#why didn't he come back in future redeemed

[bigklingy]

So only this evening did I discover one of the live-action actors from a period-drama murder mystery I used to watch (Grantchester) was AL WEAVER, REX'S VOICE ACTOR FROM XENOBLADE 2. He also had a cameo on Sherlock. My mind is BLOWN.

[miiilowo]

Highlights / Notable info from the second Scott Cawthon Dawko interview for people who don't want to watch it

MISC/START OF INTERVIEW

- scott says the 1 thing he'd wanna go back and change/fix the past 10 years is FNAF world; said a lot of weird/bad decisions were made going into it, that he didn't like the graphics and it Could Have been a good game but he doesn't like it overall & he may consider making an improved sequel

- he was scared to hand FNAF over to steel wool but he thinks he got lucky w/ them

- refuses to play both FNAF VR games because they genuinely scare him too much; didn't want to beta test them (funny)

- he very much knows the fandom prefers pure horror and the supernatural but cant resist leaning into scifi stuff

- doesn't like the names burntrap and glitchtrap and they were supposed to be temporary

SECURITY BREACH

- half blames covid splitting up steel wools workforce for the games lack of quality and delays

- says his "vision of the game" was misaligned with steel wool, that he had a "very specific story in mind" for security breach and it didnt pan out like he wanted

- he takes fault for it, saying he conveyed it in a bad way; "I was trying to tell steel wool to do specific things throughout the game, put specific items in specific places, have specific characters do certain things, meanwhile not TELLING them what the story plot was. Because in my head, I was thinking 'Okay, when people find this, they'll connect this to this to this & it will all be revealed, and I thought I could do that without telling steel wool the story plot. That didn't work out very well because they got all of these pieces, and they thought it was their job to connect them in a way that made sense. And so really what you ended up having were the same pieces telling completely different stories...I don't blame them for that, I blame myself for that, because what I should have done was gone 'hey, heres the story, the pieces are here, here's how theyre supposed to connect'."

- burntrap originally even supposed to move; just supposed to see something you saw in between machinery or in corners, that you werent supposed to know his purpose even though he used to have a very specific one (that the fandom doesnt know)

- he knows it didnt turn out like anyone wanted & thats why they made the RUIN dlc, he hopes it redeemed security breach

- he said hes learned from that mistake with security breach and things should be better in the future

- he cannot share any thoughts on the mimic

- he likes vanny a lot, shes one of his favorites and he thinks that shes underutilized and should get more spotlight in the future

THE BOOKS

- process is 'he has an idea, he proposes it to the writers, they flesh it out'

- he likes bunny call the most, and that it's not entirely made up; he took his family to a summer camp. 2 older kids 2 babies. one of the things you could sign up for was a 'panda call' . a very 'deceiving title', he says. early in the morning, a bunch of the camp counselors dressed as killer clowns would come into your cabin and scare the kids to wake them up early and drag them off to do their daily activities (?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????) and he knew this was the case, & before it happened he started to sort of feel bad that he signed up his two youngest kids for it so he crept outside in the dark and 'started listening for screams' early in the morning. 'somewhere in the dark in these trees theres clowns and theyre coming for my cabin'

- acknowledges the fazgoo is weird and bad.

- the 'creature on the cover of blackbird is my sleep paralysis demon' (quite literally)

- says his least favorite story is the guy getting pregnant with springtrap's baby and that he Doesnt Know What He Was Thinking, that he swears he 'wasnt trying to pick on matpat'

- he says theres potential for the books to be adapted into shorts goosebumps style, but hes afraid it might be 'too much' and oversaturate the franchise

THE MOVIE

- he says a big issue was that there was material thats difficult to translate to the big screen; the nuance of the antagonists being that the animatronics are possessed by the spirits of innocent children, and he wanted to preserve the innocence of the victims while also having the horror and the kills, and thats a big part of why several screenplays got scrapped; he was more picky/cautious about that than anything else

- says the victims are sort of like 'confused, scared animals backed into a corner, who believe that adults are out to get them' & thats part of why they kill people + the manipulation from william afton

- he likes the movie overall but thinks specific things could be improved and they aim to do that with the second movie, but doesn't want to dwell on those shortcomings too much

- hes perfectly happy with critics hating it but the fanbase loving it & that was his goal for it

- when the movie began showing in theatres he said: 'i told myself i wasnt gonna go online i wasnt gonna read any reviews i had already told everybody at blumhouse and i told my legal team DONT talk to me DONT call me DONT email me DONT send me charts DONT send me facts or figures i dont want hear ANYTHING', saw 1 negative review on accident then started reading all of them immediately before the 2nd showing even happened

- 'for a couple of hours there i was distraught, i thought it was a complete disaster' (based off the initial negative critic reviews, before learning how much the fans loved it)

SECOND MOVIE

- Not giving away many details, but following the same formula; 1st movie based on 1st game, 2nd movie based on 2nd game, etc

- Thinks people will like it, that the setup for the 1st movie was the hardest part but now that they have that launch pad to go off of and hes really fond of what they have planned

- Emma Tammi is also directing the second one

INTO THE PIT GAME

- was originally just supposed to be a short novelty game, but they made something really good and he encouraged them to keep going & its turned into a full-fledged game

- he says its going to be a very 'unique experience' and that everyone will like it a lot

- says working with megacat (studio for the game) has been 'weird but good', that theyll vanish for several months and return with a bunch of info

SPINOFFS, GENERAL FRANCHISE STUFF, FUTURE PLANS

- Would want to work on a game based off of Fetch and that he thinks it'd be really cool

- Says he feels like he's sort of lost touch with the fanbase as things have gotten bigger

- Wants to have a better structure for managing a twitter page, official news feed, etc., wants more management than just Himself because it'd better service the fanbase

- He says theres another game planned with steel wool (not the mimic game) way down the line that hasnt been announced yet

- Making more choose-your-adventure fnaf book stuff

- He's 'very careful' with collaborations because he wants to preserve the fact its fnaf and he doesnt want it to be distorted or tainted, & even if he really really likes a game he won't do a collab if the vibes are mismatched, but he's a little more open to things like that now (but we have FNAF X DBD now! yay)

THE BOX.

- (paraphrased) His process for a lot of the lore in games is that he'll come up with half of a mystery and then come up with an answer as things progress, that he feels something is there and he makes the path for that thing to be revealed

- 'but sometimes when things progress the roads that have been put in place arent the same roads that were there before'

- he had something planned for the box. the progression of the story did not allow for the reveal of whats in the box

- he never pursued whats in the box. and he will never know whats in the box.

[cloudy-lands]

Angel Dust x Daughter Reader

(prompt: reader is biological child of angel dust. y/n is his (angel dust's) first own child. Valentino somehow impregnated angel dust during a sex section with him. Before y/n was born Angel Dust left Valentino due to the abuse he was enduring to Angel and Angel didn't want his future child to be in a abusive family household.)

It was a few months into his pregnancy and Angel was happy as he could be. The spider demon was a father and was going to raise the baby on his own, but he also knew the dangers of Hell, so he had to make sure the kid was well protected.

"Don't worry kid, I'll get you the best protection." Angel said to his pregnant belly. He was a couple months into his pregnancy and was currently at work. Luckily the owner, Valentino, wasn't bothering him since he was pregnant and Valentino wasn't fond of kids.

"Angel Cakes~" Valentino called out. "Come here."

Angel sighed, walking into his boss's office.

"What is it, Val?" Angel asked.

"Oh nothing." Valentino smirked. "Just came by to say that the kid better not be a brat."

"Why would you think my kid would be a brat?" Angel asked, offended.

"Cause I know you, Angel cakes." Valentino replied. "You can't keep a damn thing clean."

Angel rolled his eyes.

"Well you don't have to worry, Val." Angel responded. "I'm not gonna have my kid in this shithole."

Valentino laughed.

"You're not taking the kid with you, are you?" Valentino asked.

"Yeah. So what if I am?" Angel asked.

"And just where the fuck do you think you'll go?" Valentino questioned.

"I don't know. Somewhere where I won't be forced to have sex with anyone I don't wanna." Angel replied.

"And you think you're gonna be safe there?" Valentino questioned. "Cause your life and that kid's life is in danger as long as you're down here."

“I would be staying at the hazbin hotel, the  place is a rehabilitation for sinners to be able to be redeemed into heaven. " said angel.

"The fuck do you mean by that?" Valentino asked.

"I mean, I'll be leaving soon. " Angel explained.

"So, you're gonna stay at the one place that's the safest from the rest of the fucking Pentagram?" Valentino questioned.

"Yep." Angel responded.

"That place is for sinners who actually have a shot at redemption." Valentino explained.

"I don't have a chance at redemption, but I'll still be staying there. " Angel said.

"I don't understand why the fuck you would do that, especially when you're not gonna have a shot at redemption." Valentino asked.

"Cause it's safer for the baby. " Angel said.

"Oh yeah. Cause the second owner, Alastor, is the safest guy around." Valentino mocked.

"He might be the safest. " Angel said.

"And why the fuck is he the safest?" Valentino asked.

"For one thing, he has a soft spot for children." Angel explained.

"Of course. Cause all psychopaths have a soft spot for kids." Valentino sarcastically stated.

"He's not a psychopath, Val." Angel defended.

"Oh really? That's not what I heard. " Valentino replied.

"Whatever." Angel said. "I'm just making sure my baby is safe."

"Well, you can do that while you're working, not running off to a hotel full of wannabe's." Valentino explained.

"Fuck off, Val. I'm not coming back here. " Angel said.

"You won't be leaving, Angel." Valentino said.

"Try and stop me." Angel dared.

Valentino got up, walked over to Angel and slapped him.

"You're not going anywhere." Valentino said.

Angel looked back at his boss, holding his face.

"Fine, I'm leaving." Angel said.

Valentino chuckled.

"Fine, you wanna leave. Leave." Valentino said.

"Thanks for your permission." Angel sarcastically stated.

"You better not tell anyone you're pregnant or I'll kill the kid." Valentino threatened.

Angel felt anger rising in him. He wanted to hit the moth pimp, but he was too afraid of him to do so.

"Whatever, just let me go." Angel said.

"Go ahead, I'll be waiting." Valentino said.

"You won't get to see the kid." Angel said.

"If they're not born dead, then they will be once I'm done with them." Valentino replied.

Angel walked out of his boss's office and walked down the hall.

"You better hope the kid is born dead." Angel muttered.

Angel left the building, he was heading for the hotel. He didn't know where else to go, and he didn't want his kid getting hurt by Valentino.

"I'm gonna raise this kid myself, whether Val likes it or not." Angel said.

As the days went on, Angel got more and more tired. The stress of the baby growing inside him was too much. He had a feeling that Valentino would actually try and hurt his kid, so he had to do something about it.

One night, Angel was in his room at the hotel, trying to get some sleep. It was hard for him, though, since his baby kept kicking him.

"Can't you be quiet?" Angel asked.

He waited for an answer, but none came.

"Fine, I'll make you quiet." Angel said.

He reached down, and started massaging his belly. It was the only thing he could think of to calm his baby.

"There. Happy now?" Angel asked.

No answer came, which frustrated Angel.

"Why do you have to make me suffer so much?" Angel questioned.

He waited again, but once again, no answer came.

"I can't wait till you're born. Then I won't have to worry about you." Angel said.

No answer came, but a small kick from the baby inside him.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Angel said.

He continued to rub his stomach.

"I can't wait till you're out." Angel said.

No answer came.

"Well, maybe you can't talk yet. That's fine. I'll just have to wait." Angel said.

He tried his best to get some sleep, but he couldn't. His baby kept kicking him, and it was annoying.

"Please, just stop. Let me sleep." Angel said.

No answer came again.

Angel sighed, and continued rubbing his stomach.

"Maybe you'll sleep better if you have a name." Angel said.

"How about..." He trailed off, thinking.

"What's a good name for a girl/boy?" Angel asked himself.

He thought for a minute, then a name came to him.

"How about Y/n?" Angel asked.

He waited, then he heard a kick.

"Okay, okay. I'll call you Y/n." Angel said.

Another kick came.

"You like that?" Angel asked.

A third kick came.

"Okay, that settles it. Your name is Y/n." Angel said.

He patted his stomach.

"Goodnight, Y/n." Angel said.

After some time finally, Angel fell asleep.

A few months later, it was time for Angel to give birth. The labor was hard, but Angel managed to deliver his child safely.

"It's a girl." The doctor said.

"She's beautiful." Angel said.

Angel looked down at his newborn daughter. She was a beautiful sight to behold.

"What's her name?" The doctor asked.

"Her name is Y/n." Angel told the doctor.

"What a lovely name." The doctor replied.

Angel took his daughter in his arms. She was the most precious thing he had ever seen.

"I'm gonna take care of you. I promise." Angel said.

After a few weeks, Angel brought his daughter back to the hotel. He told everyone that he had been staying at, that he had a daughter, and that they could come see her if they wanted to and for his child sake he told them a woman durring a shot for valentino have, had a child which she couldnt care for.

Charlie, Vaggie, and the rest of the staff came to visit Angel and his new daughter.

"Oh, she's beautiful!" Charlie exclaimed.

"What's her name?" Husk asked.

"Her name is Y/n." Angel replied.

"Y/n, huh?" Husk questioned.

"Yeah. I think it suits her." Angel replied.

"I think it's a great name." Charlie said.

"Me too." Vaggie agreed.

"Thanks." Angel replied.

Everyone took turns holding the baby. She was a little fussy, but not too much.

"I'm gonna raise you on my own. And everyone is gonna love you. You'll have a great life." Angel whispered to his daughter.

After a while, Angel decided to get some rest. He put his daughter down in her crib, and laid down in his bed.

"Goodnight, Y/n." Angel said.

With the love of a father, Angel knew he'd do whatever he had to, to make sure his daughter had a good life.

"You're a daddy's girl, you know that, kid?" Angel said.

He looked over his little girl, and closed his eyes.

"Love you." He whispered.

He fell asleep, a smile on his face.

A few years passed, and Angel had been taking care of his daughter. She was a happy, healthy little girl.

One day, Angel was sitting in the lobby of the hotel. He had brought his daughter along with him.

"Daddy, can we go outside?" Y/n asked.

"Sure. Just be careful, okay?" Angel replied.

"I will." Y/n replied.

She ran outside. Angel followed after her.

"Wait up!" Angel called.

"Hurry up, Daddy!" Y/n called.

"Hold on, kiddo." Angel replied.

He caught up to his daughter.

"There. Now, where do you want to go?" Angel asked.

"Can we go to the park?" Y/n asked.

"Okay. But we can't be gone long." Angel replied.

"Yay!" Y/n cheered.

They went to the park. Y/n played on the swings, while Angel pushed the swing once and turned away to watch her in case she fell.

"*giggles* Look, Daddy! I'm going high!" Y/n called.

"Careful, honey." Angel replied.

Y/n jumped off the swing, and ran towards Angel.

"I did it, Daddy! Did you see me?" Y/n asked.

"I did sweetheart." Angel replied.

"Now can I ride the monkey bars?" Y/n asked.

"Of course." Angel replied.

"Thanks!" Y/n said.

She ran off, and climbed onto the monkey bars.

"Watch what I can do, Daddy!" Y/n said.

She climbed across the monkey bars, and jumped down.

"That was great, honey." Angel said.

"Thanks, Daddy." Y/n replied.

They continued playing at the park.

After a while, they decided to go back to the hotel.

"Thank you for playing with me, Daddy." Y/n said.

"Anything for my little girl." Angel replied.

"You're the best daddy ever." Y/n replied.

"Oh, Thank you." Angel replied.

When they arrived back at the hotel, they were greeted by Charlie.

"Hello, Angel. And hello to you, too, Y/n." Charlie said.

"Hi, Auntie Charlie!" Y/n said.

"What'd you two do today?" Charlie asked.

"We went to the park." Y/n said.

"Was it fun?" Charlie asked.

"Yep. Daddy pushed me on the swing." Y/n said.

"Did you have a good time, too, Daddy?" Charlie teasingly asked chuckling.

"Yeah. It was nice." Angel sighed looking to the side with a distant expression.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Y/n asked.

"Y/n, why don't you go play in your room?" Angel suggested.

"Okay." Y/n replied.

She ran into her room, leaving Angel and Charlie alone.

"So, how'd the day go?" Charlie asked.

"Great." Angel sighed.

"Really?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah." Angel replied.

"Then, what's wrong?" Charlie asked.

"Nothing's wrong. Everything is fine." Angel replied.

"Angel, I've known you long enough to know when something's bothering you." Charlie said.

"It's just... Y/n's getting older. She's growing up, and soon, she won't need me anymore." Angel replied.

"Don't say that, Angel.She'll always need you. You're her father." Charlie replied.

"Yeah, but she'll start making her own decisions. She won't need me to help her." Angel explained.

"You'll still be there for her, Angel. She'll always need her dad." Charlie assured him.

[laroserie]

— characters : Alastor, + the hotels residents (vague mention - expect for Charlie)

— content : x gender neutral reader - reader is a baker, reader is naive (for a sinner), Alastor manipulate reader into coming to the hotel, Alastor is Alastor but he's also OOC (kinda but uh who write canon Alastor anyways)

— author note : this is the second part of an (potentially yandere!) alastor x baker reader - the first part is here (also the words count is : 1.7k ) (saying that because i outdid myself lol) (also yes i know Alastor canonically do not like tea idc this mf is gonna drink tea) ++ honestly considering doing a third part because I have so much more to say and write about this

After Alastor came back from his seven years hiatus and he came for at your bakery again, he could come so often, like once every two days.

But it could take him a while to make a 'move', try to get closer to you or talk to you about the hotel but one day, he comes to your bakery and asks for an unusual amount of pastries. You don't comment on it as it's not your place - you are just a simple baker ! But you can't help but raise an eyebrow.

Alastor meant to talk to you about the hotel, not because he wanted you to reedem yourself or because he wanted to do it for Charlie - well maybe a little but he won't admit it - but more or less to keep an eye on you. By then, he isn't sure as to why he wants to keep an eye on you - his assumption is that he feels the same way toward you as he does toward Rosie. He sees you as a friend but not quite - you are the sweet baker who makes quite good pastries and you are by far one of the less annoying sinners he ever spoke to. But he feels some kind of protectiveness over you - probably because he sees you as quite meek and weak.

So obvious what could be better than inviting you to stay at the hotel ? A place where he can both protect and keep on eye on you at -nearly- all time.

Alastor took this opportunity, 'These aren't all for me, dear. They are for ... my friends ?' he started while you were wrapping up what he purchased, 'You see ... Have you heard of the Hazbin Hotel ?' he asks.

'Uhm ... The hotel run by the princess ? Yeah I've seen a bit of talk about it, why ?'

'Well ! I am the facility manager of that, hotel ! And the ... pastries are for my fellows workers and residents.' He stopped for a second to gauge your reaction to that information - which was a simple nod and a 'ohh' - he continued. 'Hm, the goal of the hotel is to help sinners redeem themselves ... could you be by chance interested ?'

This question probably takes you by surprise. By then you already finished packing Alastor order - you push it toward him on the counter. You respond hesitantly 'Ha, well ... Is it possible ? To even redeem yourself ... ?' Your smile falter a bit and you look in the void for a bit. 'I don't think redemption is for me ... If I'm here it mean I deserve it and that it's already too late ...' Alastor didn't fully expect you to react like this - he did expect that you could say 'no' at first but not that.

'But ! Anyways, there is your order, enjoy !' You said trying to end the conversation there. But alas Alastor was not the type to give up so easily.

He took his order but continued on, 'If you couldn't mind dear, please just come and visit once, to be truthful, we haven't had a whole lot of sinners coming, you just simply visiting could be wonderful, and you could help bring Charlie mood up, oh and you both could get along so well !' As he finished his sentence he turned and walked toward the door and threw you a 'Goodbye!'.

Alastor knew you enough to know that he could pull at your heart strings to get what he wanted - you were always the sensitive type, the type to care even about strangers. He was sure that he could see you 'visit' in the near future.

And well he was right ! A mere three days after you found yourself at the doorstep of the hotel. You had been waiting for a few minutes already - you were still debating on entering or just turning on your hells and going back home.

But before you could do anything the hotel door in front of you opened in a big 'slam'. And once again before you could do anything, you were dragged into the hotel in a very enthusiastic manner.

'Hello !! Are you interested in the hotel ?' A cheerful voice asked you, as she dragged you into the hall, you recognised quite easily who is was - the owner of the hotel - Charlie Morningstar. It wasn't your first time seeing her, but it was your first time seeing her up close. You had to restrain a laugh at her over-enthusiasm, you didn't want be irrespectful toward the princess of hell.

'Good morning, I am simply visiting as it was recommended by ... a friend of mine.' You saw her be a bit disappointed hearing that. 'Oh. Is there anyways you could I don't know change your mind ? Maaaaybe ?' She asked.

You a small smile appeared on your face 'Maybe. If your convincing is good enough.'

Charlie took it as a challenge, she started by showing you around the hotel, and then made you meet the residents - you spoke a bit with everyone - at the exception of Alastor how was visiting his friend in Cannibal Town. To say you were surprised knowing that the two sole residents of the hotel were one of the biggest pornstar of hell and somekind of mad inventor could be an understatement. The staff of the hotel was also something - you knew already Niffty and Husk having heard about them from Alastor and you saw and spoke with Husk a few times when he picked up orders at your bakery for Alastor. And then there was Vaggie, she seemed to be quite suspicious of you and it feel like she could gut you out as soon as you do something wrong.

By the end of the day, Charlie asked you once again if you wanted to join the hotel - you struggled to answer her - a part of you seriously started to consider joining the hotel and trying to get redeem but the other one was still wary of the idea.

But you asked her if you could come every once in a while to visit and she was overjoyed by it - you didn't join the hotel but it was still an advances to have someone visit the hotel.

You did end up visiting the hotel a lot - at some point you could come once a week - you ended up befriending most people from the hotel.

One of those day, most of the hotel residents were out - only Alastor and Niffty were at the hotel. Niffty was running around chasing cockroachs - you were having tea with Alastor.

Alastor had finally decided to move to the next steps of his plan - to have you under his grip. He started by asking you a few questions about how you felt about the hotel.

'I told you, you could get along with Charlie !' You nodded as you sipped on a cup of tea. 'Are you thinking of joining the hotel officially ?' You sighed and shake your head, 'Alastor, you already know my answer ...'

'Are you sure dear ? I truly think it could be beneficial for you to join.' He persisted. 'But, I have a bakery to run, I, I have responsibility.'

'You can continue to run your bakery while being a resident here darling ! Honestly, why don't you want to ? Please don't tell me you seriously believe you cannot be redeem, we all know that it's not true. You by far one of the most ... redeemable sinner there is' Alastor tone of voice was serious - the atmosphere shifted and suddenly the way you were sitting became uncomfortable. 'Alastor please ... Don't.' You managed to utter, your looked down at the cup between your hands.

'What, I am simply saying the truth. I am just asking you to enlighten me as to why you don't think you should at least try to redeem yourself and join heaven.' You looked up to see Alastor with his usual smile plastered on his face - it felt wrong, you felt yourself crack. 'There is no real reasons to be frank, I just know that it's not possible, that it's not right ...'

Alastor shacks his head, 'If you don't do it for yourself please do it for Charlie, you both are dear friends now right ? Couldn't you like to make her happy by becoming a resident and attempting to cleanse yourself of your sins ? Ah, it could even make me happy ...' He pulled out the last card in his deck - once again he knew that playing with your feelings could be the easiest way to get you to stay - and so he did.

He could see you hesitate a bit, 'Are you sure ...? What if she learn that I don't believe in it truly ? I do not wish to be hypocritical ... isn't that a sin itself ?' Alastor laughed a little hearing you, 'You shouldn't worry about that darling. The important thing is the end result - not how you got it. Who cares if you aren't honest ? And if it's stay between the two of us, Charlie will never know.' You took a few minutes to think - weighting the pros and cons.

You sighed and nodded your head, 'Sure, I mean what could go wrong ... ha.'. Alastor smiles 'Exactly dear !', he took a sip of tea, 'Now, shall we do the paperwork now ?', he didn't wait for an answer and just pulled out a stack of papers and a pen out of Satan know here and slided them toward you.

You didn't brother to question him and just took the pen in hand, 'Do I really need to read all of that ?' you said pointing to the small toward of papers in front of you, 'Oh of course no, it's just good 'ol paperwork, you don't need to read anything ! Just sign the bottom of each pages and ... we should be good.' you probably didn't notice the way his smiles twisted as he uttered those words or if you did you just preferred to not question it.

Looking back you probably should have - it could have saved you from the collar and leash attached to your neck and the overall pain that was having your soul being owned by Alastor - with the added layer of being a full time resident of the hotel.

[jupiter049]

After finally getting around to watching Kill The Moon I was very much surprised, pleasantly in fact.

While the abortion metaphor is 100% a valid reading you can make of the story, I don't buy it being the true conflict and message of the episode. Knowing that apparently Peter Harness didn't intend this to be an abortion metaphor, I can let it pass as what is probably a writer's political views subconsciously leaking into the script.

Judging the story literally and not metaphorically. It's about choosing if it's right/worth to kill an innocent being to save the lives of many.

This is literally the trolley problem.

Then you remember that this episode works as a sort of prelude for Mummy On The Orient Express and the true intentions of this episode come to light.

This is a story about having no "good choices", about taking risks when you aren't sure what's going to happen.

Clara is put way more in a bad light than what most people say. Clara is left speechless and with no counter arguments to what Lundwik argues and concedes to letting earth decide. When she finally pushes the button it was clearly a sudden and irrational move.

Clara outright says she didn't know what was going to happen, that she wasn't planning to press the button. Clara didn't make this choice because of knowing what was for the best, she did it because she couldn't bear the weight of intentionally killing an innocent being. She gambled, she took a leap of faith and it paid off.

Beyond the choice itself. Another big aspect of the episode is why The Doctor put Clara in this situation.

The Doctor is lonely. Everybody knows that. But even when companions are close to him, he still feels alone because there's nobody in the universe like him.

He can relate to some, but there's always a thing or two getting in the way (for example Time Lords being dead). So he craves, he strongly craves for someone like him. When The Doctor is asked why he wants to rehabilitate Missy a big reason he gives is the fact she is the only person somewhat similar to him.

The Doctor desires someone he can relate to so badly it makes him want to redeem the person who destroyed 1/4 of the universe.

And now in an adventure with her he finds a situation in which they have to decide if they are willing to stop the birth of a living being to save the lives of many? That sounds familiar.

Just like Nine brought Rose to the future so she could also experience what it's like seeing your planet explode and be the last member of your species, Twelve put Clara in this situation so she could experience what it's like to be the one who makes the big choices.

The Doctor all the time makes decisions that affect the lives of many. Decisions that most of the time he isn't sure if they will work. He risks it all every day. It brings him a lot of pain but he feels forced to do it because he thinks no one else can. He always has to save humanity because he thinks none of them could do what he does.

This... Sadly brings out the uncomfortable truth. Which is that The Doctor does look down upon humans. Don't get me wrong, he adores them, he would give it all to be like them. But he is aware that he considers himself superior to humanity, which is a side of him he (usually) tries to keep in check.

Humanity is for The Doctor what animals are for humanity. We love animals, we admire what they can do and even envy them in some areas, but we still don't consider them as capable, as intelligent as us.

This side of The Doctor can be seen as far back as the first episode of the revival. Calling humans stupid apes, and describing them as a species on it's first baby steps. Because of it, he wants them to be better, he knows how amazing they can and will be and wants them to achieve their potential.

What I'm getting at is that he feels like he is the only one who has to make the big choices, he feels alone taking that burden. But at the same time, he likes it, he enjoys taking these decisions, and he would be more than pleased to have someone right by his side taking them as well.

This is about nurturing Clara into becoming something greater. In his eyes, this means stop being a little human and grow to be the tiniest little bit similar to him.

All of this makes me remember that one moment in The End Of Time Part 2.

The Doctor said humans look like giants, he never said they look bigger than him.

[ryuzakemo128]

Grim Reaper Part Six

Pairings: Poly 141 x female reader / female reader x her mental health x König

Content Warnings: Hint of future darker content?, Kidnapping, mention of miscarriage, possessive & obsessed Austrian man, the affair partner comes in, domestic abuse mentioned, controlling behaviour mentioned, many other possible topics you may or may not find disturbing. Reader discrestion is advised.

Words: 2574

Masterlist - Prequel - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven

Supernatural AU - Poem

Credit for Dividers: @cafekitsune + @strangergraphics

Summary:

You felt peaceful at home in Alaska.

Austria keeps you on tenterhooks.

A month into your kidnapping, you were never in the main house for longer than a maximum of three days of the week. König wouldn’t risk the task force finding you so quickly, he finally managed to get you back Mäuschen. Don’t you understand? He wanted to keep you for a little longer. How much longer you ask? Why do you need to know Mäuschen? You don’t have a choice in the matter.

Sit there, look pretty for him. Don’t you fucking move a muscle as a painter etches your new look into an oil painting. Into another canvas he would later neglect much like anything your relationship fostered between the two of you. You were too tired to protest or argue with him. The jet lag getting to you faster than a snail escaping a squirrel.

König’s cooing in your ear didn’t help the matter any more if you weren’t tired and fighting the urge to punch him in the face. He seemed too keen on making sure you had this child in his presence inside of his home.

You felt peaceful at home in Alaska.

Austria keeps you on tenterhooks.

Here screamed danger. Betrayal. Heartbreak. Nothing good for you.

That's a diet level not to recommend; a morgue visit seems more apt.

The cottage's redeeming feature is the panoramic countryside view from every angle.

Things kept inside of it? They were a little too perfect, perfected and placed in a ‘aesthetically’ pleasing view. If someone wasn’t paying too close attention to it. Someone with a keen eye would point out it was purposefully styled this way to get you to stay longer.

From Monday to Thursday, you focused on crafting an escape plan while in a different Austrian region. Upon returning, you had no intention of taking chances. Staring at the harp in one of the rooms. In another life you would be playing it still. In another life you would still be married. You wouldn’t have lost your child the first time. Things would have been…...better?

It didn’t matter. It is what it is and thinking about what ifs wouldn’t change a damn thing about it either. Your mind like a stonewall remained steadfast in your choices leading up to your divorce. There was nothing he would or could say to prove otherwise.

On a Friday morning, you were drinking your green tea while someone waltzed into your room. A smug grin plastered on her face. Painted on her face like a well-rehearsed lyric, line in a play and a notable quote from a novel you liked to read.

You finally saw the woman he was seeing behind your back, your face carefully posed neutrally. If looks could have killed, she would have died the moment she walked through the door. “Do I know you?” You asked raising an eyebrow at her.

Her tactics didn't amuse you at all. In fact, it was a mere joke in a failing comical script by a piss poor comedian. Raised by failing artists who thought they could raise a success amongst two failures. You would have pitied her if you didn’t already want to immediately want to melt her face off.

"You don't remember? I figured you would." She jeered.

“You are no longer an integral part of my life. Therefore, your presence in my mind does not exist. Your name is lost in my history, forever a number in a line of cowards I have met in my life.”

“Fancy words for someone locked away in her old bedroom.” She rolled eyes. “I suppose that’s what happens when you run to a group of men instead of remaining loyal to the one guy who could have given you everything you could have wanted.”

“Oh. You sweet summer child. He told you that or did you concoct inside that head of yours all by yourself?” you snorted as you rolled your eyes at her naivety. You just created a job opening sweetheart. He’s serial cheater. You did yourself no favours by staying with him. I have no pity for you. None for a woman who took the life of my first born child from me. You dug your hole here. Lie in it and stay there.

You didn’t dare speak those words aloud. Not yet. You wouldn’t give this woman the satisfaction of her seeing you emotionally react to her. Once in a blue moon you will find your soul here. A version of yourself untainted by the future hurt you would feel soon after. A piece of yourself forever lying inside of the walls of this place no matter how many coats of paint he will put upon these walls.

No matter how much he denies it. You were first and foremost the one who might end up killing him by the end of it all. As you promised you would have if you ever found him cheating on you. Not one to take back your promise as it would go against your morals, your personal code of ethics. A promise is a promise after all.

Like a mythic fox, you're crafty, sharp-witted, and never succumb to trivial vanity. While König laid the game's foundation, you held more hidden cards. You weren’t going to lay around all day helpless like a damsel in distress this time around.

You had an Italian phrase etched into your forearm the month after your divorce, ‘Fino alla morte ogni coglione ci arriva.’ Meaning ‘Until we die anything and everything can happen.’

The phrase slowly becoming your mantra, your personal hymn and prayer you would say yourself over and over. It became your saving grace. Something you cling onto with vehemently. Close to your chest long enough to burn into your soul.

Yet this woman seemed to be so keen on getting right into your face about your pregnancy. You snapped, ordering her back onto König's cock, claiming he'd already fucked her senseless. Best she returns to her sole expertise before you consider doing it for him. Maybe not the optimal phrasing, but it seemed the sole means to make her retreat into a room that felt like a cave.

“Apart from your girlfriend's foolishness, you've done well,” you said calmly. “Well enough for a man of stature.”

König had never seen your temper rise this much. To this level before, it was pointed, angled at him and somehow, he felt his skin fluster. A bundle of nerves aroused by the thought of you losing your temper at her or him. He wanted more. No, he needed more of it. Aimed at him more than anything. Even when you threatened to fuck his girlfriend for him, which to anyone else, it would be odd to hear about right?

König didn't disagree. It was in fact odd to hear the first time she told him. He felt the need to hear repeat inside of his mind. Like a small voice in the back of his skull. Thoughts lingering around. He didn’t know he could think of you in that way. He only saw you as pure. Delicate. A flower.

Upon hearing this now. He desired you to sleep with her from the get-go. A desire which grew from the depths of his soul straight to his cock. Upon hearing, he was even angrier, you didn't. He wanted you to, solely to prove a point. The point where you weren’t the same woman he met years ago. Yet you sent her away. Slamming his fists against the table, sending a few pens rolling off the other side.

A few papers on his desk jumped from the top of his desk. Grunting at the thought of you taking his girlfriend in such an aggressive manner made his cock rock hard in a way he couldn’t hope to describe. Tempting like fudge he wasn’t allowed to eat. Irresistible like the last slice of pizza he hadn’t eaten in years. An apple from a tree, God had forbade Adam and Eve from picking and eating. Lucious, delicious, irresistible.

He'll confine you another weekday henceforth, leveraging your fiery nature for his gain. The potential is immense and endless, ready for his consumption, much like savouring shreds of slow-roasted pork. Can't you see, Maus? Don't you see his longing? Are you truly oblivious? He wants you face first into the white pillows mewling, begging for his thick cock to be shoved deep inside of you until your legs were weak, wobbly like a fawn learning to walk for the first time.

The deep thought of the mockery you would bring for the name branded things he had bought his girlfriend gave him the urge to jerk off inside of a condom pretending it was your tight pussy instead. Tricking his mind into believing he was cock deep inside of you.

Its your fault you look hotter while you are angry, tears streaming down your face and chest heaving as the sobbing wracked through you. Body and soul. Things he took for granted the first time. Yet if only he could take you like he did recently. Over and over without the fear of you ‘remembering’ somehow or in some way in the future. It was far too tempting to not play with that thought right?

You should understand what he’s capable Maus. You fucked with the wrong man this time. I mean it would always wind up to be your fault right Mäuschen? You get a sniff, a lick, a taste and a bite of freedom. And you act up like this Mäuschen?

You must be punished.

You need to be shown who’s really in charge.

And do you really think it’s you? Really?

Need a wake-up call? König is more than prepared to give you one. Or two.

“Taking her away from me? Laughable excuse among many. Pathetic.” He grumbled. Brow creasing into a frown.

Your mantra from ‘I don’t need you. Just as you don't need me’ to the more comforting ‘Until we die anything and everything can happen.’ Though the process was tough, she felt relief at escaping someone cold and uncaring. Her past often surprised her when she least anticipated it. Finding her miss parts of it more than she felt like she should have.

The same platinum blonde and light brown ombre coloured hair tied with pink hair ties in two piggy tails. The pastel pink headband matching the hair ties. The corseted, A-line pink and white dress. It screamed ‘try hard’ to a desperate degree. You just hoped she liked dressing this way before he met her.

She batted her eyelashes as stepped closer to you, you stepped away from her, yet with each step further away. She matched it with two tiny ones of hers. One step back and two steps forward. Pressing your back against the wall. Her light grey eyes looking into yours like you had something inside you worth keeping for herself.

Thief and liar. Two typically dreadful things combined. Evoking a distinctive atmosphere of neglect akin to that found in a Lovecraft or King horror novel. Commonly appealing to horror fans over partygoers.

Odd. She’s silent this time.

Good. She learnt her fucking lesson.

I wish she would stay out of my face though.

Not my problem for much longer.

Her gaze delved deep, as if manually reorganising your insides, all without a trace of physical contact. As you mustered the courage to ask her to go away, the door suddenly opened, and a maid brought in your breakfast. You moved to the table, the young woman gazing in your wake.

What the fuck is her problem? Doesn’t she have something better to do? Did Konig put her up to this? That stupid sick fucker. Probably getting off to the thought of sending her here.

It's likely he has three to four cameras here now.

I located one above the bathroom door and another right above the showerhead, closer to the shower. The third was likely behind the bathroom mirror.

I wouldn’t put it past him. Even with an affair, he remained controlling. Subtly controlling, unnoticed until my departure. Cameras were just one of the few things I remember. I am sure the meals were just as restrictive as they were back then. Can’t gain weight when your husband controls what you eat right? In this case ex-husband.

It felt odd to be watched in this manner. You expected it to come from a stonewall mute who only spoke in sign language or morse code. Not whatever this was.

His mind has flown the coop. It would have to be long gone by now.

He creates chaos and expects me to fix it, accepting the blame for his actions to ease his conscience. Not anymore. As I told him the first day.

I don’t need him anymore. He’s no longer the first thing on my mind. Yet it’s like he’s not listening to the words I’m telling him through my actions. Deliberately misreading them to a dangerous degree.

I can’t find the words to describe how pathetic he seems to me now. Knowing what kind of person, he has shown himself to be.

To think I’m the monster in your eyes. Especially considering the lengths you go to get what you think is yours. Pathetic. Utterly pathetic.

You are far luckier you’re not in front of me now. No matter. If I need to bide my time. I will bide my time. Inch by inch. Centimetre by Centimetre. You will not get away with ruining my life.

Another strange thing you picked up on. There were no clocks inside the entire place. Not even digital ones. Not a single clock anywhere. No calendars kept anywhere to let you know what day or month of the year it was.

There is no ceramic dishes or glasses. Replaced by plastic plates, cups and cutlery. As if he tried to baby wrap and baby proof every aspect of your time here. You are sure the rest of the furniture has the same theme of ‘safety’. As if he didn’t think you were capable of caring for yourself properly.

Insulting as well as utterly demeaning.

He even cleared the books.

None of the erotic tales he'd suspect you of reading behind his back. He called it cheating to read them. Said you were reading them to get back at him on an emotional level of some kind.

Made him doubt your marital fidelity compared to his.

Stated it was your responsibility for his initial infidelity.

Ludicrous. Absurd and utterly false.

He yelled, calling it the ultimate betrayal for writing it on your own terms. He'd have remained unaware if he'd ignored the mail that day. You sold the manuscript a few months into his deployment for extra cash. You'd typically use this while earning, when he's usually away.

He’d be home. While you were deployed. It was an opposite of each other.

He didn’t know you. Not in the way you hoped.

He'd bring gold jewellery, but you liked silver more.

He’d bring you plain green tea. You preferred hibiscus and strawberry hibiscus.

Purposefully getting things wrong to the point where it felt like he just didn’t care. On purpose to a deeper degree, you couldn’t understand at the time. You couldn’t put your finger on the reason for it.

You guess you ought to be glad you got out of there in one piece the first time.

[meanderingstream]

So I saw a poll a few days ago about whether your blorbo would survive if the person they loved the most died and they couldn’t save them. And so I was thinking about the leverage OT3, but specifically if both of the other 2 died and they couldn’t save them, how would each of them go on.

I think Hardison would survive. He would obviously be devastated and especially if he was trying to save them from his computer or something while they were in the field and he failed, he would never get over it. However, he has a support network both deep and wide in his nana, his foster siblings, and to some extent his online friends, as well as Breanna, Sophie, Harry, and other people he knows through Leverage. I think the loss of Parker and Eliot together would fundamentally change him, but eventually, he would be able to move on and find happiness and connection with others again both because he has that support network to hold him up and because connecting with people is such a fundamental part of who Hardison is.

I think Parker is a survivor. She has had to be a survivor for her whole life. She is used to surviving even when everything falls apart. I think she would try and use some of the coping mechanisms we see her use in the show of trying to attribute her emotions to other people or to past or future Parker, but those would be woefully insufficient to this devastation. I could see her for a time running away from people and trying to lose herself in jumping off high buildings and stealing things, but it would end in an utter breakdown. She might even regret becoming the person who had opened her heart and changed together with them and tried to do the right thing. She might almost wish she had stayed alone with her emotions locked away to avoid this current pain. Except she couldn’t ever regret knowing them. She would either come back or Sophie would eventually find her, and they would commiserate about losing their person(s). If Parker had failed to save the boys, she might feel a lot of guilt around Breanna, but Breanna would likely feel guilt about why she wasn't there / couldn't save them either. They would eventually talk it out and then be able to support each other. Parker would survive, but she might lose some of her progress in opening up to people. Someone else would almost certainly have to take over Leverage International for a while. I think Parker would make it through and recover, but would never be as open as she managed to get while she was with Hardison and Eliot. 

I think Eliot is the toughest call. On the one hand, he has survived so much that others didn't. From the army, to the PMCs, to working for Moreau and others like him, to (probably the biggest challenge) facing the guilt and shame of who he had become. Eliot got through it all. But now, after swearing to watch over them until his dying day, if he failed to save them, then he would prefer to die with them. Eliot is the most likely of the three to not survive the loss of the other two, but I think it would come down to whether he felt he was still needed. If Sophie, Breanna, Harry, and others that he cares about needed him to protect them, then he might just make it through for them. Eliot, of course, believes he is already damned, and he is not looking for redemption because he doesn't believe it's possible after the things he’s done, but he appreciates the opportunity to be useful. To his mind, he needs to be useful to the people who are redeemed and to doing good in the world, because it’s already too late for him. If losing his partners happened while it was just the 3 of them, I think he would go after those that did it and not intend to survive the process. But if he has the rest of the team, I think he would stay alive to continue protecting them. Especially because of Breanna. If he failed Hardison, he can at least protect his baby sister. Eliot would stay alive for exactly as long as he felt useful, but he would likely never be able to really try retiring from the physical parts of his job and would probably plan on going out swinging when he got too old to be a hitter. Depending on a lot of variables, the rest of the team might eventually be able to convince him that there were other ways to take care of them like cooking and advising and being there for people, but it would be a long shot and, either way, he would never forgive himself for failing to protect Parker and Hardison or for not being the first to go.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Hey there

What do you think of the show pulling a Philip J Fry on Alix as per Thomas’s Twitter? And how season 5 began with “thanks for saving our lives, now get the fuck out of reality”? Personally, I would have made the duo a trio and try to get all hands on deck

I thought it was super weird and didn't really understand the in-universe logic for why Alix needed to run away. I do get the meta logic, but we'll get to that in a bit. For now, let's focus on how the show tried to justify it. This is the dialogue when Alix gets her mission:

Ladybug: Once we have retrieved the Miraculous of time, you won't return it to me. You'll have to continue wearing it in order to protect it, until Monarch is defeated. Alix: Keep it? That means... Ladybug: (crestfallen) You won’t be able to return to this time right away.

Alix keeping the miraculous makes sense, but her not being able to return to her own time doesn't. What are they worried about that doesn't apply to Ladybug and Chat Noir, too? It's not like Alix's identity was outed at any point. The miraculous would have been perfectly safe in her pocket, so that's a terrible reason to send a 15-year-old girl wandering through time with no support system.

This oddness is not helped by Future Alix's presence in both this episode and Chat Blanc. It shows us that Future Alix can mess with the past for some reason, meaning that there's no reason for her past self to go on a solo mission. If things get too bad, then Future Alix can just come back to the past and fix it.

It would have made way more sense if future Alix wasn't a thing and if the rabbit was the one miraculous Monarch didn't get, leading Ladybug to give the rabbit to Alix for safe keeping. Alix would then offer to go back to the past and change things, but Ladybug would refuse and say, "You can't change your own past! But you can protect our future. Now that Monarch is so close to reaching his goal, I need my hero of last resort to make sure he doesn't win." Then Alix could either go off to monitor the time stream or Fluff could say that it was time to start Alix's training so she knew when a situation was dire enough that it was time to interfere, thereby implying that Alix might help, but wouldn't in most cases.

Of course, those fixes fall flat since Monarch does win, but I guess that's fine since neither version of Alix stopped it? Why the wish was fine, but Chat Blanc wasn't is beyond me.

This is the problem with introducing a time traveler to your show and not giving them clear rules that prevent them from helping. It fills the story with plot holes, which is the meta reason why Alix was shipped off. The writers quickly realized that the villain really couldn't have time travel powers, so they got the miraculous back to Ladybug and then removed it from play because they had no idea how to handle time travel given how badly they've mismanaged it so far.

Almost everything that happens in Evolution is there for a similar reason. Nothing about its plot makes sense and it seems obvious to me that the events of this episode are just a sloppily attempt to fix time-travel plot holes and to make season five's plot work even though it goes against established characterization.

For example, this episode sees Gabriel give up saving Emilie because he's too tempted by the idea of beating Ladybug. This makes no sense because Gabriel has never put defeating Ladybug above saving those he loves. He's actually given up potential victories when the cost to his loved ones was too high. It's not like the writers forgot about this trait either because they bring it back to "redeem" him in the final. If he hated Ladybug more than he loved Emilie, then the season couldn't end with him listening to Ladybug and changing his wish, so him choosing fighting Ladybug over saving Emilie at the start of the season makes no sense since his character supposedly gets worse as the season goes on.

This one-off sloppy change to his character was only there so that the writers could give Nathalie an excuse to no longer support Gabriel, which is really dumb because Nathalie doesn't see Gabriel pick Ladybug over Emilie. Given that Ladybug always wins no matter how clever Gabriel's plans are, it's straight up insane for Nathalie to assume that this time was any different. Just look at this dialogue, she has no idea what happened in the burrow! She just randomly assumes the worst after three seasons of blindly following him to the point where she is actively dying because of her blind faith in Gabriel:

Nathalie: (on-call) Gabriel, did it work? Gabriel: No, Ladybug tricked me! She stole the Time Miraculous from me! (Nathalie coughs from her sickness.) You have to help me! Come up with a new plan! Ladybug can’t get away with this! Nathalie: (on-call) You had the Time Miraculous. You could’ve chosen to save Emilie! You could’ve chosen to save me! (coughs) But instead, you chose your obsession with Ladybug and Cat Noir. You're insane, Gabriel! Gabriel: (stuttering and panicking) I-It’s not my fault! It was Ladybug!!

I'd like to take a moment to remind you that one of the times Gabriel gave up winning for the sake of a loved one was when he chose Nathalie over defeating Ladybug! Why is Nathalie so certain that he acted differently here???

Circling back to your terrific trio idea, while I do like the idea of there being a larger team (but not a team of 18), Alix is the last character I'd chose for that team. It's nothing against her character. I like Alix! The problem is that her power set is broken. If she was there, then we'd be asking why she doesn't just undo the events of the season four finale or use her powers to track down Monarch's identity because canon has failed to explain why those aren't options.

To be perfectly honest, I don't think that the time traveler we see should be one of the modern kids. It just introduces too many plot holes. I think Bunnyx should be someone from the past who is watching their own future and interfering based on very clear rules that leave them almost no room to help. I think it's fine if Alix is the holder who will follow this random person from the past, but we should never see future Alix and current Alix should never mess with current affairs. Which basically means that I'd never use the rabbit for an episode focused on Ladybug and Chat Noir. I'd use it for "filler" episodes that are just about Alix learning to use her powers, which is a pretty huge deviation from the show.

[d-for-donatello]

Simply Him

Lucifer x Reader

chapter 1

summary: Charlie invites a succubus-human hybrid overlord from lust to help her with her project. It takes a long time and a lot of hard work, but eventually, the three of you have guests wanting to be redeemed, and Charlie's father comes to see his daughter's work. If only he knew the way he made your legs all shaky and your insides all gooey from a simple glance.

oh, how you would do anything for your king.

-------

a.n: i love lucifer with my entire being and i havent seen any fics with this concept so i did it myself

OTHER LUCIFER WRITERS, YOU HAVE MY HEART kiss kiss

cross posted on ao3

As you stood in the Pride Ring, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling Hellish world around you, a figure approached you. At first, you paid her no mind, but as she drew closer, you couldn't help but notice her presence. With bright blond hair and fiery red eyes, she exuded an air of confidence and intensity that was impossible to ignore. It was clear that she was someone important, and as she introduced herself as Charlotte Morningstar, the daughter of Lucifer and Lillith, and the Princess of Hell, you couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

Despite her slightly nervous demeanor, Charlotte's words were kind and inviting. She spoke of redemption and a new life in heaven, promising a carefree and joyous existence that was impossible for most to resist. As she spoke, you found yourself drawn in, intrigued by the possibility of a new beginning. However, it was clear that she had mistaken you for a sinner, as you wandered the Pride Ring like you owned it. You couldn't blame her for the assumption, though - it was an easy mistake to make in such a place and one that you knew others would make in the future.

When you didn't respond to her, but instead gave her a gentle smile, she thought you were politely declining her offer to stay at her newly owned hotel as a chance for redemption.

"Sweetie, I'm not a sinner," you told her, and her face fell.

As you reflect on the conversation, you can't help but understand why she and countless others suspected you of being a dead soul. Your appearance didn't exactly scream "Hellborn", which was a common trait amongst most demons. You supposed it was because of your unique genetic makeup; a mixture of demon and human DNA. This was a result of your demon mother having a romantic encounter with a human, which led to your unconventional existence. Your physical appearance was a constant reminder of your hybrid heritage, which made you feel like an outsider in the demon world.

With excessive enthusiasm, Charlie approached you and nearly invaded your personal space while apologizing profusely. Despite this, you chuckled and calmly reassured her that there was no need to worry. Finally, she let go of your hands and stepped back, revealing a curious expression. "If you don't mind me asking," she began, "what exactly are you? You don't resemble a Hellhound, one of the Deadly Sins, or an Imp, so, colour me curious."

"I'm half succubus, half human," you exclaimed, your voice betraying a mix of pride and uncertainty. You couldn't help but notice the way the girl in front of you fidgeted with her fingers as if trying to hide her hands. You decided to help her out and stepped forward, allowing her to take in your appearance. Your hot pink skin shimmered a burgundy under the red light of Hell's sky, and two small horns protruded from your hairline. You unfurled your wings, causing the air around you to ripple, and your tail, tipped off with a heart, swayed behind you. In most ways, you looked like a normal Succubus, but your face was incredibly human-looking, with soft curves and delicate features. Charlie's eyes widened with wonder as she took in your appearance, and you couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride. After all, it wasn't every day that someone saw a hybrid such as yourself.

"But, I'd be happy to help out with your hotel. I'm pretty influential down in Lust," you said, unable to resist a little boasting. Charlie looked at you with confusion, her brows furrowed, but you introduced yourself anyway, hoping to put her at ease.

As you told her your name, she turned towards you and extended her delicate hand, her soft palm facing upwards. You placed your hand on hers and she clasped it gently, her fingers curling around yours. With a smile, she introduced herself to you in a less-than-formal manner. The warmth of her handshake and the kindness in her eyes made you feel at ease, something you hadn't felt since leaving the Ring of Lust, your home.

With that, you and Charlie embarked on a journey to the opposite side of Pentagram City. As you walked, you kept your eyes peeled for anything new that might catch your interest. However, after exploring most of one ring, you realize that there isn't much left to discover. Throughout the journey, Charlie kept rambling on about her belief that sinners could be redeemed and that many of the souls that ended up in Hell didn't deserve to be exterminated by Heaven. You listened intently, and on some level, you agreed with her perspective.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, you arrived at the hotel. However, your eyes almost bugged out of your head when you saw its condition. The place was derelict, practically falling to pieces, with peeling paint, broken windows, and a general air of neglect. But to your surprise, Charlie seemed proud of it. She explained that it was meant to be a safe haven for sinners seeking redemption and that they were working hard to fix it up.

Despite its dilapidated state, you couldn't help but admire the effort and dedication that Charlie was going to put into the hotel. You realized that her work was important and that she was fighting for a cause she truly believed in. It was really rather admirable.

"It needs some work, but here it is! What do you think?" You chose to keep your mouth closed and simply gave her a thumbs up. She ushered you inside, where it looked even worse. "Okay, well, it needs a lot of work," she drawled out at last. As you both watched a large chunk of the ceiling cave in and fall, landing mere feet away from where the two of you stood, a pair of hurried footsteps were heard. Looking up, you saw another girl.

"What happened? Are you okay Charlie?" she asked hurriedly. The princess carefully stepped around the rubble in the middle of the floor and headed over to the new face.

Charlie, with a calm and reassuring tone, addressed the stranger (though really, you were the stranger), assuring her that she was alright by saying "I'm okay, Vaggie." She then proceeded to place her hands gently on Vaggie's shoulders to further emphasize her words and comfort her.

Vaggie let out a sigh of relief, thankful that Charlie hadn't been hurt, when her eyes finally landed on you. Noticing this, the princess turned back to you so that she could introduce you to each other.

"Welcome, Y/n! I'm thrilled to introduce you to my dearest friend Vaggie," Charlie exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Vaggie's shoulders in a warm embrace. Vaggie's face lit up with a bright smile as she welcomed me with open arms, allowing Charlie to cozy up to her as much as she wanted. "I'm so excited to have you on board to help us with the hotel!" Charlie's enthusiasm was palpable, and it was easy to see why. This was her dream, slowly but surely coming to fruition, and she couldn't wait to share it with anyone who would give her the time of day. As Charlie had nervously approached you earlier, she couldn't help but feel a sense of hesitation. She had been wandering around the city for hours, completely lost and with no means of navigation. Her phone battery had died, leaving her feeling vulnerable and helpless. Despite her apprehension, she took a gamble and explained her situation to you. The fact that you not only listened to her attentively but also offered to help her was a wonderful thing in her opinion. She couldn't believe that a stranger would go out of their way to assist her, especially since you didn't know her personally. Your kindness and willingness to help left a lasting impression on Charlie. She felt grateful and relieved, realizing that there were good people in Hell who were willing to lend a helping hand.

She decided to give you a brief tour, and as you followed her, she pointed out various areas of the hotel. She showed you where the kitchen was, but explained that it was still unusable due to the extensive damage it had suffered. She then walked you through each floor of the hotel, highlighting where the bathrooms were located. As she took you through the hotel, she explained that she and Vaggie had managed to reconstruct a few of the rooms. These were the rooms that she showed you in more detail, pointing out the various features that they had managed to restore. She also mentioned that they had decided to prioritize renovating these rooms first so that they could have a comfortable living space while they worked on the rest of the hotel.

Overall, the tour was informative and gave you a good sense of the state of the hotel and the progress that had been made so far.

Charlie brought you back to the lobby area, where Vaggie had patiently waited for the two of you. Charlie asked you once again about your thoughts on the hotel so far. You didn't want to sound rude, as Charlie had been kind enough to provide you with a room for your stay. However, you felt like it was important to let her know that there was a lot of work needed to be done to improve the hotel.

"Charlie, I have to say that I appreciate what you're doing here. It's admirable that you're taking on this project and trying to make something of this building." You paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to convey your concerns without sounding too critical. "That being said, I think it's important to acknowledge that it's going to take a lot of work to make this presentable. It's not just a matter of cleaning up or organizing things. There are structural issues that need to be addressed, and the building itself needs some serious TLC."

Charlie's shoulders slumped a little as you spoke, and you regretted your choice of words. You could see that she was already feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand, and you didn't want to discourage her further. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I don't mean to sound discouraging. I just want to be honest with you about what needs to be done. But I have faith in you. I know that with some elbow grease and determination, we can make this place shine."

Charlie nodded, grateful for your encouragement. She knew that the project was going to be a lot of hard work, but she was determined to see it through. Hearing someone else acknowledge the challenges only reinforced her resolve.

She had always been known for her unwavering determination, a trait she inherited from her mother. However, it was her father's innate sense of creativity that set her apart. With the perfect blend of both qualities and with your and Vaggie's help, she was absolutely certain that the three of you could turn this place into a breathtaking masterpiece that would leave everyone in awe.

"Would you like to go and get your things?" Charlie asked after a few moments. It took you a second to figure out what she meant, but then it hit you that she had kindly offered you a room in the hotel while you worked there. You had accepted her generous offer. On the way to the hotel only an hour ago, Charlie had asked you a bit about yourself and decided that, once the building looked a little nicer, you would be responsible for advertising Charlie, the hotel, and her concept.

As she posed her question, you nodded in response. The three of you then left the hotel and began to make your way to your small apartment, which you had managed to pay for by doing odd jobs for your favourite of all the Seven Deadly Sins. Throughout the journey, Vaggie remained silent, while Charlie's curiosity got the better of her, and she began to ask you questions one after the other. You listened to each of her queries carefully and answered them diligently. Throughout the conversation, they discovered that you were nearly a millennium old and that your father was an 11th-century sailor whom your mother had intensely loved. You also revealed that you occasionally worked for Asmodeus by singing for the patrons in his club, Ozzie's. Furthermore, you mentioned that your best friend was an Imp from Pride who also worked for Ozzie in Lust. As soon as you stepped into your apartment, you were amazed to see Charlie opening a portal that led directly into one of the refurbished rooms. You couldn't believe your eyes. Your first priority was your bedroom. You started by sorting through your closet and drawers, making sure everything was in order. You placed all of your clothes, trinkets, and everything else on the bed, which was just on the other side of the portal. You were careful not to forget anything and made sure to pick up your laptop and any necessary cords before moving on to the bathroom. You handed over all of your products to Vaggie, and then quickly sorted through your linen closet. You selected your favorite towels and bed sheets and handed them to Charlie. You then sauntered into the living room and kitchen, taking in the surroundings, and instructed the two girls to carefully carry your TV through the portal. You sorted through the appliances in the kitchen, picking out the ones you thought would be more useful in the hotel's kitchen.

Once you were satisfied that you had everything you would need while living at the hotel, Charlie ushered you and Vaggie through the portal. As you walked through, you couldn't believe how seamless the transition was. Charlie closed the portal behind the three of you, and you were left in awe.

As the two girls prepared to depart, you instructed them to take the kitchen utensils and find a secure location to store them. They gathered everything they could carry, leaving you to tend to the task of organizing your belongings.

You carefully hung your dresses and other easily wrinkled articles in the closet, ensuring that they would remain in pristine condition. The remaining items were thoughtfully placed in the drawers located near the door frame of your personal bathroom. Your electronic devices and cords were meticulously arranged on the desk under the window, with your TV carefully positioned on top of the nearby chest of drawers. The bathroom products you rely on every day were neatly stored on the counter by the sink, waiting for you to add some shelves to organize your arsenal. Finally, you placed your linens under the bed, keeping them safely out of sight until you could find a more permanent storage solution.

As you finished your work, you looked out the window and noticed that the sun had already set. You could no longer hear Charlie's loud voice permeate through your door, which was a relief. Not that you particularly minded her noise, but it was nice to have some peace and quiet.

You and your mother both worked for Asmodeus, and she had been a server at Ozzie's for longer than you could remember. You had grown up in the restaurant, and it had become a second home to you. However, the constant loud music that was often played did a number on both her hearing and yours, so you were no stranger to loud noises.

You carefully sifted through your drawers, looking for the perfect nightgown to wear. After a few minutes, you found a beautiful, lacy one that caught your eye. You slipped it on and felt the soft fabric against your skin, instantly feeling more comfortable in your new surroundings. As you settled into the bed, you reached for your phone and placed it on the nightstand beside your head, making sure it was charging and within reach.

The bed felt wonderfully comfortable, and the pillows cradled your head and neck just right. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the tension of the day slowly melting away. The room was quiet and peaceful, and you could hear nothing but the gentle hum of the air conditioning.

Finally, you drifted off to sleep, feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Tomorrow, you would start your work restoring the hotel, but for now, you allowed yourself to relax and recharge.

You had yet to realize just how much your life had improved.

[sapphic-agent]

I know that this isn't a problem unique to MHA, and this isn't even a new complaint within the fandom, but the way the series deals with trauma (physical and mental) is off-putting.

Eri endures years upon years of isolation and abuse? Well, all she needs is a song and dance, and now she's smiling! Because of this, she's completely and 100% recovered from what all Overhaul put her through!

1A endures villain attack after villain attack after villain attack? Well, we've offered them counseling, not that they've been showing signs of burgeoning PTSD or anything, so they really don't need it!

Izuku mentally and physically pushes himself past his breaking point during the Dark Izuku arc, going without food, sleep, and ignoring his unhealed injuries? Obviously, all he needs is for 1A to drag him back by force and make him take bath! He's 100% good as new now!

I've already complained enough about Bakugou's bullying, so I won't rehash that.

Sir Nighteye repeatedly disregards All Might's boundaries in the name of protecting him from a horrible future, using two teenagers as a means to an end in this regard? It's okay! He had a point all along, and he truly cared!

Aizawa, Present Mic, and Midnight lose an incredibly close friend in a freak accident during their school days? Midnight's feelings aren't even explored, Present Mic neglects his own grief in favor of Aizawa, and Aizawa uses his grief as an excuse to be an asshole to everyone around him and play God with his students' futures, with NO ONE calling out his behavior as what it is.

I think the overarching problem with MHA is that Horikoshi simply doesn't know how to handle the subject of trauma or how victims can be affected by it.

It think it's why characters like Izuku, Todoroki, Eri, etc. don't feel like real people sometimes. Because if he actually focuses on their trauma, he also has to make them more complex and complexity can be very ugly. If he keeps them surface-level (Izuku being friendly/saving others, Todoroki being blunt/dry, and Eri being a cute kid), he doesn't have to get into the nitty gritty of their characters.

It would also mean making it about 20x harder to redeem Bakugou and Endeavor.

If we had more than vague flashbacks of Endeavor abusing 5 year old Todoroki, beating Rei and pushing her into insanity, and willfully neglecting Touya as his mental health deteriorates more and more, he would be seen as a lot more than simply overzealous and misguided ambition that got out of hand. He would be seen as a monster. Horikoshi has to keep flashbacks of the Todoroki family surface-level or Endeavor's redemption wouldn't have been nearly as well-received.

And of course we've gone over Bakugou. He has to saturate Bakugou with comedy or the shit he pulls would come off a lot more disturbing. If every scene with him was like the Battle Trials, he wouldn't be looked upon nearly as favorably. He wouldn't be funny or endearing (he isn't to me anyway, but I'm talking about in general), he would just be deranged and violent.

There's also the fact that Horikoshi tries his best to keep things lighthearted. I think it's because he's more comfortable doing so and it explains why Dark Deku was so disappointing. To shroud the story in a darker tone- especially with a character he tries to keep light and cheery at all times- really didn't work for him.

I think the proof is in him keeping so many characters alive when they should have died. He is unable to write the affect characters like Gran Torino and Bakugou dying would have on Izuku which is why he couldn't commit himself to killing them off.

Problem with Aizawa is that no one (Horikoshi included) sees a problem with his behavior. He's justified in his "tough love" and is seen as such a good teacher. Although for Midnight and Present Mic, I feel as though he just doesn't bother giving them any depth at all. Midnight only exists for perverted jokes and Mic is simply supposed to be a contrast for Aizawa (a prop really). He actually did start to give Midnight depth and character, but it was only like five minutes before killing her off😐

(It would have been nice if Midnight being an R-rated hero was a product of society. Her being sexualized her whole life because of her quirk/appearance and just deciding to embrace it because it was the only way to reasonably become a hero has always been my headcanon. Her civilian clothes aren't revealing (not that that really matters) and when it comes to being a hero she's very sweet and encouraging and so unlike what we see usually. When she was being interviewed about her costume, she actually started to give a really good answer before Horikoshi decided to make a cat fight out of it. That really sums up the story as a whole, it starts off really deep and intricate before eventually being interrupted by juvenile jokes and unnecessary situations)

I really wish we could have seen more of Eri's recovery. I feel like her trauma is really overlooked/ignored outside of being a plot device to be saved by Izuku and Mirio. I think the light novel of Aizawa having Bakugou of all people watch her is proof of that. Why on Earth would he take the chance that Bakugou- someone who has repeatedly dismissed others' trauma, attacked those weaker than him, and been insensitive to others' feelings, and has a destructive quirk- could trigger her? Why use Eri- an abused, traumatized kid- as a tool to make Bakugou better? But sure, Aizawa is such a good teacher, right?

(Seriously, what the fuck?)

Someone needed to tell Nighteye to shut the fuck up. This doesn't really contribute anything to this post, but I needed to say it. There's literally nothing good about him (HE STRAPPED HIS SUBORDINATE TO A TICKLE MACHINE TO FORCE HER TO LAUGH)

[starlight-bread-blog]

I Watched The First Two Episodes of Hazbin Hotel

Overall I wasn't bored. It's a fun show from the little I've seen. I have thoughts and notes I'd like to give so here's how this is gonna go:

🔵 Is for things I liked/would like to be expanded upon in the show's future.

🔴 Is for things I disliked ranging from nitpicks and just general critisisms.

Whenever something about Angel Dust's trauma I will come up, I'll mark "————" at the beginning & ending so you can avoid the topic if you'd like.

So let's dive right in!<3

🔴 I am so confused. This is narrarated by Charlie. And her goal is to redeem sinners so they can enter Heaven to save their lives. But she also knows that Heaven doesn't kill sinners to stop over-population, it's just plain evil. So, what are we doing here again?

🔴 This is the first time her relationship with her father is mentioned in the show. And it's done though a joke made by Alastor in a commercial he made. (Also, how would he know about Charlie's "daddy issues"? This isn't common knowledge as far as I know).

————

🔴 WHAT THE FUCK? I'M SORRY. WHAT THE FUCK? I hate being this negative in the beginning but WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. I don't want to discuss this line any more than the shock I felt while hearing it. Next.

————

🔴 Everyone already talked about how the camera work is crap and I agree. But here's an idea: If they wanted to make something grandiose, why not make a classic musical number that's completely unrealistic, and then make the reality of Hell clash with it?

🔴 This scene could be cut off mostly entirely. The point here is to show how awful Adam is, and the second the talking's over, we get a better song that does just that.

🔵 At first I was gonna make this a critisism, but all it did was making me ask questions, which is good in a first episode. This has me wondering about the characterization of Heaven and how it came to be. I can accept them being a shitty bureaucracy who only appear good, but this is some Saturday Morning Cartoon villian stuff. I'm very curious about this.

🔵 Niffty couldn't say her lines and just stared at the camera and was completely unaware of the fact that she did a shitty job. How come? I wonder what they'll do with it.

🔴 This is edited. The scene didn't go like this. We cut from the hotel to the Vees before we see Alastor's counter-attack. They cut to a really long section of the episode, in the middle of something that could be dealt with in a second. I wasn't as invested as I could have been in the introduction of the Vees, because I kept waiting to come back to Alastor.

🔵 I'd like to know why Charlie is so naive. Optimistic? Yeah, makes sense. But naive? Now that's interesting to know. She clearly goes outside and sees how sinners aren't the safest people (ie Happy Day in Hell), so you think that spending eternity with them would get her acquainted with the culture and make her adjust her behaviors. But she's still looking at the guy who just tried to kill her and goes "Oh, hello again". I'm dying to know why she's like that.

————

🔵 I see where this is going<3 Despite it all, Angel Dust clearly still loves acting. So when he'll escape Val, he'll show his theatrical side by improvising and acting for Charlie<3

🔵 Despite Angel Dust not adoring the hotel, it's very much a safe place for him. A safe the Vees, from Valentino. Now, someone who worked for them just a second before getting discovered, is in. Can't wait to see more of this.

————

🔵 I liked the rivalry of Alastor and Vox. I liked how Vox is this perfect big shot, yet crumbles about Alastor when he's barely trying. Definitely a highlight.

To Summarize...

🔴 6 negatives 🔵 6 positives

I enjoyed myself a fair bit. Most of the negatives are either nitpicks or won't matter in five eps. It had some flaws but it's a start.

[spacebarbarianweird]

headcanons or one-shot (pick your poison!) of astarion and gn!tav celebrating midwinter/winter solstice together? technically, it does exist as a holiday in the forgotten realms! blessed yule as well! :D

I suppose this prompt can't wait forever so here we are. A short fluffy drabble.

Prompt ✶New Beginnings✶ for BG3 Winter Holiday Challenge

Thanks @bhaalbaaby for beta-reading! Especially for re-writing some sentences!

I fucked a bit and didn't notice the requester asked specifically for gn!reader and did f!reader as usual. So, this one is f!reader and I will do gn! later

Winter Solstice

Synopsis: Astarion and Tav spend Winter Solstice in the northern town of Firesheer, and the subject of marriage comes up.

Tags: fluff, comfort

Read on AO3

Masterlist

Headcanons

You are freezing.

You've never been so far to the north, and you have never understood why people were afraid of winters.

Now, you do.

It's Nightal, 20. The longest night of the year. And probably the coldest, because the only thing you can think of, is how to get inside the inn and hide under fur blankets.

Till snow melts.

You look around. People of Firesheer are festive as if the cold doesn't bother them. They sing and dance, resting after months of hard work in the mines.

You put your hand inside the pockets of your traveler fur coat, golden coins jingling in the pockets. The only redeemable quality about this frozen hell is the danger always lurking. The city is always under attack: orcs, crag cats, giants. Though citizens have their army, they don't mind paying adventurers rather than risking their own people.

"Bracelets! Rings! Necklaces! All of the finest copper and silver!" A dwarf shows you his goods, "Take a look, traveler!"

You look disinterested as you take a look at the jewelry, shrugging at the selection.. You can wear silver things, but Astarion won't talk to you anymore if you put on something like that. Meanwhile copper... He would find it dull.

"No, not interested."

"This is copper of the best quality! Will last for generations!"

You chuckle. There is a very popular joke about things made by dwarves. They think humans are dumb to buy something that lasts only for four generations. Forgetting that the human generation lasts less than a century.

"Look at these bronze rings. They are engraved with protective runes!"

The ring is simple. but there is something elegant, something powerful about it. You look at the runes - "protection", "love", and "safety".

"I will take this one", you say.

"Oh no," the dwarf laughs. "This is a wedding ring, you need two. Unless there are more people involved."

And before you manage to object, both rings are placed in your palm.

And why in nine hells did you decide to buy them?

You've never discussed marriage with Astarion. Boundaries? Traumas? Feelings? Yes. Sometimes, you talk about the future. But such things as marriage never came to your mind.

You have no idea what he thinks about it. You have no idea what you think about it.

But now you have two wedding rings in your pocket. Dwarven bronze will last for centuries.

You look around, trying to notice the familiar silver curls. Astarion has gone to see the ocean at sunset, and you agreed to meet in the city at midnight.

“Darling, there is something utterly nightmarish about a dark cold ocean."

You refused to go. Astarion is already dead - he can even swim there if he desires (the ocean isn't running water, so he will be fine). You, on the other hand, want to keep this heart beating.

Suddenly, a drunk man blocks your way.

"Leave me alone," you mutter, putting a hand on your dagger hidden below the cloak.

"Why is a beautiful woman alone? It's a sin to be on your own at the Winter Solstice."

You step back. The man is much bigger than you, but he can barely stand on his feet. If you were out of the city, you could snatch your dagger - but within the walls, fighting isn't wise.

"So, what d'ya think, pretty girl?" he reaches out for your chin, but before his dirty hand touches your skin, the man is pulled away from you.

"Hands away from my wife", Astarion hisses. "Or I will turn you inside out and feed the crag cats!"

The man recoils. "I-I beg your pardon, didn't know she is... taken."

"Fuck off," Astarion is quiet, but you know - one false move and the vampire will rip his throat.

The man stumbles and walks away as fast as he can. “Thanks”, you mutter, still feeling scared. "How was the ocean?"

"Dark. Cold. Frightening," He wraps his hand around your waist and tugs you closer. There is something possessive in this gesture. You don't mind. "Come on, we have the longest night ahead!"

You shiver.  Night plans are set in stone. Astarion cherishes the nights when he can walk freely and see the world not hiding in shadows, and he rarely wants to walk alone. Besides, you already abandoned him when he went to the seashore. You can't leave him alone again for the rest of the night.

You walk through the city square. The songs are loud and lively, and the festive mood warms you up. Or maybe this is Astarion's presence. You plant a kiss on his cheek and notice he stiffens.

"Let's go somewhere less crowded," you suggest.

Maybe he is afraid people will notice he is a vampire. Maybe big crowds remind him of his hunting spots - who knows how many drunk idiots he would drag to their deaths during the same festivals. 

You walk together in silence until the houses disappear. The winds howl like hungry wolves. The snow reaches up to your ankles.

Astarion kneels and you notice he tries to make a snowball but the snow crumbles in his hands.

"I see what you are doing," You say, "Don't you dare"

"I was just touching snow," He smiles innocently.

You put your hands deeper into the pockets and feel the bronze rings. Wedding rings.

"When that man approached me, you called me your wife."

Astarion turns away as if trying to see something in the distance. "Never mind, just slipped off my tongue."

"Why did you call me that?"

"I am sorry to have offended you with such vulgar words."

"That’s not what I mean. Just weird, considering we have never officiated anything."

"Do you want me to kidnap a cleric and make him marry us? I don't know... I just... " he sighs. "We sleep together. You care about me, and I care about you. I want to be with you until your mortal days are over or until I am killed by some monster hunter."

"And how long have you seen me as your wife?"

He shrugs. "The night in the graveyard, when I realized I'd never truly experienced real lovemaking? When you found me in that cellar, hiding from the sun, and kissed away my fears and pain? One of those nights when I woke you up, screaming, and you held me until the nightmare finally let me go? What about you? Have you ever thought about me as your husband?"

"I mentally married you when you tried to slice my throat. But, I realized you were mine when I noticed you standing between me and danger for the first time,” You say, stepping closer to your love. 

“So, what now?" he asks.

You grin, playfully pushing Astarion into the snow. He either expects that or simply decides to play along.

You straddle Astarion, taking in his expression. He smiles - a very rare joyful smile when he doesn't try to pretend or to laugh things away. It's the real him you saw for the first time on his grave. It's the real him you see in the darkness of the tent when he thinks you are still asleep. The real him who somehow survived his own death.

"What are you up to, little pet?" he grins.

You snatch the rings from your pocket, quickly taking his left hand.

"Will you marry me?" 

You wait for his reaction. Sometimes even the most sincere forms of affection cause him mental pain, and he locks himself inside the shell. Once, he couldn't bring himself to talk to you because you tried to force him to stay inside the tent during a snowstorm.

Maybe it's too much, you think, ready to let him go. It's not like he doesn't like being dominated by you, but it depends on his mood.

"How could I say no?" He grins, allowing you to put the ring on.

You giggle like a little girl, leaning down to kiss him.

"There is supposed to be a second one," He notices when you pull away.

You give him the other ring, and he graciously takes your hand. Before putting the ring on it, he kisses your wrist and pierces it a bit with his fangs.

You sit like that for a while, looking at each other. Gods, does he even know how truly beautiful he is?

Your love. Your man. Your husband.

The winds howl again, and you shiver.

"Seldarine. Why didn't you tell me you are so cold?"

"Didn't want to ruin the longest night for you."

"Really? So you decided to ruin the next two weeks for me because you will get sick, and I will have to take care of you?” he chuckles. “Besides, we are married now, and I don't have any excuse to leave you!"

 "Oh, I would never think I was such a burden to my husband!" you pout.

The next moment you are in his hands. You love being carried like that, especially knowing you are weightless to him.

"You are the most insufferable sweet burden I've ever wished to have, my little wife," he kisses you. "I suggest we return to the inn and consummate our marriage."

You giggle again and wrap your hands around his neck.

"As long as you offer me a hot bath as a wedding gift."

"It absolutely can be arranged, my dear!" 

--

Nightal ("The Drowing Dawn") - the last month of the year. Winter Soltice is celebrated on Nightal, 20.

Firesheer - a mining city in the Frozenfar in northwest Faerûn

Seldarine (Elven) - Gods

--

Tag list

@tugoslovenka @marcynomercy @wintersire @vixstarria @not-so-lost-after-all @ashiro20 @theearthsfinalconfession @herstxrgirl @starlight-ipomoea @micropoe10 @astarion-imagine-archive @veillsar @elora-the-slutty-songstress @fayeriess @lumienyx @astarion-beloved @tallymonster @caitlincat-95 @tragedybunny @valeprati

[spyroforlife]

What are your thoughts on the latest Helluva Boss episode?

Personally, I loved seeing Blitzø not fully redeem himself, as that kind of mindset doesn't just go away overnight. Production wise, it's my favorite-looking episode of season 2. Vivzie knows how to make colors pop.

I liked it. Stolas and Blitz both clearly care about each other, but they have both been so bad about actually communicating their feelings and so they've both been operating on the wrong impression of the other, so it's good that they FINALLY hashed that all out and they can reflect on all of it on their own time, and decide whether they want to maybe give their relationship another shot in the future.

It feels too like a lotta people in fandom keep trying to push this abuser/victim dynamic on them, arguing about which one is The Bad One and who's the poor helpless victim, when it's like. They're BOTH at fault for how poorly the relationship is going. They're complicated characters who both have their own problems, and they're taking it out on each other. Blitz has commitment issues and can't bring himself to imagine that Stolas genuinely wants him, because why would anyone want him when he's so awful, so he insists it's just a transactional thing for fun, no deeper feelings. And the class disparity comes into play here too, Stolas is a prince and Blitz is just a lowly imp, there's no way someone like that would really love him. Stolas sees him as an amusement, a toy, and so Blitz refuses to believe there's anything there. He can't let himself think that. He doesn't want to get hurt when Stolas inevitably gets bored of him. So despite how much Blitz cares about him, Blitz pushes him away just like he did all those other people who dated him. Those people deserved better, and Stolas.. well, Stolas deserves someone who's not just a tiny little imp, huh?

Meanwhile, Stolas wants a romantic fairytale relationship and is blind to how his pet names and his behavior comes across as him talking down to Blitz, who is lower ranking and has the aforementioned commitment issues so why would he ever believe someone who belittles him actually cares about him?? And yet when Blitz points out how much Stolas talks down to him, Stolas is confused and grows defensive, insisting he's never done that. Because he has such a position of privilege he genuinely doesn't realize that's how he comes across, and that's something he needs to reflect on and come to terms with if this is ever going to work.

So it's like. idk I'm not good at explaining this stuff but they're both making assumptions and it's backfiring on them. So I'm glad that they finally both laid out their feelings, and Blitz can know for sure that Stolas truly cares for him and wants this sweet, romantic relationship, and Stolas now knows that Blitz has felt talked down to and struggles to accept that anyone could genuinely love him. Now it just comes down to what they both DO with that information.

For that reason, I love that the episode didn't end with them just deciding all is well and hooking back up. That would have felt cheap. I like that Blitz isn't with him right now and can think more on how he needs to address his own issues around commitment and self-loathing, and Stolas can spend time with someone who seems genuinely interested and wants to dance and chat with him. Someone who has no obligation to be with Stolas, Stolas isn't providing him a service, he's just attracted to him and wants to get to know him. At this point I think seeing someone else is the healthiest option for Stolas.

I still like Stolitz, they have chemistry and I can see them finding their way back to each other, but right now I think they can benefit the most from spending time apart. I hope Blitz will be able to work on himself, and I hope Stolas will more fully realize how condescending he was coming across, and when they next speak, it will be with a great understanding and respect for each other.

also I liked seeing other characters during Blitz's apology tour and Martha being with Mrs. Mayberry now cracked me up SO hard, three cheers for toxic yuri 🥂

[alhaithamhabibi]

( the continuation... yeah i know ineed a better title. It's mainly unedited and turns out my dialogue needs a little work but i'm excited to improve on it for this series. i do plan to come back in the near future and actually work on it in more detail! so once again, take you for your kind words and encouragement to keep me writing more! )

as the wedding procession began and the rings were exchanged, he still had that rigid face and cold manners. he didn't even look at you. and it disgusted you that you fell in love with him in your past life. there was nothing left to redeem him. and it made it much easier for you.

so you played the dutiful bride during the vows, even as you briefly pecked his lips and looked at the cheerful crowd with a charming smile. you still had some dignity left. and you know dion didn't like what you did base on his subtle expressions.

and as the reception party was held, you could feel all eyes on you and dion. some of his family and yours, coming to congratulate and gush about how you both make such a perfect pair. they may smile now and throw around such pretty words but you knew very that in the end, it was they who contributed to your ending. how revolting, you thought smiling so sweetly as you silently took in their empty praises, i'll certainly look forward to their deaths.

in the corner of your eyes, you noticed the head of the agriche household striding arrogantly towards you and dion. your heart clenched as you remember the words of the patriarch when you begged him to save your son, who was all but dying in your arms. tsk, to think that you stepped into this household foolishly without knowing its rules, he lit up a cigarette with a scowl as you desperately tried to stop the bleeding wounds on your child's body, i could see why he took that woman into his bed. she'll be a better wife than you, giving birth to stronger children worthy of the name agriche than this pathetic excuse of a human.

you forced yourself out of those haunting memories and bowed down as lante stopped in front of you and your husband. he didn't even acknowledge you, not to your and anyone's surprise. with merely just a look shared between both men, they left for the other room and you couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of relief. you need to get used to it but it was rather suffocating in their presence. distinctly, you could the music begin to play.

if you remembered the events correctly, lante was to leave right after his talk with dion. however dion also left you alone without a word to you, leaving you to handle a crowd of hungry predators wanting to devour scandalous gossip.

and if that's what they wanted, you eyed as one of dion's older brothers made his way toward you, you should deliver it well. unlike your last wedding, you will not let yourself be forgotten. you will not be know as dion's neglected wife. let them remember your name since it will be you who will drag them to hell.

you accepted the first dance from his nameless easily forgettable brother, as you took his hand. if it wasn't before, now all eyes are on you. after all, you just ignored the tradition of the husband and wife's first dance by dancing with his brother instead. and it seems the male in front of you also had his agenda as he smirked cockily behind you.

you don't have to turn around to know who it was. especially when it felt like your back was being burned through. hm, you were sure he left around this time, you were puzzled by a certain change, but still, you took advantage of it as you smiled oh so innocently at him as you were twirled around.

it's your fault, husband, you subtly pushed yourself closer to his brother, i'm just returning you the favor. in the past, you loathed the whispers around you. but now, it felt like angels harmonizing beautifully. it's still aimed at you but now you could hear dion's name being dragged out right behind yours. whether it was about another rival in the family or the way he left his wife temporarily only to be snatched up, he'll have to deal with this himself.

and you know dion was certainly fuming internally. he expected a wife who would listen to him and never create a fuss. but you'll never be like that girl again.

finally, the song finished to your relief. just as you were about to leave, your dance partner dared to bring your hand onto his lips. great, now you were gonna have to take an extra long bath after this, you groaned internally, who let men have the audacity to do this? and it happened all too quickly.

the sound of a sword being unsheathed next to you, the blood staining your hands and your wedding dress, and a head rolling away somewhere. distantly, you could hear the guest's fearful screams and someone throwing up the contents of their stomach. it was chaos all around you and yet, you couldn't move an inch. your eyes still staring at the spot your dance partner formerly stood. and now there was merely a headless body.

and the very same man who had just sliced off the head cleanly had only calmly walked over the body, just in front of you. you couldn't look at him as fear forced your body to stay still.

my wife, dion placed his first two fingers on your chin so that you may look up to him. yet even then, you refused to as you looked past his shoulder. your eyes on the ceiling with such an empty gaze, refusing to satisfy him. let this be a warning of the consequences if you keep continuing these sorts of actions.

his words only added gasoline to the burning flames for hatred and revenge.

[hamliet]

Wanted to ask what you think about this reading

( >︹<)

No but actually. It's anti intellectual, cynical, bad faith, not authorially intended, and not textually supported take. The sheer degree of misreading makes this almost laughable.

Like if you don't think that romantic love--which is not incongruent with spiritual love--is the entire POINT of the ending, of what offers Raskolnikov and Sonia practical futures, then they didn't read the book. They read their own presumptions into the text.

I'll quote from @linkspooky here. Link's talking about No Longer Human, which is in many ways a response to C&P, as well as how NLH's main character is perhaps more similar to the unnamed narrator of Dostoyevsky's Notes from Underground. The point I think Link expresses really well is this:

For Yozo, each woman he meets is his Sonya, they are meant to redeem him and bring him peace, and when they don’t he leaves. Yozo someone missing the point that, Raskolnikov loved Sonya because he sympathized with her circumstances and suffering while Yozo really only ever cares about his own suffering...

The protagonist encounters a young prostitute name Liza, he tries to save her at first, but then turns around and starts to treat her terribly and has a mental breakdown in front of her that ends in this line. She finds him pitiable, and comforts him in that moment. 

However, after this moment of comfort he then he goes back to treating her terribly once more. He yells at her, and she grows tired of him. He pays her and she leaves and that’s the end of that relationship. 

See it’s a moment that’s simultaneously, a moment of human connection, but also it shows how the protagonist regards other people and why he can’t connect to them. If you only use other people to comfort your loneliness, you’re going to end up alone either way. The same way the Narrator uses Liza, Yozo chronically uses women. 

The person whose take you linked (no idea who they are) is basically doing the same thing as Yozo and as the unnamed Narrator--they're viewing Sonya as existing for Raskolnikov, but they don't cite any actual evidence for this, nor can they without removing context. Now, you can criticize Dostoyevsky's execution of the idea, but there is a vast, vast, vast difference between how Dostoyevsky portrays the Narrator and Liza and how he portrays Raskolnikov and Sonya. This difference shows that Dostoyevsky is not unaware of the idea of seeing a woman as an idea or an idol rather than as a human being.

Sonya is absolutely a person, and that's why she's able to impact Raskolnikov so much, and why he's able to empathize with her. It's her humanity. Someone who is denied humanity by so many and even by his own self meets someone whom others deny humanity to and can only affirm her humanity because of what he's heard from those who love her--long before Sonya and Raskolnikov ever have any sort of interaction. He affirms her humanity before he even meets her, and that's the point.

Yes, within the story she's a symbol for the suffering of humanity and for the suffering of poor women just as Raskolnikov is a symbol for the suffering of the impoverished students desperately seeking some kind of meaning in a life that looks hopeless. But to reduce the characters to their symbols and to argue that the text supports this is directly against the themes, because Raskolnikov seeing people as just symbols is exactly what fueled his toxic philosophy. It's coming to love someone as a human being that sets him free from that.

[crusty-chronicles]

hii! after reading ur moon and son halloween special, it got me thinking ab kurapika and yn. if its not too much to ask, could you do a small special where kurapika figures out why yn hates their clan? it could be a drabble, short chapter, hcs, whatever youd like to write, i was js super curious for what kurapikas reaction would be

love ur writing 🩷🩵

I'm gonna start this off with a minor spoiler warning for the end chapters of Moon and Sun. Nothing too big so don't worry.

Okay, we Good? There's only four people who really know about what happened with Y/n and their clan. Gon, Killua, Kite, and Ging. The first three are for obvious reasons. Now the only reason Ging knows is because he's got a part to play in future chapters, which I will not be disclosing at this time. That being said, what Kurapika knows/ learns about is a very watered down version of events. Below is a oneshot of how he finds out and reacts.

The Difference Between You and I

⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️

It was ironic, really, when you looked back on what happened a few days ago. You didn't think you had it in you anymore to dislike someone so much. Especially since he was one of the boys' closest friends.

You wanted your first meeting to be friendly, even if a part of you was still bitter he hadn't bothered to see Gon at the hospital. You'd hoped to get along with him as well as you did with Leorio.

 But opposites attract you suppose.

The two of them couldn't have been any more different from each other. Leorio was a stubborn loudmouth depending on who he interacted with. Acting purely on impulse most of the time. Yet despite that, he had a heart of gold from what you could tell.

Treating Gon and Killua with as much care as you did. Wanting to be a doctor in order to help those who couldn't afford proper medical care. Hell, he was even currently helping you with your ‘condition.’

Kurapika, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved. At least from what the boys had told you. Though you noticed he also seemed distant. Rarely ever picking up his phone and even rarer were the times he'd actually show up in person.

But you wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

If the boys loved him, how bad could he really be? 

And if Leorio was dating him, then surely he had some redeeming qualities.

Well turns out fate had a funny way of playing things out. Irony at its best. 

—----------------------

You'd arrived in York New about the same time as the boys. Having come for your ‘usual’ checkup. Something you blamed on that damn cat along with yourself. 

You'd agreed beforehand to meet up right after for lunch. The three of you communicating through a small group chat. Although you were still struggling with the newer technology. Not yet used to actually having a phone. But you digress.

It was during Leorio's final evaluation that you were made aware of the blonde’s presence.

“You getting anything?” He asked.

You shook your head, unable to focus your eyes. Six months and your nen was still shot. What a pain.

“Don't push yourself. Remember, we still have a few treatments to test out. You're not out of luck just yet.”

“I know. I just kinda want the process to be over already, you know? Get things back to normal.” Well, as normal as you could be.

Leorio was about to respond before a ‘ding’ from his phone went off. He gave an apologetic look as he checked what it was. 

Although he knew you didn't mind, he still wanted to be professional. This was his job and he took pride in it. Despite his nonchalant demeanor.

“Woah! Kurapika's in town!”

“Kurapika?” The one who usually ignores all his calls? The one who put revenge before his dying friend? But you thought better than to say that out loud. Instead you settled on-

“He's…blonde, right?”

Leorio looked up at you with a bewildered expression. Out of all the things you could say, it was that. It was almost enough to make him laugh.

“Yes? You know, you've got an odd way of remembering people.”

“But I'm not wrong, am I? You gonna see him after this?” You asked with a teasing smirk.

“Yeah. It's been a while. I think the boys would be happy to see him too.” He gestured to the three kids that sat waiting outside of your room.

Two of which were now excitedly staring at their phones. The third sleeping contently on her brother's shoulder.

“You should meet him too.” Leorio suggested.

And although you appreciated the offer, it didn't feel right for you to tag along. You didn't want things to potentially be awkward. Plus, you weren't the best with new people.

“I don't wanna intrude. I'd rather the four of you catch up. Like old times. Well maybe not the four of you if Alluka has anything to say about it.” Already knowing the small girl went everywhere Killua did. 

“You'd really do that. I know it's been months since you spent time with the boys.”

“Yeah but it's been a year since they even heard from Kurapika. Besides, I'll meet him when I pick the boys up. I'm here for three more days after all. And then~you and Kurapika could spend some time by yourselves.”

His face flushed a bright red at the insinuation. Playfully shoving your head to the side.

“About time you paid me back for all the times I watched the boys for you.”

—-----------------------

The two of you finished up, with Leorio briefly leaving to request his break. The kids wasted no time rushing you once you exited the room.

“Any luck this time?” Gon asked.

“Sadly, no. But there's always next time, right?” You tried to reassure. But he didn't look all that convinced. 

“If it doesn't work out, you know you can always ask Nanika to-” Killua started to offer, but you stopped him before he could finish.

“It's fine if I can't get it back. I'll just have to get used to being a normie. Unless, you've got a problem with normies?” Your tone was teasing as you ruffled the small assassin's hair. 

Your attention was redirected towards a pull on your sleeve.

“I don't mind helping Big Sib,” Alluka assured.

“I mind. I'll be okay so don't worry about it…In other news, I heard one of your friends just got here.” You quickly changed the subject. Not wanting to bring down the mood. You wanted today to be a good day.

And judging by the way both boys beamed up at you, it would be.

“Yeah! Kurapika's gonna be here for a few days! I hope you don't mind if he comes with us today.” Gon explained.

You could never really say no to that kid, even if you had already planned to give the duo space today. You returned his cheerful grin with one of your own.

“Course not. To be honest, I was gonna let the four of you reconnect in peace.”

“Peace? You make it sound like we're embarrassed of you,” Killua mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I said, ‘Four of us? What about my sister?’” he quickly covered. Though he could tell you heard what he said first. But you'd let him off the hook this time.

For now.

“Why don't I take her shopping while you guys catch up?”

“Shopping? You can afford that now?” His tone was playful, but there was a genuine hint of concern somewhere in there.

“Hey!” You scolded, about to come up with a retort before Gon stepped in.

“Yeah! They're working with Kite and his team. It's why they travel so much now.”

At the mention of the former silver haired hunter, Killua's expression soured.

“Sibling stealer.”

At that, you pinched his cheek.

“Har har. You mad at him because we're dating now or because Alluka occasionally calls him dad?”

He covered his ears, face slightly red from embarrassment as he tugged Gon away. Not bothering to wait for Leorio.

“We’re leaving now! Have her back by six!”

—-------------

Safe to say, they were overjoyed to see Kurapika again. Both boys eagerly questioning him about his new Zodiac status, while Leorio reminded them not to overwhelm him with questions.

Kurapika was glad to back, if only for a brief moment. He truly did miss them, but his mission always came first. He'd already made tremendous progress recovering his clan’s eyes. His new Zodiac status aiding in his endeavors.

But through pursuing his goal, he'd evidently missed out on a lot with his friends and partner. 

The boys were 13 going on 14 now. Gon had achieved his own goal and met Ging. Traveling with him up until a month ago.

Killua had managed to finally get away from his family, bringing his little sister with him. The two of them also traveling around. Which begs the question, where was she currently?

Leorio had become a doctor, having just been promoted to a zodiac after the election. Which Kurapika did watch, very much proud of how far he got.

Yes, so much had changed.

He supposed it was bittersweet in a way. The three of them already shooting for a new goal while he was still trying to complete his. 

But he truly was grateful for the time he spent with them today. That he was still considered important to them despite his distance. He made a mental note to try harder once he left.

It wasn't before very long that Leorio had to return to work. His break over too soon for the blonde's liking. 

So with a smooch on his cheek and a ‘ewww!’ from the boys, Leorio was off. Leaving Kurapika with the duo. 

Now while you were aware of Kurapika, he had no idea of your existence until the boys mentioned you in passing.

—-----------------------

A desert of some kind sat in front of them.

“Y/n would for sure love this. Do you think we should take them some?” Killua asked, the question directed towards Gon.

“They’ll be upset if we don't. And you know what that means.” Gon responded.

“They won't carry us for a week. You think we're getting too old for that?” But before their conversation could continue, Kurapika spoke up. Curious about the new name they mentioned.

“Y/n?”

Both boys looked up at him surprised before remembering the two of you had never met.

“Y/n’s the person that’s been taking care of us since Greed Island. They're our big sibling,” Gon proudly announced while Killua nodded along.

You seemed to be very close to them.

“Right now they're with Alluka. They wanted to give the four of us a chance to catch up.” Killua added.

That explained why his sister wasn't here. And if Killua trusted you with her, then you must've been reliable too.

A good person.

“Tell me more about them.”

—-----------------------

Truthfully, all odds pointed at the two of you getting along. You were cut from the same cloth, so to speak. Both coming from strong clans. Both losing them during your childhood.

Your lazy demeanor would have paired nicely with his quiet one. You always were more comfortable around less energetic people. 

His analytical skills were on par with yours. A strong head on both of your shoulders. 

Even if you were still upset with Kurapika, the two boys knew you'd get along with him in time. Sure you'd probably chew him out for not answering his phone, but you'd warm up to him nevertheless.

So what was it exactly that put you at odds with each other?

The catalyst that sparked endless animosity between you?

Well, it just so happened to be the subject of your clan that started it.

It was an accident, truly. Gon didn't mean for it to slip out. He just got so excited telling Kurapika about you that he forgot some details weren't meant to be shared.

“You know, I'm kinda glad Nanika erased their memories. Y/n is a lot happier now that they're clan isn't looking for them anymore. They weren't good people to begin with so don't feel too bad about it.”

Gon had been explaining before slapping a hand over his mouth. Him and Killua looking at each other with wide eyes. Gazes briefly glancing over towards Kurapika for his reaction.

They knew he could be touchy with the subject. Watching him carefully to see if his eyes changed. Instead, they were met with a suspicious stare. Not exactly positive, but not really negative either.

“What do mean their clan isn't looking for them anymore? Did something happen between them?”

Because Kurapika, for the life of him, couldn't fathom a family giving up on one of their own. But the subject wasn't as black and white as he suspected.

“We're not really supposed to say. It's not like they told us not to tell anyone, but it's their privacy. You know?” Gon informed.

Not only was it your business, but it was also something you trusted the two of them with. And he was the last person who should be spilling your secrets.

The two boys once again eyed each other. You wouldn't be mad if they told Kurapika. So long as he didn't bring it up directly to you.

Besides, the chain user would just ask you in person if he didn't get an answer. He was direct by nature. Something you would respect, but not if it concerned your ‘family.’

So what was the worse outcome?

They say nothing and Kurapika asks you directly about it. Or he finds out another way.

The second option: they partially explain the situation. Not getting into too much detail, but enough to satisfy their friend’s curiosity.

“If it's not something you want to discuss, then I won't-” but Killua stopped him from finishing his sentence.

“If we tell you, you have to promise you won't say we told you anything. Got it?” 

It wasn't that they were wary of their friend, god no. They just didn't want the two of you butting heads in the future. 

Kurapika gave a small nod.

“Y/n doesn't get along well with their clan. They haven't since they were a little kid. They just don't feel comfortable or safe around them anymore.” Gon started.

“Why?”

“They sorta had a disagreement with them. And that's putting it very lightly. An argument about how things were being done. And how their practices were wrong. That's all we can really say.” Killua continued.

The rest would have to come directly from you. If you ever got around to trusting Kurapika. Something that sadly wouldn't come to fruition.

“So they're estranged from their clan because of a disagreement?” And for whatever reason, that made Kurapika upset.

Your clan was alive and healthy. They'd been looking for you. And here you were being petty. Avoiding them because of it.

When all his people were slaughtered like nothing. Never even having the chance to say goodbye. 

He wanted to think there was more to it. That there was something big the boys weren't telling him. And there was, but he'd never get to learn about what it was.

How similar your grief was to his with him losing Pairo and you losing Kari.

The rest of the afternoon felt tense. Kurapika tried not to show his discomfort, but both boys could tell anyways. Seems the two of you wouldn't get along after all.

It was only a matter of time before you went to get them. Alluka trailing happily behind you with an ice cream cone as you struggled with her bags. Most of which were toys. 

Both boys quickly grabbed a few from you to lighten the load. Your eyes drifting over to the blonde behind them.

So that was Kurapika.

“Alluka! You can't just make them carry everything. Next time help.” Killua scolded.

Said girl, looked up at her big brother with a pout. 

“I did. Mama/Papa said no.”

Her answer prompted a small glare from him. This time directed at you.

“You have her spoiled.”

“You’re just jealous I don't baby you anymore.” You retorted.

“I think it's because Alluka's a girl.” Gon added as he took another bag from you.

“She's not just a girl. She's a princess!” You lightly pinched her cheeks, causing her to let out a squeal.

You looked up to see their blonde friend standing awkwardly away. Perhaps not wanting to interrupt the four of you. 

“You gonna introduce me to your friend?” 

At the sound of your voice he straightened up. Both boys urging you towards him.

“Y/n, this is Kurapika. Kurapika, Y/n.”

It was a brief introduction. Well, you supposed it was time for you to plaster on a smile and try to befriend him. Hopefully things would go well.

“Hi. So you're the infamous Kurapika? Glad you could make a special guest appearance today. I hope the boys weren't too much.” 

You extended your hand in greeting. Wishing you could focus your eyes on him to get a proper read of what he was feeling. He reciprocated your handshake with less enthusiasm than you were expecting.

To be fair, he probably just found out about you.

“Likewise. It's a pleasure to meet the person who they've been talking my ear off about for the last two hours. Apologies for interrupting your time together.”

He was surprisingly polite. Honestly, you were expecting him to be somewhat rowdy like the rest of their friends. Not that you minded.

You needed another levelheaded friend to talk to. And if you were correct, he was about two years younger than you. 

But then things quickly started going downhill.

“My intel tells me you come from a clan like me? Do I have that right?” He asked, unawares that was not the right thing to say. Despite his intention to strike up a friendly conversation.

“Intel?” Your tone was panicked.

 The mere mention of your past life enough to make you spiral. Something both boys could tell was happening from the way you stiffened.

“Uh Kurapika. Maybe now's not the-” Gon tried, but it was too late.

“I don't belong to any clan. I never did, so don't you ever bring it up again.” Ice.

Your demeanor was cold, an indication that you were mad. Though you tried to calm yourself. Maybe he didn't know not to ask that.

He couldn't have known.

You just didn't want to talk about it with anyone. Especially not a stranger you just met. 

“Damn. I knew we shouldn't have told him.” Killua said, already knowing where this conversation was heading. He quickly covered Alluka's ears.

“I don't understand why you're so upset about it. Could the disagreement you had really be that irksome to you.” The blonde's tone dismissive. 

The thing that inevitably set you off.

Irksome.

Like they didn't just try to kill you half a year ago. Like they didn't murder your sister right in front of you. Like they didn't turn your best friend against you.

“I said drop it. It's none of your business. But you know what should've been, since you're so keen on family.”

“Y/n don't-” Gon tried once more, tugging on your arm to get you attention.

“Checking up on your friends every once in a while. Do you even know about what happened to these two?”

“Guys,” Killua warned.

“Of course I know. You think I'm an idiot not to know about the Chimera Ant situation?” Kurapika's voice increasing in volume to match yours.

“Yeah? You know about Illumi hunting down Killua and his sister while his family watched? About the two of them almost being killed to better their psycho family's power? You know about Gon being hospitalized? About how nothing short of a miracle saved his life? You know about all that?”

Judging by the shocked expression on his face, he didn't know. He glanced over to the two boys to verify. And when they looked down to avoid his eyes, he knew you weren't lying.

He hadn't been a very good friend, had he?

“Didn't think so. So next time you think I owe you anything, think about how you've never given anyone anything. I don't owe you shit. I don't owe you an explanation and I sure as hell don't owe you my time!” 

Was it a petty argument that got way out of hand?

Absolutely.

The truth is, if you could get past your one difference, the two of you would see you have a lot in common. Might've even become good friends.

 But you can never trust someone who takes the people they care about for granted. Who had the opportunity to support their friend on their deathbed instead of chasing after shadows of the past. Who only lets anger and hatred guide their actions.

And Kurapika could never befriend someone who doesn't understand how good they have it. Who still has the opportunity to see their family instead of their corpses. And maybe he's envious of the fact. He'd give anything to spend five minutes with his clan while you can't even bare thinking about them for five seconds.

And while you two disliked each other, you'd just have to learn to tolerate the other for the sake of your friends.

—-------------

MASTERLIST

An: I didn't know if I should add tags to this one because technically it's not apart of our main story. More like an expansion on the lore, if you can even call it that. Now, I love Kurapika, I really do. But I feel like our insert from Moon and Sun would absolutely despise him. On the bright side, I should be able to start uploading a little more frequently now. Might even get back to weekly updates. We'll see~