#this got so much longer than expected

[petitsdieu]

Meta + childhood - food - jewelry

𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝑬𝑻𝑨 + 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 , 𝒂 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 , 𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒉𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔.

𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅 ( 𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒆 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆 ).

Her earliest memories with her family are the most amicable. Sitting on the laps of her parents, getting costumed by her mother, gifts from her father, playing games with her brothers. She's too young to question anything. She perceives the family dynamic as normal and as love. But the older she gets, the more she becomes more of her own person, she notices the distancing. This quote sums up her childhood arc the best:

"Leia felt her corner of their world shrinking tighter and tighter until she could hardly breathe in their presence. Nothing she said or did seemed to affect them in the slightest. Although she was too old to call out for her parents when she had a bad dream, every once in a while she wanted to do it anyway. But she never called for them. She never wanted to find out for sure that they wouldn’t come." — Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray.

I can picture her doing things to get their attention. And at some point even bad attention is good. Or at least in the instant she gets it because afterwards, it would make her feel worse about her fall from their grace.

I think it gets more complicated when she starts understanding the benevolent utopia that is her planet appears to be is more face than body. Meaning it is the image of her family had crafted over multi-generations / thousands of years and less factual. But her idea of true wickedness has limitations. She doesn't understand evil until she witnesses it. Her father destroys a planet to kill her boyfriend and her boyfriend's family legacy would have never been something her imagination could come up with. Especially combining that and how she found out what true love really looks like, It serves as a paradigm shift. Childhood ends for her at sixteen in this sense.

𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒅.

In any verse, she is a finicky eater. The pool of things she's willing to eat is very small. She's also a vegetarian; abstaining from the consumption of meat but not animal by-products ( she will eat some things with dairy, even eggs ).

She adores fruit to the point it can be considered a gift ( see gift-giving headcanon here ). It's very likely for her to have one or two fruits hanging around at any given time. And she can consume a lot of it in one sitting, or rather gazing over a relatively short time. Some of her favorites include but aren't limited to: peaches, clementines, honeydew melon, cherries, pomegranates, strawberries, plums, grapes, pineapple, jack fruit, mangosteen.

She loves breakfast. She's most likely to eat the most during her first meal of the day. Beyond fruit here, she does love a lot of breakfast foods. The typical things you'd see on a breakfast section on a diner menu like waffles and pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns or home potatoes.

If you were to ask her "What are you in the mood for tonight?", she might say Italian, Japanese, or Thai. She also really loves french fries. And if she has a romantic partner or someone else she's really close to, she might grow used to their cooking and might start setting their quality as the base quality ( ex. If she orders ravioli at a restaurant and it is not as good as how her boyfriend makes it, she might not eat it ).

𝑱𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒓𝒚.

She doesn't have any pieces she wears regularly. But typically, if she's wearing any jewelry, it will be rings, anklets, or necklaces. Sometimes a bracelet. Usually one piece of something at a time. She's more likely to pick gold over silver. She loves pearls, especially irregular-shaped ones. Most verses she doesn't have her ears pierced / piercings.

Poison jewelry ( Galaxie Verse ). Most commonly worn when she's off planet, that contains poison. Dangling earrings, rings, necklaces. When I reference them in threads, I usually depict them as red ( though in canon they can be any color ) and earrings. The idea is if she were to be in a bad situation, she could swing her head and pop it into her mouth to take herself out.

Jewelry from romantic partners and other significant people in her life will likely be worn always. She'd like the idea of having something tangible that would remind her of someone. Something she can feel if she misses them.

𝒇𝒕. @luckhissoul

[lastofthe20thcenturygirls]

maomao is so perfect like she respects the man who raised her will always listen to what he says. doesn't feel emotions strongly. hates her biological father just because. is forever loyal to the consort she served. loves money. bought a gift for that one girl who always shared gossips with her as she couldn't afford it herself liked seeing the girl happy and adored her as a lil sister even shed a tear when read her letter. is extremely good at connecting the dots. is always worried about that child consort and her heart was warmed to see the child found someone who cares for her. would harshly judge you if you didn't think the celestial nymph eunuch wasn't the most beautiful creature in the whole of creation. would run to save someone's life even getting punched wouldn't stop her. doesn't get affected by all the hanky-pankys that goes around her. might even give you her important hair stick if you are important to her. cares about her three sisters so much she'll make sure they end up with the kind of men they prefer. would hold a grudge against you if you chose her birth mother instead of her sister. very chill. can just casually wonder about the size of boobs of women the same way she always wonders about the missing equipment of the eunuchs. always thinking about abortion medicines is always making abortion medicines. loves experimenting with herbs and poisons. loves eating snakes would be extra happy if you locked her in a room with snakes as a punishment. wants to give birth once because she wants to eat her own placenta. very open-minded. always gives it her all

[aromantic-and-aromatic]

Honestly, I'm all for sephiroth and jenova being practically the same thing bc the repeated use of the word puppet by sephiroth himself feels very ironic and bitter. Telling cloud that he doesn't have emotions, that he was created in a lab and that his memories are fake, all of them. That he didn't have a childhood. Never was a child. And yeah, sephiroth being 100% in control and just very unwell also fits in this, in his projection over cloud being his puppet just like he was Shinra's, even though he would never acknowledge it. But I just like the idea that he believes himself freed from everyone's strings, finally in control of his own life for once, just to be too blind to realize that not even those choices were his own bc following orders is still the only thing he knows

[heartdrop]

i like you more than soup 🍜

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Sky having asthma, or some kind of breathing issues? For the prompt event?

Link had always known his lungs were… sensitive.

For the longest time, it had been a minimal issue. Sure, he didn’t sprint as well as others—he typically struggled with stamina anyway. But he could hold his breath longer than many, he could exercise well enough, and he still fought better than any of his classmates. Just because he had a propensity to getting respiratory illnesses didn’t mean he couldn’t handle things. It was nothing a little air potion and stamina fruit couldn’t fix.

That was the case. Before he’d gone to the Surface.

Nowadays it seemed like anything and everything could make him sick, could take out his ability to breathe. During his journey he’d compensated with air potion after air potion until his fever had climbed so high he’d passed out. Thankfully, he’d been in Faron Woods, and the kikwis, while not the most experienced on the matter, had at least thought to bring him water and nuts and let him rest in the shade until he could drag himself to the Sealed Temple.

He hated it. He felt like anything could knock him down. He kept trying to reassure himself that he’d still managed to keep up, to save Zelda, to end the war before it could restart. But he’d nearly died afterward because he’d ignored it for so long, pushed himself too hard, and everyone treated him like he was practically made of glass nowadays as a result.

Link wasn’t a particularly rebellious teenager. He was fairly lazy by his instructors’ standards, and he preferred to rest. He could cause problems when he wanted, though. He didn’t go out of his way to cause problems, of course, but… nothing was going to stop him from doing so, either.

So when he got a little too antsy to linger on Skyloft being watched by everyone, he flew his loftwing farther into the sky than he had in a long time.

The Great Sky was vast, beautiful and terrifying in its infiniteness. While the Surface’s enormous scale was overwhelming because it was all inhabitable, the Sky was more akin to a void to get lost in, a fabled sea where its depths could never be fully explored. Islands speckled the air in varying pockets, but there were enormous swathes of open air with nothing as far as the eye could see. It was said some knights died trying to explore, their loftwings tiring out and plummeting through the cloud barrier to their doom.

Link wanted to test his limits, though. Not because he felt particularly ambitious, but simply because he felt like he was going insane. He used to be content daydreaming on Skyloft, but nowadays if he stayed too still in one place he felt like he was missing something. As much as he loved to lay about, and as little energy as he had that sometimes forced him to lay about, he couldn’t sit still for long unless he was caught in a spiraling slump.

So here he was, pushing Crimson to tear into the sky farther than ever before. He recalled seeing a small pocket of islands in the far distance a little over a year ago when he’d last tried exploring like this before the knights had reeled him in. Now that he’d earned his knighthood due to his adventure, he wouldn’t be stopped.

The nagging pain in his chest was nothing to worry about. That was just nerves. He just needed to move.

The cold wind snapped around him, flushing his cheeks and biting at his nose. He clutched the leather around Crimson’s chest more tightly, glaring into the sky, and his loftwing squawked, reflecting his defiance with a loud seeming battle cry. His companion was filled with as much energy as he was, and had been scraping at the edges of Skyloft the entire day before Link had finally plummeted off its edges.

The pocket of islands grew larger. One in the center was entirely square shaped, seeming endless in its crevices and walls that inhabited its center.

A maze?

Link smiled. A puzzle. Perhaps he’d find something useful in its center. He wondered what Hylia might have left for him here. Perhaps he’d missed a goddess cube? It wasn’t like it made much of a difference now, but his curiosity was piqued nonetheless.

He flew directly overhead before jumping off his loftwing. As he crashed through the air, the pressure in his chest continued to build, but the thrill of skydiving overruled it. Link maneuvered his body left, right, rolled, flipped, and laughed. He loved this.

Eventually, just before he could hit the stone floor in the labyrinth, he deployed his sailcloth, letting himself gently land before looking around eagerly.

This was going to be fun.

XXX

It was getting dark.

Zelda looked out at the sky worriedly. Link had gone flying around noon. She’d let him be, as she was busy figuring out plans for the Surface, but she was growing worried now. Where could he be? She’d investigated all the usual local islands, and when the best lead she’d gotten was that someone had seen him fly beyond all of them, she started to wonder if he’d gone to the next community over.

Skyloft was their largest settlement, but not their only one. Still, if Link had visited Nestout, Loftwing Roost, or the Dragon Spire, he should’ve been back by now.

Well. Loftwing Roost might distract him more. But… maybe that was all it was.

When Zelda asked Groose to help her investigate to cover more air, though, it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t anywhere they knew.

“You think he went to the Surface?” Groose asked as they looked out at the vast expanse from the Dragon Spire. It was the farthest out island in the usual communities, and it boasted the most dangerous territory.

That would be the most likely explanation, Zelda supposed. But Link didn’t usually go down there alone. “I guess…”

“Don’t worry, Zelda,” Groose assured her with an easy wave of his hand. “Airhead probably lost track of time or something. I can check Faron and the Sealed Temple, you go back to Skyloft.”

Telling Zelda not to worry about Link was the most pointless venture imaginable, but she didn’t bother correcting Groose. Instead, she nodded, watching him take off on his loftwing before looking back out at the sky.

He wouldn’t… why would he go to the Surface alone?

Zelda squinted at nothing, wondering, listening. She tried to focus, tried to remember how to use magic to track others. She’d been able to do it before, back when…

Closing her eyes, she inhaled and exhaled steadily. The world around her changed, pulsing and colorful and tasting of sensations she couldn’t even describe. Everything felt so alive. Her loftwing chirped a little, fluffing and rubbing her beak against Zelda’s face.

“You can sense it too,” she whispered, eyes still closed, feeling the connection to her partner.

Her loftwing chirped a little, feathers flattening in anticipation. Then she took off, and Zelda dove after her, and they were as one as they tore into the farther expanses of the Great Sky.

With the cloud barrier gone, daylight lasted a little longer, allowing Zelda more time to fly. But she knew she wouldn’t make it back to Skyloft before dark. She would either have to make camp somewhere or risk flying in an environment she was still not entirely trained to navigate.

Instinct drove both her and her loftwing forward, tracing Link’s presence. When they neared a squared shaped island, her loftwing circled it, indicating that this had to be their destination.

What in the world was Link doing here?

Furrowing her brow in determination and trying to ignore the gnawing worry in her gut, Zelda leapt off her bird and descended into the stony structure below. She maneuvered her body as her eyes scanned different passages from above, honing in on a feeling that chewed at her fraying nerves.

A speck. Small, still, green.

Her eyes widened. Link.

Zelda tipped herself forward, making her body more stream lined so she could move faster. She didn’t pull out her sailcloth until she was seconds away from touching down. The harsh winds helped her steady herself, and she felt breathless as she ran to her beloved friend, who was laying motionless on the floor.

“Link!” She called, falling to her knees, voice carrying on the winds. She shook him, surprised at the heat radiating off his body.

Sick. He was sick, he was sick, they were out here in the middle of nowhere and he was sick.

Despite the gales howling, she could hear distinctive whistle and rattle, ominous and horrible and far too familiar. It sounded off rhythmically with every heave of Link’s chest, and she could see how his belly moved paradoxically to his chest, trying to assist his exhausted body in every way possible to move air.

This was bad.

What was she going to do? What could she do? Link got breathing illnesses so easily, but usually an air potion, warm food, lots of rest and even more coughing would help fix it. He’d only gotten truly, desperately sick for the first time after their adventure, and that had been from infected wounds rather than anything in his lungs. Her friend was no stranger to pneumonia, but they’d never been this far from help when it had struck.

Surely with all this wind, she could figure something out. Zelda moved to sit him up, knowing that laying as he was would do him no good. She tried not think about how there was barely any light left in the sky, how they could potentially be trapped here the entire night with few supplies.

There was no way she could fly him in this state.

Gritting her teeth, Zelda braced her feet on the ground, pulling him to sit up by his tunic and dragging him to lean against the wall so he could remain that way. Link’s head lolled with the movement, and she noticed with alarm that he looked beyond exhausted. How long had he been struggling to breathe? How much longer could he last? She’d heard nightmarish scenarios in the past, when he’d gotten particularly ill, warnings of how he had to rest, how working too hard to breathe could make one’s body give up altogether, and then nothing but forced air could save them.

Zelda dug through her pouch and then Link’s, desperate for anything that she could use. She herself was carrying a stamina fruit, and Link seemed have half of one in his pack—clear evidence that he’d been nibbling on one throughout the day in an effort to keep going.

She felt frustrated and terrified at the same time. Why would he run himself down like this? Why did he always run himself down like this?!

Her gut churned uncomfortably, guilt nibbling at the edges of her mind. You know why.

She shook her head. Then she pushed against Link, tapping his cheek. “Link. Dove, wake up. Please.”

She had no air potion to spare, but if she could just get him to wake up, she could at least feed him the last of the stamina fruit he’d been carrying. Hopefully it would help. Then perhaps she could investigate this place to find somewhere more suitable for him to rest. The sky glowed crimson, and she knew it was too late to leave this place.

Link groaned, bringing her some relief, though his breathing still sounded wretched. Sluggishly, his eyes fluttered open. There was hardly any recognition in them - he was exhausted.

Zelda held the stamina fruit out in front of him, having peeled it into smaller pieces. “Eat.”

He took each piece one by one from her, chewing slowly. A flush returned to his pale face, and he stared at her for what felt like half a minute before seeming to come to himself. “Z-Zel…?”

He could hardly get her nickname out for all the rattling in his lungs. Zelda could hardly breathe just listening to it. “We need to get you out of here, Link. Get you somewhere warmer.”

Was there even anywhere warmer on this island? Was there an indoor area at all? The place looked strangely familiar, but she couldn’t place why - she’d definitely never been here before.

Oh. That meant… she knew why.

Looking around, she tried to recall something, anything of whatever memories Hylia had to show her. But try as she might, she couldn’t recall this place.

Perhaps exploring wasn’t the option right now. Perhaps they just needed to hunker down and deal with it where they were. But the more she thought about it, the more she was certain that she could find a centralized location, which would be far better shelter for Link in his state.

“You think you can glide with me?” She asked, raising her voice to be heard over the wind.

Link tried to reply and instead fell into a coughing fit. It was a wretched sound, heavy with phlegm but not able to move anywhere. He clutched his chest, grimacing a little, and nodded.

That was not reassuring. “Link. I can’t carry you, don’t lie to me if you can’t do it!”

Link swallowed, sitting up a little straighter, more energized after the stamina fruit. “I… I think I can. J-just… not for long.”

That meant she had to figure out the route first.

Zelda went to work quickly, hugging Link and whispering in his ear that she would be back. He slumped against her, letting himself rest in her arms, and it made her heart ache. She wanted to just stay and hold him, to protect him and let him find some relief in her, but she had to figure this out quickly, while there was just enough light left.

With another promise of coming back quickly, she pulled away, leaping into the air. The wind smacked against her, and she quickly pulled out her sailcloth to let it guide her around the walls of the labyrinth. She tried to go by instinct, remembering each turn, at one point rising above all of it to get an overhead view. Eventually, she found the central area, which promised some relief from the harsh winds. It wasn’t hard to retrace her path, and she quickly found Link once more.

Her beloved was asleep again, shoulders rising and falling with his breaths in an attempt to help air move as best it could. It was an ominous sign, and Zelda felt nauseous at the sight of it. She nudged him awake, gave him half of the stamina fruit she herself was carrying, and helped him stand.

Link was unnervingly shaky on his feet, but he again insisted he could handle it. She had him hold her hands to ensure his grip was tight enough to hold the sailcloth and maneuver. Although he clamped down on her hands with enough strength to prove his point, she still worried.

There wasn’t much else she could do, though. She just kept assuring herself that if he slipped, she’d dive down below the maze with him and call her loftwing. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d caught him in midair (she tried not to guiltily think of the last time that happened).

Together, the pair stood at the edge of the platform and then Zelda counted down quickly so Link wouldn’t lose what little strength the stamina fruit had given him. Her heart nearly stopped when they jumped together, eyes never leaving Link, but he managed to hold on as his sailcloth rode the winds around them. Zelda had to lead at that point, but her head felt like it was constantly swiveling to keep track of her friend while they moved through the air.

The journey back to the center felt infinitely longer this time around, but they made it nonetheless. Link’s knees completely buckled when he landed, and though he tried to wrap himself in the sailcloth Zelda had gifted him so he wouldn’t lose it in the wind, but it slipped through his slack fingers as he felt. Zelda caught it as nearly an afterthought as she rushed to help him to the ground.

She pulled Link to her, letting him sit up against her chest so he could breathe better. “Link, what were you thinking coming out here when you were sick?”

Link’s breath rattled in reply as he grew limp with exhaustion. Zelda just buried her face in his shoulder, feeling his head loll against hers.

This was going to be a long night.

Zelda prayed to Farore for help as she counted Link’s breaths. Time crawled by, agonizing in its length as Link’s entire body heaved. As the sky grew black, and the stars twinkled in their excellent fervor, her beloved’s breathing eased a little, having recovered from flying. However, he coughed often, in harsh, horrible fits that hardly moved what it should, and those left him completely depleted. Zelda would rock back and forth, taking him with her, strengthening her back so he could sit against her as tall as possible, watching his ribs become more prominent as the night progressed.

Just when it felt like this nightmare could never end, the stars started to hide behind a shroud of pale pink, and Zelda thanked all three of the ancient goddesses that they’d survived the night.

The instant she determined it was light enough, she leapt over the nearest edge and called her loftwing. When she flew over the maze, she saw Link’s crimson companion circling the area, trilling worriedly. She wondered if he’d been there the entire night - she hadn’t heard him. She probably should have looked, but she was too terrified to think straight. In either case, she whistled sharply at him.

Link’s loftwing eyed her. Zelda whistled again. No loftwing was obligated to listen to someone who wasn’t it’s bonded partner, but Zelda and Link were close enough now that their birds would occasionally tolerate commands from each other, and Link’s intelligent friend could tell he needed help. Crimson followed Zelda and Indigo as they dove towards the center. It hardly had enough space for a loftwing, but Crimson spotted Link and maneuvered easily into place, swooping in and grabbing him with frightening precision.

Zelda hoped the position wouldn’t make Link’s breathing intolerable. But they didn’t have any other option.

The pair flew back to Skyloft at breakneck speed - the other settlements didn’t have the same medical care that Skyloft did. Zelda rushed to Link when his loftwing gently placed him on the ground.

Her friend was awake, cheeks flushed, hair a mess, and he clutched his chest. Zelda slid to her knees beside him. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve had… better flights…” he huffed with a tired smirk.

Zelda wanted to punch him. “This isn’t the time for joking! What were you thinking yesterday?!”

“I… didn’t think… it was…” Link tried to argue only to have to pause to catch his breath, bracing his hands against his legs and leaning forward a little.

Zelda’s worries overrode her frustration, and she waved down the first person she saw, as many had noticed their arrival. Pipit and Groose both came running, as well as Professor Owlan. Thankfully Pipit had an air potion, and the relief on Link’s face was immediately apparent.

Zelda let the men take Link back to his room in the academy, giving them a moment before she checked on him. She found him sitting up against multiple donated pillows, two air potions at his bedside table, bundled up and in comfortable clothes. She smiled in relief, feeling her own chest steadily unclench at the sight.

She offered a quick thanks to Farore before kneeling on the floor and resting her arms and head on the bed. She was exhausted.

She felt Link’s fingers run through her hair before he settled his hand over the back of her head. “Zel…?”

Zelda reached blindly, fingers finding Link’s tunic before she jabbed his chest with her finger. “Don’t. Do that. Again.”

Link let out a sheepish huff. “Sorry, love.”

“This isn’t—your journey is over, and—Link, why—” Zelda shot yo, suddenly agitated, tears stinging in her eyes.

Link looked adequately schooled and apologetic, clearly upset that he’d worried her. “Zelda, I… I’m sorry. I just… I’m used to… to pushing through it. I don’t notice sometimes.”

Used to pushing through it. Zelda felt guilt crush her. She knew why he was used to it.

“Please rest,” Link requested softly. “I’ll be right here. I promise.”

Zelda sighed, reaching over to stroke his cheek. “Only if you rest too.”

Link nodded, offering a tired smile. Zelda wasn’t inclined to kiss him since he was sick, but she gently hugged him instead.

She still worried this would happen again, though.

[remus-poopin]

It seems like you somehow manage to have one foot in the marauders fandom and one in the snape fandom and I’m so impressed. How do you do it?

Also, since you get to see both sides of things I’m wondering what you like the most about each fandom?

Ok this is an interesting question! Honestly I think I’m able to do this, and do this enjoyably, because I really try to make an effort to not moralize. This hasn’t always been how I interacted with fiction in the past, so it’s been a tricky process of learning how to do this with consistency. But it is something that I think is very important for me to do, not only because I have a better time in fandom when I'm not moralizing, but also because it inspires a sort of self reflection and allows me to practice empathy in a way that’s feels more analytical than emotional/inherent. And in the case of navigating two fandoms that have a built in tension between them, this becomes especially helpful.

The tension between the snape and marauders fandom almost always comes down to moralizing. The back and forth arguments between fans are usually rooted in the idea that the other character is not only morally flawed, but more morally flawed than theirs. If you look at any anti Snape or anti James post there’s an underlying agenda that’s trying to prove one is worse than the other. This is pretty irritating to me because I find it to be very boring, silly, and just missing the point of the characters and themes. But this is also irritating because I find that it's ineffective in producing any real meaningful analysis on these characters. Because the goal is not to understand that character, but to condemn them.

(This doesn’t mean that I think you shouldn’t examine the behavior of the characters, just that assigning a moral judgment to that behavior outside the world of that character leads to heavily biased analysis (meaning making it personal and about your standard of morality leads to a messy understanding of the character and story))

Going back to the tension between these fandoms, I think when you’re busy trying to prove how shitty a fictional character is you have a hard time separating them from their fans. Because it’s not really about the character anymore it’s about you and your personal feelings and beliefs.

I very frequently run into posts talking about “snape defenders” and “marauders defenders”, like this is some kind of battle where a side needs to be picked, and then picking a side is a reflection of your morality and politics (I’ve seen marauders fans imply that “snape defenders” are fascists or fascist sympathizers and I’ve seen snape fans call marauders fans “class traitors”, all in the last couple days mind you).

I’m going to be honest and say that whenever this pops up it’s gets pretty frustrating, frustrating because it feels like people are just using these characters as avatars for larger discussions they actually want to be having, but because these characters have specific stories, motivations, and complexities it makes this extremely messy (want to vent about the cult of conservatism that's growing all around us? Bring out the Snape Ken doll and talk about how he deserved his bullying (if he even was bullied)! Hate feeling the weight of capitalism on your chest while the class divide grows larger and larger? Call James “bourgeois scum”!)

(Or as @sideprince wisely said, it’s a way to be political without actually engaging in politics)

So yes I find this tiring, but I also really get it. I have done some form of this myself plenty of times. I am not immune to moralizing or having these same type of strong emotional reactions to a fictional character. In fact, I had this very recently when I watched “Girls” for the first time last month. Until maybe this week I felt a strong hatred for the character “Adam”. This hatred came from seeing him do something in a scene that I considered to be morally repugnant. The scene itself was incredibly graphic and triggering to the point where I had to stop watching the show for a couple days. The disgust response firing in my brain made it so I was incapable of viewing his character as anything but a POS, and all the complexities of him were lost because I refused to engage with them. So all his actions after that were viewed with a moral judgement from me. I mean even when he was being funny, sweet, or just interesting I felt incredibly annoyed because I desperately didn’t want to like him. However I was cognizant of the fact that I was having this sort of moral reaction to fiction because this is a show that is defined by its complex, complicated, and realistic characters, who have all done some very questionable things, and yet he was the only character getting this treatment in my head. So feeling frustrated with my own hypocrisy I decided that I needed to start approaching this differently.

So I made a choice to look at his action, the one that I found disgusting, and start breaking it down: Why did he do that? What was it saying about his relation to shame, power, control, violence, sex, gender, etc.? How else has he reacted to those issues in the show? I kept asking those types of questions, on and on, until suddenly I wasn’t just thinking about the disgusting act itself, but the character. The act stopped being about my own feelings and trauma and became about him.

That’s what I do with the marauders and snape, that’s what I strive to do with any fictional character, because to me that’s the most enjoyable way to engage with fiction. And I find that the fun I have in fandom is greatly limited when I’m pissed at a character, because it makes it difficult to interact with others who are their fans. If I see that someone is playing with that character, a little voice would go, “but what about my anger?” followed by a sharp sting. That type of anger, that moral anger, is personal, but this character is public, it lives beyond me and my feelings. My anger is mine, it never belonged to the public.

And I have at some point felt that same type of moral disgust/anger for both the marauders and snape. But I zeroed in on what specific action was making me feel that way, tried to understand why I had that reaction in the first place, and then went back to the action itself and tried to contextualize it within the character and story so it was removed from myself.

That’s how I’ve been helping myself with the moralizing issue. I’ll still have these reactions in the future, I might even have one on here, but I'll keep working on it. Because either way I love all of these characters and I want to continue to be able to exist in both fandoms without having to choose a side, or even lean a certain way. When you're not trying to win the war on which character was the Shittiest™ the pressure turns off and you can just enjoy these multifaceted characters with their many flaws and many strengths.

And as for what I like most about each fandom: I adore the snapedom because I've always felt that the best meta in the entire hp fandom came from there. Honestly the whole reason I love snape so much wasn't because I ever felt particularly identified with him, but because I read a billion incredible metas and analyses about him and truly came to appreciate his complexities.

For the marauders side I think I really enjoy the camaraderie, there are a lot of really sweet and cool people I’ve talked to on here and that's always been a blast!

[ancha-aus]

DoubleNoot AU Drabble - Next Steps

I got time! Time to write my version of what the next part of the DoubleNoot AU timeline is! Noot² for some :D

Last time on DoubleNoot Adventure! Corrupt split and caused the original Nightmare to return in the heat of battle! As a reaction he took his mates and the newly arrived child and took them back to his home and hideout.

@mikimakiboo Made their own version of this meeting but I also wanted to write it myself and how I see it happening :3 Still their drabble is amazing and everyone needs to show it love :D (yes i linked it last time but come on. This drabble is actually the counterpart to it!)

Also fair warning. I am keeping the pregnancy joke alive. I am not letting that go. It is too funny and too fitting for me. So... warning? discussions of mpreg.

No edits or beta we just going :D (warning. It is a long read.)

*----------------------------*

There... There is a tiny skeleton in his arms. A shaking and terrified skeleton. Corrupt glances around and very slowly places the skeleton on the couch. Only to have to dive back closer to catch him from falling over. Corrupt ends up putting Nightmare in the corner of the couch to enable him to lean against two sides.

There... Is a child. In his house.

One he had thought had died. Correction. One Corrupt had thought he had killed.

What... What does he do now?

Corrupt had reacted impulsive. He doesn't actually have a plan. He just knew he had to get himself and his mates away from the Stars, even if he already felt much better.

Okay. He needs to focus.

Corrupt needs to check his mates and make sure they are okay. Needs to make sure the Stars didn't hurt any of them while he crumbled.

Why is it so hard to look away from Nightmare? Corrupt can't look away. He keeps staring at the young skeleton.

He looks scared as he looks around the area. Pushing himself back against the couch as his chest moves quickly wiht his fast breathing. His clothes are absolutely filthy and goop isn't even the thing that makes it most dirty. Not there is still old dust and blood on his clothes which are ripped and also covered in mud.

But the bones? While also covered with dirt there isn't even a scratch on Nightmare. Which surprises Corrupt. Nightmare had his skull smashed in. Had suffered years of abuse of those villagers. Yet here he sits. Whole. Not as much as a bruise on him.

The only thing that seems wrong is that Nightmare seems to have lost control over his body, but he had also been inactive for 500 years so this may more be a matter of him having to relearn how to walk and move..

Okay. Stop. Think. Waht do you know for sure?

Corrupt just... split in two and Nightmare was removed from his being. Aparently he had Nightmare resting in his body since the apple accident. Maybe instead of forming from Nightmare he formed around Nightmare... it would explain why Corrupt never actually saw Nightmare or dust from him. Corrupt had always assumed that Nightmare hadn't dusted because of his treespirit nature.

Now.

Nightmare had been in his body, aparently slowly healing, and is now out of his body. Corrupt frowns. How come that he has Nightmare's memories in that case? Is it because Nightmare was the one to eat the apple? Does that mean that all those things he remembers and remembered feeling was all Nightmare and never his own.

Corrupt takes another depe breath to try and stay focussed. He still glances to make sure Nightmare is still where he left him. He is.

Okay. Corrupt will ahve to think about everything that this means later. Now he has to make sure everyone is okay... also make sure that Nightmare gets clean and situated. It... unnerves him to not have Nightmare with him. Corrupt doesn't knwo a lot but knows his being misses having Nightmare close.

"Euh... Moonlight?"

Corrupt frowns and turns slowly.

Killer looks between Nightmare and Corrupt "You know... I know we aren't always the most... serious bunch... but you could have told us you were pregnant... we could have handled it and could have helped."

It takes amoment before Corrupt sputters and glares at one of his mates "I wasn't pregnant!" He snaps but sees Ngihtmare flinch at the sound. Corrupt mentally decides to not shout anymore.

Killer just raises a brow as he crosses his arms before looking pointly at Nightmare "Really? Because that is a whole ass child-"

Cross shoots him a disapproving look "Don't curse!"

Killer blinks and looks over "The kid is already like... eight?" he tilts his skull at Nightmare.

Nightmare however shrinks in on himself as he tries to disappear into the couch.

Corrupt answers instead "He is ten actually. Just... tiny." he frowns. aparently Nightmare is just short? Corrupt himself is also short and he took some of his appearances over from Nightmare...

Killer frowns "Wait... ten years? How long have we all been together?" He looks very disappointed "We aren't the dads?"

Corrupt sputters again but manages to keep his voice down "I wasn't pregnant."

Horror speaks up as he glances up from his phone "According to the definition of giving birth which is: The emergence of a baby or other young from the body of its mother; the start of life as a physically separate being." Horror waves into the direction of Ngihtmare "Young." and he just looks pointedly at Corrupt.

Corrupt sighs as he rubs his face "I wasn't pregnant. I didn't give birth." he looks at Nightmare and frowns "I didn't even... i thought he was dead..." Nightmare stares back at him but gets a tiny frown on his face. Corrupt isn't sure what is on his face... probably grief. there always is grief when he thought about Nightmare.

Cross joins his side and holds his hand "hey... you could also have told us you miscarriaged... We could have helped..." he smiles.

Corrupt rubs his skull as he shakes his skull "No. I wasn't pregnant... Meet... Nightmare." Ngihtmare flinches at his name and when the others all start staring at him. Shit. Corrupt regrets that...

Dust frowns "I thought you said..."

Corrupt groans as he takes a deep sigh "I know... I know what i said. I thought the same. This is also very much a surprise for me."

"how do you know my name?"

silence and Crorupt looks back at Nightmare. Ngihtmare still looks terrified. He is obviously terrified. but he has a very tiny stubborn glare on his face. One hand has formed a fist and is shaking sligthly. Nightmare keeps staring at Corrupt specifically.

Corrupt blinks and speaks softly "I.... What do you remember?" does he remember everything that Corrupt remembered?

Nightmare frowns as he thinks before looks at Corrupt distrusting "You first. What do you know?"

Killer snorts "suspicious little fellow." he points at Corrupt "That is corrupt. I am Killer." he points everyone out as he names everyone. Corrupt is watching closely and can see more and more panick appear in Ngihtmare's posture as each name is given.

right... Very unfriendly names. Corrupt now regrets not agreeing to taking a friendlier name. He makes the decision as he walks over to Nightmare and takes a seat before him. He makes sure to keep his tentacles low but not to hide them, same for his arms.

Hidden limbs can attack him and hurt him. This way Nightmare can keep and easy eye on everything.

Corrupt speaks softly, making sure to keep his voice soft and quiet just in case "I must admit I am not quite sure myself anymore. I am Corrupt. When you ate the apple of the tree I formed. I always believed that you had died and I formed from that moment with the apple's magic and power... I was unaware you were with me the whole time. How are you feeling? What do you remember?" and he waits. He knows this is a lot of information.

Nightmare frowns as he looks down slightly. Thinking. He looks at his hand and frowns as he touches some of his fingers. Corrupt follows the sight and knows why Nightmare must be confused. The villages had smashed his phalanges with a large bat just days before the apple incident. Those breaks should have been there still.

Nightmare forms a fist again as he holds said hand with his other "I... I think i... remember eating it..." he frowns more before flinching. Corrupt frowns and looks over his shoulder. Right.

He sighs "Loves. please back up a tiny bit." the four had started to gravitate closer but they seem to realise the problem. They give some quiet sorries and back up a bit.

Corrupt looks amused at them before motioning towards the other couches and chairs "Just sit down for a moment." He first needs to get Ngihtmare to relax just a tiny bit. Corrupt doubts he can move alright just yet and Corrupt wants him to be at least a bit calmer before he tries to ask if Nightmare wnats to get clean.

His mates luckily all listen and sit down and get comfortable as they start checking each other. Corrupt smiles, that is good. This way he is at least sure that they are all alright and no one is hurt.

Corrupt turns back to Nightmare who is staring at him. But he looks away as soon as Corrupt looks at him. Corrupt chuckles "It is alright... I can only imagine I must look very strange to you."

Ngihtmare shrugs and mutters "Not... that weird..." he grins a tiny bit as he glances up at him "I am a treespirit..."

Corrupt chcukles and nods "true..."

Nightmare glances to the side and Corrupt realises what Nightmare must be glancing it. Corrupt slowly makes one of his tentacles raise a little and makes it wave.

Nightmare blinks and looks at Corrupt "Are those..."

Corrupt nods "They are... made of negative energy." he brings it closer "We got that in common. Both of us have powers connected to the more negative things to feel." he lets the tendril hover near Nightmare.

Nightmare stares at it before very slowly touching the tendril. As soon as he touches it the negativity and magic in his being reacts. Because the area around the tendril starts to shine and show of cyan coloured swirls.

Nightmare stares and starts to smile "wow... I didn't know my stuff could be pretty..." he touches one of the shown swirls wiht his other hands and the area of effect expands a tiny bit.

Corrupt nods as he mutters "Even if everyone looks down on negativity. It has its good adn beautiful sides. Everything has, including the negative emotions."

Nightmar elooks unconvinced and that doesn't surprise Corrupt. Nightmare is used to being harrassed, bullied, hurt and abused over what he was connected to. His powers and role only every brough him pain.

Maybe Corrupt can at least show him the more beautiful side of their emotional powers. Show it is a part of healing and growth. That it has a connection to justice and protecting others.

Nightmare ends up focussing back on the tentacle in front of him and watching their magic react to one another. Familiar and calm. Both magicks seem to know the other and it helps Ngihtmare feel safe.

Some movement by his side and Corrupt watches as Cross is now near him before sitting on the ground with his back against the couch. Ngihtamre shoots him a look for a moment before calming down when the other's attention isn't on him. Nightmare turns back to the tentacle.

Cross looks over nervously before turning to Corrupt "what... what is the plan? are we just... going to..." he shoots Ngihtmare a look "Can we just keep him?"

Nightmare freezes and grabs the tentacle tighter.

Corrupt frowns as he looks at Nightmare. The idea... of leaving him somewhere? No... they can't just leave him somewhere.

Cross rubs his arm as he continues to speak "Like... I am not... sure how good I am at this dad thing?" he cringes "But I can learn! probably." he grins as he looks nervous.

Killer laughs as he lounges on the other couch, obviously watching them "I mean. I think this one is dips for either Horror or Dust. You know. Cyan of Cors and red of either of them makes purple for little nightlight."

Corrupt shoots Killer a glare "I wasn't pregnant."

horror hums and nods "Dust then. I don't have enough magic to get anyone pregnant."

Dust shrugs "Cool. I am upper-dad."

Killer grins "It has been decided!" and he throws his arms out with a laugh.

Corrupt sighs deeply as he looks back at Nightmare however just looks at the other four. Looking a tiny bit more relaxed and with a slightly tilted skull.

Corrupt speaks softly "Are you okay with staying here for a little bit? I swear to you that no one will harm you here, ever." It is why he made this place. it was a place of safety and shelter. For himself and those he holds so dear.

Nightmare looks at him, looks at the others, then looks at where their magicks interact and strengthen each other. Nightmare frowns but nods "Okay..."

Corrupt smiles "Thank you." he looks at his mates "How do you four feel?"

Killer grins "A bit tired but nothing too bad."

Cross nods and sits up straight "We are ready to do whatever!"

Corrupt sees both Horror and Dust give their own okays before nodding "Cross and Killer, can you two go to Littletale and get some supplies? We will need clothes foremost but anything that can fit a ten year old is helpful." furniture will come later once they figure out which room is right for the tiny prince-

Oh... Corrupt is already considering calling him prince compared to his own king title...

Maybe his mates have a point about how this whole situation happened. He does feel very protective over Nightmare... Again things to consider when he has the time.

He focusses on the mission "Dust. If you can go around the castle and secure the place. Make it safer." a glance confirms that Dust shoots their training room a look before nodding. He had figured Dust would understand what he meant without having to point out how many weapons they have, which will just make Ngihtmare nervous.

He looks at Horror "Love?"

Horror grins and nods "I will be in the kitchen. Allergies?"

Corrupt shakes his skull and looks at Nightmare "Not that i can remember... Nightmare? Are there any things you don't like the taste or texture off?"

Nightmare looks confused "texture?"

Corrupt smiles "Well yeah... I know I dislike either quite a few things that feel strange to me to eat. Anything you don't like?"

Nightmare thinks before speaking "I don't like.... mushy stuff? feels weird to chew..."

Corrupt looks at Horror and Horror nods before looking at Nightmare "Anything you like?"

Nightmare blinks and actually focusses on Horror for a moment. His hold on his tentacle tightens but seems to relax when he sees that Horror just waits as he stays in place and doesn't get closer.

Nightmare looks away and shrugs "Don't have stuff that i really like..." he rubs the tentacle. maybe it helps to sooth him?

Horror nods "Fair enough. We will have to get you to taste test a few things to see what you like." and he walks off before he can get a reply.

The others had already quietly left the room which Ngihtmare registers as he looks around soft "They move quiet..."

Corrupt nods "I know. I hardly ever hear them. I notice them by sensing their emotions more than anything."

Nightmare looks up unsure "They... they won't get mad? Others always get mad when i... used that..."

Corrupt smiles and shakes his skull "They won't... Will you let me help you get cleaned up?"

Ngihtmare blinks and looks down only to stare at the mess he is. Clearly not having realised that "Oh... euh..." he looks unsure as he looks hard at Corrupt "You... ARe you the one who spoke to me?"

Corrupt frowns as he tilts his skull "spoke?"

Nightmare nods as he rubs his hand "When... whenever i was sad and scared... I always heard this voice... it was very quiet and begged me to stay near... let them help... Was that you?"

Corrupt frowns as he thinks back. trying to remember the voice that Nightmare speaks off. But he can't remember those moments... What he does remember instead are his dream. showing the other side of the same conversation. Corrupt looks at Nightmare "I must admit I am unsure myself. I do not have memories of my own from before you ate the apple. I do... however... have your memories. For a long time i beleived those to be my own."

Nightmare looks away ashamed and mutters "oh...."

Corrupt shakes his skull "You don't need to be ashamed... you are a child... you shouldn't have had the pressure on you that was placed on you... and those who hurt you... they are the ones who are wrong. You never did anything wrong."

Ngihtmare nods but looks sad "I... I thought you were that voice... you sounded familiar and... I felt like i knew you."

Corrupt frowns and speaks sfotly "There are however dreams i had. Dreams that I wasn't you. But looking on from the outside... unable to assist. But I wanted to help you."

Nightmare thinks it over before looking at Corrupt and nods "okay... I would like being clean..."

Corrupt smiles and carefully picks Nightmare up. Noticing now that any goop touching any bones on Ngihtmare causes the same effect as the touches to the tentacles had caused. He hadn't noticed in his panic before.

Corrupt slowly leaves the living room and goes towards the hall before going up the stairs. As he walks he points at each room and area as he softly explains what is what. Ngihtmare looks around in shock and mutters about it being an actual castle. Corrupt smiles as he feels the excitement slowly start to appear in the younger empath.

They get to Corrupts room and he takes Ngihtmare towards the bathroom. Ngihtmare looks around confused as his hold tightens "what?"

Corrupt speaks softly as he explaisn how the bathroom works before turning on the tab of the bath. Letting Nightmare feel the water before making sure the water is nice and comfortable. He lets Ngihtmare sit by the water and play wiht it as he goes to look through the soaps and brushes. Getting everything needed to help clean up the young skeleton.

It only takes a moment before Corrupt returns to Nightmare's side. Ngihtmare looks nervous at him before looking at the water "will... will the water hurt you?"

corrupt stops and stares at Ngihtmare. He had expected th young skeleton to be worried about being exposed and naked in front of someone he didn't know. instead he is worried about Corrupt.

Corrupt smiles "I will be fine. Water does not bother me." to show he puts his hand in the water and shows how his goop just doesnt'mix with the water, all the rises off him was some old dirt from the battle. Nightmare looks at it curiously and touches it. the goop still lights up when their magic meets.

Ngihtmare frowns "why does it do that?"

Corrupt hums and shrugs "I can only assume it is because our magics have a similar source. it recognises each other as-" family. He manages to stop himself.

Nightmare tilts his skull as he stares at him. a tiny smile appears on his face "I already got a mom though."

Corrupt sighs and looks at the younger monster "please don't start to. I already have four of them doing that joke."

Nightmare chuckles before looking at the water "Bath time?"

Corrupt nods and gently helps Ngihtmare out of his dirty clothes and into the water. Ngihtmare hums happily and relaxes. Corrupt looks him over but doens't see any scars or marks of the past wounds. completely healed.

Corrupt smiles "You really are healed..." It makes it worth it. Makes it worth having to experience the pain of Ngihtmare splitting from his body.

Nightmare looks in awe at his body "You healed me... You kept your promise."

Corrupt frowns as he starts helping the younger monster bath as he still can't quite move right yet "What do you mean?"

Ngihtmare hums as he relaxes into his hold, full trust "The voice... it said that if i just gave in. To accept help. That the pain would stop." he smiles "You stopped the pain."

Corrupt looks at him before smiling "I am happy I was able to help you. I was worried before... That i had hurt you... that eating the apple to make me, destroyed you."

Nightmare keeps looking at him. Some suspicion in his feelings before he relaxes and smiles back. believing him. Why would Nightmare just believe Corrupt on his word-

Oh... of course...

Nightmare and Corrupt are both empaths. They can feel the other and feel that they are both honest. That they don't want to hurt each other.

That is what the trust is build upon. Something that was clear instantly from their first interaction.

After that Corrupt just helps Nightmare get clean as Ngihtmare uses the water to slwoly move his limbs.

Nightmare looks unhappy with the uneasy movement.

Corrupt chcukles "You were asleep for a long time Nightmare. It will take some time before you regain your full movement again."

Nightmare looks at him "Why... why did Drema shoot you?" he looks so confused "Your magic is like mine... why would he attack you?"

Corrupt stops and sighs "Your brother hates me. Because He thought I killed you."

Nightmare frowns as he looks up at him "But... you didn't... it was.. them... the villagers... not you..." he frowns "did you tell Dream that?"

Corrupt sighs "I tried to explain it to him a long time ago... He didn't beleive me."

Nightmare just looks sad as he leans heavily into his hold "He never believed me either."

Corrupt frowns "I am sorry."

Nightmare shrugs as he moves the dirty water around "I am used to it..."

Corrupt rubs his shoulders "People believe what you say here. I promise. They will listen to you."

Nightmare frowns before nodding "okay."

Corrupt nods before smiling "Ready to get dressed?"

Nightmare frowns at the sad pile of clothes "i guess?"

Corrupt shakes his skull and stands up "You are comfortable right? stable? No leanign to the side?"

Ngihtmare looks unsure but nods "I am okay... No one will get in?"

Corrupt nods "no one will bother you." Ngihtmare accepts it and Corrupt quickly goes ot his closet and reaches around. It doesn't take long before finding a soft sweater and some sweats. He returns to the bathroom and helps Ngihtmare dry off before helping him get dressed.

Clean and comfrotable safely in his arms.

Corrupt looks at Nightmare "ready to get some food?"

Nightmare looks at him before nodding "okay."

Corrupt leaves his room and goes towards the kitchen to meet up with one of his mates. Hopefully the others will like and accept Nightmare as easily as Corrupt did.

*--------------------*

Next Part.

[transkingcobra]

Word count: 5.5k

Rating: Explicit Relationships: Astarion/Halsin Additional Tags: Bottom Halsin (Baldur's Gate), Top Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Sub Halsin (Baldur's Gate), Dom Astarion (Baldur's Gate), Teasing, Orgasm Denial, Spanking, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, they switch top/bottom a moment at the end but dom/sub stays Summary:

Halsin jokingly promises not to get kidnapped again while he goes off to travel for a meeting.

He does not keep that promise.

Astarion has to track him down and "punishes" him for breaking his promise.

Or read below:

Astarion sat by the window, watching the breeze gently rustle the trees. The full moon tonight only meant too much time had passed. He crossed his arms, tapped his foot. Halsin should be home by now.

The bear had left on the previous full moon with an “it shall only take two tenday, my love,” claiming his trip would help their little community. Some diplomatic thing Astarion quite honestly didn’t care enough to listen to. Now he wished he had.

“You can leave me for that long if you promise me one thing.”

“Of course, my heart. What is it?”

“Don’t go getting locked up again, darling.”

They both laughed back then. Rescuing the bear twice in the span of a few months, hearing about the drow house that took him before that, knowing the ever-trusting wood elf probably had many close-calls if not more stories where he did manage to escape on his own - Halsin seemed to have a habit of getting captured. Astarion had promised himself he wouldn’t let that happen to his love anymore. Their life in Reithwin had been anything but easy at the beginning - building a community from the ground up never would have been - but it was a far different type of difficulty than the journey they had made together before. Kidnapping just simply wasn’t on their mind. 

Astarion rose to his feet and began searching through every letter, every bird-sent note, every scroll, anything that might tell the vampire what his bear had gotten himself into. If he had only paid closer attention, maybe he’d have seen this was all some trick… At the very least he’d know where in the hells Halsin ran off to, but he couldn’t even remember that. 

You were supposed to protect him

You said you would keep him safe

You couldn’t even be bothered to care about where he was going

You don’t even know what he was doing

How can you say you even love him

If you loved him you would have-

“Shut up!” If his dead heart could beat, it would be pounding in his ears. The labored breaths he didn’t need to take only accentuated his shaking hands. Astarion looked at the mess of parchment before him, realizing he didn’t remember any word he just supposedly read. Standing tall, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

Breathe, my heart.

Breathe.

His red eyes opened again and fell on the small statue of Silvanus. A god who hated him, surely, but who Astarion had asked Halsin to teach him about anyway. A way to connect with and learn more about his precious love, he thought. A small shrine they could share, but ultimately for Astarion to use when he couldn’t be out in nature itself during the day.

Calm, my love.

It is alright.

Take your time.

Find your balance.

Astarion wouldn’t find his big hunk of an elf in a blind panic. He collected the mess he made and glanced back to the statue.

“I know you wouldn’t give a damn to do it for me, but he’s faithful to you through and through. Since we can’t keep him out of trouble, could you at least keep the damned bear alive until I find him?” Silence was his only response, but it was expected. The vampire sat at the table and started to actually read.

Now calmed, it didn’t take long before he finally found letters involving the trip Halsin was to take. The supposed two-tenday schedule, names, locations. And every letter, a glaring red flag that something was wrong. Sickly sweet promises with vague words surely meant as loopholes if not simply lies. If Astarion had paid closer attention, been more involved- no. The past was in the past. All he could do now was look to the future and deal with the consequences. The vampire spawn had his freedom. His choices were his to make - the good and the bad. And they were his to make up for. 

Astarion went over the information multiple times to make sure he had it all in his head. He counted the hours once the sun rose, gathering all he would need to leave on the same path Halsin was supposed to have taken. He was covered head to toe - the only skin of his that was visible was the small amount around his eyes between the large cowl and mask. Rhapsody was removed from its display on the wall. Astarion was going to kill again.

–

Now, the pale elf wasn’t a details person, but sneaking around in dimly-lit tunnels and silently killing anyone he came across? That he could do with ease. It hadn’t been hard to find the place Halsin was supposed to have met the others in, and the bottle of wine he brought from home was proudly sat out on a table still. The secret room was not so hidden from the rogue, and the hatch inside led him into what seemed a small dungeon of sorts. His bear was here somewhere, all Astarion had to do was find him. 

The trail of bodies the vampire left behind gave off a lovely scent. He even drained one man in his entirety, giving Astarion more euphoric energy than he’s had since his first feeding. He was already faster and stronger without the tadpole, but with a full body’s worth of blood in him he nearly felt alive again. He would empty this place if he had to for his bear. No, he wanted to empty this place. It is what they all deserved for taking Halsin from him. 

The last guard fell to his knees, lifelessly flopping to the side after the impact. Astarion plucked the keys from the corpse and waltzed into the small prison. The few cells were empty save for the one straight ahead. Halsin knelt on the cold stone floor, slouched forward with both hands and feet restrained. He didn’t look up yet, but Astarion felt relieved that not only was his bear alive but didn’t appear to be too physically beaten. He saw a couple bruises but didn’t see any blood, nor did he smell any fresh wounds. 

The rogue walked up to the bars of the cell, leaning on them as he rested his arms through the iron. 

“Darling, what did I tell you?” The vampire’s words were met with an immediate shift in the druid. Halsin sat up, looking to his lover with disbelief then happiness and relief. 

“Astarion, you-”

“Ah ah, what did you promise me?” Astarion wanted his bear, but there was no rush anymore. He had removed every threat on the way down here. There was all the time in the world to make sure his bear remembered his broken promise.

“That I would not get locked up again…” The bear smiled in embarrassment. He truly did have a habit of being captured…

“And what am I seeing here, exactly?”

“I was locked up again…”

“Precisely. Now here I am, forced to play hero for you again…” Astarion unlocked the door and slowly swung it open, only taking a couple steps inside before crossing his arms. “Really, darling, it does not suit me.” 

“I would beg to differ.” Halsin struggled slightly against his chains as the vampire walked closer, clearly eager to hold his love once more. But Astarion stopped just one step in front of the captive. 

“Hm… That is certainly an idea.” The pale elf watched the slight confusion on Halsin’s face. He knew he was being rescued, but why was his love holding back? “Perhaps if I make you beg to be released, you’ll try not to get kidnapped again, hm?” 

“Astarion…” The bear smiled sheepishly, looking away as a light blush dusted his face. A gentle hand turned him to face forward again. Astarion leaned down as his other hand lowered his mask, kissing his druid and gently biting his lips just enough to draw a pinprick of blood. His love always did taste so sweet. Halsin tried to chase the vampire’s lips as he pulled away, stopped by the chains behind him.

“Did you want something, love?” Astarion gently traced a finger over the tattoo running down Halsin’s cheek. The bear nuzzled into the touch, only for the hand to be pulled away.

“My heart, please…” The way the plea fell upon Astarion’s ears almost made him buckle immediately. How could he leave his beloved bear chained up in such a dingy place? But the blush on Halsin’s face radiated even more heat, his chest breathed deeper, and his legs shifted as a bulge grew in his pants. The vampire could even smell the start of his arousal already.

“Darling, if you want me so badly, you really should learn how to make it home in a timely fashion, then.” He placed a hand on Halsin’s forehead and gently but firmly pushed. “Sit.” Halsin easily sat back on his heels. The bear eagerly waited to be released as Astarion slowly walked around behind him, but the vampire only kept his gait and circled back around. 

“My love…?” His desire left him nearly breathless as it was, and the smirk on his partner’s face did not help. 

“I know, dear bear, I know.” Astarion slowly removed his outermost garments he used to be sure he was shielded from the sun, dutifully folding them one by one and placing them by the cell door. Halsin stared in awe. He saw Astarion every day, yet his beauty was always a wonder to behold. And, after a month of not seeing him, even this dim torchlight made for a glorious view. The light dancing off his white curls, the way the flames complimented his ruby red eyes, his pale skin contrasting the dreary stone surrounding them. He shifted in place again, trying to relieve some of the need growing between his legs.

Astarion used to hate such looks. If it were anyone else, he still would. But he knew there was more - far more - than just lust in the way Halsin stared. The bear didn’t just want his body, he wanted to share in everything that was Astarion. Halsin did his damnedest to make sure the pale elf knew it, too. 

The druid also made certain Astarion knew he was always in control of what happened while they were intimate. It didn’t matter what they were doing - who was on top, who was leading - the vampire could always end it, always request or even demand a change or a pause. It had taken a while to sink in, to feel real, but once it did, Astarion finally felt truly safe enough to find himself again. He could explore without fear, and that had made Halsin all the more irresistible. But, here and now, he could only think about how much further that power was taken. Halsin could do nothing to him without Astarion allowing it, and even then what he could do was fairly limited. 

The vampire hooked his thumbs into his waistband, slowly lowering his pants - the band now sitting just below his ass and freeing his own growing arousal. Halsin watched every movement, every inch of revealed flesh. He was surprised Astarion would wish to do anything in such a dirty place, but he would not be complaining. He adored every aspect of his love exploring his own desires when it came to intimacy, and he was grateful it now meant he would not have to wait to have him. The bear only didn’t realize how long he would still be waiting.

“See something you want, darling?” Astarion teased as he began slow strokes up and down his shaft.

“Yes…” Halsin swallowed hard at the sight. He glanced up at the rogue’s face, big eyes begging with want and desire. He once again pulled against the chains as he tried to get closer. Oh, Astarion was going to fully enjoy this.

“Can you be good for me, then? Promise you’ll behave and keep your promise this time?” The vampire took one step towards the bear, not releasing himself for a moment. 

“I can, yes,” he near pleaded as he tried to lean forward more. Astarion took note of just how far he could reach and stepped closer.

“Sit back, dear.” The bear obediently sat once more, eagerly waiting for his love. “Now, promise me you won’t orgasm until I allow it.” The demand only made the heat rise between the druid’s legs.

“I promise…”

“Promise what?”

“I promise I won’t orgasm until you tell me to.”

“Good boy.” Astarion took another step, taking a moment to focus on himself. He let out a small moan and watched as Halsin licked at his lips, staring at the droplet of precum beading up on his lover’s tip. “You seem awfully needy, darling. Would you like a taste?”

“Please, yes-” Halsin immediately leaned forward to take Astarion into his mouth, only for the pale elf to step back mere inches out of reach. “Astarion…” Halsin pulled against his chains, aching for even the slightest taste. The slightest touch…

“Shhhh sh sh. I never said you could. You’ll get whatever I give you, darling. And you will wait patiently for it, as I had to wait on you.” The vampire could feel the druid’s hot breath for how close his mouth was to what it wanted. Astarion drew out long, agonizingly slow pumps as his knuckles ever so slightly bumped up against Halsin’s nose. The bear soaked in every touch, a starving man given crumbs. The vampire took his free hand and gently ran it along the top of Halsin’s head, removing the tie and letting his hair fall. He tossed the tie over near his pile of clothing before softly running his fingers through the brunet locks. The bear leaned into the embrace ever so slightly and closed his eyes - Astarion noticing as he deeply inhaled the vampire’s scent. Halsin looked so needy, so desperate, yet also so at peace. The rogue could so easily use his mouth - ruin his peaceful expression with the exact thing he wanted. “Love.” Those blue-gold eyes opened and looked up to him, tinted by the firelight. “You can have this reward if you take your punishment well enough.” Halsin’s eyes widened slightly in confusion. Was this not the punishment? “I think you deserve a slap to the ass for every single day you made me wait.” 

“I- you-” He was no stranger to spankings, many people over his centuries of life enjoyed such from him, but he was a stranger to being on the receiving end of them. And, Oak Father preserve him, did Astarion mean every single day he was gone? Or merely the extra time after he was expected home? Astarion could clearly see the bear debating to himself if it was worth the pain to have what he wanted now rather than later.

“Now or at home, darling. Choose. Quickly.” 

“Now-!” Halsin begged, trying and failing to reach further again as Astarion leaned back.

“Alright, love. Behave and be still.” Astarion gently pushed some strands of hair behind the bear’s pointed ear before pulling his pants back up, ignoring how his body begged as Halsin did. He walked behind the large elf and knelt down. “Still, darling,” Astarion reminded as he slowly lowered Halsin’s pants down around his knees, the druid shifting both in an attempt to help and to create friction where he could. Halsin groaned low at his new exposure. He knew what was coming first, but he was far too excited for what came after. Hells, he was excited just for Astarion to touch him for more than a moment, anywhere in any way. The vampire undid the lock that connected the cuffs on his hands to the ones on his feet and stood, promptly walking out of the cell beyond where the druid could see. 

“Astarion…?” 

“Relax, love, I didn’t leave,” Astarion said as he walked back into the cell with a chair. “Far better than the floor. Move back, darling.” Halsin worked his way backwards on his knees, the chain holding him finally going slack and pooling under him. His partner placed the chair where he once was and sat. Halsin wanted to nuzzle his face into the rogue’s lap. Wanted to climb into his lap. Wanted to taste him. Wanted to ask to ride him. Wanted to smell him. Wanted to kiss him. Wanted to do anything with him, but he managed to wait for his instruction - his permission - to do as Astarion pleased. The vampire patted his lap. “Lie up here, love.” 

Halsin stood - somewhat awkwardly from the chains - and was glad to be off his knees. Astarion helped his bear keep his balance as he lay his body across the offered lap. The pressure of simply lying there sent a wave of pleasure down his spine - a constant touch, not just a moment. He could feel his love’s ignored arousal pressing into his side, his own caught between his stomach and Astarion’s leg. He rolled his hips slightly, but it earned him a swift and stinging slap to his exposed ass. 

“Ngh!”

“Stay still, my dear bear.” The vampire gently rubbed the stinging area. “You can have your pleasure if you behave through your punishment. Understood?” 

“Yes, I understand…” Halsin fought the urge to rut against his lover. He only had to deal with… admittedly an unknown number of slaps before he could have his pleasure, but he could handle them. 

“Now, be a good boy and count them.” In truth, Astarion hadn’t decided how many times he was going to spank his bear. He was enjoying this little powerplay he pulled - Halsin seemed to be enjoying it thoroughly, too - but he wasn’t sure how far he’d be able to go himself. Sixteen hits seemed a fair amount - they hadn’t yet done this together, he wasn’t sure how often Halsin had before, he honestly wasn’t sure how much harm he could handle inflicting on his bear, and he may grow impatient himself. It would cover the extra tenday he waited and the six days he hurried to get here. Perhaps he should leave it there - a trial run they could take further back home if they wanted to…

With his mind made, he released Halsin’s cheek to pull back and deliver another swift slap.

“Mm- one.” Prepared, Halsin’s reaction was far less than the first. Astarion was glad for it and delivered two more blows to his soft flesh. “Two- three!” The bear moved slightly with each impact. Astarion paid close attention to it, but so long as the bear did not finish without permission and seemed to only move unwillingly, he would leave him be. The vampire pulled his hand back and spanked him again. “Four…” And again. “Five.” 

“Good boy,” Astarion cooed as he landed a harsher strike.

“Ngh- six!” Halsin’s head hung unsupported in his mix of pain and pleasure. The friction he received against his neglected erection with every impact had him far closer than he thought he would be. It would be harder to hold himself back than he thought… “Seven-!” His realization was cut off by another slap. Astarion groped at his right cheek a moment before delivering the next three blows one right after the other, each a little harder than the last. “Eight- nine-! Hgn! Hahh…” Halsin breathed heavily. He was not expecting Astarion to become harsher in such rapid succession, and the quick blows made it even harder to hold himself back. 

“Count, darling.” The vampire suddenly worried he had asked too much of his bear.

“Ten…”

“Good boy.” Astarion softly ran his fingertips over the reddening ass of his love. “Are you alright? This isn’t too much, love…?” 

“I am fine… I am, ah, close…” Oh. Astarion had not expected Halsin to enjoy it that much. 

“Well, I did not give you permission to finish yet, so don’t go breaking another promise, my dear bear.” The vampire quickly fell back into his fun new role, deciding sixteen truly was the perfect starting number. If he wasn’t going to get much more out of the bear without him climaxing like this, a few more would round it off nicely before his reward. 

“I will do my best for you, my heart.” 

“I waited a tenday extra for you.” Astarion ran his fingers down the center of Halsin’s ass, down and off his balls. It earned him a shudder from the druid. “Then, it took me six days to run out here, darling.” He ran his fingers back up, but stopped at Halsin’s entrance. “You want me here, my dear?”

“Yes…! Please…” The bear rolled his hips back eagerly. 

“Ah ah, be good and stay still,” the vampire scolded with a gentle and teasing pat. Halsin reluctantly lowered himself back as he was before. “If you can handle six more, you can have your reward. Think you can do that for me?”

“I can, please…” 

Astarion gently dragged his nails down Halsin’s left thigh and back up again, doing the same to the right while his other hand softly played with the bear’s hair. He gave his lover some time to calm down before continuing - he didn’t mind if Halsin finished too early but he would rather not need to wash cum off his pants right now. 

“Alright, love. Count again.” Just as he finished speaking the command, he let a blow land as hard as the last ones. 

“Ah- one! Nmm…” Halsin groaned as he absentmindedly rolled his hips. 

“No, love. Stay still. Don’t mess it up right at the end, now.” Once the bear settled again, Astarion quickly slapped each cheek. 

“Two- ngh! Three…” The vampire watched in delight as he could physically see Halsin trying to contain himself. He was such a good bear when he wanted to be. 

“Good boy.” The rogue rubbed at the red flesh before hitting it again a bit harder. 

“Four-“ And again. “Five!”

Astarion could feel Halsin bracing himself. One more, potentially harsher than all the others, but most importantly the one that meant he’d be rewarded soon. He’d feel his lover where he wanted him most and be able to stop fighting off his orgasm. 

The vampire decided the last one could have his full force behind it. Halsin seemed to be doing well with all the others and even admitted to his arousal, this would surely be fine. When his hand connected to his lovers ass one more time, the clap echoed far beyond the cell. 

“Gah! Ngh, six…” Halsin’s full body recoiled as much as it could, but only left concern sit with Astarion for the slightest moment. “I… I can have you… now, yes?” The bear breathed heavily through pain and arousal in equal measure as he settled back on Astarion’s lap, trying to crane his neck to look back up at his vampire. 

“You will get your reward now, yes.” The pale elf gently caressed the stinging flesh he had been abusing. “Do you want a moment first, darling?”

“I want you…” 

“Alright, my dear bear. Up now, easy…” Astarion helped the druid to his feet, a little wobbly from the pain and still-burning arousal - the pants around his knees not helping, either. The vampire slowly circled him, a predator eyeing his prey. He watched as Halsin’s large chest rose and fell with each breath, full of desire. Watched how his cock twitched in anticipation when the vampire brushed a finger along his hip. Astarion looked up to his love, his expression softening even in such a scene. He smiled, and his bear smiled in return. “Kiss me, love.” Halsin leaned down to meet his vampire’s lips - a deep and hungry kiss. Oh, how he missed this. 

“Astarion, please…”

“Impatient, are we, darling?” Astarion teased and only got a near growl in his ear in response. “I know, love,” he chuckled. “Let me undress.” 

Halsin stood upright once more and eagerly watched as the rest of Astarion’s clothes were peeled away and added to the pile. The vampire’s ignored arousal was on display again, Halsin’s aching even more for it. Astarion caressed the bear’s face and pulled him back into a kiss - Halsin trying desperately to be as close to him as possible. He couldn’t hold him, but he could press himself against the pale elf and kiss with the hunger of a man starved. Astarion chuckled into the kiss, not only for his lover’s adorable desperation but for the hard heat pressed into his stomach. 

“Okay, okay,” the vampire finally pulled back, Halsin trying to chase his lips and body. “You’ve waited long enough. Kneel.” The bear obediently went down, smiling up at Astarion ever so sweetly. “Cute.” The rogue kissed the top of his head before placing the chair sideways in front of him. Walking around behind him, Astarion knelt down and gently pressed between the bear’s shoulder blades. “Bend over.” He preferred his bear’s face fully down, but he wasn’t making him do that in such a place - leaned forward on the chair would work for right now. Astarion groped at his ass, earning a groan as he massaged the still-sensitive flesh. When he released one hand, he held it under Halsin’s. “You know what I need, love.” The druid quickly summoned some slick into his partner’s hand. “Good boy.” Astarion coated his fingers before gently teasing at Halsin’s entrance. The bear pushed back some, more than eager. 

“Please…” Astarion finally gave into his lover’s pleas and slid a finger inside of him. Halsin let out the most relieved sigh Astarion had ever heard and tried to spread his legs further. “More…?” He asked like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to ask for anything so soon. The rest of their night had felt so slow - so long - that this almost felt like it must be drawn out, too. But Astarion obliged happily, stretching his bear out with a second finger. Halsin moaned low as the fingers were thrust in and out of his hole at a gentle, lazy pace, a shudder rolling through him. “Astarion… Please, I want you,” the large elf nearly begged as he tried to look back over his shoulder. 

“Ready so soon, darling?” 

“Yes, please…”

“If you’re certain.” The vampire slowly withdrew his fingers, using the slick on his palm to coat himself. “You eager bear,” he teased before burying himself in his lover’s ass. 

“Mm,” the druid growled low, “took you long enough.”

“Oh?” Astarion chuckled at the comment. “Don’t get too comfortable, darling. In case you’ve forgotten, I have not given you permission to finish yet, and you said you would make good on this promise.” Halsin clenched around Astarion at the reminder. “You will be good, won’t you?”

“I will.” The bear pushed his ass back into his vampire.

“You had better.” Astarion began lazily thrusting and taking some time to simply enjoy having his bear again. He listened to the soft, deep moans below him, watched every little twitch of muscle. The rogue grasped Halsin’s hips, lightly massaging the sensitive flesh that was so recently abused. The bear groaned yet still made an effort to roll his hips back into the touch. 

Astarion’s body soon decided it wanted more, and he tightened his grip on Halsin’s hips, picking up his pace until he was slamming into his lover with an audible force. The bear’s moans grew louder, breathing heavier, quickly struggling against the pleasure to keep his promise. 

“Astarion! Astarion, I-! I…-!” The bear protested at his nearing climax, and Astarion quickly pulled out. He watched as Halsin twitched and struggled to contain his pleasure.

“Control yourself, bear. I’m not done with you just yet.” The vampire stroked himself as he watched the druid pull himself back from the edge. “Good boy.” Without warning, he slammed back inside Halsin and continued his previous pace. 

“Ngh! My heart, I- please!” 

“You can last, love.” Astarion could feel his own climax approaching - the bear would either keep his promise or they’d finish together. “You’re a good boy, I know you are.” Halsin’s moans became near-constant, pleading for permission while also doing his best to not need it yet. The sweet sounds only helped push Astarion over the edge himself - pace stuttering as he let himself relish in the release deep inside his love. He could feel Halsin struggling around him. The bear always did love this feeling. “Did you behave, darling?” He was fairly certain Halsin didn’t cum, but he was going to tease him nonetheless. 

“Hah, yes… Yes, I did,” the druid said between his panting breaths. 

The vampire slowly removed himself, sitting back a moment to enjoy watching his seed leak out of Halsin’s needy hole and down his thigh. Halsin always looked beautiful - views like this Astarion especially enjoyed. Halsin gaining pleasure from Astarion taking his may have been something he took a while to wrap his head around, but he greatly appreciated such a thought now. 

“Love.”

“Hm…?” Halsin turned slightly to try to look back to Astarion.

“Would you like your permission now?” 

“I- yes, please.” The excitement was immediately visible on his face. Astarion was almost convinced the bear would orgasm the moment he was allowed to.

“Get up, then, darling.” Astarion stood along with him, steadying him a bit. “A bit more, my dear,” the rogue once again asked for and received summoned slick in his hand. “Thank you, love. Now sit on the chair a moment.” Astarion recoated his fingers again as the bear sat obediently. 

The vampire walked over to the wall, legs spread, bracing himself with one hand. He reached back with the other and slid a finger inside of himself. Astarion worked himself slowly. He wanted to give the bear a view, but he tried to focus more on himself than any performance. Halsin would enjoy the view all the more for it.

And the bear certainly did. He realized exactly how he was going to be given permission to finally orgasm, and it made him all the more eager. He soaked up every movement as Astarion slowly opened himself up for the bear - pleasuring himself while avoiding overstimulation right now. 

Astarion withdrew his fingers with a shudder, both at the loss and the expectation of more. He now braced himself with both hands and made sure his spread legs were firmly planted. 

“Come, my sweet bear.”

There was a flicker of gold in his eyes pushed aside and left ignored as Halsin eagerly made his way to Astarion, walking as quickly as his chains would allow. Astarion had planned on letting the bear rut against him, tease his inability to use his hands before helping him inside. But the bear needed no such assistance and was immediately balls deep in the vampire.

“Gah! Halsin- gods!” 

“Too much?” The bear licked and nibbled at his lover’s pointy ears.

“Mm, never…” 

Halsin didn’t waste any time to start pounding into the rogue. His excitement returned Astarion’s treatment of the bear back to him, but their height difference and position lifted the vampire onto his toes. Astarion wanted to hold onto his bear, but he was certain if either hand abandoned the wall he would not have it in him to stay upright from the druid’s force. He was glad he had pushed Halsin so close for so long as the bear faltered soon enough. 

Halsin buried himself deep as he finally, finally, allowed his orgasm to wash over him and fill Astarion. He couldn't help but lean fully against his vampire, groaning into his ear - the long-awaited release dizzying. 

Once he felt back to himself, he stood and pulled back. 

“I should make you wait more often, darling.” The vampire composed himself from the empty feeling, turning to face his partner. “Too excited to last more than a minute?” The bear chuckled.

“A minute? How long have you kept me waiting for your permission? I lasted all that while.” 

“And you did so beautifully.” Astarion caressed the bear’s face, pulling him down into a kiss. “Now, I suppose it is time to actually free you and clean up so we can get home.”

“Yes, I would greatly appreciate that. Now that the excitement is over…” Halsin looked sheepishly to the ground at his side. The surprise at seeing his beloved and distraction of intimacy had pulled his mind from the fact he still was in chains from an enemy. But the rogue made quick work of the cuffs restraining his bear, finally being able to hold each other now. “I missed this…” Halsin mumbled into the white curls. 

“You can have plenty more once we’re out of here.”

The two managed to clean themselves up and redress, resurfacing in the city they had been under for so long. They would be taking many long breaks in the night on their way home. 

[zukkaoru]

if, in the end, i lose my voice—

Akutagawa tears down the door to Atsushi’s dorm two days after he’s been allowed to move back into it. It happens on a Thursday evening, while Atsushi is staring at the meager foodstock in his cupboards and trying to figure out if he has enough ramen for three people, or if they should just order takeout again. Except he doesn’t exactly have a lot of money at the moment, and neither does Kyouka, and Sigma hasn’t been allowed access to everything from the Sky Casino, so— He’s sort of stuck. And then the door comes crashing down.

or: akutagawa and atsushi heal and learn, quietly

🖤 20.8k words || sskk || post-doa arc 🖤 written for the 2024 sskk big bang 🖤 with art by ioluminations on twt

[nicoandindy]

Black Hole Fantasy

Let's try this again

The last thing Evbo does with the command blocks, is restore the parkour fighter level, and remove parkour hell. He immediately starts towards the newly revived level and look at all the fighters looking around at the repaired area. He has to find him.

I'm on my way to your house, guided by the stars

He jumps to the first block outside of the temple and goes to the different houses looking for him, Evbo sees the same building he found him and begins sprinting there, fighters are staring at him trip and almost fall to the level below. His fighter friend watches him run towards the building, the fighter knows where Evbo is going.

I'm pulling in the driveway, I'm turning off the car

Evbo is almost there, this is the only place he knew he could be. He has to find him.

I'm running to your porch, I'm spinning up the stairs

Evbo arrived at the building and starts jumping up the stairs, he reaches the top of the stairs and there he is, right across from him.

The door swings open and your standing there

"Evbo ?" Seawatt says confused, "What's going on ? How am I back ? Why is everything normal again ??"

Your beaming down at me, your reaching out for me

"I brought it, and.. you back." Evbo starts running towards Seawatt and jumps over the hole in the ground, Seawatt stares at him

Pull me in your arms, and I feel your heart pounding

Evbo hugs Seawatt, Seawatt pauses for a moment and then embraces him back, Seawatt hasn't been hugged in a long time so he savors it while it lasts.

I, take a step back, to, catch my breath and we

Evbo pulls back from the hug, he looks at Seawatt in his eyes. He's not been this close to Seawatt for a while, he has so much he wants to tell Seawatt.

Look at eachother, double over and laugh

They both laugh because they used to hate eachother, and now here they are hugging because of how much they missed one another. Evbo's hands on Seawatt's shoulders and Seawatt cupping one side of Evbo's face with his hand,

Laugh

They move slightly closer and kiss, it's gentle and passionate. The kiss doesn't last very long but they smile at eachother. The two laugh and just stare at eachother for a moment before hugging again, they forgot how nice it was to be around eachother.

And laugh

please reblog, it helps me know that people want more stuff like this :)

(there is another addition, check the reblogs of this post !)

[aceptical]

Honestly I would love a Splatoon game geared at a 13+ / older audience- or even one still aimed at the same audience that really addresses the topics it brings up.

Splatoon covers darker / more mature topics. Child soldiers shooting each other, invading the land of another species for profit, suppressing another species for over a literal century, how extreme fame affects people, being ostracized / “found out” for being different, being terrified of change, etc. but it never really covers them.

They are there: especially when you look into things like the sunken scrolls or resources outside of the game, but that’s kind of it. And that’s fine!! You don’t have to address them more obviously if you don’t want to. It’s a kids game first and foremost (and even if that isn’t really a great excuse, whatever).

But I would love a game that delves more into these topics, or just getting into these characters heads more. Using outside information and reasoning stuff, we can analyze basically every character well, but we never really see any confirmation in the game for most of it. We know from the relationship chart and the squid sisters stories and whatnot that Callie willingly went to the Octarians, likely due to the pressure of fame and being on her own, but this is never really explored in the game which sucks because there’s so much potential there! Comments on how fame affects people, escapism, and Callie’s, essentially inability, to be alone (since she’s able to step back into the spotlight again once she has Marie with her, both with the squid sisters performances obv but also the news/map announcement thing). And I get that that’s not the story they were trying to tell, but it would be so nice to have a game that delves into this stuff rather than leaving it off to the side where most of the playerbase probably doesn’t know about it.

Splatoon has a really big problem with exploring character’s darker parts of them / adding complexity to characters. Take Callie again: hypnosis cannot make you do anything that you don’t want to do, so hypno Callie’s personality was still Callie, just those darker parts. And that’s just- kind of ignored, past a few one liners (deep cut’s introduction scene.) Then the same exact thing happens with Marina, except we don’t even get to delve into it as much because it is literal brainwashing or mind control or something where she very obviously has her free will taken away. Which sucks!! Because it would have been so interesting to delve into that desperation that comes with wanting things to stay the same, unintentionally hurting the people you’re trying to help / protect, all of that kind of stuff, and then it’s just shrugged off for the rest of the DLC. Which, again, it’s fine that they didn’t want to tell that story: but it’s still missed potential regarding Marina.

This even affects antagonists, too: mainly Octavio. This is kind of remedied by him helping us in Splatoon 3, but it’s never really explored. He does what he does to help his people because they are literally dying from a lack of resources + power. I like the fact that the Splatoon 1 story doesn’t address this, but it could have been really interesting to see- even just a bit of this- in Splatoon 2, especially since it’s the introduction of giving the player that mentality shift from “Inklings good Octolings bad” to “Well, it’s more complicated than that.” This one is explored in the sunken scrolls a bit, but it would be nice to get a little something more regarding Octavio’s motivations (beyond just steal the Zapfish to help his people)

I really hope that, come Splatoon 4, whichever characters it focuses on (since the inkling / octoling conflict is over at this point), it really focuses on: give us more of their flaws, that complexity, and do it in game instead of through easily ignorable twitter posts.

[huntingrays]

Leo and Jason had been friends for ages. They had been childhood friends and grew up together.

Due to their closeness, Leo thought it was only natural that his thoughts around him strayed. He was so comfortable in his sexuality that he entertained funny thoughts about what it would be like to date his best friend. He specifically wondered what it would feel like to kiss him.

However, it wasn’t weird. They had such a close, unbreakable bond that he felt comfortable with the idea. They were both straight, so they’d never come to fruition, but they were amusing to think about. It was natural. Anyone would think about it if their best friend was as attractive and sweet as Jason.

Everyone thought that way. Right?

__

or, the five times Leo thinks it's normal to want to kiss his best friend, the one time he realizes it isn't, and the one time he gets kissed.

[lesbianmarrow]

hiiiii can i get ur lesbian reading on willow's crush on xander. because i have my own thoughts but i wanna hear yours

this is such a fun question ehehehe. my answer will veer into headcanon/speculation and i may change my mind once i get farther into the show, but here's how i see it right now.

so i think there are a lot of factors at play! part of it is willow mistaking her platonic feelings for xander for romantic/sexual feelings, because she doesn't understand that there's like....something else that you can feel? if that makes sense? like i think that in her mind kissing and sex and stuff are just like a gesture to show someone how much you love them, not something that you have a desire for. like it's something you do to prove that you love each other the most. so in her mind she's like yes of course i want to kiss xander :3 because it would prove the strength of her love for him.

and i think a big factor is willow wanting to be like other girls, since she's a bit of a misfit socially. i think she clings to the idea of her and xander together as something that might maybe happen because it would make her a little bit more normal and conventional. willow isn't super bothered by people finding her weird, but i think the additional weirdness of not liking boys correctly is a daunting idea for her and something she doesn't want to believe is true for herself, so she pushes it to the back of her mind.

a lot of it is also just the environment she exists in and the framework by which she understands the world. girls like boys, and she is a girl, so she likes boys. and xander is the boy she's closest to, so obviously she must be in love with him. willow tends to have romantic ideas about the world, and i think the narrative of being in love with her best friend appeals to her. i think she imagines they'll grow up and get married someday, but she doesn't actually think about what that means besides having him in her life forever. willow is a very solitary person, and maybe a lonely one too. xander falling in love with her would be a surefire way for her to keep one of the only people she feels truly knows and understands her in her life. so she hopes that if her love for him is strong enough then maybe he'll never leave her and they'll have their fairytale ending.

i think it's also about her sense of self-worth. willow is very shy and probably struggles with feelings of inferiority (what teenager doesn't?). and she thinks that if she can attain xander's love, then that will prove she is worthy of love and respect. so the crush becomes less about attraction to him and more about proving her worth. the flip side of that is that since xander isn't interested in her in that way, that worsens her feelings of inferiority. i think she feels that, if she can only get him to love her, then everything will be perfect. a lot of what she seems to enjoy about dating oz is the personal validation and the social clout, and it would be similar with xander (though less social clout. lol).

but i think there's also a paradoxical aspect to her crush which is that deep down she senses that he isn't interested in her, and so that makes him a safe target for her to have a crush on, because he won't actually reciprocate. i think if he did genuinely show interest in her, she'd be happy for about ten minutes and then would panic and spiral. but since he never does, she can safely crush on him without having to worry about actually being with a boy or thinking about how she doesn't really want to be with boys.

i do feel like a lot of willow's performance of attraction for xander really is just performance. like she sees how buffy acts over boys and she tries to match that, because she wants to seem cool and mature just like buffy. when willow is ogling xander in a speedo, i don't think she really cares for the sight. i think she's just doing what she knows she's supposed to. and maybe she's fooling even herself! but she can't fool me ;)

i definitely think willow feels attracted to other girls and women but a) doesn't understand what it is (it's normal to think other girls are pretty, right?) and b) represses it really really hard. so her perception of herself is as a totally normal straight gal who likes boys :)

anyway when i was 14 i was majorly in love with this boy and i would fantasize about us sitting together holding hands and not saying anything. but the fantasy was all about me soaking up the validation of being chosen by him and good enough to be wanted by him. i think that's willow's fantasy too.

[psychicthepsychic-daily]

some notes on how i write the purple guys dlc communicating <3

Psychic-

speaks tersely and seriously, but with a calm self-assurance

intelligent and articulate, speech comes out readily and confidently

his voice is quiet but clear, impossible to shut out. (because of telepathy, it has a kinda echoey effect to it that most people gotta adjust to)

chooses his words deliberately; reserved and will leave unspoken things he deems unnecessary

very straightforward, not very chatty to begin with and doesn't see the point of sugarcoating and small talk

assertive and stubborn, not afraid of confrontation and will flatly respond to it

not charismatic. appeals to people's heads instead of their hearts because he's a psychomancer, a logic-oriented one, and that's kinda his thing

very deadpan and sarcastic, especially with Void

tends to make little witticisms under his breath and subtle references to historical and literary Moments™

drops a lot of iconic one-liners (that he totally wasn't rehearsing in the mirror /s /lh)

more informal and casual when he's alone with his master. but when the rest of the family show up he tends to withdraw and act more formal and professional. typically more emotive around them than others

curses sparingly, avoids doing so during work, might relax when he’s just with his master, probably curses more alone and/or around Void

cold towards people named boyfriend and warm towards people named girlfriend

reserved body language (except with telekinesis lmao), he moves his hands around a little bit but that's about it

confident gait, will walk around the Dearests’ mansion like he owns the place, but can also move silently and scare people <3

when he's really angry (rare) his voice goes extremely quiet, calm, and freezing cold. the very air feels staticky, like it's about to combust

Void-

Confidence Swag 101

speaks in a sort of drawl, a little bit lazy, a little bit flirty

other times he tends to talk fast and sharply, but eloquently; gets impatient if asked to repeat himself

lots of tsk-ing and other dramatic noises ✨

not him using gen z slang lowkey (not to the point where it’s obvious though lmao)

very expressive. his voice flows naturally from being soft to Very Loud as he talks, it (among other things) comes from him playing a character 24/7

ultra rizzler. horrible at expressing genuine feelings and concern towards anyone not named Jet though

opposite to Psychic in that he appeals to people's hearts instead of their heads; aims for people's emotional attachment to him rather than their intelligence

matches the snark level of whoever he's talking to, e.g. he and Psychic are always bouncing light insults back and forth but he's not that sardonic with Space Gang

subconsciously manipulative. it's hard not to be with the sheer power and influence he has, but it's usually unintentional.

very exaggerated body language, loves doing flourishes and dreamy winks lmao. mostly trained himself into it to help catch people's attention.

very practiced, even, and loud gait. carries himself in a way that draws attention, even when he's not immediately recognized.

never swears in his songs or when he's live, not around fellow stars, and probably not directly at the Accretions. might curse when alone. doesn't curse around most friends/acquaintances (i.e. Space Gang, Hood) but does a lot more around Psychic.

when frustrated he drops the theatrics and his voice rises (more fiery than Psychic's, ironically)

when he's angry there's also a vitriol and weight to his tone, and the air grows cold and heavy

Hood-

speaks warmly and with a cheerful lilt, no underlying sharpness or edge

words come out in a steady flow, not a lot of filler words or stuttering

expresses his thoughts honestly and succinctly, leaves a lot unsaid; he's guarded but many people don't realize it

very mild-tempered, the most easygoing of the three. not as intense as Void, not as aloof as Psychic.

matter-of-fact in tone, can get snarky or teasing but always comes back to sincerity

careful and reassuring if he notices someone is upset, tries to give encouragement and compassion

can be awkward or uncertain, but everything he says comes from the heart <3

tone becomes tense and stilted and talks faster when people named epsilon/his fans come up in conversation :(

will surprise Psychic and Void by cursing if he’s annoyed or frustrated. it is a thing he’s capable of, they just baby him too much to recognize it /lh /hj

makes lighthearted jokes to distract attention from himself; a little nervous with all eyes on him

usually the first one who tries to de-escalate tensions and play mediator, but it visibly stresses him out

quick to forgive. also quick to apologize and/or express sorrow, for trauma reasons /hj

energetic, emotive body language. lots of finger tapping, nervous fidgeting, mirroring others

walks with a real spring in his step <3 quick and light on his feet, he barely makes a sound

when he’s angry his voice rises in both pitch and volume and he balls up his fists. it’s surprisingly just as scary as with Void and Psychic because Hood is so difficult to anger.

[arcanacenturia]

GOOD OMENS 2 SPOILERS

Something's so not right in S2 though.

The only time we "see" God is whenever she talks to Job and just blabbers stuff at him because she's bored af and doesn't have anybody to speak with except maybe the Metatron.

When Aziraphale tries to talk directly to God in S1, the Metatron tells him "Speaking to me is speaking to God" and categorically refuses to listen to Aziraphale's request.

That's weird. That's so weird.

We have no proof that he's actually relaying all this information to God. She hasn't appeared to anyone in centuries. He's also aware of Aziraphale's will to stop the arma-fucking-geddon.

He's aware of Azi's relation to Crowley.

As I've seen stated somewhere on Tumblr earlier, he's aware that just by trying to perform a teeny tiny miracle together they performed a huge ass one that triggered alarms in Heaven and succeeded in separating the two, because he's aware, and could be scared, of their combined powers.

Okay but why would he need to separate them?

A second too late, he told Aziraphale about The Second Coming, which is most likely linked to a new Armageddon again.

Related to that, we never heard God herself about the destruction of earth. Anything said about it is told by other characters. Note to myself: list up who talked about it.

The Metatron seems to be hiding something. Unlike the other (arch-)angels he's not naïve, he wears a black coat, he doesn't sugarcoat his speech to humans (and my synesthesia says he speaks Spiky, and not a good spiky).

I think it's also noteworthy that Crowley & Aziraphale don't communicate, not with words, Crowley never told Aziraphale about what Gabriel told him but he also never told Aziraphale what he found out about Gabriel in S2. He never told Aziraphale that his bosses were planning to restart Armageddon until Gabriel went Nah, that it's the reason the Metatron demoted him. He demoted the current Prince of Heaven for stopping it, then promoted Aziraphale, who is a lot more tame and also has been a cause of Armagenope to fail, to lead it.

I don't think Crowley fell because he asked questions to God. I think he sauntered vaguely downwards because he asked too many questions to the Metatron, that would put his plan in danger.

This bitch is SHADY AS FUCK and I'm honestly so eager, so curious to see what he (and season 3) is going to bring us. I wonder if he's lived among the humans, too. Besides, I feel like he's going to try (and maybe manage) and use Azi as his marionnette for whatever stuff he's preparing.

And I feel whatever he's preparing is really against God.

Thank you Neil Gaiman for this ending because even if it HURTS it's so interesting. There are so many things that could be going on behind the heartbreak. I could be going on about how Crowley probably even found out part of what happened. I've seen people speculate with good arguments that Crowley lost part of his memory after falling, and if it is the case that could be another thing done to prevent Crowley from stopping the Metatron.

There is SO MUCH that could be, so much that WILL be, and so little that we can know.

No matter in what form, I'm so excited to see how this will develop in the future.

[ilikecarsandlike4people]

Mick✨