#thinking about “their devotion absolute”

[rafesgreasycurtainbangs]

When R and the baby get to go home rafe just absolutely pampers R won't leave her side, making sure she's eating and feeling ok and also taking care of the baby so she can rest

༄｡° i've got her, i've got you - rafe cameron

series masterlist

As the last of the Pogues filtered out of Tanneyhill, the backyard grew quiet, the only sounds the fading crackle of the fire pit and the distant hum of the ocean. JJ slung an arm around Pope, shouting a final, “Take care of our girl, Rafe!” over his shoulder as they disappeared around the corner. Sarah lingered longest, pressing a gentle kiss to Jojo’s forehead and squeezing your hand with a soft, “Call me if you need anything, okay?” before slipping out with John B. The chaos of the welcome home party ebbed away, leaving just you, Rafe, and little Josephine—Jojo—cocooned in the stillness of the grand house.

You sank onto the plush sectional in the living room, the exhaustion of the day settling into your bones. The hospital stay, the drive home, the whirlwind of love from the Pogues—it had all been beautiful, but draining. Rafe set Jojo’s car seat gently on the coffee table, her tiny chest rising and falling as she slept, oblivious to the world. He straightened up, his eyes locking onto you with that intense focus you’d come to recognize as pure, unfiltered devotion.

“Alright, baby,” he said, his voice low and firm, like he was issuing a command to himself. “You’re done for the day. I’ve got this.” Before you could protest, he was already moving, crossing the room to grab the throw blanket from the armchair and draping it over your lap. His hands lingered, tucking it around you with a care that made your heart ache.

“Rafe, I’m fine,” you murmured, though your voice betrayed how tired you really were. He arched an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, and crouched down in front of you, his hands resting lightly on your knees.

“You just pushed a whole human out of you, carried her for nine months, and sat through JJ’s terrible jokes for three hours. You’re not fine—you’re a fucking superhero, but you’re not fine.” His lips quirked into a small, teasing smile, but his eyes were serious, searching yours for any sign of discomfort. “Let me take care of you. Please.”

You didn’t have the energy to argue, and honestly, the way he was looking at you—like you were the only thing in the world that mattered—made it impossible to say no. You nodded, and he exhaled, like he’d been holding his breath for your permission.

First, he disappeared into the kitchen, returning minutes later with a glass of water and a plate piled with leftovers from the party— sliders, some fruit Sarah had cut up, and a couple of Pope’s meticulously roasted marshmallows on the side. “You need to eat,” he said, setting it on the armrest beside you. “And don’t even think about saying you’re not hungry. I’ll sit here and feed you myself if I have to.”

You rolled your eyes but took a bite of the slider, the savory warmth hitting your stomach and making you realize how ravenous you actually were. Rafe watched, satisfied, before reaching for the water and pressing it into your hand. “Small sips,” he instructed, like you were the one who needed coddling now. You couldn’t help but smile at how serious he was about it.

Once he was sure you were settled, his attention shifted to Jojo, who let out a tiny whimper in her sleep. Rafe was on his feet in an instant, carefully unbuckling her from the car seat and lifting her into his arms with a tenderness that still caught you off guard sometimes. The sight of him—broad shoulders, sharp jaw, the once-reckless Kook prince—cradling your daughter like she was made of porcelain was enough to make your breath hitch. He rocked her gently, murmuring something too soft for you to hear, and her whimpers faded as she nestled against his chest.

“She’s good,” he whispered, glancing back at you. “You rest. I’ll handle her if she wakes up.” He didn’t wait for your response, just carried Jojo over to the bassinet by the window, setting her down with a kiss on her forehead before turning back to you.

He didn’t sit down, though. Instead, he hovered—adjusting the blanket when it slipped, refilling your water before you even asked, brushing a strand of hair from your face with a touch so light it felt like a promise. “How’s your head?” he asked suddenly, frowning as he studied you. “You’ve been squinting. You need Tylenol? I can grab some from upstairs.”

“Rafe, I’m okay,” you said, laughing softly despite yourself. “It’s just the lights. I’m tired, not dying.”

“Still,” he muttered, already dimming the overhead chandelier with the remote. “Better?” You nodded, and he finally sat down beside you, though his body stayed angled toward you, like he was ready to jump up at the slightest hint of need. His hand found yours, fingers lacing through yours, and he rubbed slow circles on your palm with his thumb—a habit he’d picked up when you were pregnant, something to keep you both grounded.

For a while, you just sat there, the quiet wrapping around you like a second blanket. Jojo slept soundly, her tiny breaths the only sound breaking the silence. Rafe’s gaze flicked between you and her, as if he couldn’t quite believe this was real—that you were here, that she was here, that he got to have this. “You’re amazing, you know that?” he said suddenly, his voice rough with emotion. “I mean it. I don’t know how you do it.”

You turned to him, catching the raw honesty in his eyes. “I don’t do it alone,” you whispered. “You’re right here with me.”

He swallowed hard, nodding like he was trying to convince himself he deserved that credit. “Always,” he said simply, and you believed him.

When your plate was empty and your eyelids started to droop, Rafe didn’t hesitate. He scooped you up—blanket and all—ignoring your half-hearted protest of “I can walk!” and carried you upstairs to your bedroom. He set you down on the bed, propping pillows behind you with military precision, then darted back downstairs to grab Jojo’s bassinet. He positioned it right beside your side of the bed, close enough that you could reach her if she stirred, but he made it clear with a look that he’d be the one getting up if she did.

“Sleep,” he ordered, brushing a kiss against your forehead. “I’ve got her. I’ve got you.” And as you drifted off, the last thing you saw was Rafe settling into the armchair by the bed, his eyes on Jojo, his hand resting lightly on your arm—a quiet, unwavering guard over the little family you’d built together.

©RAFESGREASYCURTAINBANGS ⋆˙⟡ est. 2025

[bamtwozled]

I need to hear thoughts on craftsverse dan

the thing that fascinates me the most about him is that he’s kind of afraid of what he is. dan appears to be a much better conduit for the occult forces they’re trying to communicate with—in glitter faces, he draws the pentagram seemingly without his own knowledge, in potato prints he seems to have some ability to understand what they’ve summoned when it speaks to him, and in slime he’s the one entrusted with completing the ritual to bring Him into their world (there’s also the little clip of him spinning the slime bowl presumably with his mind, which isn’t on the same level but is still a “something’s up with this guy” indicator nonetheless).

and yet there are multiple points where he’s afraid of what’s happening to him. in glitter faces, he panics when he discovers that he’s drawn the pentagram, and phil has to guide him back from it. in slime, he’s very clearly upset both before and after cutting his hand open to contribute the blood, and only starts laughing again when phil does. when the ritual is complete and He rises, dan full-body flinches. he still does all these things he’s supposed to do, up to and including literally stabbing phil to death and carving out his heart, even though doing so does seem to pretty significantly affect him, but he’s clearly not as perfectly on board with everything they’re doing as phil is.

phil’s role is pretty straightforward. he’s the true believer, and the sacrifice that’s happy to be a sacrifice because of that faith. he’s the driving force in these videos. he’s always the one to introduce the craft and guide dan and the audience through it, and he has more lines that directly acknowledge his absolute faith (think “I can’t see, but that’s okay, because I believe” from potato prints, or “I’m happy to give it to him” when dan says “this was just a start, but he’ll need it straight from the source” in slime, and that attitude around his own impending death also contrasts with dan’s trepidation around his own much smaller blood sacrifice). there aren’t really any times where his devotion or persona waver, but dan’s do.

and like I think there are plenty of things you can read into that, although we get more into headcanon territory rather than a direct interpretation of the video. the simplest explanation is that he does believe on his own, it’s just not quite as unshakeable as phil’s faith and confidence. another interpretation that I’ve played with in the past is that his devotion is more to phil than to Him, and his belief comes more from following phil than directly of his own accord. phil’s “everybody makes mistakes” in glitter faces is just a silly little line about dan being left handed, but in looking at dan having some fear of his own abilities, it’s possible that he sees plenty of things about himself as being a mistake, especially if any of this manifested before he really knew what was happening. finding someone who accepts and likes that part of him, even if it’s just because it’s useful, would be welcome, and could easily push him into this acolyte mindset. but again that’s all just like interesting headcanon territory based on how their power dynamic seems to me to play out in their videos, and there are plenty of other equally valid ways to read it.

I just think “this is the one thing he was made perfectly for, and yet it scares him” is such a fun and fascinating basis for a character like this, and I think it adds a lot more depth and room for interesting speculation than if they’d both been 100% complete believers

[ckret2]

I know that in the end, tbob and your fic ended up being extremelly compliant, and you just had to make a few changes here and there for canon compliance. But would anything significantly change if you started your fic now instead of when you did

It's hard to tell since I was so steeped in show-accurate lore when originally constructing the plot that it's hard to imagine what I would've done if steeped in show-and-book-accurate lore. Absolutely, I would have incorporated the Theraprism from the get go—but I've figured out how to do that on the fic as I'm writing it now, so would the fic I would've written in this alternate timeline differed much from what I'm currently writing? I would've incorporated the fact that the Oracle invited the Henchmaniacs to the "real" world—but I already have plans for how I'm incorporating that into my current version of the fic, so would it have changed much or would I just have mentioned it a little earlier? The book portrays his parents as well-intended but misguided; as it is, my characterization of his parents started on the crueler end and then I slid it toward a mix of cruel/kind with a surface level veneer of kindness, but if I'd read the book first I might've started from the other direction (make them kind, add on some cruelty) but ultimately land about the same place.

I might have also sighed and whined and come up with a reason to make talking about the third dimension outright illegal in his home dimension, which I'd initially deliberately leaned away from because I was trying to avoid it being like Flatland, but the book makes it a bit harder to avoid that. As it is what I'm gonna do is say that Bill is greatly exaggerating its illegality, but that feels like a cheat and I probably wouldn't have cheated if I'd read the book first. That would've been a very small change though.

I think the biggest change is that I would've found a way to incorporate the book TBOB itself. As it is, I worked in mentions like oh yeah they saw the book briefly last fall; but I could've done a lot more to have that shape everyone's initial reactions to Bill (since they'd KNOW Bill's "alive" and have even sort of interacted with him one-sidedly since his death), and I could've done more with him using the book to try to escape before he resorts to reincarnation. I probably would have made the canonical reader an actual character in the fic, possibly Gus the ranger too.

I think I also would have done more with Bill attempting to reach out to the mirror dimension. As it is I slid in him attempting to contact them in chapter 7 and it just doesn't go through, and I'm gonna have him make some contact with them later in the fic; if I was starting the fic from scratch, I might've devoted a whole episode to him trying to reach them and either discovering he can't or getting totally shot down by them and getting an emotional gutpunch from realizing they aren't really on his side.

There might've been more changes, but it's hard to imagine them from this timeline, y'know? Hard to imagine what random neurons might've fired in my brain if I'd read the book when I didn't have the whole fic inside of my head already.

[kaayyyys]

Rick Grimes

Fluff alphabet

Part 1 (a-j )

For those of us who have fallen for the quiet strength, the unwavering loyalty, and the surprising tenderness hidden beneath Rick Grimes's hardened exterior, this is an exploration of the little things, the acts of love – big and small – that define his connection with the one he holds dearest.

A - Affectionate Touches

Rick isn't one for grand gestures, but his love is woven into the fabric of everyday life. A hand grazing your lower back as he guides you through a crowd, a gentle squeeze of your hand across the table, a lingering brush of his lips against your temple as he passes by. These small, almost unconscious touches are his constant reassurance, a silent promise of his unwavering presence. He'll often pull you close when you're standing near each other, just to feel your warmth against him.

B - Bedtime Stories (and cuddles)

Maybe not stories in the traditional sense, but Rick loves to talk with you before you fall asleep. About his past, about his worries, about his hopes for the future. Lying tangled together in a bed, or just next to each other on the floor. He loves running his fingers through your hair as you gently fall asleep in his arms. He will never be the first one to fall asleep, just so he can watch you, observe how beautiful you are and make sure you are still here.

C - Comfort.

Rick is your personal safe haven. When the world feels like it's crashing down around you, he's the one you run to. He’ll hold you close, his strong arms a shield against all the chaos. He doesn’t always need words; his presence alone is often enough to calm the storm inside you. He'll listens intently, offering advice only when asked, and when he does, his words are always measured, thoughtful, and full of genuine care.

D- Devotion.

Rick's devotion is a quiet, burning flame. He's not fickle; once he gives his heart, it's yours to keep. His loyalty is absolute, his commitment unwavering. You'll see it in the way he looks at you, the way he prioritizes your well-being above his own, and the fierce protectiveness that rises within him whenever you're threatened.

E - Empathetic Listening: Rick may not be the most talkative person, but he's an excellent listener. He truly hears you, not just the words you say, but the emotions behind them. He remembers the little details, the things that matter to you, and he uses that knowledge to support you in ways that are both profound and deeply personal. He will spend countless nights just holding you while you cry over all that has happened, never once judging you.

F -Future Planning.

Rick doesn't talk about a white picket fence, but he does think about the future – a future where you both are safe, content, and building a life together. He'll talk about rebuilding, about creating a community where hope can flourish, and he always includes you in that vision. He wants you by his side, not just as a partner, but as an integral part of his world.

G - Gentle Kisses

Not always passionate, fiery kisses (though those have their place), but the soft, gentle kisses that speak of tenderness and affection. A kiss on your forehead as he leaves for a supply run, a lingering kiss on the nape of your neck as you're cooking dinner, a light brush of his lips against yours as you drift off to sleep. These are the kisses that say, "I love you," without uttering a word.

H - Holding Hands

A simple gesture, but one that speaks volumes. Whether you're walking through the woods, sitting by a campfire, or simply relaxing in each other's company, Rick loves to hold your hand. It's a grounding connection, a reminder that you're not alone, that you have each other to lean on. His large, calloused hand fits perfectly with yours.

I -Inside Jokes

He has few friends, even fewer that have survived. But you hold a special place with him. Sometimes, amidst all the chaos, you'll share a look, a small smile, a silent understanding that no one else could possibly comprehend. These inside jokes, these shared moments of levity, are a testament to the deep bond you share.

J -Just Being There

Sometimes, the greatest act of love is simply being present. Rick understands this implicitly. He doesn't need to solve all your problems or offer grand solutions; he just needs to be there, a steadfast presence in your life, a shoulder to lean on when you need it most.

[xislyns]

Hello! I absolutely loved the Benn Beckman HC'S you wrote! 🩷 could you do the same thing for Marco please? Thank you so much 💗💗💗

ofc dear!! (i actually rlly enjoy making hcs)

MARCO THE PHEONIX

op masterlist : 𐙚🧸ྀི || ⋆·˚ ༘ ASK STATUS IN DESC

FALLING FOR YOU

Marco isn’t someone who falls in love at first sight. it creeps up on him slowly, One day, he just knows, and there’s no turning back from there.

the moment He realizes , is when he catches himself watching you more often than necessary, memorizing your little habits.

He tries to act nonchalant about it, but his crewmates definitely notice. especially the teasing from Thatch , it is relentless.

When he confessed to you, it was a casual but tender moment, maybe a simple “Yoi, I think I like ya.” No dramatic speeches, just a quiet statement that you belong together.

LOVE WITH HIM

Marco isn’t the type to fall in love quickly. it takes time for him to open up, but once he does, he’s incredibly loyal and dependable.

He has a quiet but undeniable way of making you feel special , Marco loves teasing you, but it’s always gentle and never crosses the line. He enjoys seeing your reactions, especially when you get flustered and confused, he thinks you're adorable.

HIS AFFECTION

Marco is all about small but meaningful gestures, tucking a stray strand behind your ear, carrying things for you without asking, or placing his jacket over your shoulders when you’re cold.

His phoenix abilities come in handy when you’re hurt or sick. He’ll gently place his warm hands over your injuries to soothe the pain, always with a soft and genuine smile.

He’s not one to be overly verbal about his feelings, but his actions always speak louder than his words. He’ll silently fix something you’ve been struggling with or surprise you with little things he knows you love.

DAY TO DAY

He has a bad habit of overworking himself, so you have to physically drag him away from his responsibilities to make him rest.

Despite his laidback demeanor, Marco is extremely observant. He always knows when something is bothering you, even before you say anything to him

He enjoys watching sunsets with you. Something about the sky turning orange and gold reminds him of freedom, and sharing it with you makes it even better.

LOVE LANGUAGE?

Marco isn’t overly clingy, but he shows love through subtle gestures. perhaps a cup of tea ready for you when you wake up, a blanket draped over you when you fall asleep on deck.

He rarely calls you by your name when you’re alone. It’s always “love” or "Dear.”

He loves playing with your hair not even on purpose, his fingers just find their way there when he’s lost in thought.

He doesn’t need words to express his love. The way he looks at you, steady and full of quiet devotion, says more than anything he could say out loud

PROTECTIVE NATURE

Marco isnt the type to suffocate you with his protectiveness, but if he senses real danger, he won’t hesitate to step in.

He’s calm, but if someone hurts you, there’s no mercy for them. his usual laziness vanishes, and he becomes cold, calculating, and deadly

If you’re injured, he goes full doctor mode, patching you up while scolding you in a relaxed tone "maybe try not gettin’ slashed next time, Yoi.”

He trusts your strength but hates seeing you hurt. so if he sees you push yourself too hard, he’ll carry you away without a word, ignoring any protests you make

Jealousy ?

Marco is a confident person, so he doesn’t get jealous easily. But if someone flirts with you, he’ll casually wrap an arm around your waist, smirking as he makes eye contact with the other person. making it clear, youre his.

If you tease him about being jealous, he’ll just raise an eyebrow. “ why would I be? You’re not goin’ anywhere.”

[screamlet]

🌟 Can I please get some commentary on break up/break down? I absolutely adore the whole series. If you’re so inclined, I’d love to hear about why you decided to turn it from the tumblr series to a full fic. Thank you! 🌟

YES!!! thank you for asking!!! god i'm so sorry this might be really long because i have too many thoughts on how breakup/breakdown (the infidelity fic) evolved and ended. christ. this was a beast (neutral).

later: in retrospect, writing about "keeping things short" over here is.... hilarious. whatever, no shame (a little shame). about 800 words below:

so, i felt super enabled with every buck/omc drabble, lol. people's reblogs with "oh god this is terrible how could buck and tommy cheat on that nice boy i'm so sad" were fuel to the fire. and this was one of those stories where i really let outside opinions get in my head. infidelity is one of those things people have REALLY strong opinions about and i couldn't quiet those thoughts while writing. i'm sure on the ending now but it took a LOT of emotional work to get there. (and thank you for talking it through with me @rcmclachlan and @geddyqueer ❤️)

but i decided to spin it off into its own longer story because there was more i wanted to explore and i didn't want the whole 118 daily drabble series to be just this arc.

AND!!!!!!!!! i can't do wip's, so i already felt like it had dragged on too long. the biggest reason it spun off was because i couldn't cover everything in the daily drabble structure and i wanted it done sooner rather than like 70 days later.

AND THEN IT WOULDN'T END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i got in my own head about the ending. i wanted it to be bucktommy endgame from the beginning because i genuinely couldn't see danny taking buck back after everything he did: not just the actual physical act of cheating with tommy, but emotionally departing their relationship the moment tommy showed up again. make no mistake, buck was gone. and i couldn't imagine buck not at least trying to get tommy back if he had the chance, which he did when danny broke up with him.

originally i was trying to think, well how could i make this a miserable ending because Infidelity is Bad and Shouldn't They Be Punished and This is a Dark Premise How Could It Have a Happy Ending and It Should Hurt More, They Did a Bad Thing. then i realized that was some real cultural religious guilt nonsense and i stopped!!!!!!!!!!!!!! unfortunately my default mode isn't "contrarian edgelord"; i just want to write stuff that scratches the itch in my brain, and 95% of the time that itch is like "please just let them be happy."

what i eventually wanted from the ending was a buck and tommy who had found their way back to each other in an ironically honest way. yes, buck lied and cheated on his partner, but that got both of them to confront the fact that:

they weren't done with each other;

they had grown in their relationships with other people and they needed those other people in order to grow; and

they wanted each other enough to really fuck around with how they perceived themselves.

i don't think this tommy would have ever cheated, or thought of himself as a cheater. but for buck? alright, he's a cheater. and buck has cheated in canon, but in private he probably gave himself the excuse: "i was drunk and trapping taylor in a relationship was way worse than making out with lucy." but this time? yeah!! he cheated on his devoted, committed boyfriend and regretted hurting him, but he would have regretted not going back to tommy even more.

and ONE MORE THING!!!!!!!! cheating on danny wrecked buck's shit and the stable little life everyone in his life approved of. it forced buck to articulate things about himself and his relationship to his family that he didn't have to before with danny. danny was a really good, lovable guy, their relationship was what everyone wanted for buck, and that kind of outside approval was something he was so desperate for after things imploded with tommy. was tommy really so bad for him that they didn't want buck to call him???? and then danny was there, they loved danny, danny was loyal and loved him, fantastic. but tommy coming back made buck realize that danny was wonderful for the buck everyone wanted him to be, but not enough for himself. danny wasn't what buck really wanted, even if it would lose him the respect of his family. so he'd rather lose that, even if temporarily, to gain back this person who completes him.

"I need this one thing from you... this one thing. I need you to support me, especially in this thing with Tommy. Even if we change our minds and stay friends instead. Even if we're only back together five weeks or months, or if we get married and die holding hands fifty years from now."

now that 8b has started, this is a conversation canon buck has to have, too: where he has to articulate what he wants for his own life. he has to stop taking everyone else's advice and decide what he wants for himself and say it with words coming from his mouth. here, the thing that pushed him off the cliff was cheating on his boyfriend; in canon, it'll be something more appropriate for abc primetime. chopper crash or outbreak monkey, i guess we'll find out soon!

[nikethestatue]

It doesn’t matter whether the bonus chapter was at the end of the book or not. The only pov we have of Az ends with him thinking of Gwyn. Not Elain.

Most people read the bonus at the end of the book anyway. So the last thing they remember is Az feeling a spark in his chest for Gwyn and thinking of her smile as a thing of secret, lovely beauty. His shadows reacting to her in a way they haven’t with anyone else.

After the bonus, we get more gwynriel moments and not a single scene between Elain and Az.

Oh, but dear Anon, it does matter. It matters very very much.

Because you see, if this WAS the end of the book, then we could just 'well, it will be developed in the next book'...however, SJM had another 300+ pages of ACOSF to develop Gwynriel post Solstice. Really drive it home. Just like she did with Nessian, for example, in ACOWAR. Where they weren't together, but hell, were they hot n heavy. There were no doubts were they were going. There was passion and devotion, angst and heroics, even a willingness to die together--all as a secondary romance, observed through Feyre's eyes.

What better way to set up Gwynriel in the same way, only through Nesta's eyes. It would've been perfect. Azriel pining and yearning. Gwyn asking Nesta about him. Both Emerie and Nesta noticing Gwyn's rabid interest in him and teasing her about it. Azriel randomly dropping a word or two about Gwyn to Nesta or Cassian. Azriel giving her his hand once she crossed the finish line of the obstacle course. Their fingers meeting gently when he handed her a dagger that he chose himself from his collection, explaining to her how it would fit her hand best and offering to train her. Azriel going absolutely crazy over Gwyn being in the BR and defying Rhys's injunction. Cassian and him plotting how to get the girls out...The book ending with a scene of Gwyn and Azriel in the hallway of the River Estate, him whispering 'you survived. I didn't know what I would've done if you...and Nesta, oh and Emerie didn't survive." Gwyn would blush and whisper "you taught me well. I wouldn't have survived without you and everything you taught me." Then she turns around and starts to walk away before throwing a look at him and saying 'you make me want to live, shadowsinger'.

Alas.

SJM did not do any of it.

So enjoy my version of Gwynriel romance because that's all you are getting.

She had all the time and pages in the world to set up Gwynriel. And she didn't do any of it. Wonder why?

[medicallyfascinating]

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HUBERT'S RELATIONSHIP WITH RELIGION

More specifically his relationship with religion post-canon.

A lot of my opinions on Hubert's religious beliefs come from that one line in his a support with Byleth where he says "if it is between love and hate then I would choose the latter."

He treats the advice box like a confessional and he admits regularly that he used to believe in the Goddess. There are a lot of implications that he still does believe in her.

I think Hubert's relationship with the Goddess during canon is to do with Edelgard's own opinions and beliefs, failing to really have any of his own.

And so, post canon, I think Hubert would slowly begin to come back to terms with it.

And I don't mean this in a, he believes heavily in the Goddess and prays everyday and worships her and devotes himself to him, kind of way.

No no. I think he just... quietly accepts her back into the periphery of his life. He only prays if he genuinely feels like he absolutely has to.

He barely thinks about her and he's not even entirely sure if she exists. But maybe she does.

He doesn't think she'll answer or do anything because she's never done anything before and that's okay. There's something almost meditative about prayer and it gives him a chance to rationalise all those internalised emotions rather than just compartmentalise them and hope and pray they don't come back out.

[wolfythewitch]

Thinking about melinoë meeting Patroclus

[trappedinafantasy37]

There are multiple gods in the game that you can directly interact with and they all have ties to the narrative. You can interact with Shar via Shadowheart. You can interact with Mystra via Gale. You can interact with Myrkul via Ketheric when he takes on the avatar form. You can interact with Bhaal via Durge and in the fight with Orin. You can interact with Bane after killing Gortash and using "Speak with Dead" in which the soul you speak to is not Gortash, but Bane himself. I would include Vlaakith in this list but Vlaakith is not a god, she is a lich presenting herself as a god. And, of course, there is the Absolute which doesn't really become a god until it ascends into the Netherbrain (although that is debatable).

But, did you know that Lolth will also interact with you? As far as I am aware, Lolth is the only non-story related god in which you do have interactions with. One of them is only available if you are a Lolth-sworn drow, and the other is only available if you are a Cleric of Lolth (you do not need to be Lolth-sworn for it).

The first instance is in the goblin camp with the spiders in the pit. This does require that you are a Lolth-sworn drow and that you have the ability to speak with animals. When talking to the spiders, you will have the option to present yourself to the spiders as Lolth herself. If you fail the persuasion check, Lolth gets pissed off as she was listening to you and is not happy that you tried to present yourself as her. And she tells the spiders you are an imposter and they attack you. But if you succeed the check, Lolth doesn't do anything and the spiders will think you are Lolth. So, Lolth doesn't really have a problem with you pretending to be her. But if you are going to pretend to be her, you better do it right. If the spiders think you are Lolth, you can ask them about what's going on in the goblin camp and the spiders only talk about one thing. They immediately tell you that there is another drow in the camp who has forgotten her way and that she is forsaken. And, as I said, Lolth is here. She heard the spiders admit this. Lolth does nothing about it.

The second instance is in the Underdark with the Phalar Aluve. When you interact with the sword, you have two different checks, a Strength check and a Religion check. If you do the Strength check, you can just pull it out of the stone and be on your merry way. If you perform the Religion check, the narrator will tell you different things depending on certain conditions. If you are a Lolth-sworn drow and/or a Cleric of Lolth, the narrator will tell you that the religious rite to pull the blade from the stone is blasphemous as it pays honor to the weak. If you are of any other race and/or cleric of any other god, the narrator will tell you that the sword is of Eilistraee and the rite pays honor to the fallen. The religious rite is that you spill a little bit of your blood and the sword will rise out of the stone on its own. If you do this as a Cleric of Lolth (you don't need to be Lolth-sworn) you will feel hundreds of spiders crawl all over you as Lolth is warning you not to do shit like that ever again. Not only did you perform the religious rite of another god, you performed the religious rite of a god she hates. And she is letting you know how much she hated that.

These are the only two instances in the game that I have found in which Lolth interacts with the player but there are plenty of other moments in which Lolth could interact with you, but doesn't (such as with the Phase Spider, the baby spiders in Grymforge, Kar'niss, or the dead spider in the Gauntlet of Shar). Of these two moments where Lolth does interact with you, one of these instances is in the goblin camp, and the other is in the Underdark not too far away from the goblin camp. I don't think it is much of a coincidence that these two interactions occur in close proximity to Minthara. Almost as if Lolth has a reason to be in that area specifically to watch and monitor things, and you just so happened to be there. And the only things that compel her to interact with you is because you pissed her off. But, as long you don't piss her off, she will do nothing and she will say nothing.

When Minthara was being tortured by the Absolute, she prayed to Lolth and begged Lolth to give her the strength to fight her enemies. But Lolth does nothing and Lolth says nothing. In fact, that was the full extent of Lolth's "punishment" for Minthara, nothing. All Lolth did was not answer Minthara's prayers and not show up when Minthara needed her the most. Lolth did not torture Minthara like the Absolute did, Lolth did not turn her into a drider, nor did Lolth eat her. All she did, was nothing. And yes, Lolth is known for abandoning drow and no longer interacting with them. A drow has to do something incredibly awful in order for Lolth to just back away from them entirely. But you cannot convince me that Lolth is going to let one of her Baenre's go so easily. It's not as if Minthara has done anything truly awful either to make Lolth that mad.

According to Minthara, she herself has sinned against the Spider Queen, but it's not as if she chose to abandon Lolth, she was forced away and mind controlled into being devoted to another god. But would this make a difference to Lolth? Does it really matter if Minthara was compelled to have faith in another god besides Lolth? It isn't until Minthara is freed and feels the absence of Lolth that she chooses to no longer follow Lolth. Minthara even mentions how turning against Lolth is a big no-no in Menzoberranzan. Minthara herself at one point has hunted down and killed those who turn their backs from Lolth so she knows the same will be done to her if she were to ever return home. In fact, if you are a Lolth-sworn drow or a Cleric of Lolth, you are given unique dialogue options with Minthara to kill her because she is a traitor to Lolth and these options continue to show up until you recruit her into your party and she joins your roster. Despite all of this, Lolth does nothing. Minthara spews anti-Lolth rhetoric left and right, and Lolth does nothing. If you take Minthara to the tabernacle, she will spit on a shrine to Lolth, and Lolth does nothing.

Minthara is also able to walk through the Gauntlet of Shar, which is in the Underdark, and Lolth does nothing. Sure, you could argue that its connection to the Shadowfell and the fact that Shar is there via Shadowheart is enough to keep Lolth away. The lore of DnD does not make it quite clear what the relationship between these two goddesses are. But I am willing to bet that Lolth is smart enough not to step on Shar's toes because Shar would annihilate her. However, there is a small little section of the Gauntlet where it actually does spit you out directly into the Underdark and into Lolth's territory. Minthara can walk right out there just fine, and Lolth does nothing.

But most importantly, Minthara's default ending is her returning to the Underdark with the sole purpose of destroying House Baenre and then killing Lolth. Destroying House Baenre could lead to a chaotic and political disaster in Menzoberranzan, and Lolth does nothing. Minthara quite literally wants to kill Lolth and has intentions to do so after taking House Baenre, and Lolth. Does. Nothing!

If Minthara goes into the Underdark and destroys House Baenre, this will cause chaos and death. And the Baenre's won't be the only ones she has to destroy, but any and all allies of House Baenre in which they do have a lot. And Lolth will feed off of all the death and carnage and chaos that Minthara is about to bring to Menzoberranzan because Lolth loves chaos more than she hates traitors.

Maybe, Lolth has not abandoned her as Minthara thinks she has. Maybe, Lolth has done nothing and said nothing because Minthara has not actually upset her. Maybe, Lolth has done nothing and said nothing because Minthara is already doing everything Lolth wants her to do. And all it took, was making Minthara think that Lolth abandoned her. There was no need for Lolth to answer Minthara's prayers, because Minthara always had the strength to fight her enemies.

[starflungwaddledee]

*ahem* *cracks knuckles* *rolls shoulders* *taps mic*

Galastruck.

and i promise i’ll write 'i love you' with my fingers on your sleeping hand and when that fox howls i’ll howl with it in its cries i’ll find an end

🩸 happy valentine's day! 🩸

*✩˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ valentines shipaganza masterpost ✩˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ ⋆˙⟡

static images for the above animation!

[architect-of-the-last-act]

Part II. On Spring Cleaning, the Lingering Frost

or alternatively: No weight is heavier than regret.

+ Spring follows the harshness of Winter. Though seen as a 'soft' season, it is associated with rebirth—bloody flesh transforming into itself, skin rupturing at the seams. A renewal of sorts. Soft it may seem, Spring is simply as kind as the winter allows it to be. ... In this life, how many ghosts haunt these halls? How many will you allow? Maybe it's time for an upheaval. Such is the role of Spring.

Part I | Part III | Part IV

authors below:

Illustrations from A Stepmother’s Märchen | Unknown | Spring Equinox, Jeanette Winterson | The Years, Virginia Woolf | We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson | South London Forever, Florence & The Machine | a letter, Germaine de Staël (translated by Kathleen Jameson-Cemper) | West Wind, Mary Oliver | Letters From Medea, Salma Deera | tumblr post, @/inelegancies | Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli | Japanese Breakfast | The Letters Of Sylvia Plath, Sylvia Plath | Vincenzo Bellini | I, Carrion (Icarian), Hozier | I Don’t Smoke, Mitski | The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller | When the Sun Loves the Moon, Reinaeiry | Soul Mates, Lang Leav | a letter, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | This Is How You Lose The Time War, Amal El-Mohtar | Circe, Madeline Miller | a letter, Friedrich Nietzsche | Daily Haiku on Love, Tyler Knott Gregson | Ivy, Frank Ocean | The Vow | Annabel Lee, Edgar Allan Poe | Mind Over Matter, Young the Giant | Great Expectations, Charles Dickens | I, Carrion (Icarian), Hozier | The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller | This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald | Light, Sleeping at Last | Thought Catalog, Kim Quindlen | Jay Vespertine | Unknown | Light, Sleeping at Last | City of Bones, Cassandra Clare | James Joyce | Night Walk, Franz Wright | Unknown

[bakughosts]

I think something that’s incredibly unique to loving bakugou is that even with god awful trust issues, you can always be sure that he loves you and would never cheat on you. he just wouldn’t have pursued you if he was gonna do something like that. why would he waste his time doing that dumb shit?

and if he liked you enough to pursue you—that’s it, my guy. he’s Into You. you are the desktop wallpaper of his brain. you are the person he wants to tell the odd things he overheard on the metro that morning. you are the first thing that comes to mind if he deflects a blow a little too slowly when he’s in the field. and if you by some chance don’t end up with him (spoiler: if you’ve put up with him to the extent that he cares for you, then you’ve seen enough of the man beneath the curated image that there’s no way you aren’t already in love with him or at least halfway there), then he will absolutely be so hung up over you for the next two-to-five years that he won’t look at another person with even a Shred of interest

his brain is just wired so Incorrectly compared to the way other people experience love and desire but that’s one of the things about him that makes him so extremely irresistible. I want to eat him like a slice of complimentary honey-wheat bread at an outback steakhouse

[catgirljaneway]

Tuvok and Kathryn and the time Kathryn destroyed the timeline get Tuvok back.

/I Swear Somewhere This Works - Trista Mateer/

[rigginsstreet]

Vampire!steve who was king of his land when human and still carries that essence with him centuries later with billy who is basically (well, and literally) falling at Steve’s feet to serve him and follow him in hopes of being turned himself and Steve acts like Billy’s no better than the commoners he used to rule over but like…he does make a detour one night to kill Neil bloody and violent after hearing Billy’s stories of his childhood…

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

childhood friend!sugu vs childhood friend!toru

YOU’VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE .

thank you for saying this anon i’ve been thinking of it a lot actually. i’m morally and legally binded to choose childhood friend!sugu no matter what because he’s literally……. my favorite Ever. and i think the inherent devotion of the childhood friend trope blends soooo well with his natural devotion. his protective urges. etcetc. i have wayyyy too many thoughts about childhood friend!sugu 😭 but it mostly boils down to him wanting to be by your side forever. he wants to make you happy and he wants to protect you and he knows you so well that he doesn’t trust anyone else to love you like he can. he’s selfish and he wants you to lean on him more than he wants anything for himself.

childhood friend!toru though….. i feel like he would be your estranged childhood friend. that makes most sense to me :3 like, you met when you were really really young, and ended up playing together in an empty park. he was a brat, kind of quiet, and you were just sweet, y’know? you were the closest thing to a friend he had as a child. then you ended up moving away, he never got to say goodbye… and you meet again as adults. you don’t remember him — it was just so, so long ago — but he remembers you. he remembers you a little too well.

so now you just kinda have to deal with this tall, handsome, cheery man who keeps talking to you like you’re best friends even though you literally don’t remember him…. he’s sweet though. a little annoying, but sweet. he has a soft spot for you. i think having anything remotely close to a childhood friend makes him feel human in a way he can’t help but crave.

sooooo. overall!!! both are good :3 i will always be a childhood friend!sugu truther before anything else but childhood friend!toru has sm potential..