#we can get him as someone else's elemental burst

[blood-orange-juice]

Listen.

Playable Tonya with a Foul Legacy summon skill. Like Clara and Svarog in HSR.

[crossbackpoke-check]

Dysprosium, Mary Soon Lee

dysprosium, AN 66, is a silvery-white rare earth metal. its name is derived from the greek dysprositos, meaning “hard to get at”, owing to the difficulty in separating and isolating this rare earth element. dysprosium is used to measure neutron flux, to fuel reactors, and to activate phosphors. terfenol-d is a magnetorestrictive alloy, meaning that it changes shape when a magnetic field is applied, and is used to manufacture underwater acoustic systems.

jason “robo” robertson, dallas stars #21 for @simmyfrobby’s nhl periodic table poems <3

[apomaro-mellow]

5 times eddie singled out steve during a concert and the one time steve did it back

Corroded Coffin fans were no strangers to the deep love shared between frontman Eddie and his boyfriend Steve. To the point where magazines barely cared to feature any candid pics of them unless Eddie was flipping off the camera. "Two Very in Love People Share a Kiss at Cafe Date" didn't really sell much when it was the 50th story like that.

So when Eddie slowed things down in the middle of the concert, getting that very familiar 'heart eyes' look.

"I know my baby's in the audience. Even though he has a very comfortable room backstage. Show me where you are beautiful." Eddie's voice was slightly rough from the first half of songs.

His eyes scanned the audience until he heard a bunch of screaming from his right. The crowd was vibrating and he knew someone had spotted Steve.

"There you are." Eddie bit his lip, grin threatening to split his face. "This next one's for you."

The crowd was a mix of screams and awws as the beginning melody of It's Always Been You was heard.

2. Another day, another venue. This time, the afternoon crowd at a music festival. It was one of Eddie's favorite kind of scenes. People of all types, letting the music take them in broad daylight. A good mix of diehard fans, casuals, and people who had never heard them play before.

Eddie knew for a fact that Steve was sitting in a little foldable chair, with some drink from one of the booths. He always looked so unassuming with his soft hair and even softer clothes. But Eddie could never let him forget his inner badass. Nor did he let anyone else forget.

"Lil pop quiz for my fans", Eddie started. "One of our fan favorites The Knight's Arrival is inspired by someone very special in my life. Can we get a chant going for the man who has always been my knight in shining armor?"

A very enthusiastic chant for Steve started and Eddie thought his heart might burst. It was like a triumphant reprisal of those times the school would cheer on the ex-king on game night.

3. Sometimes the band put an age restriction on a concert. Now Eddie was of the mind that children didn't need to be coddled or have things censored for them. But also, he didn't need to lay it all out when there was a kid in the audience.

It was these kinds of shows that Eddie let it all hang out. More than one song was inspired by his nights with Steve. His angel's voice even featured on one track, letting out husky moans as Eddie brought him to the brink in the recording booth.

And tonight Eddie was hot. Hot enough to have already taken his shirt off and throw it to the audience. Hot enough that when he went backstage and saw Steve, he was only thinking of one thing. Eddie kissed him deep, tongue licking at the roof of his mouth before a word could leave his lips.

Crash was keeping the audience going with a drum performance. One that started with a simple beat that slowly intensified.

"I want them to hear you", Eddie said against Steve's mouth.

Steve's hair was already tangled in his hair. "You wanna dangle me in front of them?", he smirked.

"Show them you're mine", Eddie started nibbling at his jaw. "Show 'em how good I love you down."

Eddie got the headset mic rigged onto Steve. His sweet boy was already hard, just as turned on from seeing Eddie in his element as he ever was. Eddie slid down to his knees and unzipped his boyfriend's pants.

It started quiet. Not even audible as Crash really got going on the drums and got close to the climax. The room erupted as he reached the end. And it was in the calming of their cheers that they finally began to hear it.

"Eddie, mmmfuck."

They stirred in unison. Steve's voice rang loud and clear as he received a pleasure the rest of them could only speculate on.

"Fuck, sso good. Don't stop. Don't stop-ahh."

For a moment all they heard was Steve's quickening breaths before he called out Eddie's name, dragging it out like he was falling down a well.

Eddie came out moments later, licking something off his lips to cacophonous cheers. The bassline to Take a Bite began. He wished he could've told his high school self that one day he'd get a standing ovation for blowing a guy.

4. "Before we get started tonight I gotta make an announcement!", Eddie came out, already on 100. "First, where's my angel baby. Help me find him."

As usual, a particular part of the audience went wild and moved in a way that could only mean Steve was there.

"Can I get a parting of the Red Sea?", Eddie asked, moving his hands apart and getting that part of the mob to split like Moses. Steve stood there in the middle.

"Get used to that gorgeous. My fellow rockers, scholars, and mischief makers - I am officially a kept man." He flashed the ring on his finger to a din of screams. "Wedding's next fall and we're registered at every corner liquor store! 5-6-7-8!"

5. Eddie felt like he was home. In the middle of a set, shredding in a way that made him feel alive. The current song made it even better. One of the best collaborative efforts of the band. All of their fingerprints were on this track.

The crowd was just as amped up, giving back everything they got. There truly was no place he'd rather be.

Then he caught sight of his Steve, standing just off stage in the wings. And he was overcome. None of this would be possible without him. And even if Eddie and his boys somehow made it to stardom, it all meant nothing without his sweetheart.

Eddie casually walked over, fingers still moving as he got closer to Steve. He only took his hands off his guitar to grab his fiance and dip him as they kissed. Steve wrapped his arms around Eddie's neck. This wasn't his first time being kissed on stage.

And just as other times, the crowd went wild, while Jeff, Gareth, and Crash rolled their eyes through the playing.

6. Steve watched, absolutely lovestruck as Eddie sat on the couch, eating cereal. Dustin's baby, little Deana was propped up on cushions next to him, clearly satisfied as she sat there content. They were uncles babysitting for the weekend.

Steve walked over and grabbed the remote from off the coffee table, holding it like a mic. "All the babes out there, are you ready to rock?", he pointed to Deana.

Her new eyes got large at the movement and sound and her little fists waved in the air.

"But before I go on, I gotta give special love to someone tonight", Steve turned his gaze to Eddie. "To the greatest thing since sliced bread, I could watch you eat Coco Puffs all day."

"You're such a cornball", Eddie beamed, cheeks turning pink. "Can't believe you're doin it in front of a baby."

"Oh, don't tell me the god of rock is getting bashful? So when I wanna shout you out in front of our niece, it's cheesy. But when you call me out in front of thousands-"

"Shut up and kiss me." Eddie put the half finished bowl on the floor and grabbed Steve by the wrist, pulling him right into his lap.

Steve let out a little breath between kisses. "Dustin's gonna have a fit if he finds out we made out in front of his baby."

"What he don't know won't hurt him."

[caramelstarlight]

✨Tighnari Headcannons✨

💐🥰❤️Did this bc I’m obsessed <3 🥰❤️💐

SFW only|Never NSFW| Made this for me and my friend bc we love him. (Headcannons: Love, Defending, Confessing, Teasing, Knowledge)

A/N: Pls don’t flop :d | Reposts / Reblogs are okay. As long as credit is given! Please give me a ❤️🥰💐

This is long in my opinion so…(Spoiler about colleis elezaer, if you haven’t helped her with it, it’s a little spoiler but won’t do much.)

Headcannons about: How he shows love|

Acts of service / Quality Time |

• He’d help around the house you share.

•Also the one that mostly cooks breakfast.

•Wakes up early(usually) and may be staring at you before getting up or he Immediatley gets up-

•Helps you out with work occasionally if he’s finished with his. •Opens the door for you and closes it often when your with him. (He’s such a gentleman<3)

•Gives gifts slightly often, varying from flowers to sweets. He either leaves it on the bedside, desk or table.

•When he has time off, he’ll immediately look for you to spend it with. As that can be rare in the relationship.

•Tries avoiding the scorching parts of the desert or the heavily crowded and noisy parts of the city.

•Usually takes you out for a picnic,stargazing,cafes/restaurants or little trips.

•What do you do on these adventures? Well it can vary, he may take you to go get flowers afterwards or brings you to places he wants to show you.

“What? Do you not want me to help you out with the house or the work? What else can I be able to assist you with if you keep getting spooked by me lending a hand.” He stated, resting his free arm on the desk as he eyed your writing. His other hand was laid on your hair. He gently inhaled your scent as he kept reading, helping you correct it by spelling check or just details he could think of adding. Whatever he did just brightened his and yours day during these small moments of you both being alone, basking in the suns slight glow and radiating warmth.

“Well since this paper seems to be done, we’re going out because we need a break. He’d say, holding his hand out (or just picking you up bridal style if you’re trying to rival his stubbornness.) bringing you somewhere to spend the day. The paper you’d almost finished can wait. He’s what you need and you are what he needs right now to help each other relieve from stress.

Headcannons about: Defending you

Someone bothering you / species

•If he catches wind of your scent with someone’s he’s unfamiliar with he’d be slightly concerned.

•If his instincts are correct, that it is someone trying to harm his mate, he’ll immediately track you down.

•His ears and nose are enhanced, it won’t take long before he will step in.

•Immediately steps between you and them, covering you with his body while he sends a harsh glare. •His tone either sounds calm or angered. Either trying to hold back his anger or he’s already expressing it.

•Possibly growling is audible enough for you to hear. His tail is slightly stiff but still wags with you near him. Ears pointed up in their direction, showing alertness.

•if that isn’t enough to chase them off, he’ll use a potion or his vision to stop them in their tracks.

•one whiff of a potion he might’ve brought could make them instantly feel drowsy. Stopping them from making any conflict.

•He’ll point his bow at them, his vision glowing brightly. With dendro starting to become infused within it and a few vines are seen on the bow. Shooting it into the ground, using the vines to tie them up. (I keep thinking it’s vines in his burst but then I think it’s a flower I honestly forgot.)

•Same goes for harmful species. Beside him putting his body in front of you. He’ll quickly shoot arrows or use his potions to get you out so he can deal with them.

•If you have a vision, it’ll ease him as long as you know how to use it.

•He’d prefer if it was electro or hydro or pyro. Allowing elemental reactions to take control can easily defeat opponents.

•if you happen to have an electro one, he’d be slightly more concerned but also more interested. As he did get struck by lightning and he hates how loud it is…

•The lightning you command will aid him and hopefully never strike him. Hopefully that’s by accident during the beginning stages.

(This may sound dumb, but think of 2 people with backs against each other, he’s the one that’s facing the left / back of the backs.)

•He’s the one that’s facing the left while you would face the right / you’re facing the back of his view. (He’s facing the back of your view)

•Supports you with his skill while you’re in the middle of it enabling quicken / spread. Then uses his burst to quickly finish them off while you use your electro fused energy.

•Prefers if you’re a sword user (cmon I can’t say polearm bc you’re gonna sound like a mini cyno. ;-; UNLESS- YOU ARE CYNO 🤨 nah. Just his younger sibling. )

•He’s alright with you being of the same weapon type. But you’d have to learn how to coordinate attacks effectively with both of you using bows.

“Leave me alone you creep!” You muttered, a male staring down at you as you moved back, hitting a wall. Nearby passerby’s watches but did nothing. Certainly was a moment that made you lose faith in teyvat slightly. Yanking his hand away when he tried to connect it with yours.

Anger brewing inside both of you as one very handsome sassy fox approached. A smirk shined through and you stuck your tongue out at the male, frustration running wildly inside, his arm was cast aside by your lover Tighnari, growling with a glare. “Leave my partner (Padisarah,Lotus or whatever you think he can call you by) alone. She’s clearly not interested.” Tighnari said with a lower tone, tail wrapped around you and his other hand holding yours.

They didn’t stop, thinking they could overpower such an individual, Tighnari apprehended them easily, keeping them on the ground till Cyno arrived, taking away the creep for investigation. As they had a long record of them trying to get ladies.

Headcannons about: Him confessing his love for you

Public / Private

•He’ll confess about it during an event. Figuring the event would brighten the mood and make the day even more special.

•His confession would be short and blunt. Nothing long like a love poem or him spewing how much mora he would use to buy you. •He’s saying something like this: “Y/N, this may be uncomfortable for you. But I’m willing to ask here and now. I love you, do you love me back?”

•His tail is ecstatic, swishing quickly behind him as his eyes are filled with hope,adoration and admiration for only you.

•His ears pointed fully at your direction, his face covered in blush as he admires you quickly, taking in how perfect you are in his view.

•His actions proving how much he is willing to commit to you, his entire life he always and will.

•(The other rangers are watching with glee, heck they all knew how smitten Tighnari was by you. Collei is definitely giggling in the back)

•When you’re in private, he’ll say a similar sentence, the silence being slightly comforting to him as you can hear his tail swishing from how quiet it is. Allowing your answer to be true and clear for both of you.

•If someone sees you two in private, they’ll definitely tell the others, even before you both announce the relationship to the public.

The event was filled with glee and joy, a celebration for colleis elezaer was in order, also made for majority of the withering zones dying and celebration of the forests rangers work. Tighnari told collei what he had planned to say to you at the right time.

The venue used in pardis dhayi was filled with forest rangers and friends alike. Unknowingly, collei sat you both right next to each other. While she would sit on the side of Tighnari and you’d be the left of cyno. Collei and cyno both knew about what Tighnari was going to do, so they also prepared a little spot nearby if you guys needed alone time. Both clearly ecstatic during the feast. Anticipation brewing inside waiting for him to say those 3 special words.

“Y/N this may be uncomfortable for you but, I love you, I’m willing to devote myself to you. Do you love me back?” He said, tail wagging, eyes staring at yours in a lovingly way, ears perked and facing your direction. You clearly had the spotlight, and always will in his eyes. He even had a few of your favorite flowers in one of his hands. Must’ve picked them earlier today, they seemed new and fresh.

“Tighnari-? I- Of course I love you back! I thought you knew!” You said as you grabbed the bouquet of flowers as he gently pullled you into a hug. Tail wrapped around your leg or wagging excitedly at that moment and his ears drooped(in a good way) Collei,cyno and everyone else was fangirling over you both. Cyno may or may not have took a picture of you both… he’s happy to support his best friends relationship. He totally didn’t show it to nahida.

Tighnari talked with you during the feast and afterwards, making sure you understood how it can be with him. Ranging from his nesting habits to him mating for life. Of course, you didn’t mind those. Tighnari rubbed his cheek against yours, content with how his life was. Showing signs of affection towards you. Everyone else could hear his purring and man would they never stop teasing him about it for the rest of the week.

Headcannons about: Teasing

Him teasing you basically, or being sassy

•Would tease you just to see you mad, and he could kill those thoughts of you getting revenge quickly

•Does so by hugging your waist, you thought he was going to kiss you on your lips. But he didn’t

•Instead he left you hanging (or) pecked your check. Leaving you upset at him.

•When you confront him about it, he’ll kiss you passionately on the lips to make you lose thought.

•Sometimes he’ll be more feisty or in the mood to see you in that state, just for him to fizzle it out completely.

“Tighnari-! Stop teasing meee-!” You said as he pecked your cheek instead of your lips. Angered by the man’s actions. “My lotus/Padisarah(or whatever you think) your cheeks seem lonely too.” He said as he rubbed his against yours. Slowly making you angrier, but you did enjoy his company nonetheless.

“Come on at least- mmh-!” He cutted you off with a long kiss on the lips, a smile curling on your face, happy when he initiated it. His hands held against your back as his tail wrapped gently near your leg. “Better?” He muttered once you parted, seeing your flushed face as a reward, going back for a peck before letting go. “Tighnari!”

Headcannons about: Knowledge

What he and you are experienced in

•We all know, he’s from Amurta, the Darshan for botany and biology.

•A leader at heart, giving lectures and consuming species to see their effects. (He doesn’t eat the whole thing, just a nibble.)

•He knows the best places,items,plants for almost anything. May have the plants in stock if they’re medical in any way.

•Teaches or lectures you if you’re injuried or want to know more or you just want to know in the future.

•He’s amazed at the sight of you jotting down notes as he speaks, happy you’re listening to him, even happier knowing you’ll be more safe.

•You’re more knowledgeable in adventures, such as exploration, combat and places. he’ll ask you for your aid when traveling with you. Such as the windblume event. Asking you how to get there too what can happen there.

•Doesn’t approve of traveling every so often, but as long as you return he’s good with it. As the hero of teyvat, you know a lot. So he trusts your judgement.

•Asks you what other regions are like and loves hearing you talk about stories and experiences you had. Such as the process of becoming the Honorary knight or the first sage of nahida.

•Knowing you had many titles and jobs, he was still in awe in how you managed to get through it. Asking you for tips as he can be stubborn.

•Dislikes when he hears others get pettings from you. But he’s alright since he knows your his. Happy that you chose him out of everyone else that had a crush on you.

“Y/N (or N/N) can you tell me how you became the First sage of Nahida? I’ll tell you more about animals in the Avidya Forrest.” He said trying to bribe you, “Tighnari you already know you asking is enough, but we both know it would be better if you could hug me during it.” He nodded before picking you up bridal style to the bed.

“I thought we were going to sit on the floor-!” You stated as he carried you. “I’d rather cuddle with you on the bed.” He replied before gently lowering you down. Then getting behind you, holding you close and inhaling your scent as you told him the story. His ears hearing your words felt like a soothing melody. He loved every second of it. Love you!

[hotnbloodied]

Hehehe your Zhongli one had me kicking my feet and giggling like crazy! Could maybe write some more about him? I would loooove to see more of how you write him :D feel free to take your time with it, I don’t mind waiting :3c tysm!! I hope you’re having a great day/afternoon/night :]

OMG!! Hello my first ask! It's actually funny, I was debating on finishing this other Zhongli piece I was working on. Thanks to you, I got the drive to go through with it! So I hope you enjoy~ ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚HB˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Yan!Zhongli X Reader

TW: Death, confinement, unhealthy relationships

!!READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION!!

It was so hard not to be constantly bursting into tears, adorn in all black you were at the funeral for the last of your family members. “You promised that you wouldn’t leave me alone…” you said to the tombstone in front of you. Everyone else had already long left, or so you thought. The tall man who was the funeral director’s assistant, Zhongli, had been here the entire time. Never once taking his eyes off you. Even through your grieving you looked like an angel to him, now that everyone has left the service this was his chance to get closer to you.

He walked up slowly to you and made his first move, offering to take you to dinner to make sure that you ate. Apparently he knew your relative and he wanted to share the memories with you. Zhongli was very attentive to you, constantly checking up on you as the days went on. Being the rock that you needed in your life now more than ever. You appreciated him greatly, it was thanks to him that you decided that after months of being at home in your depressive state, you were going to try going outside again. It doesn’t take long for you to recognize a friend of yours and the two of you strike up a conversation.

This was the first time in months that you were able to smile and talk like a person again and it was all thanks to Zhongli. But that wasn’t what Zhongli wanted, he wanted you to only rely on him so when he saw you smiling at someone that wasn’t him he wanted to kill that person right there in front of you so you knew who you belonged to. “Sorry for interrupting but I have business with [y/n],” Zhongli said as a way to put distance between you and your friend. He dragged you away and all the way back to your home.

“What’s the big idea Zhongli?” You asked him out of frustration as he locked up behind the both of you. “You’re still not well, next time you go out please let me know ahead of time so I can accompany you.” “What!?” Anger bubbled in your core, “who do you think you are? We’re just friends, and even then, you can’t control my life like that!” You went to open the door to push him out when suddenly all the windows and doors got blocked with a geo elemental barrier. “W-what is this?” You turned to look Zhongli in the eyes. Golden orbs gleamed down at you making you feel like prey that had just been captured by a predator.

Zhongli walked over and placed his hands on your shoulders. “See what I mean darling? You’re being irrational. You need me. Why don’t we go lay down in bed and I can start working on dinner for you?” Everything in your body wanted to scream and kick and say no but your survival instinct was louder. You knew he had you trapped and maybe if you were good he’d let you out again, someday. At least, that’s what he wants you to think. But hey! Isn’t this what you wanted? Someone to never leave your side?

[thatsparrow]

debriefing thoughts on mafia nanny after having read it all in one sitting*

*all that's available so far without accessing additional episodes, which is currently up to ep25 (spoiler warning, etc. etc.)

I'm genuinely enjoying it so far! I think it's very charming and has lots of well-developed characters and dynamics (undeniable highlight is mikey, on his own, but also him and davina together, him as motivation for davina to stay in the house, him and gabriel, how him and gabriel informs davina's understanding of gabriel, etc.)

it's also so goofy in a way I didn't expect. like, maybe unintentionally goofy in how it implements some tropes or gets characters from point a to point b, but also unexpectedly goofy in ways that I'm gonna assume are intentional (can we talk about raphael's olives? i'm dying to talk about raphael's martini glass chock-full of olives.)

honestly I think ep 1 is—not the least strong, exactly, but in its efforts to introduce the characters and get them all interacting, while setting up the dynamics it wants to have, it makes some choices that are both very wild and also very cliched?

like okay, so we start with davina as a child, her parents were nebulously involved in organized crime, they get killed off-screen. lots of very familiar mafia story elements here—she's an orphan, she starts with her foot in the mafia world, she has motivation to get closer to someone else in that same sphere in an effort to find out what happened. sure, all very run of the mill

then we find out she was saved by her nanny, who promised to take care of her and teach davina to protect herself and others (also, sure, I'm with you so far)—by taking her to a secret school called the "elite nanny academy" (ENA for short) where davina and other women are trained how to be. well. what it says on the tin. elite nannies.

hey. what

like alright, the story needs justication for why davina would get hired by this mafioso, and also (liam neeson voice) "have a unique set of skills" such that she's able to help mikey and gabriel if say they feel uncomfortable turning to their guards or don't trust the people around them. sure. i'm with you. that said, introducing the concept of an elite academy of nannies who are not only trained in every aspect of childcare but also self-defense, computer programming, and more is. it's bold, I will give you that. I want to live in this world where secret academies of elite nannies exist. I want the entire webtoon just to be set in davina's school years. the fucking whiplash from this very run-of-the-mill backstory of losing her parents to a smashcut of davina learning to become a literal supernanny—unparalleled. no notes. such a big swing, and my god, I'm glad they went for it

(oops this is getting long. more under the cut)

okay, so we've established davina's credentials (again, in one of the wildest ways possible), and then the story immediately swings back into very familiar, well-trodden territory in how it introduces gabriel

a) first, his character design. I'm scrolling back through the comic for reference, and, oh my god, I fully forgot that the first panel he appears in, his pecs are fucking bursting out of his button down. tits for days. the exact level of cleavage anyone shows when hiring a new nanny for their four-year-old son (jesus I also forgot how much I loved his tasteful little cross necklace)

b) his whole demeanor—aloof, intense, and sort of positioning davina for a "not like other girls" framing when he's like "I want someone who's never worked with anyone else" and then of course he picks her out of the lineup, zeroes in on her directly, and is it because he's attracted to her? because he knows something about her backstory? because he wants something that's unique to her specifically? probably a combination of all three! but like at this point, gabriel is just checking all the boxes of a mafia romance lead, these are all familiar tropes, we know how a story like this goes

and then more whiplash! because we go straight from that office scene to the flashback of gabriel threatening the bartender when the story introduces mikey, and immediately gabriel stops feeling quite so much like any other male romance lead because who brings their four-year-old to a mafia business meeting? and what four-year-old then proceeds to conduct himself with a level of assurance and familiarity that suggests he's very aware of his father's business and has lots of opinions about it? absolutely blindsided by this, not at all what I expected from davina's future charge, or the father-son dynamic (also, I don't know kids, but is this at all how four year olds behave? I don't ultimately care all that much, because I think it's fun, but it did still have me pausing)

maybe this isn't a real thing, but I think gabriel's head is too small for his body—or, I guess, that his body is too big for his head. I get that the creators want him to have that classic triangle-torso physique, but I can't get over how comically broad his shoulders are

I'll be honest, as soon as adam showed up, my immediate reaction was "date him instead"—obviously that's not how this works, but he just seems much more laid back, inviting, charming in comparison to gabriel

the way this comic will use any excuse to have gabriel suddenly and intensely in davina's personal space is also very funny to me. don't get me wrong, I enjoy the tension of it, I'm here for it, but it's so deeply unsubtle (which I guess is itself a question, does it need to be subtle? maybe what I mean instead is less that those moments feel unsubtle, and more that they feel unnatural. like, is this really how these people would behave, how much of this feels manufactured for the sake of building tension? then again, you read a romance for the romance, and so long as the tension is there or the moments feel like they land, how much does it matter how you get there? anyway)

now can't remember if the comic explicitly addresses it or not, but curious if mikey being so involved in his dad's business pre-dated his mom's disappearance, or was a consequence of gabriel wanting to keep him closer because his wife went missing

I do really love all of mikey and davina's interactions, particularly all the moments where he's clearly set on being stubborn or trying his best not to act like a kid, and davina suckers him into it (getting him to show her his room, playing in the pool, art class, etc.)

THE POOL like this is what I'm talking about in terms of how goofy this story can get. the concept of "pool day" is actually very cute in terms of thinking about mikey wanting to spend time with his dad, who is often unpredictably called away on business, and so here's this holiday they've come up with as a way to address that. but, from a reader perspective, it feels so transparently motivated as an excuse for eye candy of gabriel sprawled out in a speedo and to compel davina to spend time with the two of them at a pool, where she now also has to be in a swimsuit and oh is that gabriel checking her out?

having gabriel and davina aligned on wanting to keep mikey out of the mafia world, mikey being dead-set on taking over as the next don, and raphael who clearly intends to have him raised as heir and successor is all a very fun interlocking set of interactions. I like that it gives gabriel and davina a way to be on the same side and get to know one another in a way that's divorced from romance, there's obviously the tragedy of this very young boy who believes he has to grow up so quickly, and then the danger element of raphael as a threat to all the characters if they deviate from his intentions

so, does gabriel know about davina's past? I can't remember what triggers it, but there's the bit where he confronts her about why she's really there (edit: it's the bit where she's helping him identify who left the teddy bear and he wants to know how she knows so much about organized crime), or if she has ulterior motives, and she comes up with the lie about being a freelance hacker, which—either he already knows who she is, and that's why he picked her, and so presumably can suss out that she's curious about her own past and how it might relate to his family, and he was lying or putting on an act when pressuring her about her reasons for being there OR he genuinely doesn't know about her past, in which case, why did he choose her out of the lineup? I think at that point in the story, the only thing she has to distinguish herself is her computer skills, which I guess isn't nothing, but isn't what I expected

maybe it's just because I haven't really grown my hair longer than my shoulders in a decade, but I swear whenever davina lets her hair down, it distinctly looks like she has way too much of it to then put it up in such a petite bun

THE OLIVES i still can't get over raphael's obsession with olives. every shot of him either with a martini glass overflowing with olives (is there even any liquor in there) or the scene where he's just eating them straight out of the jar before drinking the juice or the bit where's at the party and says DOUBLE THE OLIVES! sir!! your glass was already so full!! where are the rest of these olives supposed to go!! anyway, deeply funny the first time it happened, so unexpected, such a funny running gag, I enjoy it every time it crops up again

man I am and continue to be a sucker for a "helps someone to bed" "carries someone from point a to point b" moment whenever it happens. it's a genre staple for a reason, it always hits

"sir we may have a problem" "is it your outfit" truly I never know what I'm going to get with raphael, and I'm ready to be surprised every time

nico and valentine are fun, no question, but valentine's outfit makes no sense to me. who's out here wearing a skirt that short when you know you could get into a fight at any moment? a skort, at the very least

wait hang on, I just caught this on reskimming—when davina is looking for information on her parents, is her name "davina diavolo"? DIAVOLO AND ANGELINl come on that's so funny. it's fun! but it's also very funny

the doctor is hot, I'll stand by that

(although then again, it's a mafia romance. all of them are hot)

I think that was everything? last we left off was the fire after the party and davina finding the safe in gabriel's office. tldr, I'm enjoying it, I'm invested, it's fun and goofy (SO goofy at times, my god), but the plot is solid, the stakes are engaging, the characters and relationships are compelling, and honestly I'm not sure if I'd be enjoying it as much if it seemed like it was taking itself too seriously

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Hemant Mehta at Friendly Atheist:

Over the past few weeks, a couple of the children of Christian hate-preacher Steven Anderson have gone public about the physical abuse they suffered growing up. Given that Anderson routinely tells Christians to marry young and have as many kids as possible, the revelation that abuse may be rampant in his own home isn’t as much shocking as it is long overdue.

Who is Steven Anderson?

If you’re not familiar with Anderson, he’s someone with a long history of saying vile things. The Tempe, Arizona-based preacher celebrated the deaths of murdered LGBTQ people and called on the government to execute gay people with a firing squad. Anderson’s sermons have been so outrageously awful that 34 countries won’t allow him to step foot within their borders. His acolytes include Jonathan Shelley and Aaron Thompson, both of whom I spoke with this past summer. More than anything, he’s the de facto leader of a movement called the New Independent Fundamentalist Baptists. New IFB preachers are, on paper, all about following the word of God as written in the KJV translation. In reality, they spend their time gleefully trashing LGBTQ people, Jews, “effeminate” men, and everyone else they deem heretics.

[...]

The troubling posts from Isaac Anderson

About a year ago, we learned that one of his kids, Isaac Anderson, was somehow taking his father’s hate even further. The second oldest of 12 children, Isaac admitted to being a full-blown Nazi, complete with a tattoo of a Nazi War Eagle across his chest.

[...]

Isaac Anderson’s interview led to his brother speaking out

That interview had an interesting consequence, though. It spurred one of Isaac’s siblings to go public about his childhood. In early September, John Anderson (the third oldest son) reached out to Dead Domain because he wanted to share his own story and make the case for why his parents shouldn’t have any contact with his siblings (specifically the eight who still lived at home with the Andersons). John spoke even more bluntly about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Steven and Zsuzsanna Anderson. The allegations in the interview involved “closed fist beatings, whippings with electrical cords, insulting and belittling children as young as six, starvation as punishment, and exposure to the elements.”

[...]

Another Anderson child speaks out

And then, this past Thursday, Dead Domain posted an interview with a third Anderson child. This was Miriam Anderson, the oldest daughter in the family, and the one John brought up earlier because she had been “trying to get away.” Many of Miriam’s terrifying recollections echoed what her brothers said earlier about how abuse occurred at home, including mentions of specific pieces of equipment in their kitchen that were used against them. She talked how she had suicidal thoughts from the age of 11 onward because of everything she endured at home. Her brothers’ stories, she added, were “100% true.”

The takeaway… for now

In a way, these stories, as heartbreaking as they are, are also uplifting. Uplifting because at least two of these kids don’t share the worst characteristics of their father. They want the public to know what their lives have been like, bursting the bubble their father has kept around them for years. It turns out his version of Christianity has been the nightmare outsiders always suspected. His theology isn’t just awful to his ideological opponents but also to his own flesh and blood. If they can escape that environment—and they sure as hell are trying—perhaps there’s hope for others in similar situations. At the same time, it’s awful that they still have to play it cautiously because of Steven Anderson’s wrath. No one should have to fear harm from their own parents. But when their parents place their idea of God’s Word over common sense and decency, we can only hope they find solace and safety somewhere else.

Fundamentalist kook pastor Steven Anderson has at least two of his speaking out against the abuse they suffered at the hands of him and his wife Zsuzsanna.

[fucked-up-beyond-repair]

Can't stop puking

For day 2 of Nov(emeto)ber @monthofsick

TW: emeto, vomiting, Implied object-eating, supernatural elements

----

Neal, being a hopeless werewolf, found himself eating through heaps of garbage beyond what his human body would be able to handle afterwards. Fortunately, his roommate, and mage, Lane, always has the solutions he needs.

Because I think it's cute when werewolves act like oversized dogs.

----

Neal slowly opened his eyes as the harsh sunlight streamed through the curtains. An intense pounding headache immediately hit him, accompanied by a sickly rancid taste lingering in his mouth and an uncomfortable fullness in his stomach.

Lane entered their cramped dorm room with a playful grin. "Good morning sunshine, how are you feeling?"

"Terrible," Neal groaned. As he attempted to sit up, his stomach protested; a sharp pain surged through him, regretting the movement as waves of nausea washed over him.

"I figured as much," Lane chuckled. “Luckily for you, I am such a stellar friend that I went all across the hallway to get you some water." Lane handed him the glass as he invited himself on the bed frame next to Neal.

Neal pressed a hand against his forehead, hoping to alleviate the pain before slowly bringing the water to his lips. Each swallow intensified the nausea as the water joined his already cramped stomach. The gas started to build up, making him burp weakly.

"Why did I have to eat so much?" he complained, feeling so full he was afraid he was going to burst. He couldn’t even recall doing so; in fact, he couldn’t remember anything at all. "Uhm, was I drunk last night?" he asked worriedly, even though he usually avoided alcohol.

Lane scratched his neck, unsure of what to tell him. "Someone complained about raccoons or something making a ruckus behind the cafeteria," he explained, giving Neal an apologetic look. "Turns out, it was you - as a huge golden wolf, rummaging through the trash cans.”

Realization hit in, making Neal turn green. His heart raced; panic settling in at the thought of having his stomach filled with heaps of rotten garbage. "I think I’m going to throw up," Neal grimaced, as a wet burp erupted from him.

"Will probably …" Another lump in his throat cut him off, and he covered his mouth, swallowing hard. "Need a bucket…" he panted through the overwhelming nausea.

"You…" Lane hesitated, turning away briefly trying to hide his amusement. "Kind of ate it…" he sighed, looking at Neal with a hint of hopelessness.

Neal barely registered that implication as his stomach contracted. He hurriedly tried to bend to the side, feeling a gush of watery vomit seep through his hand and falling to the floor.

Without break, his stomach continued to heave painfully, but despite the violent retches, nothing else came up. Desperate for relief, he pushed hard against his bloated stomach, wincing painfully as everything shifted upwards. It felt stuck in his throat, only resulting in a wet belch.

"Stomach not keeping up?" Lane teased, placing a hand gently on Neal's abdomen. Lane quickly frowned at the tightness that pressed into his palm as Neal breathed shallowly.

Lane reached for his pockets; having already predicted that Neal's digestion system would need some help. "Drink this; it should help your stomach dissolve whatever you ate last night," he said, offering Neal a small vial.

"Thanks…" Neal mumbled weakly before carefully taking a sip. However, the thick bitter mixture induced a gag, and was quickly expelled onto Lane's shirt.

Ignoring the mess, Lane gently guided Neal’s hand back to his trembling lips. "Try to keep it down; you will feel better soon."

Neal's nausea grew for each swallow, making it harder to keep the liquid down. The mixture seemed to do its work though, relieving the tightness in Neal's stomach briefly before the nausea became unbearable, feeling the dissolved contents slosh inside him.

"We should probably head to the bathro-" Lane was interrupted as Neal shot upright and reached for the pillow. He hurriedly stripped off the pillowcase, and buried his head into it, desperately hoping it would contain the mess.

Neal closed his eyes tight, feeling everything rush up his throat at once. He lurched forwards with a violent heave as thick chunks of vomit filled the thin fabric.

"That’s good, just let it all out." Neal was somewhat aware that Lane remained next to him despite the mess, rubbing his back as he puked his guts out. His stomach was so incredibly full, bringing up wave after wave of lumpy vomit.

"Why can't it stop" Neal groaned. The stench of rotting garbage filled the room, triggering another round of vomiting. It was more liquid this time, seeping through the pillowcase and onto the bed.

When he finally stopped retching, Neal was left weak and trembling, his entire body drenching in sweat. "You think you are done?" Lane hoped, taking away the makeshift vomit bag after seeing it dripping onto the bed. Neal weakly nodded, still panting as the nauseous feeling persisted.

However, Lane could feel Neal’s back tense up again, and a grimace formed on Lane’s face as he sensed a warm, sticky puddle of vomit soaking through his lap.

"Sorry…" Neal managed to utter before another belch interrupted him, bringing up mostly bile by now. "Sorry about the mess…" he whimpered, feeling utterly drained as he leaned into Lane with exhaustion.

"I’m sure you'll find a way to make it up to me,” Lane murmured, a slight blush tinging his cheeks.

Clearing his throat, he swiftly returned to his usual smirk. "Let's just get you cleaned up for now. Then you can rest in my bed for today."

[simping4villains]

This is the third chapter of a new Shigaraki college au fic I’ve been working on, titled Losing Streak! Updates will be posted on my ao3 and wattpad!

~~~~~

Warning: Sexual content/non-con elements

   When you woke up the next morning, your head was pounding. The light from your windows was searingly painful, prompting you to pull your pillow over your head in an attempt to block it out.

   You didn't remember a lot of the previous night. The more you thought about it, you didn't even remember coming back to your apartment. That was concerning.

   You grabbed your phone off of the nightstand to check the time. It was almost noon, which meant you'd slept through breakfast as well as two of your classes. At least they'd be serving lunch in the dining hall. Your stomach felt incredibly hollow and you still had the taste of alcohol on your tongue.

   You were scrolling through your notifications—a few worried messages from Akiko and a text about some online sale—when you saw one from a number you didn't recognize. You tapped on the chat and immediately felt your heart drop.

   Someone had sent you nudes. They weren't just the standard low-quality dick pic you received every now and then from desperate men around campus. These pictures were all women—or, all the same woman.

   They were pictures of you.

   You were panicking, your hands trembling. How did someone have photos of you like this? You didn't take nudes. You certainly didn't send nudes to anyone. You didn't even have anyone to send nudes to! So had someone taken these of you. . . last night?"

   You took a deep breath to calm down and stared typing.

   'Who is this?'

   Three little dots appeared in the bottom of the screen. You held your breath until a response came.

   'You don't remember?'

   'How did you get these photos? How did you get my number?'

   'Meet me in the north dining hall in twenty minutes. We can work out a little deal so no one else has to see these."

   Panicking, you fought your hangover and jumped out of bed, pulling on a sweatshirt and sweatpants as quickly as possible before rushing out of the house, not even bothering to grab a jacket. You shrugged against the chilly fall air. It was a fifteen minute walk to the north dining hall, so you had to hustle if you didn't want to be late.

   You burst through the doors of the campus center and practically ran through the lounge and up the stairs to get to the dining hall. You froze when you got to the top of the steps. There he was, leaning against the wall across from you. You should've known.

   "Shigaraki."

   He looked up from his phone. "Oh, hey, y/n."

   You rushed up to him and grabbed his hand. You needed to find somewhere more private. You didn't want to talk about this out in the open where anyone could hear that he had nude pictures of you. There were conference rooms on the next floor up. You decided one of those would be as good a place as any.

   You dragged him into one of the conference rooms, shutting and locking the door behind you before closing the blinds. You felt so ashamed by it all that you couldn't even stand the thought of someone seeing you with him—like they might somehow know.

   He took a seat and watched you do all of this. "You gonna talk?" he asked. "Seems like something's on your mind."

   "I should've stayed away from you. They warned me. My friends warned me that you were a creep."

   He frowned. "Wow, okay."

   "Where did you get them? Because I never sent photos like those to anyone and I refuse to believe that we. . . that we actually. . ."

   He cocked an eyebrow.

   You sighed. "You're gonna make me say it? The nudes. I don't know how you got them or why you're blackmailing me with them, but just please don't leak them, okay?"

   Shigaraki couldn't help the wicked smile that spread across his face. He didn't know what kind of karma he'd put out into the universe to deserve an opportunity like this, but he wasn't going to let it go to waste.

   "You'll have to do a better job of convincing me than that."

   "I'm literally begging you. What more do you want? You want me to get down on my knees?"

   "I mean, for starters, yeah. I certainly wouldn't say no."

   He loved the look of shock that flashed across your face as you realized what he was implying.

   "You can't be serious?"

   "Would a creep like me joke about something like that?"

   He'd hated that you'd called him that, but if you were gonna label him as a creep, then he'd be sure to exceed your expectations.

   "Well? Go ahead."

   You slowly lowered yourself down to your knees in front of where he sat, your eyes full of horror as you gazed up at him. You were frozen, fighting yourself on whether or not you could really go through with it.

   "Do I have to fucking walk you through it? Jesus."

   "Sorry," you whimpered.

   You didn't want to do this, but what choice did you have?

   Your hands trembled as they fumbled with the waistband of his joggers. You found his boxers too, hooking your fingers under them and pulling them down along with his pants, coming face to face with his already erect cock.

   Was this actually happening?

   "Are you just gonna stare at it?" He asked.

   You blinked away your panic and looked up at him. There wasn't even an ounce of remorse in his eyes. This asshole loved what he was doing to you—as if his erection wasn't proof enough.

   "If I do this. . . you really won't leak the photos?"

   "That's right."

   "You swear?"

   He rolled his eyes. "I swear."

   "Will you delete them? I'm not doing this unless—"

   He grabbed you by the hair, yanking so hard that you yelped.

   "I don't think you understand the position you're in. I'm not a patient man, so hurry up before I change my mind."

   He let you go and spread his legs a bit wider, inching his cock closer to your face. You tentatively wrapped your hand around the base, causing his breath to hitch. From the way he was already seeming to fall apart, you guessed this wasn't something that happened to him very often, if at all. For a moment, a flicker of hope burned in your chest. You thought maybe you could get him off quickly like this so you wouldn't have to—

   "Use your mouth."

   Yeah. That.

   As much as it crushed you, you knew you couldn't refuse. You stuck your tongue out and licked a stripe up his length. He sighed contentedly, letting his eyes flutter shut. It made you feel sick to your stomach, but you knew you couldn't stop.

   You decided it was time to bite the bullet. You had to just get it over with. As much as you hated him and wanted to skin his dick with your teeth, you knew that the better it was, the sooner he'd. . . god, you hated to even think about it, but you needed it to be over as quickly as possible.

   He groaned as you took him into your mouth, swirling your tongue around his tip. "Fuck, yes. Just like that."

   Your eyes remained trained on his lower stomach as you bobbed your head, taking more and more of him until your gag reflex wouldn't allow you to go any further. You didn't want to look at him. You tried to tell yourself that it was relief and not some fucked up version of pride that you felt as you listened to his broken moans above you, but you couldn't deny the spreading warmth between your legs.

   You hated your body for reacting that way. There was no reason for you to be so turned on by this. He was using you. He was blackmailing you. He was everything your friends had warned you about.

   But still, you couldn't get past his desperate, heavy breathing that bordered on whimpering. . . and the way he lightly tugged at your hair. . .

   Your hand started moving to match your pace, making up for the inches you couldn't fit in your mouth. You thought Shigaraki was satisfied with it until he tightened his hold on your hair, using the grip to guide you further down. You started to gag at the sudden intrusion, feeling tears prick the corners of your eyes. He hardly gave you time to relax around his length before he started abusing your throat, thrusting his hips up as he forced your head down.

   Your hands were on his thighs, simultaneously trying to push him away and trying to ground yourself by digging your nails into him. His moans only grew above you as he chased his high, using you for his own pleasure. You could tell he was close. His movements were becoming more erratic and his grip on your hair was so tight now that you were sure he'd manage to rip it out. After a few more thrusts he gave your head one final shove and shot his cum down your throat.

   "Swallow it for me like the slut you are," he said to you before pulling out.

   You did as he asked. It wasn't really like you had an alternative anyway. You didn't want to leave any evidence of what had happened behind in the conference room. Someone would have noticed for sure.

   Once you had caught your breath you took a seat in one of the chairs that surrounded the conference table. Shigaraki was leaned back in his with his eyes closed, basking in the after glow.

   You wouldn't let him enjoy it for very long.

   "So when are you going to delete those photos?" You asked.

   Without opening his eyes, he shook his head. "I'm not."

   "What? But you said—"

   "That I wouldn't leak them, which I won't, if you keep doing what I ask."

   You couldn't believe it. You had been foolish to think he'd really listen to you if you did what he wanted. You had to find a way to get those photos off of his phone so he couldn't keep holding them over your head.

  

   "You really are a creep."

   He smirked and reached out to rest his hand on your thigh. "Whatever you say."

   You shrank away from his touch, which only annoyed him. He tugged on your hand, hinting for you to get up.

   "What?" You asked with a sharp edge your voice.

   "Come sit on my lap."

   "No."

   "You're not being a very good listener. Maybe I should teach you a lesson and send those photos out after all. I'm sure there have got to be at least a few people in the entire student body who haven't seen you naked yet."

   You glared at him. "You know what? I bet you wouldn't even know how to go about that. You're just bluffing so you can treat me like your little plaything. Well, I may have been dumb enough to fall for it once, but I won't let it happen again."

   You got up and stormed out of the conference room. You weren't going to let Shigaraki push you around, and you certainly wouldn't keep giving him sexual favors, no matter how desperate you were for him not to leak the photos. Still, maybe he really was bluffing after all.

   As you rounded the corner into the main lounge, you heard a wave of notification alerts going off. Looking around, you saw students checking their phones and shaking their heads. Petrified, you pulled your own phone out of your pocket to see a notification from him.

   He hadn't sent the photos out, not yet at least, but he had proven that he wasn't bluffing. It seemed that all at once, every student on campus had gotten the same stupid spam article sent to their phone. For everyone else, it was an annoying text from an unknown sender, but for you it was a very clear warning.

   Shigaraki was telling you that he wasn't bluffing, that he could absolutely ruin you if he felt like it, but he was giving you another opportunity to play nice. Otherwise, he would have just sent the pictures out and been done with it.

   Shortly after, you got another text from him. It was an address and a time. "Last chance," it said.

   You understood what it meant.

   "I'll be there," you wrote back, though it was the absolute last thing you wanted.

   You'd have to play along for now, until you could find a way to beat him at his own game.

[augment-techs]

Color Theory discussions: BillySkull and maybe the addition of Matt. Because I’m curious now.

Okay, now follow along with me here: it would be a very rare universe where both of these boys would be able to be Powered up at the same time, because it is feeling more in more like, in direct relevance to canon, Orange is only allowed on screen/active, when Blue is not available for the team or in the moment. In the world of the Coinless, Skull only took on all the roles associated with Orange when he had to go undercover in the guise of a Red when Billy was shot through the chest. Fern, in Cosmic Fury, was only brought into the fray because Ollie went evil and the team needed someone to pick up the slack. The Orange Empyreal only came into being because Kiya literally murdered the Blue Emissary and their shadow came to life.

Orange is basically the blood that coagulates in the wound left by a Blue being missing. But they are not the same and it really shows in how they operate.

Blue can't work with what isn't there, but Orange can not only work around such a deficiency, but actively works to bring about change despite the lack of materials and spirit.

Blue is the memory of the Morphin Grid. If we take that into consideration for this pairing, Billy retains all the knowledge and memory of every relationship he's ever had. Which, whole awesome in the long term, is not great for short term because he gets caught up in the good, the bad, the awkward, the misunderstandings, the accidents, the hurt, and the love all at the same time. Being with him can be exhausting because he is a brilliant mind trapped in an flesh prison that doesn't allow him to operate both his wits and his mouth at the same time.

Skull, contrariwise, in almost every universe and timeline, never got the chance to embrace his place in the Grid for what he actually was. It was short lived and the memory was always taken away from him. And in the Coinless universe, this is a handicap, because he is in fact drawn to Morphin Energy and can act and react to what that means in the moment--and in long term, because Orange might be the doer, but that doesn't point to the WHEN he's doing anything. He can play the long game or act on the fly, because Orange is a dual Color in tune with Change. Despite what everyone wants to believe, Blue is also based in the elements of space, slowness, and loudness. Orange based in water, thinness, and quiet. Winter is still Blue's realm, where stasis is all, allowing the Ranger to observe and say "Eureka!" Autumn is Orange's, where everything is on the cusp of something else, always changing and yet also reliable in its change. They are good together in short bursts in the beginning of their relationship, and can only become more deeply entwined if Blue recognizes their little and big failings--because Orange already knows it has failings, often more aware of them than any other color, which is a big, big part of why it's so rare. The sheer amount of AWARENESS in Orange can be exhausting; as opposed to Blue, where it can go on for days to make things better, much to the detriment of the user.

That equal yet opposite thing is REALLY strong in this pair, so it's kind of no wonder that it would take FOREVER to become a true pairing.

Now adding Green into the mix, on the other hand...

Green is the hardcore survivor of the Morphin Grid. That's a given. It occupies Spring, which is a different kind of Change than Orange, often a much more violent one. It settles easily into air, brutality, bravery--which is different from courage (Orange) and sureness (Blue)--and a cunning; that on dark nights is more insidious and selfish than it should be.

Which is probably why I have a theory that Green and Orange and Purple are something of an antithesis of each other. Green could smash Purple (both a Summer and Winter type) into the ground with little effort, while Purple could--but would prefer not to--do the same to Orange. Orange, by rights, would be perfect to teach Green a lesson if the need arouse.

Now, bare with me, because this is a lot of where my subjective thoughts come into play.

Green/Blue are generally a rather harmonious duo in canon as friends and teammates, but if the bedroom came into play, we get into something a little bit awkward, because...well, for lack of a better way to put it, I think that Blue would be the dominant in this relationship, because there is just something in the Grid dynamics that makes it feel like it's...better...than Green? Like, there are no teams that exist in any meaningful capacity without Blue. Duos are a thing, but usually cased by calamity and death. A TEAM however, can't exist without Blue. So Blue is a little bit classist as well as carrying a superiority complex towards a Color that has not only been out of the loop in team dynamics for millennia, but is HALF of Blue itself taking on Yellow.

True, Billy spirited away the Green Dragon coin to Grace Sterling to cleanse it, revive it, and lobbied to give it to Matt because he saw the potential in his friend that had been there all along, but there is still something to be said about the Color influencing the Ranger. Billy has seniority in experience and would not let Matt forget that in close quarters when frustrated. Which basically means that they'd have an insanely primal sex life with Billy NEEDING to prove superiority. I think that the sex would be just a hair's breadth away from hate sex, with both of them being totally exhausted afterwards, and the both if them CONSTANTLY forgetting about things like hydrating, aftercare, and being generally kind of stupid for days afterward. With Matt flirting and flirting and flirting SOME MORE--like a peacock--and Billy just kind of...ignoring or being annoyed with him.

Green/Orange would be the ideal starter relationship, really. Because while Green was out of the loop for ten-thousand years? There is no record of Orange EVER being used in Zordon's lifetime on Earth, except for that one time, and again, that barely counts because it was for less than a day and he was a manipulative, condescending prick about it. He doesn't want to have Rangers on the team that would call him out when he's wrong, and Orange is nothing if not THAT ONE COLOR that every single person has an opinion about; it's either loved or hated and the same thing goes for the Ranger. And Green can empathize with that, given the rocky start it had with its team because of Rita.

Not to mention that now that Matt is also the only Ranger at present that had his life put under a microscope by outing himself to give Angel Grove someone to trust during the Dome Fiasco, he is probably fully willing to find some understanding and compassion from someone who has had ample opportunities to make his life harder, but just...hasn't? Orange/Skull being that very strange combination of compassionate, stable, and bluntly honest would be something incredibly appealing to Matt in the aftermath of losing all of his friends to Rangerdom, suffering the untreated trauma of abduction on the moon, Kim dating a guy that was evil for a little while there and also for a little while was incredibly aggressive about Matt getting the Dragon Coin, and now the whole Matt killing Grace thing. Say what you want, but Skull being water and Matt being air has a HUGE symbiotic thing going on there.

Also it goes without saying, Orange and Green are a kind of equal opposites. They share something that Blue does not have and in a POLY relationship this means communicating and translating things that can't be understood from just two sides. And where Blue is urged to be on top with Green, and in control with Orange, the two can find a soft middle ground that allows harmony to go on with all three at the same time. (This would kind of fuck Green and Orange ever if a breakup or going evil thing happened in earnest, because of really obvious reasons, but we are not getting into that here.)

TLDR:

If they want a real, solid, perfect relationship, they would have to be older, at least over eighteen. They would have to know themselves a little better. They would have to be honest with themselves and EACH OTHER.

Also, and this is just my opinion, Blue/Orange works in the early days as a fling, or playing around, but would never lock down until something bad happened. Since something bad is always happening, at some point, with Green and Orange, the ideal combination and timeline for this poly would be: Blue+Orange x mistakes/miscommunication= Blue | Orange << Orange+Green x years+jealousy/experience+Blue = Green/Orange/Blue going clockwise.

[fanfics4all]

Mint

Request: Yes / No Fluffcember Day 29

Don’t be shy, request things! <3 Have a nice day/night

Ambrose Spellman x Fem!Reader 

Word count: 639

Warnings: Just fresh fluff!

Prompt(s): Mint

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK! 

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(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

The Spellman Mortuary was decked out in a strange but oddly fitting mix of holiday decorations and eerie decor. Candles flicker alongside garlands of pine, and silver tinsel caught the light, casting shadows that made the place feel as enchanted as it was mysterious. The familiar hum of magic filled the air as Ambrose and I hovered over a bubbling cauldron in the dimly lit kitchen. 

“Alright…” He said, grinning as he carefully measured out crushed peppermint leaves. 

“A pinch of mint should ass a festive twist, don’t you think?” I laughed, watching as he dropped the mint into the cauldron. The bubbling potion turned a pale, frosty blue and let off a sweet, cool scent that filled the kitchen with something between holiday cheer and mystery. Ambrose was in his element, his eyes bright with excitement as he stirred the potion. 

“What’s next Potion Master?” I tased, crossing my arms and watching him smile. He wiggled his eyebrows, looking very pleased with himself. 

“Next, a touch of cinnamon bark for warmth and a sash of star anise for luck. We can’t have a proper Yule potion without luck, now can we?” I shook my head, charmed by his attention to detail. He moved with an elegance that was uniquely his. Every sprinkle, stir, and whispered incantation was infused with precision and care. I handed him the small vial of cinnamon, watching as he added it to the cauldron. A warm, spiced aroma mingled with the cool mint. The mixture was turning into something magical, even to someone without an ounce of witchy blood like me. 

“Do I get to help?” I asked, reaching for the rod. He placed it in my hand, his fingers brushing mine, and it lingered for just a moment longer than necessary. 

“Of course, love. Give it three gentle stirs clockwise, then tap the edge twice. We want to coax out the mint’s energy, not overwhelm it.” He said softly. 

With his instructions, I stirred. I felt a spark of magic course through the rod. The potion responded, bubbling and glowing faintly and I glanced up at him surprised. 

“You’ve got the touch.” He whispered, his eyes sparkling as he watched me. 

“Maybe it’s rubbing off on me.” My cheeks warming. He chuckled, taking my hand again and guiding me to sprinkle a bit of crushed holly berries into the potion. The cauldron gave off a soft, cool burst of minty mist that swirled around us, shimmering with flecks of silver like tiny snowflakes. It was enchanting and I couldn’t help but be amazed at the way Ambrose could transform even the smallest ingredients into something beautiful. 

“Alright…” He dipped the ladle into the potion and poured a small amount into a glass vial. He handed it to me with a grin. 

“...our very own Yuletide Elixir. It’ll bring clarity, warmth, and just a hint of seasonal spirit.” I held up the vial, watching the pale blue liquid shimmer in the light. 

“What exactly does it do?”

“Ah, that’s for you to discover. It’s personalized. You may find it brings you unexpected joy, or a little good luck, or perhaps just a bit of festive cheer. It’s different for everyone.” He explained. I smiled, cradling the vial in my hand. 

“Well, let’s find out.” Ambrose took my other hand and raised the potion in a toast. 

“To us, and to finding magic in the little things.” We both took a sip and the cool refreshing tingle spread through me, like the taste of mint, snow, and spice all at once. I felt a burst of joy that seemed to light up my entire chest and I looked at Ambrose, feeling like we were the only two people in the world. 

“Merry Christmas, Ambrose.” I whispered and he smiled, pulling me in for a kiss.

Tag list: @les-bio-lie @tashy-bear @ashwarren32 @hollie-blogs-blog1 @lover-of-books-and-tea @nerdygaloresposts @teenwolfbitches28 @kmc1989 @drw0301bieber @lady-of-lies @ravenmoore14 @ravenempress101 @cillianchamp @rowanthomasknapp @rachelxwayne @ready-4-fanfiction @madammarvellous-blog1

[walkinghell]

Touches

Summary: Aeon wakes up from a nightmare and Dew makes things better

Rating: Explicit MDNI!

Warnings: explicit sexual content, hand jobs, knotting references, nightmares.

Dewdrop's barely awake when someone brushes against him. And worse (or better, depending on the guest) Dew's certain he went to sleep alone.

He waits to acknowledge them until they move again, keeping him closer to the edge of consciousness than he’d like.

“And why are you moving so damn much?”

“Sorry.” The whisper comes.

Aeon. Dew realizes.

“What’s up, bug?” He hums, rolling over to see the young ghoul.

“Just can’t sleep,” Aeon replies.

Dew can tell it’s more upon seeing Aeon’s red-rimmed eyes and damp lashes as they drive under a streetlight

“Yeah? Something scary?”

Aeon’s lower lip quivers as he nods and something in Dew’s chest tugs.

“C’mere, bug.” Dew sighs, pulling the younger ghoul closer.

“Didn’t wanna wake you, but it scared the shit out of me.” He whimpers, and Dew registers how wrecked Aeon’s voice is—likely sobbing or screaming himself awake.

Being summoned leaves scars deeper than the skin.

Dew’s lips meet Aeon’s forehead before he can think, empathy winning over any difficulties with the new ghoul.

“I know. I had the same problems when I was summoned. And when my element was changed.” Dew whispers.

“You did?” Aeon whispers, bright amethyst eyes meeting Dew’s amber.

“Mhmm. Most nights, I ended up in Aether’s bed for the first few months I was topside. He pumped me full of a fuck ton of quintessence just to ward off the night terrors. Even then I still woke up screaming some nights.” Dew admits.

“That bad?”

He nods softly.

“Does getting sent back hurt worse?” Aeon whispers.

“Dunno, bug. I know elemental changes hurt like a bitch, but I haven’t been topside before. You could ask Swiss. Why?”

Aeon rests his head against Dew’s chest before answering. “I’m scared, 'cause I’m going back after this tour…”

“Says fucking who?!” Dew said, shooting up so fast he hit his head on Mountain’s bunk above.

Aeon flinches as Dew makes contact with the bunk, reaching for him as Dew rubs his head.

“Say’s who?” Dew repeats.

“Swiss and Mountain said I was temporary…”

“Well, you’re not. Aether left cause he’s fucking tired. And as much as we miss Aether, you’re staying, so get that shit out of your head. You’re not going back to the pit.” Dew said sharply.

The, I won’t let you, was left unsaid.

“I’m not?” Aeon nearly sobs.

“No. You have to understand, we lost 3 ghouls before I changed. Then we got 3 new ghouls. Aether wasn’t supposed to go anywhere. He was our rock. But he’s tired. Yes, Mountain’s struggling, and Swiss is attached. But you’re not leaving .” Dew hisses, drawing the younger ghoul up into his arms.

Dew rocks him slightly, warming himself to soothe Aeon as sobs wrack his body.

Anxiety and relief flow through their pack bond in equal measure.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Dew whispers. “Who else is gonna quint my shitty knee on tour? Not Swiss.” 

Aeon chokes out a laugh and Dew smiles against his hair.

They stay like that until Aeon settles and the affection turns into something else for him.

“Dew?” He whispers.

“I know, bug.” Dew hums, having already felt it through the pack bond.

Aeon allows himself to be guided to lay against Dew’s chest, legs spread over Dew’s open thighs.

Aeon cranes his neck up to connect their lips as Dew’s hand slips beneath Aeon’s waistband to stroke his hardening length.

“Fuck…” He gasps.

“I know, bug,” Dew whispers.

Dew flicks his wrist until Aeon’s writhing and whining before running his thumb across the prespend-soaked head.

“Such a good boy for me”

Aeon’s voice breaks on a moan and he bucks into Dew’s touch.

“S’good. Fuck, s’good.” He gasps, chest heaving.

Dew’s other hand presses fingers against the seam of Aeon’s lips. “Get them wet, Swiss borrowed my lube.”

Aeon sucks Dew’s finger into his mouth like a kit nursing.

Soft, muted whines burst from him as Dew’s hand continued jacking him off.

Dew pulls his fingers free and plunges them beneath Aeon’s waistband, gently massaging his ring of muscle before pressing in a finger.

“Dew!” He cries.

“Shhh, I know. I know.” 

Aeon lasts 3 curls of Dew’s forefinger before begging for more.

Dew happily obliges.

Aeon’s knot swells beneath Dew’s hand as he spreads his own pre over him like lube.

“Feel that, baby?” Dew purrs.

Aeon nods fervently at the increased pressure around something so sensitive. “Please!” He sobbed, bucking up into Dew’s touch.

“Your pretty little knot gonna pop for me? Gonna get all messy for me?”

Dew’s fingers crooked up into Aeon’s prostate and the quint wailed as he arched up, coming in ribbons across his chest and down Dew’s hand.

Dew gently squeezed his knot to provide enough to carry Aeon through his trembling orgasm.

“Dew!” He sobbed.

“Shh, love.”

Dew eased his fingers from Aeon’s clenching hole and reached for the wipes on his shelf.

Cleaning Aeon, he eased the quint against his chest.

“M’tired.” He mumbled, a soft purr kicking in as he curled against Dew.

“Get some rest, love. I’ll be here.”

As Aeon dozed, Dew’s phone buzzed.

Glad you and the newbie are getting along, but can you keep it down? - Swiss

Quit telling him he’s going back to the pit, or I’ll kick your ass.

Dew set his phone down and fell asleep against his little quint. Entirely missing Aether’s text.

Copia said you’re taking care of Aeon. I’m so proud of you.

[thekatebridgerton]

Also, if each Bridgerton couple was watching a scary movie, which one will be the most frightened ?

The Bridgertons of course

their spouses have no fear really, some have a smidge of self preservation maybe, if you're in the Simon, Lucy and Gareth camp, but Kate, Sophie, Penelope, Phillip and Michael don't even have that. And it shows.

So the Bridgertons on a scale of one to eight, here we go:

1) Gregory: baby of the family easily the most frightened by jump scares. He's been the target of sibling bullying all his life and has never learned that scary movie monsters can't hurt you. Favorite scary movie? Coraline

2) Daphne: she's cool with final girl thrillers but absolutely despises scary movies that feature body horror and human dismemberment, she's very scared by it, she's been pregnant and that scene in Alien where the the creature burst out of someone belly, super traumatized her. Favorite scary movie: Carrie

3) Francesca: maybe because she lives in a secluded part of the Scottish Highlands, she gets queasy watching scary movies where an isolated group of people go into the woods and get systematically killed off by a killer. And dislikes it when her siblings intentionally pick to watch cabin in the woods and the ring whenever she's in London. Ironically her favorite scary movie is: 2015 The Witch ( Francesca likes to live deliciously ok, don't judge her)

4) Anthony: Gets scared but not as much as Greg, Daph and Frannie. He pretends he's fine, but he secretly closes his eyes when the mosnters come out in Resident Evil. And may or may not grip Kate's hand a little harder when villains in slasher films start hacking up body parts. Favorite scary movie: Hitchcock's psycho

5) Benedict: sometimes he gets scared sometimes he doesn't, it really depends on how well the movie is made, else he just gets distracted by the bad special effects, which kinda nulifies his fear reaction. But when he does get scared by a movie he considers it a win and watches it again. He's also a pretty good movie critic. Favorite scary movie: IT

6) Colin: it takes a good thrilled plot to scare him. Which is why he prefers horror with supernatural elements, because if it's supposed to be realism, he doesn't fall for it. Colin has traveled a lot, has seen a lot and during a horror movie, he's likely to be mumbling under his breath about how the killer could use a few pointers. Favorite scary movie: nightmare on Elm street

7) Eloise: knows no fear, is the person putting on Cabin in the woods to scare Francesca. She enjoys the adrenaline of scary movies and has a whole collection she just has to binge watch with you. Favorite scary movie: the Conjuring

8) Hyacinth: she's who you need to be scared of when picking a horror movie. Has been known to watch and catalogue how her siblings react to all the movies they watch and later prey on their fears by sneaking around them and mimicking the sounds of the movie's killer. She does this just for fun. And has been known to film Anthony's girlish scream as he hides behind Kate. Favorite scary movie: The Exorcist (she can do a mean impression of it too)

But yeah that's the tea

[dualcastimpact]

All That Glitters is Blue + BLU Lore

I'll never level cap BLU, I said. I'm too nervous to do group content for spells, I said. Masked Carnivale is too hard, I said.

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS BLUE, BAYBEEEEE

Whoever it was that decided the thunder AoEs should have a random pattern better sleep with one eye open from now on, that's all I'm saying. The achievement wasn't even hard to get because I always forget to use Sprint anyhow, it was just a matter of using every element and not destroying the crystal — the real challenge was beating him in the first place! Screw Goldor Rush, honestly.

Anyhow – beating Goldor and finishing the ShB BLU questline made me want to write a bit about how it really went in Raginmar's canon, so that'll be under the cut!

The first thing to note about the BLU questlines in Raginmar's canon is that they did not happen with Raginmar. The real BLU mage in this canon is Marzanna:

She's the one who heard rumours of a strange new magic in Limsa Lominsa and got roped into Martyn's shenanigans (and thus the BLU questline), becoming Azuro the Second. She easily gets exasperated by Martyn's shameless gil-grubbing and spineless kowtowing, but she genuinely respects and admires him for giving her a new direction in life when she felt she had nothing else to live for.

There are some deviations, obviously — in the Stormblood BLU questline, Marzanna is unfamiliar with Gyodo and Kageyama (because Raginmar was the one who met Gyodo in the Stormblood MSQ, and he was the one who drove off Kageyama from Kugane Castle) and in the Shadowbringers BLU questline, Latool Ja says some hero went and saved the star and Martyn gripes about how he could have helped.

Which brings me to this point about the Shadowbringers BLU questline: most of the new spells are from the First, right? So how in the world did Martyn know about them?

In the level 73 quest, we actually see him use Deep Clean on Trachtoum — a spell learned only from the Seeker of Solitude, a singularly unique individual on the First! There's no equivalent enemy in Eorzea, so 1) who added spells from the First to the blue magic spellbook? and 2) how did Martyn even learn them?

We can't answer the second question — maybe Martyn figured out how to get to the First, maybe he got whoever it was who added the spell to the spellbook to teach him, we don't really know. But from Martyn's statement, we can conclude that the adventurer responsible for adding those spells would be someone who's travelled so much that they've even gone to distant shards. There aren't a lot of people who can claim that, and fewer still who are blue mages.

In fact, there's only one person who fits both bills.

It's Raginmar.

But hang on, you say. Raginmar's not a BLU mage, you said, it's Marzanna. Well no. Raginmar isn't a BLU mage, meaning he's not the mage in the BLU questline, but he is very much a blue mage. Sometime in ARR, Martyn needed help with an issue or other and Marzanna introduced him to Raginmar, saying that he'd help for the low, low price of a BLU job stone and the most basic of instructions. Chaos ensued, but eventually they did get to the instructing part — when Martyn's Mamool Ja assistants summoned a Kraken for Raginmar to learn Water Cannon from, instead of the comedic beating the player character (i.e. Marzanna) got in the starter quest, Raginmar dodged the Kraken's attack and one-shotted the thing with a burst of lightning. He then turned around and fired off a Water Cannon at a nearby tree, snapping the trunk in half and sending it toppling to the ground. "Not bad," he said, then nodded to the dumbstruck Marzanna and Martyn, said his farewells and left.

Unlike Marzanna, Raginmar isn't a particularly dedicated blue mage. Marzanna actively goes around the realm searching for stronger enemies to fight and learn spells from; Raginmar only happens to pick up spells from enemies he happens to face. He never went back to the BLU guild — I'm not sure if he even knows Martyn ever set up a proper guild, but Raginmar does end up writing to Martyn every once in a while, detailing new enemies and attacks he'd learned from them. He's probably responsible for most of the spells listed in the spellbook, even.

"He say it is gift from adventurers who travel to far away lands. Maybe someday, you will see these lands too."

Ignoring the fact that it's Raginmar in the screenshot, this line ties in perfectly with the idea that Raginmar is the one who shared those spells from faraway lands that Marzanna had never seen. Raginmar's been to the First; Marzanna has not. Raginmar is the one who fought Titania and Innocence and learned devastating new spells from them, and shared them with Martyn to add to the blue magic spellbook. It all works out, and I personally love it.

Anyhow: the Shadowbringers BLU questline revolves around Martyn searching from a new nemesis for the acclaimed Azuro the Second, as the Celestium has begun losing viewers due to many finding the matches boring. Eventually it's revealed that Martyn himself is a very skilled and powerful mage; he demonstrates his prowess in a match against an Ishgardian dragoon and ends up playing Goldor, Azuro the Second's latest nemesis.

This is more or less what happens in Marzanna's BLU canon, save for one rather important change: in the original questline, they're looking for someone who can challenge the BLU mage who's also the Warrior of Light. In Marzanna's canon, the BLU mage is not the Warrior of Light. In other words, the Warrior of Light himself is a perfectly viable potential opponent for the great Azuro the Second!

Marzanna does tentatively suggest this to Martyn and Royse; level-wise this would be at the beginning of the questline, likely level 71. She explains that the Warrior of Light, the selfsame one who went and saved the star from certain destruction, is a member of her adventuring party. She's not certain he would agree to performing in the Celestium, but she thinks it wouldn't hurt to ask. Royse agrees and dispatches Martyn and Marzanna to find him.

When they do find him, Raginmar predictably refuses on the grounds that he's not interested in performing for coin, and also he takes combat too seriously to put on a show the likes of the Masked Carnivale (in that same vein he refuses to spar with anyone because he doesn't really know how to pull back enough to not kill his opponent; he just goes all out). Martyn takes the refusal graciously (and gratefully; someone as legendary as the Warrior of Light would be expensive to hire) and leaves, but Marzanna hangs back when Raginmar motions for her to. At first he questions why they're seeking someone like him when they have a powerful mage already, and when Marzanna expresses her confusion, he explains that through his sensitivity to aetheric signatures, he could tell that Martyn is a master of magic, possibly at the level of archmage. Marzanna is doubtful at first, but the arcanist she meets in the level 73 quest confirms it:

Addendum: this is also why Raginmar is exceptionally good at blue magic without much trying. Raginmar is a master of multiple schools of magic — black, white, and red that combines the two, in addition to advanced arcanima and ancient Nymian scholar arts and summoner magicks — which means like Martyn, he has the requisite knowledge to properly master the Whalaqee's blue magic.

Addendum #2: it's a little hypocritical for Martyn to be baffled by the Golden Goliath using different types of magicks simultaneously back in the Stormblood BLU questline; in the level 78 quest duel against Ser Alaimbert, he's shown to use multiple types of elemental spells: wind and earth (white magic), lightning (black magic) and gravity (Astrologian magic?). There's only one other person who's capable of that sort of feat — Raginmar.

But I digress. Point is, it was Raginmar who first pointed out to Marzanna how strong Martyn actually is, but it wasn't until the level 78 quest that Marzanna (and Royse) believed it.

And there you have it, the BLU questline as per Marzanna and Raginmar's canon! I'm really looking forward to Dawntrail and what it could mean for BLU; I don't particularly enjoy the Masked Carnivale (actually I don't enjoy it at all) but I do love the lore and I'm looking forward to possibly meeting the Whalaqee for ourselves!

[violethowler]

So 3 years ago when I was in the peak of my excitement over the final season of The Clone Wars, @darrowsrising DM’ed me with a question about the potential ways that the writing of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel era could have influenced Pierce’s writing of Darrow in the Red Rising saga given how Pierce is a Star Wars fan

I started writing out my thoughts and then promptly forgot about it and never got around to finishing my draft.

3 years later I was going through my computer and had a burst of inspiration so I’m finally getting around to posting this. Sorry it took so long @darrowsrising!

The original question:

'Lo! Sorry to disturb you, but I saw that the clone wars is back and I was reminded of that discussion we had about Anakin being manipulated...I was thinking, because Pierce is a SW fan - is Darrow what Anakin should/would have been if he had a strong will?

Well, just in terms of chosen ones, so to speak...maybe pierce wanted a strong willed individual that is empathetic, but won't fall into the deep end, no matter the tragedy  (at least not that deep of an end), because it suited his story more, compared to the way Anakin Skywalker was built as a chosen one...

My thoughts:

I personally feel that it’s not so much a question of Darrow having a stronger will than Anakin so much as it is a question of environment and choices. Remember that scene in Golden Son where Darrow leaves Ragnar to decided how to respond to the revelation of Darrow’s true mission, saying that if the Sons hadn’t given him a choice in the whole carving and Institute plan, he would have broken?

Based on my own observations and other analyses I’ve read over the years, Anakin is what Darrow would have been if the Sons hadn’t given him that choice, mixed with the whole “my family comes first, fuck everyone else” attitude that Sevro had early on in Dark Age when Anakin finally breaks.

He’s also a lot like Darrow at the beginning of Golden Son: not sure what his allies want from him and scrambling to hold onto what he can in an environment where he has no one to support him.

While the Sons of Ares sought out Darrow because he had something that made him stand out as a potential candidate for the whole carving plan, the Jedi didn’t even want Anakin to begin with and only took him in because they figured “there’s a Sith running around so if you really are the chosen one I guess we’d better keep an eye on you”. Where Darrow’s allies nurtured his talents as they trained him for the Institute, Anakin had to hide away parts of himself in order to try and fit the Jedi council’s expectations.

Before the war started he was timid and shy because he was trying to be what the Jedi wanted to be, and as a result of growing up in slavery he feared being thrown out if he wasn’t good enough. Once The Clone Wars began, he became more confident and assertive because being a military leader gave him enough authority and fame that he couldn’t be kicked out of the order, but he never felt secure enough that he could feel comfortable leaving when he got fed up with the council.

(I think there may also be a degree of learned helplessness involved, as well as a desire to have it both ways when it comes to his desire to be a Jedi and his illicit marriage)

There are a few other ways that I feel like Darrow could’ve been potentially written as a response to Anakin’s arc in the prequels. But for this specific element, I feel the best way to sum it up is that if the writing of Darrow was influenced by that of Anakin, then it would be in the sense of exploring what someone like Anakin could’ve become if he’d had been allowed more autonomy and agency over what to do with his life after being freed, instead of going from one bad environment to another.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Why do we have to be here exactly? I have a test to study for tomorrow."

"I'll help you study for it," Adam promised, looking a bit irritated with his boyfriend's complaining. "Guarding the queen is an honour and she asked for us specifically. Do you know how many people would kill to be in our place?"

Theo rolled his eyes, but tried to lose the irritation in his voice.

"It's so stuffy here though. How can you stand the whole uniform? I need to take this off, I'm dying."

Adam blushed, thinking about the possibility of his boyfriend starting to strip even if it happened in this very inappropriate place. They'd kissed and held hands so far, but imagining what Theo looked like underneath all of his clothes was both terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. He'd seen Theo swim and change for gym class, but anything else felt forbidden and heart pounding. Adam was just working up the courage to ask Theo to the Harvest Moon Ball this year where they would dance together in public for the first time. 

"What was that cooling spell again? It was something to do with the left index finger and the right pinky?"

Adam stopped spiraling about seeing a naked Theo just in time to see the closest curtain to Theo burst into flames.

"No, you have to shake your hand a little," Adam replied, demonstrating the correct hand gestures and being rewarded with a gust of cold air that snuffed out the curtains before the fire department was summoned. "Please don't burn down the castle while Miruna is here. Our family can't afford to rebuild it."

"Right. Sorry. I forgot that demons had a harder time with elemental magic," Theo apologized. "I don't use it a lot. Are you still hot though? I'm boiling here. Do you think they have an air conditioner? Is this place too old for one?"

"Adam! Theo! You made it!"

Both boys turned to see Miruna Maricourt gesturing wildly at them. 

"Your Highness," Adam said stoically, nudging Theo to do the same beside him. "We're here to protect you, as ordered. What do you need of us?"

Miruna laughed in response.

"Relax, the summons was just a formality," she replied. "Your school needed a reason to allow you to miss class. Claudia and I just wanted to see you both. We never get to see you and this was the perfect excuse. I think you even get extra credit if we sign a document, so it's win-win."

"So you don't need us to protect you from foreign threats?" Theo asked, his disappointment clear in his eyes. "I'm really good at fighting off demons and my dad is making me take defense classes against vampires too. I can protect you."

Miruna watched the little demon hybrid try to pose dramatically while her half-brother stared at him in lovestruck awe. She wasn't sure which one of them was cuter.

“I’m sure that you could,” Miruna gushed, hugging Theo while winking at her half-brother. “This one’s a keeper, Adam. No wonder the demon sovereign has her eye on him.”

“Yeah, Theo’s pretty great,” Adam stated, once again blushing. “Even the other demon kids can’t do some of the magic he can.”

Theo felt his face flush with the compliment. Despite Adam reassuring him that his feelings for him were real, there were days where Theo irrationally worried that Adam would find someone else who was stronger or more talented than Theo, leaving him alone and brokenhearted. Even with that reassurance, it still calmed some of Theo’s insecurities to hear Adam compliment him in front of other people.

“Well, Claudia has asked me to give you two a special mission if you want one,” Miruna teased. “We have to have some boring, long conversations with the king today and Victoriana could use some highly skilled warlocks to escort her around the castle.”

“You want us to babysit?” Adam groaned. “You signed us out of school to babysit your step-daughter? Why?”

 “Because she’s the future queen of Pleasantview and your future niece. It would mean a lot to Claudia if you and Theo spent some time with her before the wedding. She’s not much younger than you two, so it’s not really babysitting. You’re hanging out together while protecting her from harm.”

“I guess,” Adam grumbled. He paused for a moment, remembering the long talks with his parents about duty and sacrifice and keeping the family name untarnished. “I mean, we’d be happy to babysit for Her Majesty.”

“Liam! It’s been too long. How are you?”

Miruna watched as her fiancee greeted the Crystal Cove king without formality. She had never been certain if Claudia’s lack of formality with other monarchs in private was because of her upbringing or was just a way to assert her own power over them. It went without saying that King Liam knew the history of Pleasantview’s occasional annexation of his country-his mother was once heir to both thrones. Miruna could never be certain about Claudia’s true motivations. She greeted Maura in a completely different way because of their friendship, but she also tended to wander around other castles wherever she wanted unchallenged.

“Your Majesty,” Liam replied gracefully. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”

There was power in being so closely associated with Claudia. Miruna had gone over the pros and cons of her engagement with her father for as long as she had been dating the monarch. Claudia was a great person, but these little displays of power always made Miruna uncomfortable. Even the tiniest conversation seemed like a power struggle with Claudia, which was honestly a little tiring.

“Hey, Victoriana! How are you? You get to ditch school today too?”

With the amount of siblings he had, speaking to children came naturally to Theo. Not that Victoriana was much younger than him really. She was just slightly older than his twin sisters, so hanging out with her seemed just like hanging out with them. Adam was jealous of his boyfriend’s ability to just socialize with anyone, no matter where they came from. Adam had spent years being told what to do, when to bow and what topics were forbidden to discuss, while Theo had no hesitation. He still mostly remembered when he should bow but he was truly fearless,much like Claudia herself was. Adam chalked it up to his boyfriend’s unusual childhood. Not much would be scary if you had grown up fighting your own demonic family just to survive.

“Yeah, my mom said I had to ‘get out more’,” Victoriana replied. “She wanted us to spend some time together so I can practice my magic skills with other kids.”

Probably because my half sister is marrying her mom. I’m not sure why else the queen would want her daughter practicing magic in a foreign castle with Theo and I.

Adam frowned, but the young princess didn’t seem to notice. Her attention remained focused on the simple magic tricks Theo was demonstrating for her.

“So about my wedding,” Claudia began. “I was thinking that I might want to wear one of your mother’s dresses for the reception. You know, to celebrate our special relationship with Crystal Cove. Obviously my wedding dress is being custom made and designed, but I can barely walk in it, let alone dance. Everyone always says how much I resemble my aunt, so I’d like to honour her at my wedding.”

“That can easily be done,” Liam replied, relieved that the favour she’d come to ask was incredibly easy. She had the power to demand whatever she wanted and if she wanted one of his long dead mother’s dresses, no one alive would complain about it. “I believe my dear wife locked them in her castle to hoard away when we got married. I’ll have Theodosia search for them. She knows where most of her mother’s things are.”

“What’s the big deal about a dress?” Theo asked, only to have Adam shrug in reply.

The two boys and Victoriana skulked around the hallway, eavesdropping on the two monarchs for any juicy gossip. To listen to two adults talk about clothes and insurance rates that would be needed to allow royal artifacts to leave the castle was incredibly boring.

“Probably just to remind people that she inherited the throne from her blood relative,” Adam guessed. “People weren’t thrilled when Queen Charlotte I and Queen Charlotte II ruled after Queen Juniper’s death. They were installed by a foreign government with a weak, manufactured claim to the throne. Because she’s Juniper’s niece and they look so similar, wearing one of her dresses would be a great opportunity to remind any doubters of her claim.”

“What’s your sister going to wear? Do you have to wear something fancy to the wedding? Do I as your date?”

Adam shrugged again.

“Maybe. I have a list of ‘suggestions’ to pick from for the wedding. Maybe they’ll have suggestions for you too.”

“I could wear a tiara,” Theo exclaimed, his mind filled with expensive jewelry like he’d seen his Aunt Ulyssa and Adrian wearing. “Are you going to? Do you have family pieces to choose from? How many?”

Adam gave his boyfriend a strange look.

“No, we don’t have jewelry pieces, we’re witches. There’s not much use for tiaras if you cover them with a witch’s hat. Why would you wear a tiara? Your parents aren’t nobility and you don’t have a title. Your sisters do, maybe you can borrow one of theirs.”

Frustration enveloped Theo’s face as he thought about how non-royal his family was. His parents were heirs to old Arkhelios money, but Roman was no longer a widower duke now that Adrian was alive and in a new relationship. Grandma Elaine didn’t have a title either, though she did inherit her father’s land and fortune. When he subtracted all of the demons in his bloodline, Theo’s genealogy was actually pretty boring. Suddenly he could sympathize with his great-aunt Wanda. All she wanted from the global community was recognition and to be treated as an equal. Without a title or impressive family tree, the leader of Arkhelios was frequently laughed at or judged by the monarchs.

“Well, I think your family should buy one,” Theo decided. “It’s only fair.”

"Sorry, Theo. If you want a title, you're going to have to find someone else," Adam replied irritably. "I have enough problems living up to our non-royal family legacy without having to add in nobility drama."

Adam didn't usually show his irritation or anger, or if he did, Theo never saw it. So seeing him visibly upset about Theo's words was a new experience. 

"Sorry, I guess I've just lived with the twins long enough that I'm used to tiaras and estates," Theo apologized. "My family really isn't important at all outside Arkhelios and sometimes your parents make me feel bad about it. Not that they would ever say anything, it's just how they look at me sometimes."

"That's the whole point," Adam replied icily. "For there to be special people, the rest of us unspecial people need to exist. At least demons rank you by your power and not who you're related to."

Theo paused, remembering the importance every demon he'd ever met placed on bloodlines. It was hardly a meritocracy like Adam assumed it was. When he thought about it, just about every part of society was focused on who you came from. The demons, the witches and the royal families all demanded proof that you were related to someone with power in order to wield power yourself. It was a crushing reminder to the teenager that the world wasn't fair. 

"Aren't you related to Duchess Spencer Lane?" Victoriana asked quietly. "I've been studying the early Maricourts for school this semester. She was a duchess in Pleasantview and her daughter died in Strangetown as a teen. Her son Casper Maricourt had some kids in Strangetown too. Isn't that where you're from?"

Adam shook his head.

"No, my mom's a Darktide through and through," Adam sighed, giving Theo a pointed look. "My dad is the Maricourt. Trust me, I know my family tree."

"Well, when I'm queen, you can have a title," Victoriana decided, making Adam smile kindly in response.

"Thank you so much, I'll look forward to it one day," he replied. "Though I hope your mom lives a long, long time."

"I'll ask her for you then. Mom never stops talking about you guys anyway, she'd probably give you whatever you want."

"Your mom talks about Theo and I?" Adam asked nervously. "Nothing about the wedding, right? We're still invited and assigned the same roles? I just memorized the poem she wanted me to read."

Victoriana shrugged, already bored now that the topic of conversation had changed to her mother's expensive, boring wedding.

"As far as I know. But she talks about Theo all the time, and how I should follow his example and learn about the stupid demons he's related to. Boring stuff like that. I think she's thinking of hiring you after you graduate school or something. There's a folder on her work desk with your name on it."

Victoriana didn't seem alarmed by this information, but Theo's entire body went numb with shock. The queen of Pleasantview was watching his academic career with interest? Enough to keep a file on him? Theo didn't know if he should feel flattered or frightened by this knowledge. First the demon sovereign sponsors his education and now the queen of the most powerful country could possibly be thinking of adding him to her staff one day. What other reason could she have for following Theo's academic career? 

"It's probably just because he's dating her half-brother in law," Adam suggested. "We all have files for her to review, I'm sure. She's just making sure that Theo isn't going to shift into his dark form and try to take over the country at the reception."

It was a plausible scenario, one that Theo wanted more than anything to believe. Still, some remaining doubt clung to his mind. 

There's a reason for this and you may not like the answer.