WpZJFWbR48

I just loved these cut villains, one whose design def seemed like it was given to raine when they got cut. (I wonder if the color palette was similar, but we don't have a reference to that so idk)

Thoughts on the cut episode below:

An episode where king and owlbert of all characters bond is kinda neat, especially since it provides owlbert himself a bit more character here.

The opening is def far different from any of the final ones we ever see in the series, in fact it feels like it should be taking place during the episode but it can't be given we see hooty from being sick to not being sick in pretty chronological order?

A focus on the healing coven was nice to see, especially since we never got that in the show itself, and get some idea of their powerset and what they do magic wise.

So Manny was an ambulance driver, and Camila was a nurse in this. People originally assumed camila was a nurse when the show started, and it makes me wonder if that was changed between seasons at some point cause clearly the crew decided to change her profession and it's unclear why.

you can use your palisman as a communicator? and an umbrella? I do think it's so weird that even at the very end of the show, they establish brand new rules for palisman. Like them being able to shapeshift into objects is straight up not explained and just sorta....happens in the show, like i feel like hunter would have no issue hiding flap if this is a thing. (It also kinda makes stringbean's ability slightly less unique) Like this is displayed in these boards, but they kept it even in the show itself, and i think palisman might need a proper rulebook.

On that same note, owlbert uses magic in this board, like we kinda knew palisman could do some magic without a witch, but this is the only time we've seen one use it to fight another witch that wasn't the batqueen. Like owlbert tries to full on blast people in this. I don't know if removing this episode makes this ability less canon in the world itself since they still can do magic in the show, it's just worth noting that palisman, according to this board, CAN fight back, even if they're not incredibly strong it seems. Certainly the kinda thing that makes you think on other episodes tbh.

This episode also brings up the idea that eda actually CAN and DOES bring human food to the BI, which never happens in the show, in fact luz implies she gets to eat very little options there, so this idea seems no longer canon?

The demon hunters at one point don't even seem to recognize owlbert as a palisman, which does not entirely make sense given they seem to be mostly common to the townsfolk, so I'm kinda glad for that plot hole being gone.

Caduceia makes it out like the emperor's coven forced her to teach? and she thought handing over a house demon to belos would get her out of teaching as if it were some kinda punishment or job she was made to do? I have questions

side note, house demons are called rare in this, like they're not common, not sure if this still applies in the final show, but yeah.

there's some very sweet moments in this with luz and eda especially, but also some funny moments, and some jokes that land a little less....i don't think we needed Caduceia to be kissing her snake like that from that angle, even if it was meant to be a little uncomfortable.

one reason i think this episode did get cut? we got a glyph in this

a healing glyph, which has some ties to water based on it's symbol

i'm guessing since they kept the main glyphs element based, a healing glyph would of stuck out and been a bit weird. Like it just heals people, it doesn't produce water despite looking close to the alchemy symbol for water, and well....we already got ice so this would be redundent.

so yeah, this episode introduced a new glyph that saved them in the end so it would of come back in future episodes, but to keep it simple that would mean cutting the entire episode as a whole just to keep the four.

Since they enjoyed Caduceia's design so much, they must've repurposed it for raine somewhere down the line.

very fun insight into a scrapped episode.

[22ayla19]

Jiaoqiu x Reader

You have known Jiaoqiu since childhood. You liked his mischievous and cunning nature, and it’s not surprising, because he is a fox, and although you are a long-liver, you are an ordinary person from Yaoqin.

As the years passed, although you were friends, as you grew older you were busy with your work. Jiaoqiu as a healer in the alchemy commission, and you as the owner of a small traditional-style cafe. Over the years, Jiaoqiu matured and no matter how you look at it, he was still an enviably handsome man. It would be a lie to say that you liked him too, but remembering his character at times... Yes, it’s better that you don’t need such a thorn in the form of a sly fox who always loves to tease.

Later, you were stunned by the news that he would quit his business due to a broken heart. You tried to support him, to bring clarity to his clouded mind from love, but in the end you had a big quarrel, which is why your long-term friendship collapsed.

Even if Jiaoqiu later realized his mistake, he understood that you were unlikely to accept his apology, because then he told you a lot of unnecessary things, which he really shouldn’t have done. And although he smiled at others with his signature grin, when he saw you, this smile disappeared. He felt very bad at heart for his words.

At some point, he even came to terms with the fact that he had lost someone so close to whom he would trust his life. Until one day you came to his pharmacy.

There was no face on you. My eyes were swollen from crying, black circles under my eyes from insomnia, and I just looked tired. Jiaoqiu was horrified to see you like this. The smile that always accompanied him disappeared.

- (Y/N)? - the fox hesitantly pronounced your name. You didn’t look like yourself, even if it was that you were offended by him, you weren’t so upset. What happened to you while you were quarreling?

To be honest, you didn’t want to come to him, especially in this form, but you knew that the only person (fox) you could trust was Jiaoqiu. Taking a step towards him, you said with a voice hoarse from crying:

- My mom died...

- What?... - Jiaoqiu’s shock was impossible to describe in words. He knew your mother as a strong and resilient woman. He won’t deny that your mother scared him at times, but despite this, she cared for and sincerely loved the mischievous little fox with whom her daughter was friends.

- This morning at 8:20, my mother died in intensive care. For the last year and a half, she was sick with something, all the healers from the Alchemy Commission could not help her, - a minute of silence in which Jiaoqiu did not believe your words. -... I don’t believe... I don’t believe that she died!

Falling to your knees, you began to cry hysterically again. You didn’t want to believe that such a strong and healthy person like your mother died from illness. She had never in her life complained that something hurt her or that she felt bad. Even the commission’s doctors were surprised at how strong your mother’s body was, with all this amazing willpower that helped her in the fight against the disease, but even this did not help. Experienced doctors, a strong body and the desire to live next to her beloved daughter did not help her overcome the disease.

Jiaoqiu himself didn’t fully believe in your words, but seeing how you were crying hysterically and didn’t believe what happened, the only thing he did at that moment was hug you. When you lose someone close, it is a terrible pain that even time cannot heal. He knew that you were strong, that perhaps you could cope with the loss, because your parents passed on two strengths to you: your mother’s perseverance and your father’s patience.

Jiaoqiu hugged you until you fell asleep from powerlessness. Taking you in his arms, he carried you to his home so that you could rest, although looking at your condition, he understood that you wouldn’t be able to rest much, so he decided to stay next to you in order to calm or support you if something happened.

As you understand, the situation described in the story is directly related to me. As someone who has lost a loved one, I will simply say: value the time you spend with your loved ones, because you will never know when Death will take them away from you. No one expected that my mother would die, even those closest to me, we all hoped for the best, but even so, an absolutely healthy person developed cancer. Well, I... I still don’t believe it, I’m still waiting for my mother to call me and say that she’s feeling better, but she won’t call me again...

Appreciate the time spent with loved ones.

[bosbas]

Chapter 14: honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy

series masterlist previous part || epilogue

pairing: colin bridgerton x enemy!fem!reader WC: 2.7k words

Warnings: period-typical gender roles, healthy amounts of pining, idiots in love!!, slow burn burning a little quicker now, some smooching

Summary: It took precisely two days in England for you to utterly despise Colin Bridgerton. It took him approximately twelve hours after that to hate you right back. But he doesn't care that you're the only person in the ton who doesn't like him. You're set to marry someone else anyway, right?

A/N: soooo bittersweet nearing the end of their story </3 sorry for my absence!! but i hope these two getting their lives together is worth it

August 6, 1816 – And finally, this author would have been remiss not to notice a certain Bridgerton’s lovesick behavior at the Worthington ball yesterday evening. And though I’m certain no one who attended the ball would be remotely surprised by this information, the members of the ton who did not can rest knowing that Colin Bridgerton seems to remain utterly captivated by Y/N Montclair.

The pair danced together twice despite not officially courting. This would be highly unusual if the look in Mr. Bridgerton’s eyes whenever he was near Lady Y/N was not a very familiar one. It seems that this season might not be a complete disaster for Lady Y/N after all, given that one man is still fighting for her hand. Whether or not she knows that Mr. Bridgerton feels this way remains to be seen.

“On y va,” said Louis, grabbing you by the arm and dragging you out the front door (Let’s go).

You blinked, surprised that the rest of your family was already piling into a carriage headed toward Bridgerton house. Heavens, you really needed to start paying attention.

The past few days– ever since your father told you Colin would be a suitable match, to be exact– you had been so deep in thought you’d barely managed to function. The possibility of marrying Colin Bridgerton, if he even wanted you, was a daunting one, and you had opted to devote hours of thought to this very notion.

In fact, your pondering had been so extensive that you hadn’t even managed to read Lady Whistledown. After a summer of religiously reading the gossip sheet, you had somehow missed the last two installments without even remembering to look for it at the breakfast table.

Hopping into the carriage alongside Louis, you mulled over the previous night’s ball. Colin had asked you to dance twice, which was highly unusual for two people in polite society who weren't courting. However, you reasoned that he probably was trying to compensate for all the time he spent being a nuisance. Besides, he was a great dancer, and you really didn’t mind.

Especially now that you were friends, it was exceedingly easy to spend time with him.

But did you love him?

The question lingered in your mind, unmoving and unrelenting.

Wouldn’t you know for sure if you did? Was your uncertainty indicative of something deeper? A fundamental lack of romantic feelings for Colin, perhaps? Your sister, Isabelle, and her husband were completely in love with one another, and you weren’t quite sure you felt the same way about the third Bridgerton.

---

As soon as you stepped through the garden door, your eyes immediately scanned the garden, searching for Colin. Finding him engaged in some sort of competition with Gregory and Benedict involving three Pall Mall balls and a fencing sword, you giggled to yourself as you started toward them.

“Y/N,” a hand on your arm interrupted your purposeful walk.

You turned to see Eloise’s excited face, and you couldn’t help but return the smile.

“Hello!” you greeted, kissing both of her cheeks as she dragged you toward a shadier spot.

As she launched into a lengthy explanation about her latest read, you listened to your friend intently. Of course, it had only been a few days since you’d last seen her, but the two of you always found something or other to discuss, and you found yourself in deep conversation with Eloise before you knew it.

What felt like a few minutes later, but was probably closer to an hour, you felt a tap on your shoulder.

“I didn’t know you were here,” said Colin, not sounding entirely happy with you. “I thought you would have come by and said hello by now,” he mumbled, eyes downcast.

You smiled fondly at his pouting face, unable to help yourself as you looked at this grown man completely worked up over the fact that Eloise had gotten to you first.

“That would be my fault,” laughed Eloise. “You don’t have a monopoly over Y/N, you know. But I fear I’ve talked her ear off already, so I’ll leave you to it.”

Colin rolled his eyes but bent down to kiss both of your cheeks anyway.

“It’s lovely to see you,” you said softly, eyes fixated on his long eyelashes fanning over his face. He really was very handsome, when you thought about it.

You had to physically clasp your hands together to keep from reaching out to him once he pulled back, and you scolded yourself for forgetting your manners. This was certainly not an appropriate way to act as an unmarried lady!

“You’re not upset with me, then?” asked Colin, looking you up and down.

You laughed. “Why would I be?”

“I dunno,” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I suppose I was just used to it after so long, I don’t know what came over me.”

“Well, we’re friends now,” you reassured him. “So there’s no need to worry.”

“Right, friends,” Colin repeated after you, not entirely pleased with the way the words felt coming out of his mouth.

Suddenly, you heard a scream from across the garden, and a bright blue ball shooting in your direction. Turning around just in time to see Gregory’s horrified expression, you came face to face with what was certain to be a Pall Mall ball directly to the face.

But a strong pair of arms grabbed your waist and pulled you away. For a moment you couldn’t even comprehend what had just happened, and you were simply enjoying the feel of Colin’s arms around you as he hugged you tight to him.

Realizing that he had saved you from what would have most certainly been a black eye, you turned your head up to look at Colin. But he was already looking down at you, his grip still tight as he held you to his chest.

“Are you alright?” he asked, eyes not letting go of yours.

You nodded slowly, not trusting yourself to speak because you were so mesmerized by his eyes. He let out a sigh of relief, loosening his grip on you ever so slightly.

Hearing Gregory’s footsteps approaching, Colin quickly let go of you and cleared his throat awkwardly. But he couldn’t find it in himself to let you go completely, so he settled for leaving a hand on your waist, thumb rubbing up and down comfortingly.

Needing to keep feeling his touch, you raised one of your hands and reached across your waist, placing your hand softly over his and loosely interlocking your fingers.

“I’m so sorry!” yelled Gregory once he reached you. “I wasn’t looking and I swear I would have never hit you on purpose and-”

You laughed, cutting him off. “It’s quite alright, Gregory. Though I’m not certain your mother would agree,” you teased, nodding to where Violet was sitting, clearly furious at her son.

“Oh, no,” he groaned. “I’ve got to go save myself,” he said seriously, immediately taking off running across the garden and away from his mother.

You heard Colin laughing at Gregory’s antics next to you, and as you turned around to watch him with his head thrown back and a roguish smile on his face, you took in a sharp breath.

It might have been the sun shining through his hair, the mirth in his eyes, or the fact that he had just saved you from a very painful fate, but you felt like you were seeing him for the first time. You felt a tidal wave of realization so strong come over you that you had to take a step back.

“Oh,” you said softly, barely audible. Oh.

You loved Colin Bridgerton.

That’s what this feeling was. Feeling completely safe around him, so comfortable being yourself, and wanting more of him in any way possible. The need to feel his touch, the pull you felt toward him every time he was near you, and the desire to keep speaking with him for hours– it all made sense now.

You loved Colin Bridgerton.

Of course you did. It was frankly astounding that you hadn’t realized it sooner. But you couldn’t ruin the friendship you’d built with him over some silly feelings, could you?

Despite wanting to run into Colin’s arms, you knew you needed to get as far away from him as possible right then. So, you excused yourself to sit on a more secluded bench where you could think freely about the consequences of your realization.

---

It had been two hours since you had last spoken to Colin, and he was getting antsy.

Everything had been fine. Or at least that’s what he thought. Gregory had catapulted a ball directly at your head, and he had grabbed you and pulled you out of the way. And then refused to let go of you. All because he was too taken with you to remember how to act properly as a member of polite society.

Colin started pacing. You had probably figured out that he loved you. His behavior today had been a dead giveaway. There was simply no possibility of you still not knowing of his feelings for you, and Colin was three seconds away from losing his mind.

You had found out and now you were probably avoiding him, how dreadfully embarrassing. He needed to fix this now. Before your family went home and you never let him see you again.

Wringing his hands behind his back as he approached the bench you had been sitting on for the past two hours, Colin cleared his throat softly.

“Do you have a moment to speak?” he asked, overly formal as he navigated uncharted waters.

You nodded in response, gesturing toward the empty seat next to you. “I suppose we should,” you assented, the past few hours of nerves completely soothed by Colin’s presence.

“I very much appreciate our friendship as it is,” stated Colin. “And I really can’t apologize enough for my conduct earlier in the season.”

“Oh, Colin, that’s not-”

“No, no just let me finish. Otherwise, I won’t have the courage to get it out.”

Colin swallowed before continuing.

“I… I know that you want to marry a titled man and I know I don’t have a fortune. I am a third son with no talents and… and yet, I love you anyway. And I am so sorry. I promise I never meant for this to happen, but I love you. I do.”

You stared dumbly at him, butterflies erupting in your stomach as you realized that he had the same feelings for you as you did for him.

Admittedly, it was a bit entertaining watching him get all worked up over nothing, you mused. But it seemed like he was determined to keep speaking, so you only nodded as he continued.

“Y/N, you are all I think about, and all I picture as my future,” Colin said, eyes not quite reaching yours. “And I’ve never come across someone quite like you, who makes me feel the way you do. I know it’s horrible timing and it’s not at all my place to feel this way or to tell you. You must understand that I am so sorry, but I love you anyway.”

Then, lifting his worried eyes to meet yours, he started reaching for your hand, stopping himself before his fingers touched yours. “I hope you can forgive me because I would be more than happy to attend your wedding and see your dreams realized. But, believe me. I’ve tried, and I can’t help it. Not with you.”

“Colin,” you whispered, hand reaching out to touch his cheek.

He shook his head in response and closed his eyes, clearly pained by the thought of seeing you with anyone else.

“You can send me away if you like,” Colin assured you. “If you tell me to never speak to you again, I will. I’m so sorry. I just needed you to hear it from me.”

“Colin,” you repeated this time a bit more forcefully.

His eyes shot open, and he furrowed his brows at your smiling face. “Yes?”

You giggled. “I think I’d like to kiss you now.”

“What?” he said, dumbfounded.

“I’d like to kiss you now if that’s alright with you,” you said, biting your lip as you held back a laugh.

Colin took a second to process what you had just said. You nodded at him, confirming that you did, in fact, want to kiss him, and his face broke out into the biggest smile you’d ever seen on his face.

Placing a hand on your cheek, he fluttered his eyes closed and put his lips on yours. You brought a hand behind his neck and pulled him in closer, amazed at the feeling of finally kissing someone.

You rather suspected you had wanted this for a while, you thought, your lips moving in sync with Colin’s. How on earth you had managed to keep your hands to yourself before this you had no idea, but as the kiss deepened, you brought your hands to his shoulders and pulled Colin in, wanting to be as close to him as humanly possible.

Suddenly remembering why you were kissing in the first place, you pulled away from Colin, who whined softly as you leaned away from him, chasing your lips with his.

“I love you, too, you know,” you said, pecking Colin as he stared at you like you had personally hung every star in the sky.

Colin groaned under his breath, breathing deeply as he once again placed his lips on yours. “I love you,” he said between kisses, not ready to let you go long enough to say it properly. “So much.”

You smiled into the kiss, slipping your tongue into Colin’s mouth and tentatively exploring the new feeling. How you had ever lived without this was beyond you, but you supposed you had never really wanted this before you met him. Even at the beginning of the season, when you supposedly hated him, you could recall more than a few times you had felt this exact desire.

“I hope you don’t plan on defiling my daughter if you don’t intend to marry her,” came your father’s deep voice from behind you two.

Instantly separating from one another, you both coughed awkwardly and tried to disentangle yourselves.

“Marry her?” sputtered Colin, momentarily forgetting that your father had walked in on the two of you kissing a mere ten seconds ago. “I could do that? You would let me marry her?”

Your father laughed. “Even after that," he said, gesturing in Colin's general direction, "it would still be an honor to have you join our family.”

As you watched him walk away, Colin squeezed your hand, laughing gleefully. “Did you hear that? I get to marry you!”

“Were you not planning on marrying me after kissing me?” you scolded, tone only half accusatory.

“No, I mean– Well, I was just–” he rushed out, eyes searching yours frantically.

“It’s alright,” you laughed. “I was only joking.”

Colin let out a sigh of relief, kissing you firmly on the lips. “You never cease to vex me, woman.”

“Isn’t that what you like most about me?” you teased, biting down on his lip softly.

He groaned, unable to contain his desire for you. “We’d better get married tomorrow if you’re going to keep doing that.”

Then, separating himself from you slightly, Colin turned serious again. “You do want to marry me, don’t you? I know I obviously do, and your father said I have his permission, but do you want to?”

You bit your lip, full of affection for the boy who stole your heart. Even after kissing him and telling him you loved him, he still wanted to ensure that you wanted to marry him.

“I think we’d make a good pair, don’t you?” you said, nodding at him.

“I’ve thought that since the moment I saw you.”

“Well, we got there in the end didn’t we?”

“And I’d do it all again just to be able to marry you,” Colin assured you, kissing you on the nose.

—

previous part || next part || buy me a ko-fi!

I no longer have a taglist for this fic, but turn on post notifications for @bosbas-library to stay updated when I post!

[parad-ice-lostandfound]

Prompt: "I made you soup because I love you, you dense piece of sponge cake."

Pairing: Cater Diamond x GN!Reader/Prefect/Yuu

Genre: Fluff, Slight Hurt/Comfort

TW: Cater gets sick, mention of (almost) fainting

Really, the fact that Cater woke up fatigued even after a good and recommended 8 hours of sleep should have clued him in on the fact that he was sick. The dull ache behind his eyes should have cemented the realization in his head, but Cater just didn't realize.

And now he was stuck in bed.

It could have been worse, he supposed. Had it not been for Trey's timely intervention when he nearly fainted in alchemy, Cater would have found himself headfirst into a bubbling cauldron. An incident that earned him a lecture about lab safety and understanding one's limits by Professor Crewel.

Another intervention by Trey got him out of sitting through one of Riddle's lectures, but nothing could get him free from their combined motherly fussing.

It felt nice to be looked after, he had to admit. Even when he whined about the bitter medicine Riddle was forcing him to eat, the redhead only glared at him a little before shoving the spoonful of the vile liquid in his mouth, declaring that it would help him. Trey, on the other hand, was a lot more understanding with him when he threw a tantrum, giving him a patient smile before adjusting his blankets so that he didn't overheat (even though Cater was convinced he would freeze without his blankets tucked all the way around his neck).

It was nice, but it was also tiring.

So when a knock sounded on the door, Cater groaned and turned on his side, staring at the wall in defiance. "I'm fine, Trey, I don't need anything," he called out, quickly smothering a cough with his palm pressed to his mouth.

The door opened, and with it came a familiar voice, words soft and kind. "I'm not Trey, but you don't really sound fine."

Cater whipped around to face you, wincing at how the sudden movement made his vision swim for a few moments.

You weren't supposed to see him like this. Cater had borderline begged Riddle and Trey not to tell you about him being sick and had made them promise that they wouldn't tell you. But you were here, when you weren't supposed to see him in bed, looking as miserable as one could be. When he was too tired to keep up his usual charming persona.

Cater looked at you with wide eyes, feeling the bony fingers of panic closing around his heart and chilling the blood in his veins. His tongue sat heavy in his mouth as he watched you walk inside, closing the door and coming close to where his bed was. All he could do was stare at you mutedly as you placed the tray in your hands that he hadn't noticed before on the small foldable table Trey had brought in earlier.

"(Name)..."

His voice trailed off as you placed a hand on his forehead, checking his temperature. If his cheeks weren't already red from the fever, they would have become red under your careful touch and observant eyes. Fighting past the tightness in his throat, he asked, "What... are you doing here?"

You quirked up an eyebrow, looking at him with such concern and care that he felt he would melt under it.

"My boyfriend's sick. How can I not be beside him at a time like this?"

Cater let out a small, fake chuckle as he tried to sit up on the bed. His heart did somersaults inside his chest when you helped him sit up, the place where your hands made contact with his body feeling warm and comforting. "You didn't have to-"

"I wanted to," you cut him off, running a hand through his hair. Cater closed his eyes, taking in the sensation, allowing the panic to loosen its hold on him. His friends had already proved that they wouldn't leave him alone no matter how difficult he got to handle.

It would only be fair to give you a chance to prove the same, right?

Green eyes opened to meet yours, as a genuine smile stretched across his lips. You mirrored his smile, tilting your head slightly towards him. "I made you some soup. Well, Trey did most of the work, but I helped," you hummed, and his eyes drifted over to the bowl on the tray and the spoon set beside it, before coming back to you.

"Why?" He asked, unable to stop the question from slipping through his lips.

"Because I love you, you dense piece of sponge cake."

Back to Masterlist...

[stealthnoodle]

How to Scrape Your Way Through Honour Mode and Look Reasonably Good Doing It

I won't say I beat Honour Mode on my first try, because my Dishonour Mode playthrough served as a critically useful dry run, but I will say that the first character I made with the intention of completing Honour Mode properly did in fact complete Honour Mode.

Below are the 13 most important lessons I learned along the way that made this possible.

1) Do not be Mothman.

You really want to minimize fights and maximize available vendors. Ask yourself "What would Mothman do?" and then do not do that thing.

2) Do be a half-orc.

Fights can go real wrong real fast, and in the early game, you are perpetually one bad round of combat away from oblivion. In my case, the harpies critted Shadowheart to death, and then every chucklefuck in my party failed their wisdom save at the same time. The other two members ate more multiattacks than they could handle, and then so did Pizzazz, but she held on with one single precious hit point after the last blow. She dug herself out of the hole with heal potions and her fists of righteous anger.

Pizzazz being a half-orc saved the entire run here. Having Death Ward once a day comes in fucking clutch when you're below level 5, and tbh the hardest part of Honour Mode is getting to level 5.

The harpy fight was also when I realized the need for a critical strategy:

3) Make one party member your panic button.

I only really needed this trick in the early game (I cannot emphasize enough how most of my close calls were before level 5), but it saved my ass several times. Panic early, panic often.

Pick the party member who has the least to contribute to a fight and park them where they can't get drawn into initiative. You can leave them all the way back at camp, or if you're me, just put them far back in hiding so it's easy to pull them in to help with late-fight cleanup if things are going well (or to finish a fight in the goofiest way possible, see above). Either way, their job is to run crying to Withers if everyone else dies.

Speaking of which…

4) Exploit Bone Daddy's indifference to being pickpocketed.

You can get back whatever "the price of balance" is by yoinking it right out of Withers's pockets. If you fail the sleight of hand check, no worries; you get pulled out of hiding, but he doesn't react at all, and you can just squat back down and get right back in there.

5) Tell Jesse you need to cook.

Potions of Speed are the goddamn Philosopher's Stones of this game. So I made Gale a Transmutation Wizard, made him proficient in Medicine, and put him in charge of alchemy. Just clearing the gnoll zone got me pretty well set for the first two acts.

Getting double heal pots sure doesn't hurt, either.

6) Start a local chapter of the Warding Bond Cleric Club.

This is something I discovered was possible while I was fretting over prepping for the end of Act 2, because last time was such a clusterfuck. You can hire three hirelings, give them fun names like Ouchie Magnet, Sexy Pincushion, and Yoohoo Loviatar, get them to cast Warding Bond on the party members you actually intend to use, and enjoy the full benefits of it out in the world while your hirelings stand around bleeding at camp.

Any buff that lasts until the next long rest and doesn't require concentration works like this, fyi. Death Ward and Longstrider are also especially handy (and once you get to level 11, Heroes' Feast). Setting this up is tedious enough that I only did it a few times during the game, when I was going into situations I couldn't easily extricate myself from in case of emergency. (So the Mindflayer Colony, the Iron Throne, the Steel Watch Foundry, and one last time for the Temple of Baal.)

7) Break big battles up into bite-sized skirmishes.

Why would I fight all the cultists at Moonrise Tower in a grand climactic battle when I could sneak around before finishing the Gauntlet of Shar and pick off my future foes in packs? Since they're not hostile yet, it's pretty simple to wipe them out one room at a time, using Minor Illusion to lure guards away from their posts. Then I got the joy of showing up with Jaheira and all her Harpers to curbstomp the two (2) guys I missed.

Also good for removing all the intellect devourers before you pick a fight with Mindflayers in the Mindflayer Colony and for surviving gnoll swarms. Sometimes you even get lucky and a hyena falls into a hole, somehow.

8) Fill your camp with literal tons of explosives.

See a smokepowder barrel? Pick it up and send it to camp. Do this consistently and you will have deeply nervous party members every time you light a campfire, probably, but you'll also have a way to cheese boss fights that you're worried about. I chugged elixirs that raised strength before the end of Act 2 so that I could bring a dozen smokepowder barrels with me to the Myrkul fight and absolutely trivialized it.

9) Become a partial illithid.

Mourn your aesthetic and commune with that frosty little worm. (Take Volo's amateur eye surgery, too, btw. Just fuck yourself up.) The powers are worth it. A truly hardcore player would also get their companions to dip a toe into ceremorphosis, but I started by asking Astarion, who fucking loves regular tadpoles, to try it, and his response made me feel so bad that I abandoned the cause entirely.

10) Start your day with a delicious and nutritious Heroes' Feast.

So I never really read the description closely because sometimes I'm just like that, but thanks to the Warding Bond Cleric Club, I started paying closer attention to buffs and holy shit??? Thoroughly Stuffed is a baller condition, and it also makes food. I didn't have to go grocery shopping even once! Having three bonus clerics with spell slots to burn also meant the 6th-level cost wasn't coming out of Shadowheart.

11) Accept that late-game enemy saving throws will mercilessly fuck you.

It feels real bad when you cast a 6th-level spell that operates on saving throws and your target shrugs it off with 0 damage. Spells with attack rolls are usually better bets, and Artistry of War is a wizard's once-per-short-rest MVP. Open Hand Monk Pizzazz was consistently my best damage dealer, especially once I looted the Bonespike Gloves from Strangler Luke.

12) Skip the high-risk low-reward quests in Act 3.

Consider your party composition and tactics and whether any optional quest line is worth completing for its rewards. Cazador, the Sharrans, and Ansur are non-trivially difficult fights that I didn't need to subject myself to, so I didn't. But there's real good shit under Sorcerous Sundries, so of course I cleared out that vault.

Hell isn't actually that bad on Honour Mode (no, really! The restoration faucets have unlimited uses!), but it's not a sure thing and I could live without the rewards. Had a tense moment passing the DC 30 Persuasion check with Kith'rak Voss later, but he chilled out and even let me borrow his dragon's breath.

The only unnecessary hard fight I did was the Steel Watcher Titan, which was a bad call on my part; I kinda wanted the crossbow and I really wanted to keep the runepowder bomb in case I needed it, but Mothman didn't do this fight, so I was not prepared for the Hellfire Steel Watcher Titan's bullshit. I won, but it was a closer shave than it should have been.

Then I ended up not using the crossbow at all.

13) Thank Gale for his sacrifice.

The Netherbrain is fucking nasty on Honour Mode. Fuck Karsite Grip. Fuck Aegis of the Absolute. Does it feel bad to make Gale sacrifice himself? Yes. Would it feel worse to lose the run right before the finish line? Also yes.

I brought every explosive I had with me (which required two rounds of strength-boosting elixirs, because the game hits you with a long rest before the Astral Plane) just in case Gale got cold feet and I burned all my inspiration fucking up the persuasion roll, then went through the sewers to avoid the larger fight. Someone (Gale, so I couldn't be too mad) failed a stealth check and aggroed them all anyway, but Pizzazz covered the ground to the brainstem in like three rounds and everyone warped up after her for the cutscene, so no harm no foul.

Then Gale volunteered—nay, insisted on blowing himself up and I felt bad! Real bad! Not bad enough to change course, but Pizzazz's face was also my face during epilogue:

P.S. At least for me, the achievement procced after the epilogue, credits, and post-credits scene, and I was tense af the entire time. But not so tense I couldn't be sad about Gale (oh no he wrote me a letter) and Astarion (oh no he's still in hiding because of Cazador). Luckily my big hot wife was there to support me.

Anyway, let's load an old autosave on another campaign and check out those golden dice, shall we?

Ahhh, my horrible son

[lavendergaaayze]

I've been thinking a lot about The Alchemy lately. One of the many, many things I love about Tay is how many different angles we can view songs from.

I have been toying with the idea that this song is about her preparing for her last beard with the ogre. miss ma'am loves to break records and she can do so with the heteronormative society and a big ol' distraction. there are a lot of meathead references in here too but just like So High School, i don't think it's positive or endearing.

this happens every few lifetimes

with so much death and rebirth in her work, I interpreted this as every bearding situation being a lifetime and now we're starting a new lifetime

these chemicals hit me like white wine

which chemicals? likely, the Forget Him medication from Fortnight MV. this can be the promise of success, this can be entering back into the closet; but essentially there had to have been an BIG incentive or push. and even moreso, it was something Tay really had to swallow but was not her choice--it was prescribed by the ward. and this "Forget Him drug" could bring forth Taylor Swift The Brand. Taylor Swift The Brand comes with a manic high, a hunger for success, a desire to push through whatever she needs to overcome. there's probably lots of spite in there too.

in addition, wine drunk is super different! wine brings a warm carelessness. personally, wine makes me feel like i'm a bad bitch and life isn't that serious.

what if i told you i'm back?

the hospital was a drag

worst sleep that i ever had

they let her out of the hospital, but only when she was medicated. she's "fixed"!

i circled you on the map

a TK reference because so many dummies said he put HER on the map (fucking as if). this is one of her little jabs at him saying, "nah, bro. i put YOU in the spotlight"

(note that these 4 lines feel like a conversation with someone that you're trying to prove something to)

i haven't come around in so long

but i'm coming back so strong

she hasn't had an in-your-face PR relationship for years. so this is her giving herself a little boost. i haven't done this in a while, but i can do this and i can do it even better than before. i feel this especially because it's right before the chorus where she goes:

so when i touch down

call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team

ditch the clowns, get the crown

another jab at her beards and at TK's sad attempts to get others to put him on the map. MH is an amateur, he did not lead Taylor to the success she was looking for. TK had no luck liking baddies instagram pictures to weasel his way into the industry. but who did that? Taylor Alison Swift: The Mastermind. note how she's focused on the crown, not the actual "muse"

Baby, I'm the one to beat

'Cause the sign on your heart

Said it's still reserved for me

i took this as a line to her fans. so many people tune in to the big headlines because we, as a society, have a weakness to be fascinated by/addicted to the drama. especially taylor swift drama! our hearts are still reserved for any juicy tea she might have

honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?

this feels like an act of acceptance and a little defeat. don't forget, taylor is still on those chemicals that hit her like white wine. so she succumbs to the fact that the world's biggest pop star and an award-winning NFL player would definitely make for lots of success. this is why she came back, to come out on top. i've seen others comment on the fact that she uses alchemy instead of chemistry. (they have the same end rhyme and the same syllables so alchemy was very intentional.) they're making gold out of robust situations, they're not sharing energy with one another.

hey, you, what if i told you we're cool?

that child's play back in school

is forgiven under my rule

i haven't come around in so long

but i'm making a comeback to where i belong

this next verse reminds me of the structure of the first verse. the first 3 lines feel like a sense of defending actions to someone else while the last two feel like another act of self-perseverance and having to hype herself up.

he jokes that, "it's heroin, but this time with an 'e'"

i really can't see this as anything other than a jab at the meathead. those illiterate tweets of his surfaced and we all found out he really is an idiot.

this line does confuse the hell out of me otherwise. if anyone has any thoughts i would love to hear!

where's the trophy? he just comes runnin' over to me

i know a lot of people find this endearing saying he chose her over the trophy. but i think it's Taylor asking "where's the trophy?" with her eyes on the prize still. and the dummy loses sight of what they are actually after

she's "high" on those Forget Him drugs throughout this whole song because she finishes the song with the same two lines she opened with.

but, yet, here we are again: swiffers thinking she's being cutesy with some dude but in reality this is about her and her success.

this song all feels like work. i don't know if anyone else played the alchemist game where you start with the most basic materials and have to make all kinds of substances, eventually getting to gold. and, man, was it challenging. just like i can imagine it's challenging to make this dirtbag into a "glamorous gentleman."

anyway! this was way more in depth than i thought it was going to be but i hope this leads to more confidence to post more OC! thanks for the read <3

[sadist1224]

Skyrim AU.

Description: After the battle with the dragon in the swamps, you rest in one of your escape rooms with Gas and a Ghost. You have to look after guys a little bit.

Number of words: yes, the dick knows, but it is read in about 6-8 minutes.

You don't have to understand the lora Skyrim device to read this.

Translation into English through a translator

In fact, you have just returned to Mirwatch. Ghost, exhausted and tired, throws off his armor as soon as he steps into the territory of the tower. Kyle is grumbling somewhere behind you about manners, but you're honestly on Simon's side right now. Killing a dragon is never easy. And it's even worse if the skirmish takes place in a swamp. Damn Morph. You hate swamps. And Ghost hates it too.

But unfortunately, absorbing the dragon soul is above your comfort.

It seems that Kyle is the only one who wins. Of course, a magician doesn't need to jump from hummock to hummock to catch up with a damn flying reptile and stab it with a sword. Fortunately for you, Ghost took the brunt of the attack, so you mostly used only the bow. The main thing is that the job is done.

Mirwatch was cozy. At some point, Kyle insisted that your team needed a base in the Morfal area, and although Price was unhappy with the costs, he agreed with the magician's proposal. Kyle found the tower himself, as he admitted, by accident. Expenses were spent on its improvement, and the end result was beyond praise. Two floors: the first is a household, the second is a laboratory. And as much as you love the Lake Estate in Falkreath, you should at least admit to yourself that Kyle did a good job.

You were brought back to the world by a rude grunt from the sleeping area, where Ghost was throwing off his dirty armor.

"I'll help him." You nod towards the grumbling man and Kyle nods back at you.

"Yeah, I'll be upstairs."

In sync with the retreating footsteps of the Gas, you approach Simon's bed.

"Problems?" - the nearest wall serves as a support for you while your gaze slides over the familiar scar on the man's back. He's sweating, a purple bruise blooms under his shoulder from a dragon strike, and Ghost hisses as he takes off his shirt.

"I need to go to the sauna." - the man glances over his shoulder without turning completely. His Daedric helmet rested on the bedside table while a black bandit mask handkerchief covered his nose and mouth.

"Yeah. I'll dial it. - you wave your hand, heading for the descent to the basement. "Come as soon as you're ready."

The man does not keep himself waiting. In fact, it appears almost a minute later, but you have enough time to quickly heat up the water with a flame spell.

By the time you take off your light armor and roll up your sleeves, Simon will already be sitting chest-deep in the water, legs wide apart.

It's not the first time you've seen him naked, but something gives you goosebumps every time. It's nice. Touching him, running my fingers over his scars, burrowing into his blond curls. But nothing gives you pleasure like an invisible feeling of trust on his part.

"You seemed to want to help." His grin is kind and teasing. It seems like you've been admiring him for too long.

"Don't push yourself," you smile, grabbing a clean little towel from the shelf and sitting on the edge of the tub, next to him.

There are several signed jars of soap and powders on the table next to you. Another advantage of Kyle's alchemy. You don't know much about it yourself, but Gas floats like a fish in this craft, so your team doesn't have to worry about hygiene products.

"Not lavender."

"Then the mountain flower?"

With a light movement, you run a rag over his arm, rising up to his shoulder, lightly massaging the tense muscles, and then smoothly move to his chest and abs, receiving a barely audible relaxed moan as a reward.

"Is it nice?" - you can't help but smile contentedly while Ghost changes position.

"Be careful. I can get used to it."

"Well, then you'll have to fight with Soap. - you run a rag along his spine, gently skirting the wounded place. "I won't wash you two at the same time."

Ghost quacks amusingly in response, relaxing his shoulders and plunging into the water a little more.

"Help with the hair? When you're done with his back, you put the rag aside and reach for the nearest bottle of liquid soap with your other hand.

In response, the man only lowers his head to you to make it more convenient. His hair has darkened from the water and foam, while you gently massage the back of his head and gently pull his strands, achieving another deeper moan.

"Don't tease me." - he growls warningly, but there is not a drop of aggression in his tone. You're chuckling softly.

"You're too tired, Ghost." - the lightness of your tone makes him turn and look defiantly into your face. You would have loved to fight with him a little more, but you were tired today too, and you had a few more things to do before going to bed.

"I'm going to put away your armor. - you get up from the edge of the tub, stretching your back and stretching your legs. - Go ahead yourself."

"Don't bother. You don't have to."

But you just smile at him, waving your hand again as you walk towards the stairs. At the very least, you need to collect the scattered parts and take them to his bed.

Already upstairs, you pick up his boots from the floor and cast a piteous glance at the ebony armor. The deep black color of the metal was stained with mud, grass and blood. We need to clean this before it dries up. After all, you can look after your hero, right?

In order not to waste time, you pick up the armor and go back to the stairs, only to the second floor, to Kyle, finding the magician at the alchemy counter.

"Can you create a liquid that cleans metal in one fell swoop, huh?" - you wink at the guy, attracting his attention, and put the armor on the bench.

"Sorry, I haven't reached that level of skill yet." He replies with a grin, nodding towards the bucket of water.

He himself had already changed into more casual clothes, and his robe, clean and fresh after cleansing magic, was hanging on one of the mannequins.

You exchange a few more words, and then focus on your business. You're cleaning armor, Kyle's experimenting with the nirn root. You finish before him, setting aside the bucket and brush. Your fatigue is already making itself felt: your eyes are tingling unpleasantly, and your legs are slowly becoming wadded up.

You approach Gaz from behind, easily hugging his waist and snuggling up to his back.

"It's going to be cold tonight. - he says softly, stroking your hand. - You can lie down with me if you want."

You whimper softly, leaving a light kiss on his cheek, and walk away, taking the armor with you.

Ghost is already asleep. His bed is right next to Kyle's, so you carefully place the armor next to the nearest mannequin, kiss Ghost on the forehead and go to bed yourself.

Tomorrow you have to walk to Solitude.

[vexedallay]

Fable and ic relationship

Fable cares abt them but not enough

Ic defends him because losing him would mean losing hope of fixing things and saving centross. Fable isn't really their father anymore, he's more like a God to them, one they turn to at every challenge, one they turn to for guidance in every single situation, and he is a God, but to not the in the way they treat him

They aren't really his child anymore, not entirely, their relationship doesn't feel like parent-child (to me) and icarus calls them fable now too, fable lost the title of dad when he tried to kill them, and they might be working with him and brushing that fact off, because right now they need him, but they're only keeping him around while he's useful. Icarus is falling for his manipulation consciously, they choose to believe the lies because they don't think they have a choice, and they know he's a bad person, but as they pointed out, they've done everything he has but they didn't have a good reason, and if he's bad for doing that with a good reason then what are they. And that goes all the way back to how corruption affected them because their brain absolutely changed from corruption, cc!sherbs even mentioned that enderian ignoring them has had a massive impact on how they're acting now, and we can see how the arson never really went away. They kept the idea that whatever they did was them, fully them, not anybody else or outside influence, but they lost the idea that they were doing the right thing, and now it means that they're taking the full brunt of that and thinking that everything they did they could do again if they're not careful, and they've never seen any sort of evidence to the contrary. What with nearly killing centross and everything. They keep saying it, that they only ever make mistakes, and honestly, it makes sense why. Literally everything they've ever been good at has been soured for them. Flight- quixis sure fucked up their wings and theyve died from falling what 20 times now, fighting (let's be real they're good at fighting and the only reason it's not canon is bc cc!sherb is a wimp) and the first reset sure was mostly them fighting their friends, alchemy- they sure fucking blew up a potion and knocked out Rae causing Easton to go blind and they sure do blame themself for that not to mention scoria and perix and the various really bad effects they've made (they've actively wondered if alchemy in general is bad in canon before during the scoria stream), so on and so forth. They definitely know that they're making a mistake, but to give up is to lose everything that is holding them together, and now they've fucked up every other option they mightve had, so even if they wanted to stop, they don't exactly have anywhere to turn.

Um. That's probably mostly incoherent bc there was no actual organization to this post just a bunch of rambling so have fun with that. I'll clean this up at some point. I should probably just put together a full character analysis abt icarus bc I have so many thoughts huh

[acey-wacey]

For the Carnival Event, could I have a Lemonade snowcone for Jamil? If it's no bother, could it be about reader unknowingly upsetting Jamil by being a everything he wants (talented and loved by all).

Pairing - Jamil Viper x Reader

Prompt - "I don't know why I bother arguing anymore."

...

You gritted your teeth as you heard yet another whisper from over your shoulder. You whipped around to stare straight into a pair of gray eyes.

"That's not enough worm's wort."

"It's enough. I read the recipe," you huffed at Jamil, tired of all the nitpicking he did while you were trying to finish your potion. For some reason, he seemed to have a fascination with criticizing everything you did, especially in potions. "Go back to your own cauldron."

"I'm already finished." One corner of his mouth lifted in that smirk you had come to know and hate. "Crewel told me to help some of the other students and you are clearly in need of assistance."

Jamil side-eyed your cauldron with an amused look on his face.

"Listen here, you little-"

"It's boiling over, Y/N."

You whirled around to see that your potion was, in fact, boiling over and spilling onto the side of the cauldron. You cursed and spelled the fire lower. You wiped up the spills with a towel as the bubbles settled into a calm simmer. As soon as the panic was over, you glared at Jamil.

"I don't need your help," you spat, hoping he didn't notice the embarrassed flush in your cheeks.

"Your potion just boiled over," he mused, making your even more enraged. "Obviously, you do."

"Well, it wouldn't have boiled over if you hadn't distracted me!"

"A good alchemist can multitask!"

"Are you saying I'm bad at alchemy?"

Jamil huffed in exasperation, unable to continue the argument. He stretched his face with his hand on a deep inhale.

"I don't know why I bother arguing anymore," he mumbled into his hand, barely loud enough for you to hear. "You always have to be right about everything , don't you?"

It wasn't exactly an insult, but you felt insulted anyway.

"I'm not always right," you muttered, not sure how to continue fighting with him. "And I'm not bad at alchemy."

"Exactly! You aren't bad at anything!" Jamil exclaimed as loud as he could without drawing attention from the other students. "You're great in all of your classes, you're popular and nice and pretty and everyone loves you."

You guffawed at his last statement, choosing to ignore how him calling you "pretty" made your heart skip a beat.

"Not everyone loves me, obviously." You gestured to Jamil with a sweep of your hand, staring at him with a skeptical eyebrow raise. Jamil massaged the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, sighing at your obliviousness.

"Yeah, they do."

"You don't."

Jamil looked up from his hand to return the skeptical eyebrow raise you just gave him. It took you a moment to understand his look but but as soon as you realized, your eyes widened and you went so still that birds might have started perching on you.

"Oh."

Jamil laughed out of embarrassment and exasperation.

"Oh is right," he chuckled, though it was obviously forced and tense. The two of you remained silent for a few seconds, marinating uncomfortable in the tension you had created. "Are you going to say anything?"

"I don't know, there's so much," you chuckled nervously and squeezed your cheeks in your hand, remembering every time Jamil had insulted, mocked, or belittled you as well as every time he had complimented you with uncharacteristic fondness. "Why do you hate me then?"

"Look at you." You scoffed in response to his answer. "You're obnoxious, you're annoying, you talk too much, you don't have a concept of personal space. Honestly, you remind me of Kalim if he thought about anyone besides himself."

"And what makes you think I'm not just all self-absorbed too?"

"Because I know you and you care more about other people than yourself. Sevens, you were even so nice to me when we first met. Bet you wouldn't have loaned me your pencil if you knew you would turn out to loathe me."

"I don't loathe you," you whispered, staring straigh into Jamil's eyes, though he was desperately trying to avoid looking at you. "Quite the opposite actually."

His head snapped to look at you with confusion on his face.

"You mean to say..."

"Yes, you're the stupid one."

"Hey, I..."

You were interrupted by a hard crack on the desk next to you. The both of you jumped at Professor Crewel glared daggers at you, whip in hand.

"If you two are going to flirt, I suggest you do it somewhere I don't have to see it."

"We weren't..."

"I couldn't care less. Get to work."

"Yes, sir."

[imagineanime2022]

An Elric Brother Like Finny

Edward Elric X Brother!Reader, Alphonse Elric X Brother!REader, Winry Rockbell X Brother Figure!Reader (All platonic)

Requested: @the-letter-horror-lover

Request: Please may I have Fullmetal alchemist brotherhood platonic headcanons of Edward and Al Elric with a older brother age 16 who is exactly like Finny from the Black Butler series when he was in a dangerous fight mode and he wasn't exactly very friendly when he was dangerous and it was clear how it frightened the absolute hell out of anyone. He is genuinely a nice guy and Friendly and unassuming, he was often underestimated- but beneath the gentlemanly charm there was a genius alchemist at work. Understanding what made people tick was always instinctive to him. With his respectful and empathetic manner - as well as his love of a good yarn - he managed to disarm everyone he met and he can literally befriend anyone and he is a highly skilled and experienced alchemist and he is a inhuman strength alchemist. Winry is his girlfriend…

Edward's relationship with his older brother

Al Elric's relationship with his older brother

Winry Rockbell's relationship with him

Edward Elric

🥛 You had been pulled away from them after your mother had died, you were the sole provider for them and given your unnatural strength and unrivalled work ethic there were many people that were willing to give you a job but most of it took you a long way from home and had you sending money back. 🥛 When you got back after hearing that your brothers had gotten into some trouble, you surprised them, you didn;t ask them why they did it, you didn’t tell them that they were wrong and you definitely didn’t tell them it was what they deserved instead you hugged them both and apologised for being gone so long. 🥛 From there you stayed with your brother’s doing the best that you could to help them get their bodies back, you didn’t have any alchemy abilities but that didn’t matter when your punch could split a rock or you could break a leg and keep running. 🥛 You and Ed were close you always had been, you were the only person that was able to lean and elbow on his head mostly because no matter how much he tried he (even with an automail arm) could not hurt you. 🥛 He was very aware of the fact that you didn’t know how to keep a secret so he never told you any, when he made plans during a fight or even when he had done something a little dangerous, you were none the wiser. 🥛 Ed never once criticised your strength and often scolded others for doing so, you were the one that showed him the strength in kindness, he was sure that was where Alphonse got it from. 🥛 He never understood how you kept going like nothing had happened despite everything that your family had been through even before the alchemy adventure. You were the one who had known your mother the longest and yet were the one who dealt the best with her passing. 🥛 You were the secret weapon, everyone underestimated you, Roy Mustang included. You were the Ace when they needed to turn a fight around. 🥛 You were kind to everyone and it bothered him because he had met enough people to know that they didn’t all deserve your kindness. 🥛 You only ever wanted to help and sometimes led to disaster and Ed was always reminding himself that you were just trying to be helpful. 🥛 Ed argued with you a lot, I say it that way because you never once realised that you were having an argument, you just laughed at you little brother yelling and waving his arms around. 🥛 Literally hike Ed up under your arm when he got carried away with something, taking him somewhere he could cool off before causing any trouble all while apologising and waving haphazardly.

Alphonse Elric

📖 Alphonse definitely learned alot from you, starting with your kindness and ending with your ability to control your uncanny super strength. 📖 When he first got his body he realised that he was much stronger than he was in his human body, you helped him to learn how to restrain that strength and how to use it when he needed it. 📖 You also benefited from the new body considering you had always had to be careful with your little brothers, now with his new body you were able to fight properly for once. 📖 Alphonse doesn’t ever raise his voice at you the way that he does with Edward. There are two reasons for this: the first is that you are significantly older than the both of them so it’s partly respect, the other reason was because if you didn’t understand it yelling at you was going to make no difference. 📖 Despite the strength that you had, you never walked into a place expecting or pushing for a fight, you often tried getting people to give you what you wanted rather than taking it and Alphonse obviously liked that approach. 📖 When you were together you were both the sweetest pair, you’d help anyone that needed it and protect anyone that needed it. You were dangerously protective of you little brothers but Alphonse more so when he was younger you used to promise to fight any monster that hid under his bed and even now he hides behind you when he’s scared. 📖 Once they get their human bodies back you're the strongest of the three of you and this time you aren’t far from home, you're always around when they need you. 📖 Just an aside, Mei loves you. 📖 You often lifted him over your shoulder (when he got his human body back) when you wanted him to do something for or with you. Alphonse enjoyed talking to you, you had a very simple view on things and sometimes that was all that he needed.

Winry Rockbell

🔧 Winry was like a little sister to you, you remember the times when the boys got to big for her to overpower and you used to run around with her on your shoulders chasing after them. 🔧 You encouraged her to do whatever she wanted when she was younger; it probably helped with her confidence to this day. 🔧 You saw the way that Ed and Winry acted together and when they got older you were the one to point out how cute they would be together even if they constantly denied it. 🔧 Winry always called to make sure that you were okay when you were away for work, she was also the one that told you what happened with your brothers. 🔧 You brought back anything that you thought Winry might find useful for automail construction. 🔧 You were the least troublesome of the Elric brothers and she loved that about you, as she got older and started chasing after your younger brothers to make sure that they didn’t get in too much trouble. 🔧 Winry used to fall asleep on you all the time and that didn’t change, you didn’t mind keeping her company when she was tinkering, helping her lift things and sometimes she ended up falling asleep on you when she was working too hard. 🔧 You always protected Winry whether it be physical or emotional, that was the only time that you were seen showing true anger outside of anything happening with your brothers. 🔧 When you did lose your temper Winry was the one that could calm you down the quickest (Ed tended to fight it out with you, Al talked you down most of the time though it did take some time) 🔧 Winry helped with the gardening when she had the time, especially when everything settled down. 🔧 Literally nothing changed when she and Edward got together, she was already family to you, your little sister.

Request Here!!

[pinkskytwst]

ROUTINE

Prefect,Yuu,MC,Reader/Azul (Octatrio/Prefect poly or platonic)

Azul wasn’t really sure what to think of the Ramshackle Prefect. After his…episode, he had thought that the Prefect would have stayed far away from him and the Octavinelle dorm as a whole but that wasn’t what happened. In fact, they hadn’t even missed their schedule shift at the Lounge the first day of reopening after repairs. They just showed up as if nothing had happened with bandages peeking out from their clothes and a rather dark bruise still coloring their jaw from a flying piece of debris that they had failed to dodge during the fight.

He had frozen in the door of the kitchen for a few seconds when he saw them standing at the counter tying the apron of their uniform around their waist. They were chatting with Jade. Some comment about a history quiz that Azul wasn’t aware enough to register properly.

Why were they there? Was this a trick of some kind? Did they really need madols that much to continue working for someone that had literally almost killed them? Sure they had been forgiving when they returned the picture with him and they had even said that they thought his younger self had been adorable – which he DEFINITELY did not think about all night – but that was as far as he expected their kindness to go. It was more really. Most wouldn’t have even bothered after what he had allowed himself to become.

So why were they there?

Azul was snapped from his confused thoughts when the Prefect noticed him and looked over to flash a small smile – the same one that Azul had seen them give him that pulled up a little more on the right side – and made a motion for Jade to wait a moment before heading over to greet him.

“Hey Azul, nice to see you’re okay.” They said, “Jade was telling me that you were back to normal, but I wanted to check before I started at the bar.”

“Bar?” he blinked, for a moment still mentally fumbling over this unexpected situation he found himself in.

“Yes? That’s what I was assigned to at least. Did you want me waiting tables instead?” they tilted their head slightly and Azul tracked the way a strand of their hair fell and rested against the purple and blue skin on their jaw.

He reached up to adjust his glasses, giving him a moment to recover and gather himself.

“The bar is fine, just remember you are not allowed to serve the alcoholic drinks.”

The Prefect rolled their eyes bemused, flashing him a grin.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Jade and Floyd are the only ones certified for that.” They chuckled. “Floyd says he has it covered. I’ll just back him up. I know the second years had an Alchemy test today so we’ll probably get more in tonight than normal trying to recover.”

Azul gave a nod.

“As long as you remember.”

That prompted a laugh from the other and they gave a playful solute.

“You got it, boss.” They said before passing around them and out to the bar where he could already hear Floyd complaining and calling for them.

His gaze followed them until they turned the corner. What else could he do?

“The Prefect texted me early this morning to check on you.”

It was only years of being around the twins that prevented Azul from jumping out of his skin when Jade suddenly appeared at his side.

“If they were concerned, they should have contacted me directly.” He said, narrowing his eyes at the way Jade’s grin stretched wider.

“They said they did not want to bother you if you were still recovering. And don’t you remember? You told them you don’t give your number out. I made the point of inquiring about it when they first started working here. I could share it with you if you like. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if it’s you.”

“What do you want, Jade?” he asked warily, eyeing his vice-housewarden.

His grin somehow grew even larger.

“This weekend’s weather is planned to be perfect for one of my wilderness hikes.”

Azul sighed heavily, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. Technically he could just ASK the Prefect directly and they would give him their number. He didn’t NEED Jade’s help.

He HAD put them both through quite a bit, though.

And this way he wouldn’t have to bother the Prefect with giving it to him. It wasn’t even like he needed it, really. This would just be easier than having to listen to Jade forwarding information to him all the time.

“Text it to me before you start the shift.” He finally said and spun on his heels to disappear back into his office.

He glanced towards the bar on his way just to make sure Floyd’s mood could handle it for the night or if he would need to move him to the kitchens. Having him causing trouble would be a headache and he doubted the Prefect was up to handling the eel’s normal levels of chaos.

The two were chatting – Floyd making large hand motions that the Prefect dodged absently with obvious familiarity – and they were laughing at something while restocking the glasses on the shelf. The Prefect caught sight of him again and flashed their smile and gave a small wave in acknowledgement before turning back to keeping their work partner somewhat focused on the job.

Azul quickly ducked into his office and closed the door firmly behind him, not bothering to put up the sound proofing ward so he could still hear the faint sound of their laughter and low buzz of talking from guests. He couldn’t risk Floyd causing problems after all. He needed to monitor things until he was sure they settled back into their routine.

Sitting at his desk, the octomer opened his computer and began logging in. He pulled his phone out when it chimed and he saw the text that Jade sent him with nothing but a number.

Hesitating for a moment he clicked on the number and saved it to his contacts under ‘Prefect’ and then set his phone firmly off to the side. He had work to do.

If Jade noticed him glancing at it every now and again when he came in to bring Azul fresh tea, or how the octomer would glance up unconsciously at the door whenever he heard the sound of a familiar laugh on the other side, he just smiled and didn’t say anything.

[kitkatt0430]

For the AU headcanon game, AU in which Savitar is someone other than Barry? 👀

So I do remember various theories about Savitar's identity and one of them was Eddie. Which... I did not like that theory, so I'm not gonna go that way.

If it was someone the team knew already, then Eobard is the obvious candidate. In the comics, he's made himself look like Barry a few different ways and so there could be a convoluted plot going on that way, but... they've had enough Eobard Thawne as the bad guy on the show, I wanna speculate on someone new.

So the comics Savitar - New Earth version - was a Cold War pilot whose real identity was never discovered. While at top speed in his fighter plane, he was struck by lightning and survived the crash in hostile territory. This could be updated to him being an air force test pilot for an experimental craft using Dominator tech - foreshadowing the Dominator attack xover event later that season - that gets struck by lightning mid test. The test is classed a failure and the craft is unrecoverable - the man who becomes Savitar is assumed dead but of course he isn't.

Savitar therefor isn't obsessed with killing Iris - his existence doesn't depend on her. Instead perhaps Iris' investigation into Savitar's origins puts her in danger as he doesn't want anyone to know who he used to be - maybe he doesn't even remember and having his identity revealed would detract from the story he's selling the cult he's been creating.

Perhaps Alchemy as a stage one/first half of season boss with Savitar being hinted at until he's revealed at the mid season finale. Savitar could still be the man behind Alchemy, with Julian being unaware that he's been brainwashed to take on the persona of Alchemy under specific triggers. To de brainwash Julian, they bring in Hartley who - in this timeline - used a hypnotic flute in addition to his gloves. Julian thus has to come to terms both with what he did under the brainwashing and with the fact that he is a meta... that it was his rejection and self-hatred over being a meta that gave Savitar the in he needed to control Julian in the first place.

Part of the season's focus is on Barry having to accept that he has no idea how much the changes to the timeline are his fault and how much is stuff that was already gonna happen and he just... didn't know things were leading that way behind the scenes.

Revealing Frost's real origins in this season. Caitlin, panicking, goes to her mom for help and things with Carla eventually unravel to the reveal of Icicle. Frost has to choose between teaming up with Icicle or siding with Caitlin's friends... and chooses Icicle. Only to quickly realize she's in over her head and she turns to Caitlin for advice. The two of them form a truce to defeat Icicle and rejoin Team Flash by surprise!!! during the final Savitar vs Flash fight at the end of the season, which would also include Jesse and Wally as well as Savitar's cult.

Savitar would definitely try to recruit Icicle and Frost into his cult, but I don't see them having any of it. Icicle has his own god complex of a sort going on and Killer Frost just doesn't like him or trust him after Caitlin's experiences with Zoom and the Reverse Flash. If you've met one evil Speedster, you've met them all.

One of the things I did like about show!Savitar was that he was a fallen hero - I'm a Tales game series fan, i love fallen heroes as villains, that's basically the main villain of every Tales game and I eat it up every time. So I think part of the investigation into Savitar would be the reveal that he was a highly decorated hero and he saved a lot of lives. That's why he was tapped for the project. But after being essentially left for dead and his amnesia, Savitar grew to feel he was owed the accolades and devotion and it all warped into the god complex he has now. Forcing him to face his past isn't exactly a tomato in the mirror moment but he's torn between horror over who he's become and his desire for security and safety through the power he's accumulated.

[ice-and-lightning]

Open: Arlan || Helping with the Borisin & Its Consequences

Arlan had arrived to the Luofu to participate in the Wardance. It wasn't his idea, but Asta's and eventually he had given in. He's glad that the Wardance will still happen, but it will do so without him. The young man doesn't mind, even if he worries what might happen with him. He doesn't regret 'outing' himself. Doesn't regret helping, but he does worry.

He had received a message from the Nameless that General Jing Yuan wanted to speak to him and he had gone to the Seat of Divine Foresight. From there, he had then gone with the team hunting Hoolay, to eventually end up with Moze and the Trailblazer. That's when things changed. Arlan had kept it all at bay the entire time, until Mok Tok.

The more he saw of these beasts, the angrier he became. But also, disgusted. Not just about their action, but the fact that he was part beast too. Their blood runs in his veins. These feelings were new. Not entirely, but to this degree. The other borisin were strong, but Mok Tok was on another level compared to them and when the wolf threatened his friend, Arlan just let the pain and anger flood him. The feeling of the need to protect. In an instant, his eyes began to glow, his fangs grew up and his attacks became even more ferocious. He knew he had been outed with his action, even if Mok Tok had already mentioned his heritage, something borisin apparently can smell, but this gave Moze and Trailblazer evidence that it was indeed true. Though his battle rage doesn't rob him of his sanity, it just makes him stronger, breaks him physically, yes, but also makes him stronger.

Once Mok Tok was dealt with, they rescued Jiaoqiu, and Arlan got to battle more borisin. While the others took the severely injured healer to the Alchemy Commission, Arlan remained and fought with any borisin still lingering around. It was fierce. Obliterating. But only borisin, no others, no innocents. He kept on fighting until he could no longer fight and his body fell to the ground, too injured and worn to keep on going.

Arlan woke up in the Alchemy Commission. Confused and in pain. Then it all came to him. The borisin, the rage, the need to protect, the inevitable collapse. What surprises him is that he's not bound nor does he see any Cloud Knights in his room. Were they not going to arrest him? Or did they deem him not a danger due to his current state?

It takes a moment, but eventually, he is dressed as much as he can, seems like most of his outfit got destroyed or covered in blood, and outside. If anyone saw him leave, they didn't stop him. Not that he's planning to run, he even left his sword in the room to show that he will be back. He just want some air, and meat, he's hungry. Ravenously hungry, in fact and he knows what he needs, but he is not going to ask for it. It's too embarrassing and too disgusting. Instead, he's standing and watching the water below. He doesn't even turn when he hear someone approach.

[toffee4you]

A “Peaceful” Mountain Hike

Content: Prefect!reader, GN!reader, reader is distrustful of Jade, platonic, tricked into eating the ‘shrooms (someone please arrest Jade), crackfic, ft. Ace/Deuce/Grim at the end

Jade dialogue: cyan

Prefect dialogue: default color

I don't know how to write in-character dialogue, so enjoy ♡♡

Today was a weekend, a quiet one.. and not exactly an ideal one. You had to catch up on your alchemy homework since Grim ended up spilling your potion over during a fight with Ace. It was tedious work, but a rare moment of peace and quiet since no one else was in the cultivating area of the botanical garden. You hummed to yourself as you picked ingredients for the potion, albeit, having a hard time finding the majority of them. In the midst of your searching, you heard a familiar voice from behind.

“Ah, Prefect... Perfect timing!”

You turned around to see Jade smiling his usual slippery smile, still dusting off a bit of dirt from his lab coat. You didn't like his tone, not one bit.

“Jade Leech? What is it now...”

You sighed, deciding to humor him just this once rather than ignoring him. The moment his smile curled wider upon receiving your attention, you began to regret that decision.

“Oh my, why the distasteful tone? I was simply in the midst of tending to my mushrooms when I spotted you. My heart simply ached upon seeing you waste away your weekend on that project you failed...”

Already, you knew he had another angle here. How did he know you failed your project anyways? You weren't even in the same class!

Rolling your eyes, you turned around to leave, not wanting any part in an event that may end with you working for a whole week at Monstro Lounge. That was, until he started following behind you with his hands folded in front of him. You knew that shady pose anywhere.

“Say, Prefect... I am aware that you may have some misunderstandings about us, but I would not mind helping you with this task of yours for a simple, personal, price. That is--”

You raised an eyebrow and turned abruptly on your heels, nearly getting ready to throw hands with him. He could tell, and thus backed up a few steps while flashing a wide-eyed look of fabricated shock.

“...Now whatever is that reaction for? I simply ask of you to join me during my hiking trip!”

“...A hiking trip?”

So, after some hard consideration, you found yourself trailing behind Jade on a grassy mountain. He helped you finish your project beforehand, which you appreciated, but that also meant no going back. It wasn't as if you needed to anyways, at least not initially. He seemed like an unexpectedly fun person to be around outside of Octavinelle; enthusiastically teaching you about the mountain's flora and fauna, fetching safe, wild-grown fruits for you to try... Maybe, you thought, he was actually a genuinely nice person to be around as long as you're off campus. There was still doubt in your mind, but you decide to place at least a bit of trust in him.

Nearly the whole trip was surprisingly safe. Sure, you were exhausted, but at least you were alive and in one piece—plus, you didn't get forced into any unwanted work. At this point, you were quite relaxed between having your stomach full of the delicious, grilled river trout that Jade caught for lunch and the overall healing experience. Your hands were placed lazily behind your head as you walked at your own pace, with Jade slowing his down to match you.

“You know, Jade? You're actually a pretty cool guy! In fact, I wouldn't mind hanging out more often.”

Jade turned his head with his usual smile, which now seemed more friendly to you than before.

“Is that so? I am glad to hear that, Prefect. I'm even so glad that I'd like to end our trip on a special note...”

This brought back a creeping feeling on you again, but once again, you forced yourself to trust him a little more. Maybe he really was misunderstood because of his associations. Thinking about it now, he was the sanest one in his group, right...?

...

Every positive thought went down the drain when you saw him pull out a handful of mushrooms. You staggered back with your hands up, shaking your head nervously.

“Jade...? What is that? What are you trying to do with those? You just want to plant them together... Right...?”

Without a word, he stepped forward, still grinning at you...and it seemed like a shady grin once more.

You were about to turn your back to him and run, but he swiftly caught you and popped a mushroom down your mouth. Good thing it was a small one, or else you would have choked on it.

“Hmm... I heard this mushroom has quite a few special properties to it despite being edible. Could you tell me what you're feeling right now, Prefect?... Prefect? Oh my, it seems to have...”

And the next thing you saw was the heads of your two friends and a pair of familiar ears. It seems you were back in Ramshackle again, with Ace and Deuce bickering while Grim noticed you waking up.

You rubbed your aching head, letting out a huff of exhaustion. Cold sweats, body aches, fatigue... yeah, those effects were “special” alright. Your friends went silent after seeing you in such a condition, slowly turning to look at you. They wanted an explanation, and you'd definitely owe it to them later.

“...Ace, Deuce, Grim... If Jade EVER asks you to hike with him, don't. go.”

[beevean]

((this is a spoiler to CoD but I really wanna say this))

One of the things I hated the most in NFCV is how they literally reduced a Devil Forgemaster's power to only necromancy... When they're SO much more powerful than that. They can LITERALLY MAKE WEAPONS just from the RAW ELEMENTS ALONE. And the fact that Hector could fight Death and Dracula! He literally REDUCED Drac's curse in the end!! ((Also his sassy response to Drac is "I'm the Devil Forgemaster. I can make your curse into a harmless thing." Alhdkahsja I love him so much)). I HATE how they make them so... Useless??? I don't understand they're so much cooler than the show made them out to be

(CoD will turn 18 this November, don't worry about spoilers lmao)

So, I'm a bit torn on this because I actually don't mind the change in NFCV... in theory.

Do I think Devil Forging in canon is absolutely fucking cool and badass and underrated and ripe with potential? Yes. There is a reason I made the crest my icon :P I love that Hector calls it blasphemous in PtR, I love the idea that they're literally spitting in God's face by creating cursed life!

Devil Forgemaster

A blasphemer who can manipulate magic and life

^ tell me that isn't the rawest way to describe Devil Forgemasters, PtR doesn't shy away from the religious symbolism and it does so in a much more tasteful way than NFCV

I love that it's Dracula's magic itself that they're manipulating, which explains how Hector and only him could nullify the Curse! (and this is also why I believe Isaac was really spreading it, and it wasn't just Death's lie)

Human beings embued with dark magic directly from the Dark Lord himself. Tell me it isn't the coolest thing in the Vaniaverse.

And yes, they are absolute beasts that can forge their own weapons with alchemy and fight with all sorts of weapons. Normal swords? Rapiers? Zweihanders? Axes? Spears? Electric guitar? Hector has it covered. I wholeheartedly believe that both of them were the terror of Wallachia when they worked together: how do you defend yourself against multi-disciplined, super strong, super tough knights that can literally sic dragons on you?

also yes Hector vs. Dracula is so fucking raw, Hector is the ultimate gigachad and I will die on this hill. He literally asks "Have you forgotten that I'm a Devil Forgemaster?" with the smuggest tone in his voice <3

Catch me I'm swooning <3 Hector literally turning Dracula's hard work against him <3 oh ho ho I bet he regretted having a protégé <3

I also personally love Isaac's "Do not equate a Devil Forgemaster's power with that of an ordinary sorcerer!" dude's so mad that trevor dared to underestimate him and his ex. i love him too <3

However. I recognize that, without the gameplay element, they would have been a little too OP. I am perfectly fine with the nerfing of Devil Forging in the show: not only limiting them by tying their powers to a weapon would have been an interesting obstacle to overcome, but the promotional posters of S2 gave them a very low Strength stat.

Basically, the idea, I suppose, was to make them squishy wizards: they're not proficient at all in physical fights, but they don't need to be, when they can control a whole army of demons. And as for the necromancy aspect, well, it would have emphasized even more the dark, cursed nature of their power. It's a facsimile of life, nothing more.

The problem is that, of course, nothing was done with this. Isaac can simply... stibby stab people in a row, and with no effort at all they become night creatures. Yeeting him into the Sahara would have been a great opportunity to make him lose his knife, and force him to live as a vulnerable human, and maybe learn about the value of human life that way, but nooooo can't make the darling babyboy of the narrative suffer even a little! He has Deep Speeches about How Much Humans Suck to make! 🙄 And we barely see Hector actually do his job, only for Carmilla's sake, which will never stop make me wonder, why did Dracula and Carmilla want him so much to the point of resorting to manipulation? Nothing in the story shows me that he has any usefulness! He's not smart, he's not physically strong, he's easy to manipulate, we have little idea of how good of a Forgemaster he is... some General he is! Isaac could have easily run the whole castle by himself, for how badass and invincible they made him!

In retrospect, giving Isaac a lower Strength stat than Hector was a bold lie. By all means, Hector should have been the more talented of the two even in this version: he was the child prodigy who was resurrecting dogs as a child, while Isaac had to study hard to catch up. But no. Hector was relegated to torture porn. Okay.

Oh, and never forget that the plot forgot about the "dark, cursed" part of their power when Carmilla needed a priest to bless the water :^) because what's consistency when we have to favor our babyboys and girlbosses :^)

(also eh i guess being too op didn't stop sypha from literally steamrolling her way through the show, so yeah, the point's moot anyway)