#this casting at least makes me more hopeful that they might go with my preferred option

[my-burnt-city]

remember the brilliant beautiful vibrant performers of the burnt city, especially the transgender and the non-binary and the otherwise gender-non-conforming among them, how exquisitely they performed, how plainly they were put before us in their variously gendered roles without commentary or explanation or uproar?

remember when renowned antitrans hate-monger jkr turned up to the show one night with her dear friend hbc?

anyway, i'd say i have mixed feelings about this, but actually it turns out i really DON'T

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[grandline-fics]

hi! could i request for mihawk and anyone else of your choice reacting to their usually modest s/o wearing something scandalous and getting a lot of attention and they feel jealous or try to hide them away from prying eyes? thanks love you

DESCRIPTION: You’re normally modest and get a lot of attention from others when you wear something scandalous

WARNINGS: a little suggestive but nothing explicit at the end

CHARACTERS: Mihawk

WORDS: 1,285

A/N: Thank you for this request! I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you enjoy what I came up with for it

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

MASTERLIST | PROMPT LIST

———————

“Another gala, Crocodile?” Mihawk asked dryly looking at the small decorated piece of paper in his hand. “Is my presence truly necessary for this?” His golden eyes looked at the information blankly and held back the glare to see it would be taking place on the island they were at. Any other time these events were held, Mihawk would refuse to travel so far for a measly party or would take up a bounty mission that would take him in the opposite direction so he couldn’t attend. 

“Oh humour me for once, Mihawk.” Crocodile urged, frowning around his cigar. “I can’t keep bringing that liability of a figurehead. If we want to convince those nobles and backers of our legitimacy I need someone who can actually manoeuvre in these circles. If we want to see Cross Guild succeed and be profitable you’re going. You’re not getting out of it this time.” You bit back a smile to see your lover’s eye twitch. He hated going to these kinds of things. Quickly you acted, stepping behind his seat to place a hand on his shoulder and offer him a smile. “Oh come on, might actually be fun. At least this time you’re not going under Marine orders, it’ll be different. I can go with you if that makes things easier?”

At that Crocodile let out a small scoff, making you and Mihawk look at him in annoyance. The gala invitation was an open one so he couldn’t say you weren’t allowed to go but it was clear you going had irked him in some way which was odd seeing as you and the other founder of Cross Guild were on relatively good terms. You would’t say we was a close friend but he wasn’t someone you loathed. You remained silent as Crocodile stubbed out his cigar into the ashtray on the table and slowly looked you over, his scrutinising stare showing his critical assessment. “No offence, but you’d be more out of place than the clown. Like I said, we need to make a positive impression with these people.”

Your fingers flexed against Mihawk’s shoulder in a silent way of telling him not to react to Crocodile’s remarks. You were more than aware that your appearance was vastly different from his rich fabrics and perfectly tailored style. You’d always preferred simplistic and comfortable over anything else you wore. This wasn’t the first time someone pointed out your modest and almost drab fashion and it never bothered you. At least not until you felt you’d be letting Mihawk down. You knew how important Cross Guild was to him. Quickly you placed a kiss against Mihawk’s cheek and smiled at Crocodile as you left the room, if it was a positive impression he wanted, then that’s what he’d get. “I’ll meet you both at the gala.”

————

Mihawk hated having to interact with people he thought nothing of, he hated having to practically parade himself around in front of rich people like something to be gawked at in order to fulfil their own boring curiosities. He would much rather be in his own quarters with you, enjoying each others company and peace. Sharply he glared at Crocodile for what felt like the hundredth time today as he stepped into the banquet hall of the mansion the gala was being held in. While you’d shown no hint of annoyance for his earlier disrespect, Mihawk was still pissed and no amount of expensive wine was going to change that. 

As he took the glass of wine offered to him, he cast his gaze across the filled room in search of you. Though it was hard to search each face properly especially with the group that had already congregated near the centre of the room, fawning voices spilling from their mouths in a strange chorus. Mihawk and Crocodile shared a look of confusion, as far as they were both aware Cross Guild were the main attraction. While Mihawk was more than happy for someone else to take the attention, Crocodile was less than impressed. Then a familiar laugh sounded from the middle of the group making both men freeze.  

The pair watched as one person moved slightly and it gave them a window to clearly see you talking to the group, allowing the host of the gala lift your hand to press an adoring kiss against your knuckles. Mihawk remained the outward image of calm but inside he was a mess, looking you over intensely. Gone were your usual clothes of comfortable layers of soft and understated fabrics, in their place was the richest material adorning your form like a second skin coloured a deep wine red. Your outfit highlighted your body’s attributes that were usually hidden and accentuated the allure and attractiveness that previous only he was worthy of seeing. 

“Well…”Crocodile managed out with a firm clearing of his throat, even he was caught by your makeover. “Seems I was very wrong.” Mihawk snapped his head away from your direction to throw the fiercest glare yet at his business partner. Oh how he wished he had Yoru with him to slash all of your admirers in one go. Moving briskly he wove himself through the sea of pests buzzing around you and snaked an arm around your waist smoothly in greeting. Upon seeing who you were attending the gala with and felt the murderous aura rolling from his frame, those that had been desperately vying for your attention in the hopes of getting more, promptly became stuttering messes as they made hurried goodbyes and dispersed, scurrying away like the rats Mihawk knew them to be. 

“Hello, love.” You greeted with a pleasant smile. “Something wrong?”

“I despise seeing lesser beings try to sully works of art.”

“Aww, as sweet as that is just say you’re jealous.” You laughed softly, smiling up at him as you let him direct you smoothly away from the centre of the room and away from the appreciative stares you were still getting. “So, have I made a positive enough impression?”

“You know you have. You could wear anything and would be the most attractive person in the room.” Mihawk told you smoothly and you smirked. 

“Then why are you trying to hide me with the edge of your coat?” You asked, looking down to see the hand around your waist also held his coat around your body in an improvised shield. Mihawk didn’t answer. He lowered his gaze down to you once more, fully taking in just how much more enticing you were to him. He thought suffering this gala would be torture enough but to be here with you, looking so ravishing and drawing so much attention was unbearable, even for his resilient will. 

Acting quickly he pulled you close for a kiss and bit back the satisfied smirk when you flinched at the sudden feeling of the wine in his other hand spilled against your shoulder. You pulled back to throw him an accusatory stare while he merely set the now half-empty glass down on the tray of a server walking by and stared at you blankly, completely unapologetic. “Oh, how clumsy of me. Looks like we’ll have to go back and change.”

“You really are childish sometimes you know that?” You muttered with a slow roll of your eyes, walking with him towards the exit. 

“We’ll have to be careful.” Mihawk continued, ignoring your comment, his hand releasing his coat so he could drop his hand to your hip and give you a quick squeeze. “With material this expensive we’d have to make sure it’s taken care of properly. Could take all night.”

Well who were you to argue with that?

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

TAG LIST (If I've missed anyone or if you want to be added just let me know) @3v37773, @tsaaps , @i-am-all-love-puns-and-lazy , @sanemisnonexistenteyebrow , @fiery-captain-spider-santa

[blackenedsnow]

Hola! Es la primera vez que pido algo :>

¿podrías preguntarle a shadow/lector masculino, donde el lector es un tipo muy relajado y astuto? ¿Cómo sería la convivencia de shadow y alguien así? (Perdón si no entiendes, el inglés no es mi especialidad x/)

balancing

WARNING: None

PAIRING: Shadow the Hedgehog x Male! Reader

NOTE: I don’t understand Spanish, so I got my Spanish-speaking friend to read this for me. I hope I got it right!

SUMMARY: Living with Shadow isn’t easy, but your relaxed nature balances out his intensity. In the end, you both find comfort in each other’s differences.

Living with Shadow wasn’t what most people would call “easy.” He was the definition of intense, and you? You were pretty much the opposite.

You sat at the kitchen table, leaning back in your chair as you stirred your coffee lazily. The early morning sunlight barely filtered through the blinds, casting long shadows across the room. Shadow stood near the window, arms crossed, looking as serious as ever. He didn’t talk much in the mornings, which was fine by you. You preferred things quiet in the morning, too.

But today, something was different. He looked like he had something on his mind.

“You’ve been staring out that window for a while,” you pointed out, taking a slow sip of your coffee. “Something bothering you?”

Shadow glanced at you, his crimson eyes sharp as ever. “No,” he replied simply, but you could tell that wasn’t entirely true.

You shrugged, not wanting to push him. You knew Shadow well enough to know he wasn’t one to just open up about whatever was bothering him. If he wanted to talk, he would. Until then, you’d just keep doing what you did best—relaxing and taking life as it came.

“Alright,” you said, placing your mug down on the table. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

Shadow didn’t respond. He just kept staring out the window, probably thinking about something that would stress most people out. You weren’t most people, though. You were calm, laid-back, and had learned to go with the flow. It was an odd balance, living with someone as intense as Shadow, but somehow, it worked.

Over the weeks you’d been living together, you’d figured out how to give him space when he needed it and how to diffuse situations when things got too tense. Sometimes that meant stepping back and letting him brood in silence. Other times, it meant making a sarcastic comment to lighten the mood.

Today seemed like one of those times when a little humor might help.

“You know,” you said, stretching your arms above your head, “if you keep frowning like that, you’re gonna get wrinkles. Not that you’d notice with all the scowling you already do.”

Shadow shot you a sideways glare, but there was a flicker of something behind his expression. Was that amusement? It was hard to tell with him sometimes, but you liked to think that your attitude had started to rub off on him, at least a little.

“If I get wrinkles, it’ll be because I’m constantly surrounded by idiots,” Shadow muttered.

You chuckled, standing up to grab another cup of coffee. “Well, lucky for you, I’m not an idiot. Just... lazy.”

Shadow didn’t respond, but he seemed a little less tense now. That was a win in your book.

Later that day, you found yourself lounging on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV. Shadow had been quiet most of the afternoon, busy with whatever it was he did in his free time—probably thinking about the meaning of life or whatever.

Eventually, Shadow walked into the room, his usual serious expression in place. He stopped by the couch, looking down at you.

“You’ve been sitting there for hours,” he said, his voice as deadpan as ever.

You grinned, not even bothering to look away from the screen. “And I plan on sitting here for a few more. What’s your point?”

“You waste too much time doing nothing.”

“Hey, someone’s gotta balance out all the brooding you do,” you replied, flashing him a smirk. “It’s called equilibrium, my friend.”

Shadow narrowed his eyes at you, but you could tell he wasn’t actually mad. He was used to your laid-back attitude by now. In fact, you suspected he might even appreciate it, though he’d never admit it.

After a moment, he sat down on the arm of the couch, staring at the TV screen. You raised an eyebrow, surprised that he hadn’t immediately gone off to do something more “productive.”

“Decided to join me in the fine art of doing nothing?” you teased, tossing the remote aside.

“Hardly,” he muttered, but he didn’t get up.

The two of you sat in comfortable silence, the TV playing some random show you barely paid attention to. It wasn’t often that Shadow sat still like this, and you weren’t about to ruin the moment with more teasing.

“You know,” you said after a while, “for someone who’s all about serious stuff and fighting for what’s right, you’re not so bad to have around. Kinda balances me out, in a weird way.”

Shadow glanced at you but didn’t say anything. His silence was enough of an answer, though. You didn’t need words to know that he felt the same.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Whenever there's a line up event, one of the things that I'm starting to look forward to the most are the show's english names. They are always...interesting. Anyway, a lot of new stuff. They are certainly rivalling gmmtv in terms of content and the event itself. That was looooong and there were a LOT of announcements.

Before I go into new shows. We finally got a date for The Next Prince and it's April. Also Zomvivor has a new teaser and it will air...soon. Goddammit. Speaking of elusive air dates, Khemjira is also coming...soon. It's like they don't want me to be happy. I need all the horror. Your Sky of Us will be a special 3 episode event that will follow the characters into adulthood. I like the idea of seeing the couples after the show's hea so this should be nice. Now for everything else. I added link to the mdl pages and the trailers, so if you don't want my unsolicited opinions just click on the links below the pics.

[ MDL | Trailer ] Love Upon a Time - It's not exactly a new announcement but we finally got a pilot with the new cast and I really enjoyed it. I'm convinced that Net is one of those actors that can have chemistry with anyone so this should be good at least when it comes to the main couple. When it comes to fantasy thai bl, I never want to get my hopes too high because a lot of the time they tend to forgo internal narrative consistency for the sake of the romance, but either way, I will be watching this one.

[ MDL | Trailer ] Your Third - MaxNat romcom, why not? When it comes to the romance, I think they can pull it off, but the comedy? Not so sure. I don’t hate anything here, but I can’t say I really love anything either.

[ MDL | Trailer ] Mr.Fanboy - Well this should be interesting. I do like when bl goes a bit meta, so I'm looking forward to see what DMD has to say about this. AuAu and Save fans must be losing it to see them as leads, and I was surprised to see James. I thought he wasn't gonna be in any series for a while, but I'm not as well informed about these things. Interesting cast and concept. I will be tuning in.

[ MDL | Trailer ] You(r)Tuber - Do you see what I mean? These names kill me. Looks cute. Surprised to see Earth and First but nothing really excites me about this one. Oh wait, I'm wrong, there are pets and more importantly a cat. That makes me happy.

[ MDL | Trailer ] Duang With You - My crumbs have graduated and I'm screaming. I love everything about this, but honestly, I love TeeteePor. They are beautiful. I also love a shameless flirt that will thaw the heart of a brooder. So I'm winning either way.

[ MDL | Trailer ] Restart - This is giving Elite but with some extra bullying for good measure. It's also giving nakedness galore. DMD knows their audience. I'm guessing we will be seeing a lot of showers. I'm happy to see Tommy again. I'm not sure if this is exactly bl, but with the amount of naked boys in the pilot alone, might as well be.

[ MDL | Trailer ] Magic Lover – I guess it was only a matter of time for BL to start playing with magic. I mean, we're in our vampire season, so this was the next logical step. Anyway, ThomasKong are back. And Keng… I have to admit, very few actors illicit a strong reaction from me solely based on their looks, but Keng is one of them. That guy has an absolutely flawless face. I like that we have 3 different couples and I like fantasy and fated mates so I'm definitely on board.

[ MDL | Trailer ] HUG E-Lhee The Musical - Ok, I LOVE musicals. Seriously. And let’s be real, when it comes to musicals, especially the more comedic ones, there’s always a built-in level of cringe. Which is fine. People randomly breaking into song pretty much guarantees that. But throwing BL into the mix, along with some folks who aren’t exactly great singers? That might just be a step too far for me. No shade, just a personal preference.

Also announced was another ThomasKong show, Unknown Lover, and a DMD Sitcom, หอตัวดี, with literally all the boys.

Well, that's everything from me. Obviously most of these will come in late 2025 and 2026. And despite everything I just said, I’ll probably still end up watching the first episodes of all the shows.

[schrodinger-swriter]

The main cast of Hazbin hotel on Valentine's day

I know I may be a little late. I had to do some shopping today and hadn't had the motivation or time to get down and write until now! I apologize is some characters are given more writing than others... the truth is that I am bised for some characters or simply have more for them. :C

Regardless I hope you enjoy these, I likely won't do these large posts very often.

CHARLIE:

I hope you can forgive me for being a little short on Charlie's part, I had stated earlier what she would do for the holiday in an alphabet post! But to recap she makes you a mixtape with songs dedicated to you, songs made by her and songs she knows you like! The case is handmade too, covered in hearts as well as having a hand written note inside further expressing her affections for you. She would also give you some of your favorite candies! Expect to go out and do something fun and romantic too!

VAGGIE:

Much lower compared to her canon partner, Vaggie is not much of an enjoyer of the holiday. She keeps her thoughts to it to herself, though sometimes you might find her grumbling about all the pink and the red. She just doesn't enjoy the aesthetic all that much. However despite that she will still participate if she knows it will make her significant other happy! She would get you something small, like a stuffed animal and some flowers.

ANGEL DUST:

Respectfully stealing this idea from my mutual, but he already gets so many gifts and cards from his crazed horny fans. He hardly has the room for any more! Though.. he probably sells a lot of it for some extra cash, only keeping some of the candies. If you get him something, he probably wouldn't sell it. He's actually touched. In terms of what he does for you, he might treat you to a night full of him... in more ways than one if you're open to it. If you don't feel like going out he's fine with staying inside and watching some movies in his rooms... perhaps it's a deserved break after a rough day during the love season.

ALASTOR:

Similar to Vaggie, Alastor wouldn't do much. He understands the purpose of the holiday, but he simply. Does not care for it all that much. However I do rather enjoy the though of Alastor sending letters to his friends (Mimzy, Rosie, Niffty, ect). He even puts them in fancy envelopes and seals them with wax. How nice is that? If he can, he might even send a box of chocolates. Fingers, in Rosie's case. However, he doesn't do much to celebrate outside of that. That's assuming he sends anything at all, anyway.

SIR PENTIOUS:

He would go all out. He might even make a machine dedicated to you and gift it. He makes a mechanical heart that beats and gives it to you. He gives you all of the candy he can get his hands on, not exactly sure what you prefer. He takes you out for the night, to the nicest restaurant he can go to without getting jumped (because let's be honest... his days of trying to pick fights and climb to power has probably landed him with some enemies...). He's a total gentleman on the date, opening the door for you and pushing in your chair for you. Considering he's a little flustered that he is on a date with you, everything goes smoothly.

HUSKER:

He likes to stay in, but you can count that if you manage to get him to go out it's going to be a to a club or bar. Anywhere with alcohol. He'd much rather prefer a bar, since it's usually... lower in energy. He also isn't much of a Valentine's person, and he does show his disdain. He does tone down on talking negatively about the day around you, so there's that at least. A simple night in with an affirmation of love is enough for Husk.

NIFFTY:

She bakes you something and perhaps sews you something. A red throw pillow in the shape of a heart. Though you may have to tell her that's what you want because otherwise she's going to try something akin to the roach crown.... shivers... The baked goods are actually pretty good, and you'll be snacking on them for the rest of the week due to Niffty getting too excited and making too many. She will stab someone with a needle if they try to take one without asking you first.

LUCIFER:

He also goes all out, it might actually be a little overwhelming! He can conjure nearly anything he can think of, if his song was being literal! He wants to make sure you're loved, and that there's no possible way that you would ever think otherwise. Despite this he might rather stay inside, or maybe alter the home to look more fancy to make a mock dinner. Generally very sweet and you will be drowning in gifts from the second you wake up to the minute you go to sleep. He also makes you breakfast in bed.

[croquettish]

This might be a stupid question, but I really like your way of thinking, but do you think Warhorse could pull off a relatively acceptable happy ending in the future given the time frame for Hans and Henry's romance in the future. One where they could keep their romance a secret but still be together. I really can't imagine those two being separated in the future (I hope so). I would also like to know how much the members of the Devil Pack can even guess about, say, those two and what their reaction would be to that. I think that being bandits and not religious people, they would be very accepting of that idea. For example, we know that Sam knows! I also had an idea that Godwin wouldn't be too hostile to that news either, since he has a very loose concept and interpretation of religion, and Hans and Henry are his friends.

There are no stupid questions! To quote my designated research librarian, "every question is valid because you don't know the answer to it."

So! The easiest way to accomplish this would be to have them run away. I remember there being drama in the fandom where people were upset that some people wanted to write about them running away because it's not historically accurate or realistic, and that just isn't fucking true. Of course people left. (Also, like. It's fanfiction? I personally prefer a good "they run away together" ending because I'm not here to cry over unhappy endings for the queers on ao3, I already do that for a living.)

Gay hubs like Florence were so metropolitan in part because people heard about how depraved it apparently was and then went there. Hansry could easily do what Hans wants to do and go to the holy land to pray for his father's soul. Honestly, going southeast in general would have been a pretty good idea. Of course, I still want them to go to Vienna to rescue the king, but you know. That's not necessarily in service of getting their gay happy ending (could be, though!).

But let's say they stay in Rattay. Things get a lot trickier then. In theory, it's not out of the question that they could get away with hiding their relationship until death do them part. Plenty of people did do that. And even if they were discovered by the wrong person (bearing in mind that there are varying levels of wrong here, some of them far riskier than others and not everyone is going to be willing to turn to blackmail), there's always the option of paying the blackmailer(s) off. The real question is do you consider it to be a happy ending if Hans gets into an unhappy marriage with Jitka while keeping Henry as a sidepiece and the person he actually loves and would marry if he could?

If the answer is yes, then, sure! No problem. That's doable. But if the answer is no, well, that's a lot harder. We know he had to take his uncle to court to get his birthright, and it's implied in his conversation at the end with Henry that he's aware of this:

Like, he's clearly aware of what he'd have to do, and, more than that, he's clearly considering it. Which would force all manner of bureaucracy on him while making the situation in the country even more annoying. Hans has the benefit here of having been engaged without having ever even met Jitka, so he at least has a "good" reason to turn down the engagement, but if he proceeds to not marry anyone, it's going to look suspicious and will thus inevitably cast suspicion on how close he and Henry are. Hiding within a lavender marriage is by far the easiest thing for him to do, but still riskier than straight up saying peace, bitches, and leaving.

As for the Devil's Pack... that's a good question. Sam knows, and I would bet good money that Godwin also knows. I think given that they are bandits/robber barons/renegades does, as you said, lend some credence to the idea that they would be generally accepting and/or, most likely, simply wouldn't give a shit. I could foresee responses varying from "who gives a shite" and "what the hell are you telling me for, just don't fucking do it where I can hear you." I would also agree that while they are all undoubtedly Catholic, they don't strike me as the types to push their own beliefs on anyone else.

That said, I don't think that the others would necessarily notice. I've seen people argue that Zizka pays close attention to his men and therefore would clock those two, but I disagree. I think he does very much pay close attention to his men, but I don't think that would extend to their romantic inclinations. I mean, for fuck's sake, that man doesn't even realize he himself is pining! Now, if someone overhears them, that's of course another thing entirely. But I don't think either Dry Devil or Kubyenka would give a shit, and the same goes for Janosh and Adder.

[remidyal]

Intrepid Heroes PCs ranked least favorite to favorite

Some quick rules for this very arbitrarily created ranking: Only characters from IH seasons, not sidequests, and it's purely based on my vibes and feelings towards the characters. It also doesn't take into account Quangle-related material. There's spoilers here, particularly for Unsleeping City and Crown of Candy, so reader beware

34. Gunthrie Miggles-Rashbax (ASO) It can be very funny in a disaster sort of way and certainly Gunnie's not a bad performance from Lou or anything, but man he puts my teeth and my soul on edge when he's at work. Someone's got to be at the bottom of this list, and this was one of two characters I considered!

33. Cumulous Rocks (ACoC) The other consideration for the bottom, because while Gunnie makes me actively uncomfortable at all times Cumulous gives me nothing. As close as any D20 PC comes to being a non-presence. He's in almost twice as many episodes as Lapin and there's only one character of Zac's anyone ever talks about from Crown of Candy.

32. Theobald Gumbar (ACoC) For both Murph and Zac, I have a strong preference for what we might call their scummier characters, and Theo is basically Murph at his most paladin-y even though Theo is a fighter. I still like him alright - only the first two entries on this list are even remotely negative, if I was doing letter grades we'd already be into like B- territory - but this side of Murph is him at his least entertaining for me.

31. Mother Timothy Goose (NA) Already getting difficult! Timothy is a kind guy and I hope he has a lot of non-stolen apples in his future but he's definitely the weakest of the Never After cast for me. I admire the hell out of Ally for trying a pretty wide variety of characters; this one just didn't quite land for me.

30. Liam Wilhemina (ACoC) A VERY different Ally character, there's just a lot of whiplash with Liam from scene to scene that's part of the full Beardsley experience. Obviously this list would look very different if I were building out based on combat effectiveness. Honestly probably dropped five spots from that last Wish and resurrection of the villains alone.

29. Ricky Matsui (TUC) I'm going to get yelled at for this one being this low, and Ricky's got some incredibly funny moments obviously, but it's very much a Zac as comedy assassin sort of performance and I don't find him THAT interesting on a scene to scene basis. The TUC2 version of him's the better of the two, though. Even more than Murph, I prefer Zac playing assholes.

28. Sundry Sidney (ASO) So here's the thing: I'm southern USian and Emily's accent here drives me up the wall. Similar sort of situation with Moonshine being my least favorite of her NADDPOD PCs by a mile. Everything about the concept and character aside from that is great; the character voice docks it for me.

27. Kugrash (TUC) There's a lot to love in this performance, obviously, and I think it's actually an extremely interesting thing to come in on someone who has been working as a better person (rat) for a long time. I just don't necessarily need that many juicy cockroaches in my life. I think maybe suffers a little bit by only getting one season, because the players have definitely gotten better over time to me.

26. Lapin Cadbury (ACoC) I know, I know, but there's only six episodes with this dude in them as a primary PC and I'm not giving that many points for potential. Could have should have would have been a lot higher, but he makes it this far off what we did get.

25. Misty Moore/Rowan Berry/Holly Branch/Probably a bunch of other names (TUC) Similar to Kugrash she might have improved if she'd stuck though she does reappear in TUC2 more. Honestly if I was counting Quangle material she might jump higher because her appearances in those have been great, but she's relatively one-note even if it is a very funny note. Technically the first PC to really attempt romancing another PC unless we count Kristen kissing everyone freshman year.

24. Jet Rocks (ACoC) Another character cut short, though nine episodes is a significant amount more than six. A lot of people have extremely strong preferences between Emily's ACoC characters. EXTREMELY strong. I do not, which is why...

23. Saccharina Frostwhip (ACoC) ...they're ranked back to back. I think they're both pretty fun characters, but with some significantly flawed choices probably made worse by the filming circumstances of ACoC. I also think this was always the backup character (other than hilariously maybe Lou's) that was most likely to come into play, because Jet fought as though she was invincible from episode one. I will take this spot to note that I don't think Saccharina herself upped the power level of the party upon coming in as much as simply them getting to higher levels did, though she didn't hurt.

22. Ruby Rocks (ACoC) Honestly this is almost two characters too - there's the Ruby from the first half of the season and the Ruby from the second half. I think it's a bold choice to have gone into anger and fury so much in mourning, and also that neither she nor Saccharina are totally in the wrong in their fights throughout, but I do get where it wore on some people and it did for me a bit too.

21. Big Barry Syx (ASO) DEFINITELY my favorite of Murph's non-weirdo type, he honestly plays incredibly well off of everyone else in the season; I think there's individual interactions that are just stellar with every member of the cast here. There's another step up here into B+ territory; the list from here is so hard.

20. Fabian Arimaris Seacaster (FH) Yes that is the canonical spelling of his middle name for some reason, and yes this is my lowest Bad Kid. There's a lot I love about him, obviously, but I find his Junior Year arc in particular not all that interesting and Kristen and Gorgug jumped him there. I'm still looking forward to more of him, presuming Chungledown Bimothy doesn't murder him in a liveshow.

19. Pinocchio (NA) Speaking of character voices, it's been years now and I still can't believe Lou stuck to this voice the whole season even knowing he doesn't let things go. Honestly a very similar situation to Fabian, lots of things I like here and in this case maybe let down by just how disjointed all of Never After can be. This part isn't Lou's fault but I've never once spelled Pinocchio right the first time - I always want there to be two Ns.

18. Pete Conlan (TUC) Another tale of two seasons character, TUC2 Pete is much better than TUC Pete for me, and enough so that he rises up to here. (Season 1 Pete would be floating around 30). Love the arc and character development, love the connection to Dream, love the tweaks to Wild Magic that Brennan and Ally made to make it matter more because that subclasses is dull as hell as written.

17. Gerard of Greenleigh (NA) He's just so perfectly an asshole in the right amounts to be a hilarious performance, and yet isn't always in the wrong or at fault. The sword form names making fun of Wheel of Time are VERY fun for me as someone with a love/hate relationship with those books. Of all the cast, I'm pretty sure Murph has the closest match to me in media consumed.

16. Rosamund du Prix (NA) I still like the ace interpretation over the lesbian one but both are a lot of fun. Probably has the most complete story of any of the NA characters, which isn't saying much. Love the concept, love the curse, love the third mini.

15. Sofia Lee (TUC) I wouldn't visit Staten Island to meet Sofia Lee, but I would at least think about it and make a promise to maybe try the ferry sometime if I was in New York and had nothing better to do.

14. Gorgug Thistlespring (FH) A BIG riser for me in JY, because I genuinely didn't enjoy him all that much in FY or SY and he would have been around Ricky territory. Love the entire Barbarian/Artificer thing. The Mary Anne epilogue is probably the funniest single thing in all of Junior Year to me.

13. Puss in Boots (NA) Definitely has the MOST fragmented mess of a character arc of anybody in Never After and still is this high because Zac was born to play the role of a con artist cat.

12. Ylfa Snorgelsson (NA) It may have taken me two episodes to realize Emily was doing that voice intentionally and they didn't film while she had a cold. If the Bad Kids are teens from a John Hughes movie, Ylfa is the actual preteen who's throwing up in the backseat of your car on a road trip, aside from the wolf parts.

11. Kristen Chili's Applebees (FH) Not only is the middle name canon, so is the apostrophe. I love her junior year arc, and the moment in the woods where she releases Lucy and Yolanda's souls is absolutely incredible. Is she a lot sometimes? Oh, for sure, but she's still a lot of fun to have on my screen.

10. Being Deep Underwater and Finding a Current That Leads You Swiftly and Perfectly to Where You Need to Go (Riva for short) (ASO) Remember, at the end of the season they're the most cynical person their race has ever had and also have killed a whole lot of people! Just an absolute delight at every moment, even in a pretty purely supporting role.

9. Iga Lisowski (TUC) Yes, both TUC2 specific characters are in my top ten, for very different reasons. I love Iga, I love her family, I love her dragon, I just love everything about her, even if her art makes her look decrepit instead of like, 45.

8. Amethar Rocks (ACoC) I need to find the clip, which is either from ACoC or TUC2 adventuring party, of Lou talking about this but to paraphrase he mentions that Amethar has exaggerated versions of what he considers his own flaws, and he certainly does have plenty of flaws, but I think he's the pillar that keeps ACoC rolling and I think the season would have been a lot worse if Brennan had succeeded in murdering the shit out of him early as he wanted to.

7. Riz Gukgak (FH) Riz is a combo platter of Murph's offerings, being both a dogged story-character and a weird-ass little guy. Shout out to our canonical ace shrimp king, may his reign last a solid ten or fifteen minutes until he has to get to his next club meeting.

6. Normal "Skip" Takamori (ASO) I'm not splitting up the man and the slug but both would be high on this list independently. DEFINITELY the biggest jerk Zac's played, even over the con artist cat, and just so very much fun. He's my top Zac character, but he's not my top ASO character, because...

5. Margaret Encino (ASO) EASILY my favorite Ally character. Spends so much time in online banking during battle and is right to do so. An anachronism to the setting in the best ways, instead of being purely disruptive as it sometimes can be.

4. Fig Faeth (FH) If we've truly seen the last of Fig for a potential Senior Year, I'm okay with that, but everything we've gotten is so good. Pure heart and funny and unpredictable and just so much torture of NPCs who probably didn't deserve it but it's fine, they're not real people.

3. Cody Walsh (TUC) Definitely the D20 character whose player hates him the most, for me Cody's easily the funniest character D20's ever had, start to finish. I actually strained a muscle laughing at the bad turn. You know the one, if you've seen it.

2. Adaine Abernant (FH) Ow, right in the feelings. Solidly number 2 in spite of her Junior Year arc being also a little on the flat side, because she deserved a year with some breaks after the first two. Hopefully she and Aelwyn are having ice cream for a good long time.

1. Kingston Brown (from downtown, TUC) In the same clip mentioned above for Amethar, Lou described Kingston as being an exaggerated version of the things that he liked about himself, and I fully agree there. Kingston's an aspirational character in a lot of ways, someone I would love to be more like, and not in the whole having magic thing. And on top of that he's very funny! So Lou manages to take both extremes here, first and last, and I think that's appropriate.

[notashadowbutawave]

hmmm (8x13 "Invisible")

would have been way more believable and probably a better story for Hen to have actually gotten the date wrong (her birthday is tomorrow, ex. she thought it was the 12th the whole time and actually it's the 11th or something) and somehow Athena also had the date wrong which gave her confirmation bias, and actually everyone was totally aware of her birthday. she wound herself up and made herself angry about being forgotten without investigating/taking a sanity check.

i think they took Archie a little far but i ultimately liked how Hen helped him and they really could have taken it a little further with the "not giving yourself a sanity check" thing, like him realizing that his girlfriend sucked and he was with her because he thought he sucked and didn't deserve better? would have thematically tied into other themes from the season as well

Eddie storyline was probably the best done in the episode. i have seen folks kind of complaining like "why did he bother reconciling with his family if they were just going to suck again later? bad writing!" but idk it rings true for me... parental relationships can be a roller coaster man. i've forgiven my mom for some of the shit she's pulled but not for some of the other shit, you know? it doesn't mean i'm not going to be in her life.

however, didn't like eddie "telling" chris he was moving back in. i would have preferred the flow to be "i really want you to move back in with me. is that what you want, too? because we can do that. if you don't, i'll be sad, but i'll respect your choice" - i.e. giving them both agency to agree. again, chris is old enough to make his own choices and it would have meant a lot to see his agency highlighted in the dialogue.

eddie diaz's mommy issues ..... so much about him makes so much more sense now

evan buckley:

i don't buy that hen, karen, bobby, and athena made him do yard work and sent him home with a to go box..... that's crazy behavior

my wife said maybe culturally they wouldn't have let a sweaty man in work clothes sit at the dinner table. i was not raised in the sort of family who had Seated Dinners so maybe i'm just low class

that said, having him walk in looking filthy and sweaty and sending him out the side door like a rent boy was pretty hot to me personally, but that's .... private

i loved buck and eddie cooking on facetime together!!! i love their platonic friendship!!!! (regular reminder that eddie is literally in existential crisis rn and buck is probably at his most independent and self-actualized and i don't think anyone needs to be Checking In With Him right now at least not in a focused way onscreen.... i think it's gonna make it hit different when Tommy does imo!!!! Tommy Kinard is coming back and Bucktommy Are Endgame 2025)

(i also accept buck with power tools etc. as an acceptable shorthand for character development and also possibly as a sex thing) (again, they know what they're doing)

i should actually just write the post i want to write that analyzes buck's costuming in the show because they're doing crazy work right now, he looks AMAZING and also queer in a very specific way

kind of a mid episode overall but i like that it featured a lot of eddie positivity. at this point, i'm unsure whether it means eddie might return to LA or if he really is just in el paso now. if he stays in el paso i hope that means we get to have Ravi Panikkar/Anirudh Pisharody Main Cast 2025

[rom-e-o]

I was wondering if you are comfortable writing an asexual Rook/Emmerich?

maybe the others are teasing them about their relationship with dirty humor and eventually Rook has enough and leaves?

if this is something you won't write, you can delete the message

Hello, friend!

Apologies for the delay! I swear I wasn’t ignoring your ask, but I wanted to tend to it properly and give this prompt the attention I thought it deserved.

I hope this still finds you well. <3 Thank you for the request, anon! I had some fun with this, so I hope you enjoy~

Perfect

(Emmrich/GN!Rook)

Harding was a good friend. A very, very good friend. When it came to reliability and loyalty, she was sterling in both departments. The thought had dawned on Rook more than once that without her, they would have mostly definitely died at the temple while disrupting Solas’ ritual. She’d thrown herself right into the fray to rescue them, danger be damned.

Even before that fateful encounter, they’d been longtime allies in the search for Solas, and she’d continued to remain faithfully at Rook’s side even as the stakes had continued to rise.

Rook appreciated the scout for her charming personality and impressive prowess on the battlefield.

… That being said, there was … something that got under their skin. Sometimes it came in the form of a small prick, like a needle.

Other times, it hit as devastatingly as an arrow.

“So, Rook … you and Emmrich are…?”

With a sigh, Rook cast their glance from the bookshelf they’d been keenly examining and gave a waning smile.

“Harding, we’ve been over this,” Rook said, their tone carefully measured.

“Yeah, I know, I know!” she said, her words insistent while her tone stayed playful, “You said you wanted to keep things private.”

“That continues to be my preference.”

“Yes, right. That is perfectly fine.”

“Good. Thank you. I appreciate your understanding.”

“…Okay, but…can I just ask you something? From one friend to another?”

Rook pivoted to Harding curiously, trying to feign politeness even as the question grated the edges of their nerves. “Of course.”

“Really?”

“You may ask me a question, but I may not answer it. If that’s alright.”

“Oh. Well, that kind of defeats the point.”

“Harding.”

“Listen, Emmrich is older than you—”

“Nooo. Surely you jest.”

“—I was going to say, he’s … have you ever been with anyone older, Rook? Like, older-older?”

Rook swiftly slid the book back into its place on the shelf. “How old do you think I am, Harding? I’m not a child. Not even close, actually.”

“I know that!” She huffed, but in her usual determination, cleaved a path forward. “Hear me out. I just wanted to make sure you’d thought about this. Carefully. It’s hard to swim out of the deep end once you’ve already started drowning.”

“What about Emmrich would drown me, exactly?”

After flicking her eyes around the Lighthouse’s library to make sure they were alone, the dwarf close the distance between them with a few wooden footsteps. Then, in a conspiratorial whisper, she said, “I just want to make sure he’s not too much for you.”

Rook chortled. “Too much? In what way?”

“…Rook. You know in what way.”

Right. Emmrich had mentioned that vaguely on their previous dinner date. While he’d disclosed precious few details about his previous relationships, Rook was aware that he had been a mutual participant in more than his fair share of courtships. By extension, they could only fill in the blanks and imagine that a man with a dance card as packed as his had his fair share of experience in the bedroom.

Experience that Rook hadn’t had, and had no interest in experiencing.

“Have you at least talked it over?” Harding inquired. “Because that might be a conversation worth having before things get too serious, don’t you think?”

The two were so caught up in their conversation that they failed to notice a presence enter into the Lighthouse library, then still on the sidelines as their banter continued.

“You’re right,” Rook continued carefully, “We … um, well … we did talk. A little bit. He knows that he’s my first um … anything. I trust he can fill in the blanks. Even after I told him, he was still interested. We’ll just move slowly.”

“…”

“…What?”

“Rook, it’s obvious that even talking about this makes you uncomfortable,” Harding said sympathetically.

She was right, Rook thought. It did.

“Remember when Davrin made that joke about ‘hand-to-bone’ combat? I swear you flinched.”

Rook did recall and remembered their reaction keenly. It was the first moment they realized that, while perhaps they and Emmrich were on the same page regarding intimacy, the others at the Lighthouse perceived their interactions differently. There were comments and innuendos about sexual encounters and concepts that neither of them had put forward. Their friends were thinking about them being together.

Enough to joke about it.

Enough for it to become small talk.

That notion hadn’t annoyed Rook – it had terrified them. The sudden weight of the expectation to perform sexually, like some kind of peacock, when they were already trying to stay afloat with saving Thedas for blighted gods, was heavy. The last thing they wanted while trying to focus on saving the world was coping with lingering doubt about their competence in bed – as if that was anyone else’s business, anyway!

Davrin was one of Rook’s best friends, so they knew the Warden hadn’t met any harm. It was just gentle banter. Completely routine, actually. They’d heard far worse in seedy Minrathous bars and alleyways.

The comment wasn’t the issue.

“Rook, you’re under a lot of stress,” Harding said. “I know Emmrich is a good man who would never pressure you. I just … worry. I know how it feels to withhold your thoughts to avoid confrontation. Not that I think you would do that, of course! I just … ugh. I want to look out for you, but I’m probably coming off as some controlling ass, huh?”

Rook smiled gently. “On the contrary, you’re making a lot of sense.”

“See, I’m sorry for—oh! Wait. Really?”

“You’re not worried about Emmrich pressuring me,” they said, plucking another book from the shelves. A romance novel. It fell open in their hands, and their eyes scanned it lazily. “You’re worried about me pressuring myself.”

“Yes!”

The sound echoed loudly through the open space, reverberating like the knell of a chantry bell through the hollow space. Both cringed at the strident noise, but once it quelled and was replaced with the rumble of the magically-suspended debris overhead, they shared a laugh.

“I appreciate you looking out for me and Emmrich, Lace,” Rook said sincerely. “Thank you.”

The dwarf shifted from one foot to another, wooden clogs tapping the tiles with each humble sway. “Aw, shucks. Well, you’re welcome. I’m sorry I didn’t articulate that better at the start. I’m not great at … things like that. But I appreciate you too, Rook. For everything. I just want you to be okay.”

“I will be. Emmrich will be, too.”

“What will I be, now?”

The two friends snapped their heads in the direction of a new voice entering the conversation. The source of the voice was Emmrich, who had sauntered in, his staff in-hand as he walked. His hazel eyes fell on Rook, whom he regarded with besotted warmth.

“Hello, darling,” he drawled, pausing briefly at Rook’s side to greet them with a gentlemanly bow. One look from him was enough to make Rook practically swoon.

“H-Hello, Emmrich.” They blushed slightly at the way his voice deepened distinctly for them. The way he annunciated the ‘k’ sound at the end of their affectionate nickname never failed to produce a small shiver of delight.

Then, to Lace, he flashed a more casual smile befitting the greeting a friend. “Ah, Lace! I thought I heard you before.”

“S-Sorry about that,” the redhead apologized with genuine sheepishness. “Guess my Ma’s reminders about having an ‘inside voice’ have been dormant for a little too long. Maybe I’m due for a trip home as a reminder.”

“Oh, if you do, I’d love to accompany you,” he said jovially. “Ah, but speaking of that, did I happen to hear you mention my name before?”

Of course he’d heard, Rook thought. For a man of his age, he seemed to have keener eyes and ears than most people in their twenties or thirties. Perhaps years of studying the Fade had honed his senses, or perhaps he was simply a man who took the care needed to keep his mind and body extra sharp. The reality was likely a mix of both.

As Harding rushed to grapple for an excuse, Rook came to the rescue with their usual honesty.

“Lace was just checking in on me,” they said warmly. “On us, actually.”

“Us?”

Rook smiled warmly at the inquiring lilt in his voice. He was already expecting the worst, he realized, so they were quick to dispel his concerns.

“I asked the same question, but Harding just wanted to make sure we weren’t putting additional pressure on ourselves. I was just letting her know how much I appreciated her attention to detail.”

Coloring a shade of deep crimson under Rook’s kind words and Emmrich’s joyful thanks, the dwarf again stammered out another thank you. “T-That’s what I tried to do, anyway. I-I confess, we were also talking about, well, you two. Together.”

Emmrich blinked, casting a glance back at Rook. “Oh.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um. W-Were you?"

“N-Not in detail!” Lace rushed to correct, arms rushing outward as if she was about to summon a wall of stone. “Actually, that lack of detail was what I wanted to um, ask about.”

Emmrich blinked again, slowly. “I don’t follow.”

“I-I just…you two are both really important to me,” she finally admitted. “So, there. That’s why.”

The man’s brow softened immediately at her admission. “Oh. Well, that is most courteous of you, Lace.”

“I agree,” Rook added, their tone chipper. "Courteous and inspiring. It's good to know we have each other's backs."

Emboldened by their friend’s care, Rook decided to act on an earlier impulse. While a kiss on the cheek would have felt too forced, especially right in front of company, they instead stepped alongside Emmrich and gently took his slender arm into theirs. Resting one hand against the swell of his bicep (which his linen shirt did very little to hide), they beamed at the surprised look the gesture earned. A moment later, the man quickly adjusted. He switched his staff to his dominant hand and used his non-dominant one to gently reach up and twine their fingers together.

"I must say, we are quite lucky to have each other here," he whispered, his gaze never leaving Rook's.

"As friends and comrades."

"Among others." His hand squeezed theirs gently; protectively.

Even with his hand partially gloved, the gentle scrub of his palm and warmth of his skin was intoxicating.

It was a small touch, but it was enough.

“Well, look at that,” Harding smirked, “Don’t you two look perfect together!”

And it felt perfect, too.

[utilitycaster]

I'm glad to see you mentioning how disconnected the PCs are from Marquet! I'm a little surprised that I haven't seen more discussion of this in the fandom at large (although maybe I'm looking in the wrong places), since it was a point of discussion at the very beginning of the campaign in a couple of private PoC tabletop/LARP groups I was in. The consensus in the aforementioned groups at the time was that maybe the cast didn't feel comfortable representing characters coming from cultures that were explicitly based on real world PoC cultures (but the decision to have almost everyone be an "outsider" in a PoC-coded culture had unfortunate Orientalist overtones). This was very, very early campaign (like e10 maybe), though, before we really knew the trajectory of the plot (or that they'd spend so little time in Marquet).

It definitely came up a lot early on and I think a lot of the people who felt this either left Campaign 3 quite early and said "this isn't working for me" or else said, as I did, that it is what it is.

I think my issue here is that like...Imogen and Dorian are the only Marquet-born characters and while I have complicated feelings about how people see Imogen (see my previous comments about the bizarre bordering on creepy glorification of a very white-coded Southern culture that have spread into like...white anglophone but not United States portions of the fandom) she and Dorian are both very much coded to North American cultures (Imogen, accent aside, honestly fits any rural agrarian portion of the country and honestly reads closer to the great plains than the south, and Dorian is influenced by Native American culture). I actually do think that Taliesin did a good job making Ashton feel like they were part of Bassuras (and they aren't from there originally, but did grow up there culturally), but the fact is I've seen multiple people ignore that "Bassuras" is specifically taken from Tagalog (and that Makenzie de Armas was one of the Marquet designers) and hc it as Central American rather than Filipino despite Matt explicitly saying it's the latter.

I do think that the answer, if the cast was not comfortable playing Marquesian characters (and I am not a POC so take this with that grain of salt, but I also think, with some effort and some sensitivity work, they could have done so, particularly since Marquet is inspired by but not one to one), the answer should have been to either be clearer this wouldn't be centered in Marquet and would simply start there which would have lowered those expectations and to perhaps plan an EXU in Marquet that does primarily star actors who are from north Africa, or western, southern, or southeast Asia; or just set the campaign in Issylra or something. I get that Marquet is more central and cosmopolitan than Issylra by far, but we're now in an awkward position where we might have a campaign set mostly in Fake North America; a campaign set virtually entirely in Fake Europe/debatably central/northeast Asia; and a campaign that was ostensibly set in Fake SWANA/SEAsia but really was mostly about the moon. Like, the cast doing a thoughtful but perhaps imperfect go at Marquesian characters would have, at least in my opinion, been preferable.

If it helps I think the way Matt and the worldbuilders describe Marquet it doesn't feel (to me) overly orientalist and the fandom has definitely had way more "do you see this shit Edward Said" moments than the cast, despite the fact that only half the characters had spent significant time in Marquet. Really, the narrative issue is "the characters don't feel tied to this place or invested in the same way in this plot because the plot isn't tied to this place", and the unfortunate overtones come from the fact that it was the Ostensible Marquet Campaign that got the plot that's not really about Marquet.

(as someone running Netherdeep - I will say that helps. The bulk of that story is in a lovingly and sensitively reworked Ank'Harel. I'm hoping TLOVM also does a better job than C1 with Ank'Harel.)

[chronicbeans]

Let's Make a Deal! (Yandere Queerplatonic Alastor x Fallen Angel Reader)

Part 3: Deal, dear?

Part 1, Part 2

Tag List: @repostingmyfavs

TW: Invasions of Personal Space, Shady Deals

As much as you hoped having that conversation would stop Alastor from staring at you, it only seemed to make things worse. Now that he knows you are open to talking to him, he's gotten into the habit of walking over to you, asking you invasive questions, then walking away. Usually something along the lines of "Do you miss your family? Did you have any family in Heaven? Have you had a relationship before? If not, why not?" Then, he'd end the conversation with something more lightheaded, such as "What's your favorite color? Do you prefer coffee, or tea?". After that, he'd just leave. You feel way too unnerved and uncomfortable to say no to answering, most of the time...

A lot of his questioning seems to revolve around family, for some reason. You've also noticed Alastor becoming much more touchy with you. Not necessarily in an inappropriate manner, though. More like a sudden arm around your shoulder that lasts much longer than before, a hug, or him suddenly holding your hand. You don't really mind. It's definitely a lot better than you expected from somebody in Hell, but it's still noticable.

Today is one of those days, as you're sitting on the couch in the main lobby, watching some television, when you suddenly feel Alastor sling an arm around your shoulder. "Dear, what are you doing, looking at that picture box? I'm sure that there couldn't possibly be anything of interest on it."

You look up to him, raising an eyebrow. "Well, there's a nice show on. So I want to watch it-" You're cut off by him shutting off the television. "Well, I must speak with you about something. I want to make a deal with you, dear. Deals are much more important than a dumb little picture box." He then stands up, pointing to you. "You fell out of Heaven due to someone convincing them that you deserved such damnation, correct?"

You stare up at him, surprised by how forward he is being. You raise an eyebrow at him, crossing your arms. "Yes... but what-" "I want you to convince them to drop someone else from Heaven's grace, down here, into Hell." "What?!"

You then stand up, confused and dismayed. "You must be joking, Alastor- this joke isn't funny! Why would you possibly believe I'd be willing to do such a thing? Nobody deserves to be cast out due to an over exaggeration or lie!" You glare up at him, only to be surprised once you notice his ever present grin looking extremely strained.

His voice fills with static as he points to you, his eyes seeming to glow with either irritation, or desperation. "Dear, you're my friend. I promise you, whatever you want in return for this favor, I'll give it to you." You instantly lean away, continuing to glare. "I never agreed to be your friend." "That doesn't matter. You're my friend whether you like it or not. Please. At least consider it. Consider all of the things you could get out of this deal!"

You think, genuinely... At first, you are going to say no, but... what if he can get you to Heaven? Or, at least, find a way to increase your chances of getting to Heaven? "... Fine, but you have to try to find a way to get me into Heaven... Not just so I can get whoever you want to damn down here, but also so that I can return there. For good." Alastor pauses, before nodding, though you can tell he is upset. "Fine, dear. I suppose that is fair."

He then walks over to him, smiling. "The person I want you to get damned, is... actually, come over here. I don't want anyone else to hear." You nod, walking over to him. He quietly whispers a name into your ear, alongside a few of their negative traits, before pulling away. "I'm sure Lucifer may be able to help you set up an appointment with Heaven... it might just take some convincing on my end to get him to agree..."

"Well, why do you want this person damned, Alastor...?" You stare up at him, flinching as his smile turns cold, for a brief moment. He then looks away from you, before his eyes snap back towards you.

"You'll understand once they get here, my dearest friend. Now, shake my hand, and the deal is sealed. I'll get this person into Hell, and you'll get your precious home in Heaven back."

Without hesitation, you grab his hand and shake on it. Alastor's grin widens as you do so, but you barely even notice it. Your thoughts are trained on getting the poor sap he mentioned into Hell, even if you'll feel guilty in the end... you don't know how much longer you can stand being in Hell with him constantly looking over you.

[leaawrites]

hellooo, It's me again, and with a request from Graham again, only this time it would be something more romantic. Graham and the reader are going to be parents, and if the request would be of what a normal day would be like for her living with the band (enduring the teasing about her pregnancy and Graham) and Graham being the most romantic at the end, he doing a small photo session with a disposable camera and giving her some drawings that he did of her during the pregnancy

Best Days

Graham Coxon x pregnant!reader

summary: a day in the life, of graham and pregnant reader.

Warnings: pregnancy, swearing, arguing, angst, fluff, This is a bit more Damon Albarn x sister!reader, but I hope it's alright still. Honestly, it feels a bit rushed but I tried getting something out of it.

Wordcount: 1.1k

Masterlist

The arguments about music were something she could recite in her sleep already. Something she could hear without having to be awake just yet. It was there as a constant in their household of five, six soon.

Leaning against the door frame that separated their bedroom from the living room, Y/n watched the chaos unfold once more. Alex was saying something about his bass line, which Damon absolutely disagreed on based on his facial expression, all while Dave and Graham were simply enjoying the show.

Both a different one though.

Dave’s focus was on the chaos unfolding in front of his eyes, the wild hands that were thrown around the air in frustration and the rolling of eyes as the other person spoke.

Graham though was watching the woman leaning against the door frame - her eyes too glued to the argument - while he let his mind bath in tranquillity. Admiring the way the sun cast a shadow on the floor from her growing stomach and how it already was big enough to make the long shirt seem shorter on her.

“What do you think, Gray?” Damon asked, looking up as he got no answer and seeing the boy stuck in a haze of love. Following his gaze, a smirk formed on his face when he saw the prey of his friend’s love. “Ah, Y/n,” Damon mused, making the girls eyes snap over to him. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“I literally live here too, you know?” she shot back

“Right, forgot about it,” Damon said, his smile widening. “It’s not like you and Graham are all over each other now that you’re having a kid.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for wanting to express my love how I prefer to,” she said back, all the other guys stifling a laugh as they knew that this could go on for hours between them. Typical Albarn-sibling behavior. “At least I got someone to love.”

“Alright, alright, woman. Calm down. I was just saying that you have a baby soon, no need to rush for another one.”

“You know? If we’d had known that letting Damon’s sister stay in our apartment for a bit would lead to this, Damon would’ve strangled Graham himself,” Alex laughed at the scene as they sat together, eating breakfast.

“With greetings,” Damon added, half of his mouth stuffed full with cereals.

He always hated the idea of them becoming more than a one night stand that one time at a party, but he couldn’t deny how happy he was about becoming an uncle. No matter how hard he tried to sell the image, she could see right through him.

Sitting in the living room all alone, Y/n started tracing outlines on her belly, little drawings she hoped would cheer the baby up from where it was stuck in her. Ever growing, ever evolving. The guys just made their way to the studio, leaving her to her own devices once again.

“I don’t know if you can hear me, I bet you don’t,” she started talking into the silence. “But for what it’s worth, I promise to not let you become like me. No mater what might happen in the future, I won’t let anything happen to you. Ever. I just really fear Graham becoming scared and running off, I really do. Graham, he’s your daddy by the way. I couldn’t even blame him, quite frankly. I mean, he’s just at the beginning of his career and I wouldn’t blame him for taking that over this. I wish I could, but I just can’t.”

Tears were running down her face, dropping down her skin on her stomach. Unbeknownst to her, the door opened about five minutes ago, a bewildered Damon now standing in the door frame, watching his baby-sister talk like no one was there, because technically there shouldn’t be.

“I would kill him if he ever even thought about doing such thing,” Damon let out, making his presence known. Y/n spun around, her eyes widen in shock.

“Damon, I didn’t-”

“You know I would make sure that he’s staying, even when I make such a drama about you two all the time, right?” It was important to him that she knew, that he still cared for her, no matter what happened between her and Graham or any other person for that matter.

“I know.”

“And you know, that he wouldn’t do such thing, right? I mean, we’re talking about Graham, out of all people. That boy is in love with you since sixth form.”

“I know.” She knew. Deep down, she knew.

“Now get some rest,” he said finally, smiling at her and kissing the top of her head before disappearing out of the front door again. He would definitely have a talk with Graham about that topic later.

With the sun already setting, casting a shadow over her frame and displaying the way her body was shaped on the floor, Graham couldn’t keep himself anymore from pushing the thoughts away. An idea that ran through his head since the bump in her stomach started showing. A vivid image he’d see whenever he closed his eyes. It was true, they couldn’t just rush and make another baby right after having the first one, their life’s weren’t even planned for a first one, but he loved watching her like this. He loved seeing her pregnant, knowing that whatever she was carrying was his. It was theirs.

Slowly creeping out of bed, Graham tried his hardest to not wake her up. Walking over to the little dresser that was placed opposite the bed, he picked up the Polaroid camera she bought a while back to capture the process of their journey. Holding it up to his eye and finding a right ankle, he pressed shutter and waited for the little image to print.

His eyes scanned over the photo before he finally decided, he needed more of that. More of her.

“What you looking at?” Her voice sounded from the other side, pulling him out of his daydreams.

“Wait,” he quickly said as she started moving and tried to sit up. Halting in her movements, she waited for him to continue talking. “Stay like this. I know this may seem weird, but you look so fucking beautiful like that. Your belly and all.”

“Do you wanna photograph me, Coxon?”

“Only for private entertainment.”

“Pervert,” she laughed at him before laying down again, fixing her hair and clothes. Looking up at his almost hungry eyes, standing with his mouth agape, she blinked up at him innocently. “What you waiting for?”

[princessasmosprincess]

I saw your asks were open and I ran right here! Could you write something about Asmodeus finding out that adult!mc is inexperienced in love and still hasn’t had their first kiss yet?

I’m not very experienced in the romance department myself, so this is something I’ve thought about quite a bit since Asmo is my fav. It would be so intimidating to be with Asmo, just because he is so experienced and he’s probably done EVERYTHING. At the same time it might be nice to let him take the lead? I think he'd be very gentle and reassuring as your “first,” whether that means kisses or something more intimate. I also don’t think he’d be judgmental, he’s been with all different types of people so nothing would surprise him.

I don't know what spirit possessed me, Anon, but I saw your ask and the words just kept coming. I do hope you like it ^ ♡ ^

***

Taboo

Genre: A little fluff, a little angst.

Warnings: Nonsexual nudity, not really suggestive but it does dance around the topic of sex, MC is a virgin and has never been kissed and feels embarrassed about it.

***

“...And can you believe, no one had ever told Marchosias that he was a bad kisser! Now, I don't mind if it’s a little rough but I’d prefer any hickies to be lower than jaw level, do you know how hard it is to cover them up even with magic? I swear, it was like making out with a suckerfish.”

Asmo slipped off his robe before folding it and setting it at the edge of the tub, smiling when you laughed at his description of the kiss. He did love an audience, and you hadn't heard most of his stories yet.

You were already in the tub, basking in the warmth and the light floral scent that wafted up with the steam.

Every once in a while Asmo would invite you for an evening bath to relax and gossip. Before you knew him well, you’d been wary of his intentions, but eventually you figured out his motives were relatively pure. He never once crossed your boundaries or made you feel uncomfortable. By now, you barely even acknowledged each other's nudity.

Asmo stepped into the tub, sinking into the cloud-like froth of bubbles, “I know he’s got that whole innocent 'I only give true answers to all questions’ thing going, so you don't want to hurt his feelings, but someone had to tell him.”

“Poor guy.” You laughed.

Asmo was usually the one who did most of the talking, but you didn't mind as long as you were able to get in a word from time to time. He always had a lot to say, so unless something particularly interesting happened to you at RAD, you’d let him go on for as long as he wanted.

“Oh, don't worry, I was gentle with him. I even gave him a private lesson, if you know what I mean.” He smirked, “But we never really talked again after that.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah… I'm pretty sure he was just trying to use me to get to the Celestial Realm anyway, as if I wasn't disgraced and cast down. Like, Solomon probably has more sway with my Father than I do at this point.” Asmo sighed and stretched, leaning back against the tub. “But that's enough about me and all of that… What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah,” Asmo's amber eyes brightened, “I wanna hear about your romantic escapades, so spill.”

You hadn’t quite gotten to revealing many of the intimate details of your past to him or any of the brothers.

Your cheeks warmed, “I don't think any of my stories will be as interesting as yours.”

Asmo laughed, “Well of course not, dear, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear about them.”

“I don't know, Asmo, I don’t really-”

“I won’t ask you to share anything too personal, if that's what you’re worried about,” He lifted a handful of bubbles to his face and blew them in your direction, “Ooh, what about your first kiss, you could at least tell me about that!”

You broke eye contact with him, chewing your bottom lip as you tried to come up with the right words to say, and when they did, they caught in your throat, “I- I can’t.”

A sly grin stole across his lips, “Darling, don’t be silly. Is it that embarrassing of a story? You can tell me, I promise I won’t share it with a soul.”

“That’s not it, Asmo.”

“Hmm?” He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand.”

Your voice came out barely above a whisper, “I haven't had my first kiss yet.”

Asmo blinked a few times, the air felt heavy around you, though he didn't seem to notice. He was more surprised than anything.

You’d never had your first kiss?

“Does that mean you're also a-”

You turned your head, willing away the tears pricking at your eyes. It was stupid, you knew. There were lots of people like you. But you felt so ashamed. So unloved.

You knew the question was bound to come up sooner or later, but you still felt unprepared.

“Oh.” Asmo’s gaze softened, not that you could see it. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed-”

This was you, after all, adored by the future Demon King and the Avatars of Sin alike. He didn't think it was possible you could have lived for this long without so much as a kiss.

“It’s ok, Asmo, you didn't know.” You sighed, tilting your head back against the edge of the tub and closing your eyes. You needed a moment.

Asmo sank lower in the water, so his head sat just above the bubbles, his eyes never leaving you.

Asmo’s whole world for the longest time had revolved around himself and sex and carnal desire. That was just what it meant to be the Avatar of Lust. But in the grand scheme of things, experience in those areas didn't matter much at all. Passion was more important, whether it lasted a moment or centuries.

His heart ached for you. From your reaction, this was clearly beyond you simply not having an interest in intimacy. Asmo didn't understand how the opportunity hadn't come about for you. It infuriated him that other humans hadn't seen what he saw in you. How could anyone not love you?

Asmo hardly remembered his first, a face faded from millennia past, a kiss that hadn't made much of an impression after millions more, new and exciting feelings that had overwhelmed his senses at one point but would feel so tame to him now. But he did know that doing something new was always scary at first.

He could offer to help you take that step. To be your first. Of anyone in the entire universe, wouldn't the Avatar of Lust be the best possible first kiss? Wouldn't your first time with an expert make future opportunities feel less intimidating?

And if he was your first kiss, maybe he could be your first in other ways…

His gaze flickered to your lips.

But it didn't seem like the right time. Asmo had made a mess of things as it was. He knew he shouldn't have pressed you, but he had been too curious. Your feelings were already hurt.

He would talk to you about it some other time. Asmo didn't want you to think he pitied you and he didn't want to pressure you either. There was nothing shameful about your situation, whether you felt that way or not. It would do you no good to rush things when you were feeling so vulnerable.

No, he would wait for the right moment, and if you chose someone else as your first he would gracefully accept your decision.

Until then, he would show you how precious you truly were.

***

Cross-posted on AO3

[markantonys]

i am capital S Shook that the irish red sitter is none other than galina!! i would never have predicted that! since galina only does One Thing in the books, i was sure she was a prime candidate for being absorbed by somebody else; my theory had been that elaida would lead rand's kidnapping personally to give elaida something more to do during midseries when she's not up to much in the books, in part so as not to sideline shohreh. but maybe it's actually preferable to shohreh to only have a main role in her first and last seasons and more of a guest/recurring role in the seasons in between, or maybe they'll bulk up elaida's storyline inside the tower and with alviarin in order to increase elaida's presence during the time between the coup and egwene's kidnapping.

anyway! at the time of watching the cold open i was like "man i wish i was watching this on regular prime x-ray so i could see the names of all the characters in the scene in case these new aes sedai are anyone i would know", but now i'm glad that i didn't find out this was galina until a week later. i liked her! i thought she had a cool vibe! i now feel betrayed (in a good way) to know this is galina! once again wotshow getting an impeccable record in managing to make the antagonists likable even when we know how decisively unlikable their book counterparts are. a very different viewing experience for me than if i'd known straight off this was galina and had therefore gone "oh i've got my eye on you" the second she arrived!

this revelation also increases my hopes that my girl tsutama survived. before, i'd thought that they were two relatively minor reds who might only be needed for this one scene and that their odds of having survived the hallway battle weren't good, especially since we do see red figures dead/unconscious on the floor afterwards. now, i'm certain galina had to have survived because if she was only a random character who's in one scene and dies immediately, they would never have chosen such a loaded name for the character; she's got to be alive. and in turn, tsutama got markedly more focus than galina did in this scene (more lines, more closeup shots), which would be an odd choice if galina is the only one who goes on to become a notable character and tsutama is never seen again after this scene, so i think this is good news for tsutama too. and having tsutama around longer would be a good counterbalance to show that, truly, there ARE some reds who aren't secretly black ajah!

exciting stuff! i have to say, you all know my hatred of WOT Minor Characters and the space they take up, i'm famous for it, but the show continues to do incredibly well at getting even me, their biggest hater, interested and invested in the minor characters. from the moment tsutama and galina arrived, i felt attached to them and wanted to see more of them! (i think being a visual medium also inherently helps with this, since it's easier to feel quick attachment when you have a face and not just a name.) i AM getting a bit "okay, maybe we should slow down" at the number of separate minor characters being introduced, but i trust rafe & co to know their limits and not go over the line with too many characters the way the books did (not least because they have budgetary constraints keeping them in check!). and tower politics is such an important thread throughout the entire series, and having a good number of Specific Aes Sedai We Know can only help with audience investment in that thread, especially since it's a thread that's so often separate from most of our main cast; it needs to include enough strong secondary characters to support it during the times when no primary characters are involved in it.

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

My Rosalina Wishlist for the Nintendo Switch 2 era

In order of what I want the least to want I want the most:

For her to make appearance in (at least one of) the RPGs

Maybe they could connect her to Geno, or to the pre-established star lore of the RPGs, maybe there's another copy of the book Paper Mario takes place in in her library, have her interact with Starlow (another being who uses star power), you could do a lot with her. She's already one of the most fleshed out in the mainline games, she'd flourish in the RPGs, games which specifically aim to develop (most) of the cast as characters.

Give her a Power Up band

Technically this (and one more addition later on in this list) is not a Nintendo Switch 2 related thing but if this were to happen it would likely be during the Switch 2 era, so it's relevant enough.

Years ago I predicted that her, Toadette, DK and Diddy Kong would get power up bands based on a leak. Since then, it's been confirmed that Donkey Kong and Diddy will be getting power up bands to go alongside the Donkey Kong-themed expansion of Super Nintendo World. I still think Rosalina (and Toadette) could get one, especially if they do a Galaxy-themed expansion. It would be nice to have one in time for 2027, Galaxy's anniversary, but that's not likely given that we'd probably know about it being built by now. It could still happen not too long after it. A space-themed expansion would definitely be popular (Toadette is part of the Toad Brigade, who debited in Galaxy 1, so she could get one during this supposed expansion too).

Even if that didn't happen, Rosalina does make an appearance at the park via the VR binoculars, and she was recently given a new plush made specifically to be sold at the park, so she's already one of the most likely candidates to get a band next.

A new Rosalina-owned Mario Kart stage

Not much to explain here. It's been over a decade since she got one, and that was her first (unless we retroactively count Rainbow Road).

An appearance in a Mario movie sequel

If not as a major character, then at least as a post-credits character. After a Luma was in the first movie, it seems inevitable that Rosalina will appear in the films eventually, I just hope it's sooner rather than later! Even if it's for a short time, I think they could fit her in movie 2 somewhere. Literally just show Lumalee going home or something. They might save her for movie 3, but that would probably also happen during the Switch 2 era (I could see it releasing in 2029 or 2030, the Switch 2 would've only been out for about 4-5 years by then).

Another appearance in a mainline Mario game

I'm welcome to it being a 3D game, but I'd prefer for it to be a 2D one because she has yet to make an appearance in a 2D game.

Bonus points if she's playable!

Her own solo adventure game

Even putting my bias aside, I genuinely think this could work! She's one of the most popular characters in the franchise, it would be a good chance to find out more about her origins or at least give a Mario-adjacent game a deeper story than usual, and outer space is almost always a cool setting for any piece of media. If it were to happen (I know it probably won't, but a girl can dream), I hope it's not essentially just "Super Mario Galaxy 3, but you play as Rosalina". I'd love it if the game had a genre the Mario franchise either hasn't touched yet or hasn't done often (I still think a Kingdom Hearts-esque action RPG would suit her very well).

Although if I had to order these from most to least likely to happen during the Switch 2 era, I'd say: an appearance in a new mainline Mario game, a new Mario Kart stage, her power up band, an appearance in the Mario movie sequel, an appearance in the RPGs, and finally her solo game.

But hey, prove me wrong Nintendo! Watch how I jinx it and none of these happen lol

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

Ring Them Bells: A Birthday Celebration for John Kander

May 19, 2025 | Roundabout | Evening | Benefit | Concert | 1H 40M

That setlist? Unmatched. I have experienced a great deal of euphoria at life-affirming theatre, but seeing the original Merry Murderesses perform "Cell Block Tango" with the costumes and choreography takes the cake. In fifty years (or so), I'm still going to be talking about how I saw Bebe Neuwirth (66) do "Cell Block Tango" and no one can stop me. The way she goes feral on "he had it comin'" is on loop in my head. And this number directly follows Alan Cumming's "Willkommen" so it was a unique moment in iconic theatre history. Calling him the host for the night was a bit of a stretch, as he only came out for two numbers and didn't do any real hosting, but that's fine.

The entire night had the makings of what might have been a legendary proshot much like "My Favorite Broadway" or even a scaled-down Sondheim 80th. I'm so glad they gave time to (nearly) all of Kander & Ebb's works (condolences to the three shows they did between 1968 and 1971 that got canned). I told myself I wouldn't be doing a track-by-track review, but when have you ever known me to be concise? It'll be under the cut.

There were at least six major Diva-filled events I could have attended last night, but I'd purchased this ticket many months ago before May 19 became THE day for benefits. I can safely say that nothing could have topped this. None of you are ready for when/if they ever release any professional photography. Those Merry Murderesses... So sleek, so sexy, so shameless. Knowing how dancers can have a short shelf life because of how taxing it is on the body, that they were all still up there kicking... Of course, much love to Tina Paul, the original Hunyak who died around this time last year.

Kander himself was there in the audience, and he looks incredible. Sharp as a tack. Deb Monk went out into the audience to bring him a microphone to make a speech and introduced herself as Debbie Kander, his wife. His reply? "Who's taking care of the kids?" And of course, Deb said, "I left those kids a long time ago." They need to let her host things if this is what we get.

Verdict: My Soul Transcended Space and Time

A Note on Ratings

Jessie Mueller has such a lovely wistfulness when singing "Colored Lights," and while I'll always prefer Mary Testa's brassy sass more, I like the sweetness Jessie brings out. What is a show without Tony Yazbeck doing a tap number? We don't give Karen Ziemba enough credit for her voice. It's still remarkably strong, and I hope she does another musical in New York soon. DHP sung a touching ode that Kander wrote both music and lyrics to as a serenade to his husband, and he was just perfect for the song. Look, I like Jinxx Monsoon as a performer, but she was fighting for her life during "Ring Them Bells" because they gave her some madcap choreography. So glad to have another chance to see Bebe do "So What?" and this time without the horrors of everything else going on in that revival.

I think hearing them a second time solidifies that I'm not the biggest fan of the "And the World Goes Round" arrangements for the show. Good for Anna Uzele and all, but I like Marin's because it doesn't need to be an upbeat belt to bring the house down. Bianca Marroquin and Charlotte d'Amboise "Hot Honey Rag"? Well, who else? And of course Jim Borstelmann was on hand to introduce them and several others. What a guy. But one of the biggest highlights of the night was Victoria Clark's "I Miss the Music." To have this song come after a clip of Kander talking about the late Fred Ebb? What an emotional wallop there. Thank goodness they followed it up with a rousing number from The Scottsboro Boys with five original cast members.

Kelli's "A Quite Place" was simple and sincere, and while not a bring-the-house-down number, I appreciate a ballad. This is the song that can put babies to sleep and make them feel all warm and safe. I'm pleasantly surprised they put in a Skin of Our Teeth song, despite how that show never went anywhere and also...well, the whole casting situation. Now, about Lillias White's "Maybe This Time." I do love this Diva, but I also just generally feel that at these kinds of concerts it's best to just sing the song as written instead of doing all kinds of riffs. Great for a personal solo cabaret, but I want to hear the music. Time and a place for vocal flourishes, you know? But yes, yes, we all want to talk about how Jennifer Lopez was as Aurora. Not as bad as I'd feared. She's no Chita Rivera, but no one is. I have no expectations on her acting, and as for her singing, she has that thing all pop singers have where they slide syllables, and then at other times she's oddly staccato like she can't catch her breath. (I think about Donna Murphy doing it for Chita's Kennedy Center Honors. Now *that* was a performance*)

Ending it on "Show People" was the only appropriate finale. How wonderful to reunite DHP, Karen Ziemba, and Deb Monk, and to showcase young talent in the chorus. Is this the highlight of my year? I do believe it is.