#you can look at them and say 'that could be me!' and the powers don't change that

[moonydoodlez]

Little White Lies

Pairing: James Potter x Slytherin!Reader

Summary: Reader smells something that's vaguely familiar in the Amortentia but can't quite figure out who it is.

Warnings: Use of y/n twice

Wordcount: 1,149

A/n: Reg, Barty, Evan, and reader are all not friends with snape or mulciber

Hogwarts at spring was always your favorite. The bright sun warming your skin, lovely meadows dotted with flowers. Classes always seemed a little easier, everything just felt lighter.

You longingly stared out the window you were sat next to. Fingers tediously playing the with quill that was in your hands, destined to stain your fingers black. God was it too perfect of a day to waste inside.

A few giggles surrounding you suddenly broke you out of your daze. Your eyes darted around the room when suddenly they fell on Professor Slughorn. His eyebrow cocked up and a playful glare on his face.

"Am i bothering your nap time" He jokes. "Or shall I continue"

"Yeah sorry" You smile nervously, setting your quill back down on the table and adjusting your position to actually pay attention this time.

"Like I was saying Potter and y/l/n" He reads off your names, before just as quickly moving onto the next pair.

Your head whipped to the left to find James and the rest of the marauders already glaring daggers into your head. You weren't one to hate many people, despite what nonsense the green that adorned your body put into peoples head.

James and his co marauders however had become the exception over the years. You had never spent much time with them but you were one of the many who were prime targets for their pranks.

The first two years of school you managed to get away from their mischievousness, and you even thought it was funny. Especially when they went after Snape and Mulciber. Who even you could agree were utter twats.

However when you became friends with Regulus, Barty, and Evan you began getting lumped into the 'bad slytherins' group. Which was weird considering Barty wasn't even in your house.

Time had passed and everyone had expected the boys to get over their childish antics. Yet even in your sixth year they seemed to cause a daily quarrel amongst everyone.

You sighed and look back down at your quill and parchment, wanting to no longer think about the boys who were definitely still staring at you.

"Can anyone tell me what this is" Professor Slughorn asks, pointing at the large cauldron with a bubbling pink liquid.

A Ravenclaw who sat next to you quickly shot her hand up answering.

"Good, yes it's amortentia" He smiles proudly. "Does anyone know what it does, and or the side effects of it" His eyes trail around the classroom before finally landing in you. "Y/n"

"It's a love potion but it causes obsession not love" You answer making sure to keep your answer short and concise.

In the corner of your eyes you could see blonde curls shaking around. Your eyes wandered to Evan smiling putting both thumbs up. You tilted your head at him giving him a confused smile. What a weirdo that one was.

"Correct, it also is extremely powerful" He adds. "Now if everyone would please find their assigned partners we can get started.

You waited until the majority had already found their new spots before stalking to the other side of the room where James was standing looking into the bubbling cauldron.

"Goodluck" Barty smiled pushing his shoulder into yours as he walked by. You were going to need a lot more than luck. A gun maybe.

"Potter" You snarled looking up at the boy.

"I don't want to be around you any less than you don't want to be around me" He looked up and down slowly before his eyes settled on the front of the classroom.

"Alright now I want everyone to smell what's in their cauldrons and discuss what it is you smell" He smiled. "However do no drink it or touch it, or anything that seems stupid" He added.

Nobody missed the pointed looks that found their ways to the marauders from others in the class and Professor Slughorn.

You watched James lean slowly in closing his eyes as he took a whiff of the potion. Slowly pushing his messy curls back in precaution. You hated to admit it but you understood why girls seemed to flock to him.

His lips parted for a moment before his eyes opened again.

"What are you smiling at" He huffed staring at you.

You quickly straightened up, your slight smile dropping as quickly as it had formed.

"Move let me smell" You grunted slightly pushing him out of the way. Closing your eyes you inhaled the scent.

Broom polish, tangerines, and a faint smell of what you think is coconut oil.

You pulled away, a slight frown on your face, the smell felt so familiar like it was something you had smelled a million times. It felt like you should've been able to guess it instantly. Yet you couldn't

"What did you smell" James asks. Moving his hands to the table and leaning a little closer to you.

For a moment you're confused because he almost actually seems interested in what you have to say. God were you tempted to tell him but who were you if not petty.

"Tell me yours first" You challenge.

James began saying the first thing he smelled before Sirius laughed loudly and there was a large noise from behind and suddenly James was no longer by your side.

You rolled your eyes giving one last smell. Letting the flavors mix and you felt so close to figuring out who it was.

When suddenly like a bird hitting a window, it hit you.

Shit.

...

"He is so infuriating i don't know how i am going to be able to stand him for the rest of another year" You groan throwing yourself onto Barty's bed.

"You could always murder him" He suggests, not a single ounce of sarcasm in tone or face.

"Yes Bartimaeus that is a wonderful idea, thankyou for your input" You sarcastically smile at the boy before it instantly falls.

"It's okay babe you tried to help" Evan smiles sympathetically at Barty who is wiping fake tears from his eyes. "We can murder someone another time" He coos, rubbing his hand up and down his back.

You rolled your eyes, covered your face with a blanket to block out the light. You heard footsteps before there was a dip at the end of the bed. The smell of expensive cologne filled your sense as you closed your eyes.

"You know it could be worse, you could've been paired up with my brother" Regulus added.

"Well I guess that's true" You replied.

"So what exactly did you smell" Evan asked before rolling over on top of Barty and stuffing his head into the boys sweatshirt.

"Oh um i don't really remember" You giggled nervously.

They all looked at you, a weird look on their faces. One that clearly read that none of them believed you.

"Hmm must've been Snape" Barty laughed.

taglist: @chososrightpigtail

Masterlist James Potter Masterlist

[temporarywelcome]

Hospital Visit - Spencer Reid

REQUESTED!

The Request: Your smooth criminal series is actually perfect!!!! Ahh I love the way you write both of them and their dynamics with the team. Obsessed 💕 Request: Kleptomaniac!Reader twists her ankle or like gets hurt due to practices during a dance and ends up at the hospital and worried spencer comes and sees her stealing little equipments again and her trying to leave because she doesnt want to miss her dance. (I really didn't know how to frame what I was thinking but honestly i think whatever you write will be amazing) -anonymous

CW: swearing, a bit suggestive towards the end. Technically part of my "Smooth Criminal" series though you don't need to read the other parts to understand!

AN: I'm half Dominican so yes I can poke fun of Dominican people 🙄 lmao this character I created for this is loosely based off of my grandpa-. Also totally forgot the "her trying to leave" part so I might make a seperate fic with that, mb...

_____

Words: 2k

Spencer Reid wasn’t one to leave work early. 

When there was not a case and the Behavorial Analysis Unit was busy at the office, Spencer never left early. For him, that is ridiculous. Other members of the team like Hotch and JJ would have their moments where they would have to dash out of the building with barely any warning, due to little emergencies with their children. It barley happened, but when it did, it was understandable. 

Spencer, on the other hand, did not have children to worry about. He never had a reason to leave work. 

Until his phone rang. 

Flipping it open, his brows furrowed when he noticed who it was. His girlfriend. Her calling him in the middle of work never raised any alarm. She probably just brought him some lunch again, which she did a few days ago. Or some drama happened in a show she was watching and she just had to let it out. Probably something silly like that. 

But, wait! She had said she was going to be at the studio early today to get in some extra practice before rehearsal. So why would she be calling him instead of practicing?

“Hello?” he placed the phone to his ear. 

The voice on the other end answered in panic, “Hello? Is this Spencer?”

That was not his girlfriend. Instead, it was a man with a heavy accent, the genius deduced Dominican. What the fuck was she doing with this guy? 

“Yes, I’m Spencer, as the contact ID says,” Spencer replied curtly, feeling a hint of jealousy brewing within him, “Who is this?”

“I am Flavio!” the man replied confiently, “Flavio Herrera de León! I-”

“-Why are you calling me from my girlfriend’s phone?” Spencer interrupted in annoyance, “Where is she?”

“Oh!” the man laughed awkwardly, “On the floor! I will be taking her to a hospital now!”

Now Spencer was shooting up to his feet, gathering his things as he spoke, “Hospital?! Why do you need to take her to the hospital? Why is she on the floor?!”

“Very bad injury,” said Flavio, “I worry for her,”

Very bad injury?!

“What do you mean by that?!” Spencer mouthed to Hotch a quick ‘I gotta go’, not waiting for an answer as he sped towards the door, “How bad-”

“-Must take her to hospital. Blood everywhere. Bye bye!” And with that, fucking Flavio hung up the phone, leaving Spencer in an even worst panic. Blood everywhere? What the hell was Y/N doing?

Knowing her, it could have been anything. Every possible thought went through his head, every possibility. She was zoned out and got hit by a car. She tried to befriend a dog that wasn’t very friendly. She fell down a flight of stairs. 

She stressed him the fuck out. 

After breaking at least twelve traffic laws, Spencer found himself at the ER, pushing past people to get to the receptionist. “Y/N L/N,”

Not looking up at him from her computer, the woman replied with: “Relation to the patient?” 

Ugh. “FBI. Let me see her,” he waved his badge at her. He knew this was unprofessional and an abuse of power, but this was his girlfriend. The girl he was planning to marry someday. Who he was convinced stupidly got herself into this medical emergency. 

Abuse of power be damned. 

He was led through the ER to her room, bursting in. He was expecting tubes and machines connected to her unconscious form, maybe a cast or two. He was expecting to be completely traumatized by the sight before him.

Not his girlfriend shoving surgical gloves into her pockets. 

Her head snapped into his direction, eyes wide, but when it hit that it was Spencer and not a doctor, she sighed, body relaxing. “Shit, Spence, why didn’t you just kick the door down while you’re at it?” she said sarcastically. 

He did not find her amusing. She didn’t even know if her words registered to him. “What happened?!” he felt like he repeated that quite often today. He cupped her jaw, turning her head in all different directions while looking for any wounds, “That guy said there was blood everywhere! Where are you hurt?!” his eyes went from her face to the rest of her body. 

“He’s so dramatic,” Y/N groaned, “There was blood everywhere because I had gotten a bloody nose from hitting the floor.” She grabbed his hands that were now on her shoulders, bringing them to her cheeks. Her eyes closed and lips curled into a smile, nuzzling into him. “No broken nose,”

“Then why the hell are you in the hospital?” 

“Sprained ankle. Doctor said I won’t be able to dance for about three weeks,” Her eyes opened, meeting his, and all his anger and anxiety vanished. She was okay. She was safe. Not mauled by a dog or hit by a car. 

Safe. 

“Next time you get an injury like this, please call me yourself,” Spencer sighed in relief, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, “Your friend scared me to death,” 

“My friend is super dramatic,” she giggled, already sensing his dislike towards Flavio, “He thought I broke my foot and my nose,” 

“Of course he’s dramatic. Birds of a feather flock together,” Spencer tried to joke, hands now resting on her waist, “You know… You never told me you were practicing with this friend. I thought you were practicing alone,” 

“Didn’t think I had to specify,” Yeah, he was so jealous, it was so obvious to her. 

“You should, so in the case you get kidnapped, I would have somewhere to start-”

“Spence!” she gasped, playfully hitting his shoulder, “Not only is that really anxiety-enducing, but I know for a fact that’s not why you wanted to know.” Y/N smirked, leaning closer to him, “He has a wife, Spence.”

“And? People cheat all the time. About twenty percent of married men cheat on their spouses-”

“How little do you trust me though?” she huffed. 

“It’s him I don’t trust,” Spencer corrected himself, “I trust you. Of course, I trust you,” As he spoke, he removed the surgical gloves from her pockets, “Even when you steal all of my things and I have to buy replacements because you lost them after, I still trust you. It’s just…” he trailed off, throwing the now contaminated gloves into the trash bin. 

“Just what?” As he distracted himself with the gloves, she reached out and grabbed a handful of q-tips from the table next to the examining bed she sat on, now putting those into her pockets. 

Spencer turned to face her again, “It’s just that, with this job, I see so many horrible things happen to women. And the thought of something happening to my woman scares me,” His arms went around her again, “Every time I get a case file and see a woman’s body, it occurs to me how easily it could be you,” 

“...damn,” she cleared her throat, looking down, “Gee, now Imma be scared to go outside,” 

“No you’re not,” his hands slipped into her pockets, taking out the q-tips. Spencer always noticed everything. “You’re going to continue being you and I’m going to continue worrying about you every time we’re apart. I do wish you would be more careful. I know right now you were with this guy for work-related reasons and you had to, but at least tell me?”

“Mhm,” she nodded softly. He went to throw out the q-tips, and while he did so, she began shoving gauze into her pockets next. 

“Put the gauze back,” he said firmly, not even looking at her as he disposed of the material. 

“I can’t help it,” a huff left her lips as she tossed the box (yes, she attempted to steal the whole box) back onto the counter. 

“Tell me why you need a whole box of gauze, dear,” Spencer always spoke like that when addressing her kleptomania. Why do you need this object you are stealing? And they both would know she didn’t need it, and she would keep repeating that in her head until the urge (hopefully) went away. 

“I don’t need a whole box of gauze,” she stated the obvious, taking a deep breath, “I don’t need a whole box of gauze,”

“You don’t need a whole box of gauze,” Spencer confirmed, taking her hands like he always did when she was getting her urges, “Or q-tips. Or surgical gloves. What do you possibly need to examine with those, hm?” he said the last part lightly, nuzzling her nose with his. 

A smirk formed on her face as she spoke, “You?” 

“Me? And how would you do that?” 

“Can examine the part of you I love most….” she trailed off, in thought, “Wait, that’s hard. That was supposed to be me saying your dick however is that really what I love most? ‘Cause, like, look at you,” 

She always knew how to make his cheeks burn red. “What else do you love then?” 

“Oooh, where do I begin?” she threw her arms up in the air dramatically, “Okay, let me start with your facial features…”

____

By the time she was cleared by a doctor and allowed to leave the room, Spencer had a good hickey or two (four actually) on his neck and a giddy expression on his face. Once in the waiting room, a man shot up seeing Y/N, Spencer immediately assuming Flavio. 

“Ah, mi flor,” he exclaimed, examining her all over, “Nothing is broken! How good!”

“Yep, all good,” Y/N replied, “Flavio, meet my boyfriend, Spencer. Spencer, meet Flavio, one of my dance partners for my current show,” 

Spencer and Flavio shook hands, Y/N giggling softly at the look Spencer was giving him. Oh, she knew damn well Spencer was profiling the fuck out of him. To most people, Spencer looked like he had a blank expression on his face, but Y/N knew him better. There was something about Flavio that Spencer did not like. She wasn’t sure if it was the simple fact this was a man who spends alone time with his woman, or something else entirely. 

“It is so nice to meet you, Spencer!” Flavio shook his hand cheerfully, “I have heard many good things about you!” 

“Oh, really?” that made Spencer cheer up slightly, “I’m glad to hear that,” he draped an arm around Y/N’s waist. Spencer didn’t look like the type, but he was incredibly possessive, which was fine, because Y/N was possessive as fuck over him. Spencer precieved everything friendly said to her as flirting, though, when someone actually flirted with him he wouldn’t catch it. It was cute, but also frustrating, because then the only way to get these people to leave him alone is a threat or two coming from her. 

Flavio opened his mouth to speak, but paused when his phone rang. He flipped it open, seeing the caller ID. “Ah, I must take this. My girlfriend is calling,”

Y/N’s brows furrowed, “I thought you were married?”

“Yes yes, I am,” the dancer shrugged, “My wife is here. My girlfriend is in la Republica Dominicana,” And with that, he was off, babbling into the phone. 

“I told you,” Spencer rolled his eyes, glaring at Flavio’s retreating form in disgust, “Twenty percent,” 

“You best not be part of that twenty percent in the future or I’ll end up being an unsub your team has to catch,” Y/N threatened lightly, pinching his side. 

“Hey!” he gasped, “What makes you think- wait,” hard stop, “Does that mean you see yourself marrying me someday?”

She smirked, beginning to walk (limp) towards the exit, “Hmmmm, maybe?” 

“Wait! Wait, you can’t just drop that and wobble away from me!” He followed after her, a huge shit-eating grin forming on his lips.

[gauzestarr]

Look I love Jet too but I'm honest enough to admit he would not be ACAB because of some deeply held leftist philosophy or emapthy for others. He would be ACAB because he doesn't like being told to stop stealing shit

[omamervt]

oh my god every one of these replies is so stupid. I was content when it was just one to block and move on but y'all kept going, Jesus.

From top to bottom:

"Review embargoes are good, though!"

If you wanna miss the point, I can help you understand. If you're just wrong, I can try and help you see why. But if you're gonna be wrong WHILE missing the point, nothing you have to say is worth saying.

Ignore for a moment that none of the perks of an embargo in your eyes benefit READERS, only the reviewers, their publishers, and the game's publisher. Because even if I agreed with THAT point, do you think review embargoes had a bad reputation back in the day because of the NON-toxic patterns? No! The point is that reviews aren't allowed to come out now until the game's release is so close that it's too late to inform everyone who pre-ordered that they might want to cancel! And that this went from a predictable indicator that a game was gonna suck on launch to a near-universal practice! And AGAIN, that the editors and reviewers would rather maintain a positive relationship with AAA game publishers than with their own readers!

"influencers can play and stream the game before reviews are out, as long as they stick to certain talking points and avoid others"

In other words, you can only review the game if you don't leave a bad review? do you not think that JUST MAYBE that would fall under the category of "problematic embargo pattern?"

"why are you going to a video game magazine for ttrpg news instead of like, Dicebreaker?"

oh, I don't know? Maybe BECAUSE POLYGON HAS A FUCKING TABLETOP SECTION? Maybe because as great as Rascal and Dicebreaker and the like are and need support when they do good work, it doesn't change the fact that if Polygon wants to have a Tabletop beat, they should at least try and do a good job with it? And the head of that section writing an open letter to people his department has straight-up ignored, despite them doing everything right, and saying, "be more marketable!" You can't pretend it's not a bad look. Ignoring the work of members of his own team, who are doing the thing he's saying needs to be done? You can't pretend it's not a bad look. ESPECIALLY when you acknowledge that WoTC has a LITERAL MONOPOLY on the TTRPG scene!

and shieldfoss, I know you won't see this because I blocked you because you're an idiot arguing in bad faith, but everything you said is exactly what I meant by "debating the role of a games journalist in a way that lets them off the hook for not doing their job." Because actually, it IS a journalist's job to inform their readers, not just spoon-feed them what they want to hear, with info they could just as easily get directly from WoTC.

As it stands, the likes of Polygon ARE serving as part of the marketing for major products and services. And that's a BAD thing!

Oh, and about your analogy: If I were going to an e-bike repair man, then no, I wouldn't expect him to try and sell me a new e-bike. BECAUSE HE'S NOT THE PUBLISHER OF AN E-BIKE MAGAZINE! However, I WOULD expect an e-bike magazine to keep me as up-to-date as is reasonably possible on e-bike product launches, even if it's only via reviews. I would expect them to have a handful of guys whose job was to keep their ear to the ground to research up-and-coming e-bike makers. And if one E-bike brand had a monopoly on e-bikes, I'd hope that e-bike magazine would do everything in its power to at least not COME OFF as a shill for the company that holds the monopoly.

And it's all fascinating that two out of three of these replies are, again, still largely in the context of "this is an issue with Charlie Hall, specifically, writing an article about not wanting to have to do any investigation or research to populate his TTRPG section with TTRPG articles" when, as I've been saying from the beginning, this is bigger than him. It's bigger than Polygon. Every major publication has these issues, and they have them in regards to ALL types of games, not just TTRPGs.

So no, none of these people had good points.

I've often heard people debate the role of Games Journalists and their duties relating to coverage of Games, but its usually in the context of letting them off the hook for just taking the easy route and shilling for the AAA industry.

After This Article from Polygon today, whose TTRPG beat is almost entirely covering WoTC press releases, written by the editor for the TTRPG beat, talking about how indie TTRPGs need to do better about getting press coverage themselves (hmm wonder how that would happen, Charlie!), while neglecting to highlight his own team members' work to do so, but finding plenty of time to bemoan the lack of any upcoming Curse of Strahd-tier adventure modules from WoTC?

Yeah we're done with that. No more. Don't even think about it.

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY ASTARION ANCUNÍN *  assorted dialogue from baldur's gate 3

you are mine. no one can change that.

i wish... to drink. and be drunk.

you haven't earned the right to stare at me like that.

you could scream bloody murder out here and no one would ever know.

we should find a tavern and celebrate.

do my eyes deceive me? the gang really is all here.

i'd rather be the only dark power inside your body, if it's all the same to you.

you're cute, you know. in another life we might have been friends.

i don't hate you. because this is not you.

we just have to be vigilant. keep our wits about us.

you can try, but i will stop you.

do what you like. it's none of my concern.

i simply do not care.

we could do it, you know. we could rule the world.

i... i don't know what to say. thank you.

well that's just disgusting.

listen to me, damn it! i'm trying to save you, even if you're too stupid to see it.

believe what you want. i'm done with you.

you have no idea what i can do.

sounds like a delightful dinner plan. perhaps i'll join you.

forgiveness? you've never forgiven anything.

i don't need anyone to speak for me.

i don't owe you a damn thing.

don't worry. i'll keep watch tonight.

just don't ask me again.

is there anything else? any new and interesting ways you can waste my time?

i'll come to you tonight, when you're snugly wrapped in your bedroll and we can have a little privacy.

this time i'll make sure i'm quiet.

you're lucky i'm such an open-minded person.

why send anyone after me? i'm hardly a threat out here.

what are you waiting for? help me!

"you can do whatever you want" sounds terrifying, and it is, but there's opportunity in it, too.

i am so much more than what you made me.

hold very, very still.

i'm sorry, but could you excuse us a moment?

get out of my way. i'm in no mood to talk.

you didn't think i could do it? i'm hurt.

i appreciate your loyalty, darling, but i don't think you understand.

fair? nothing about this is fair.

i don't know who they are, but i have plenty of questions.

i'm glad to hear it.

i do believe you. i know you only did what you thought was best for me.

i just need some time to let it sink in.

you're so good to me.

safe? how can i ever be safe now?

well, hello. looking for a cuddle?

now that you're back with us, we need to have a talk.

how flattering. and disturbing.

please tell me this is important.

there's also gold, sex, revenge... quite the list, really. but failing any of those, i will always settle for shallow praise.

now just tell me i'm beautiful and we can call it a day.

i want to thank you.

you're a vision. and you're so much more than that.

this is all a game to you, isn't it?

for as long as i can remember, i've been used by others.

of course i was attracted to you. look at you, for goodness' sake!

i will forever remember what you did for me today.

that's what you've been waiting to hear, isn't it? that's what you want?

i have been waiting so long for you.

come, give yourself to me.

i'll take care of everything.

it's time to try living again.

i feel safe with you. seen.

we don't have to rush into anything tonight.

would it kill you to dispense a compliment?

looking for something?

honestly, you have no sense of fun.

i do appreciate your enthusiasm, but let's try to restrain ourselves a little.

would you like a tour? we can start with my tent, if you like.

everything was taken from me, too.

well, that could have gone better.

i don't know what you mean.

were you actually worried i was angry?

so what was it like? tell me everything.

i hope i'm not interrupting.

some day that soft heart of yours is going to be torn out of your chest.

what a party. we should do this again.

there you are. i've been waiting. waiting since the moment i set eyes on you. waiting to have you.

you've seen enough already.

i didn't want to lose control.

oh, don't be like that. not every problem has to be beaten to death, my dear.

wait! don't interrupt them!

let's not make trouble for some stranger.

my, this place is fun.

my past isn't exactly a happy story.

that was amazing.

it won't happen again. you have my word.

so many people need killing.

remember who saved you.

don't worry. i'm here.

[utilitycaster]

(I’m sure you’re getting a lot of asks right now, so if this isn’t a fun avenue for you, feel free to pass on over.)

So, the Vax of it all.

As a person who really loved Vax’s portrayal and his arc, the end of C1 was powerful and poignant. Dalen’s Closet was the perfect cherry on top of a truly bittersweet ending - a really touching way to give the characters some final interactions and show that he didn’t feel trapped or tortured by his duties as a champion. It gave a lovely sense of closure - with the button put on it that Scanlan couldn’t even cast the spell again, so it really reinforced the idea that magic had natural rules and consequences to big asks.

And then C3.

Obviously Vax was always going to factor into this campaign (one of the cast described this as their Avengers Assemble plot, after all), but with the way Matt had him appear and knowing how the rest of the cast was going to react to it, it really seemed like this ending was inevitable.

Considering that she was the bait in the first place, Keyleth was always going to realize where Vax was, always going to draw in the de Rolos to save him, and being familiar with Matt’s DM style (as well as any of us can be) I have a hard time believing he was going to do all that and then steer them towards an ending that would just have left Vax back as a champion - or even dead. Possible, but seemed pretty unlikely. (forgive my ignorance, I’m sure this is exactly what people were saying about Molly’s resurrection too, I wasn’t in the fandom then, but that at least was a DICE roll that concluded on camera, no way around that)

But now I’m just… so confused by so many choices. When did Matt decide this? Did Liam agree? If this was going to be the ending, why did he have the Raven Queen explicitly say ’you have one more night on Exand-- JK, hang out as long as you like, go look up that girlfriend of yours!” Was it JUST so the Vaxleth reunion would be the last scene of the campaign? W h y a n y o f t h i s ? But-- none of those are things we can really know the answers to, of course.

So my REAL question is, how would you have liked to have seen Vax brought into this story? A defender of the Raven Queen, going as far as to oppose Bell’s Hells (gods, can you imagine what the fandom would have done)? Would you have liked him to appear at all?

Btw, I’ve loved following your blog through this campaign - these last handful of episodes, I’ve been checking in daily like it’s my morning paper. Even on the rare occasion I do find my opinion differs, I find your analysis so thorough, so thoughtful and always entertaining. Excited (and maybe a little wary…) to see what we’ll get in C4! I, uh... sorry for the ask-wall-of-text.

So I will admit, I thought, until early in the finale when it became clear this was just the equivalent of the flavorless pure sugar drink they give pregnant people to test glucose tolerance, that Vax would be freed from his duties and laid to rest. The part with champions serving as protectors of the gods' realms honestly hadn't occurred to me but you could have done it with Morrighan (still physically alive) taking on the mantle and Vax passing on to the afterlife. Because the thing was, Vax was dead, the Raven Queen said "you can be alive temporarily as a revenant," and then once his mission was over, he died. He was literally already dead. I also maintain it was not an inevitability from the Orb situation; obviously I have no fucking idea what Matt had in mind, clearly, but in a case where Predathos remains sealed, then the Vax situation remains as it was; and in a case where Predathos is freed and devours the gods I think he dies more horribly vs. a gentle and kind passing (or perhaps some hail Mary scenario where after Predathos has glutted itself and left, he can perform the rites of ascension himself).

I guess the short answer is I really don't think this was inevitable because I think the vast majority of the finale and no small part of the campaign was again just. things happening because they needed to happen to get to the ending where Bells Hells were ostensibly happy (it's not very fulfilling to have everything given to you without it meaning anything), but I can think of a number of ways to run any final scenario re: Predathos and the Raven Queen where Vax doesn't come back. That was a very specific choice, and it was, as many of us have pointed, an immensely stupid one that was utterly unnecessary.

[charmwasjess]

for our good friend dooku, 16, 21&22, and 6 if you have more to say about it. 🙏🙇‍♂️

OH YOU JUST COME INTO MY ASK BOX AND MAKE MY DAY?!! :D Beloved anon, these are SUCH fun questions and I absolutely had a blast answering them. Thank you so much! Stop by anytime and I’ll make you a cup of coffee! (I have tea too, but my taste in tea is real gross.)

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

Ohh, this is a hard one! 

The thing is, while I have my favorites, I find Dooku soo very shippable with a vast number of characters - not because he has any healthy understanding of his own sexual and emotional needs anymore than he has a healthy relationship with food - but because especially in his Sith era, he’s a black hole of need and loneliness. Sex is like the one way Sith are allowed to access the intimacy that fifty years of Jedi communal life has trained him to want and need. 

The ship for him that I absolutely love-hate in that vein is Sidious/Dooku. I doubt it went much further than a few absolutely debased encounters because let’s be honest, Sidious can do much better and isn’t in the habit of letting his dog eat from his plate, but whoof, what a fun, fucked up ship with nasty power dynamics. “Oh nooo, oh no, awful….where’s the link?” energy.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

I love giving Dooku big, often violent, over the top moments where his natural appetite for chaos comes out. 

Dooku gives you these amazing options as a fanfic writer. He’s so high drama. A huge part of his reserve and composure is that there’s an absolute volcano of feeling bubbling under the crust.

The things he says are absurd and beautiful, poetic and horrific, hilarious and awkward. You can push the character further than you expect, and he’ll go with you in surprising places in a piece of writing if you let him show off. This is a character who loves attention and has the natural talent and chaos to back up his own bullshit. If you can get his sound and feel right, there’s almost nothing you can’t do with him - because a core part of Dooku is the unreliable narrator: even he doesn’t always know what he’s about to do. 

I think the hardest part is his “voice” because Christopher Lee had such a distinctive cadence - it’s not just a British accent, it’s early 20th century British, who grew up bilingual and went on to speak like literally 7 different languages fluently, with a supremely deep voice, who wanted to sing opera but only got half-trained before WWII ruined that dream for him. It’s a very unique sound.

I like “my” Dooku voice in my fics and I’m proud of it; I work really hard on it and it’s why I use him as a POV character most often. But I still look at my own fics and have those record needle scratch moments where I know a line of his needs to get reworked. It’s a constant process.

The Christopher Lee accent also could not be MORE different than my own rural American one. There’s a hilarious-awful story in Lee’s autobiography, Lord of Misrule, about him getting stopped by a patrol of Americans in WWII who absolutely do not believe he’s English and they start trying to speak German to him. He goes, “you don’t have to speak German, you know, I’m fairly capable of understanding English, since that’s what I am.” 

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

I love it when fics do a realistic job of letting Dooku be the walking contradiction he is. Two of my favorite Dooku fics right now are Pray My Mind Be Good to Me and Galaxies Far Far Away May Be Closer Than They Appear - both feature Dooku written in this way. He has done or is going to do horrific shit - shit that cannot be changed and has real consequences. In both fics, he’s also portrayed vividly, a "real person," full of genuine emotion, vulnerability, and deep investment in the other characters. Love is a part of his betrayal and betrayal is a part of his love. These two things exist in the character simultaneously in queasy, gorgeous combination. 

As far as what I don’t like, I don’t know, I think Dooku is a tremendously intimidating character to write and I’m impressed by anyone who takes a crack at writing him! I’d encourage anyone to give it a shot. 

I have one really small weird pet peeve, and that’s giving him too much stuffy, uptight rich guy cliche. Dude was a mud-grubbing mission Jedi for 50 years, himself raised by a swamp troll, who went on to train two of the most chaotic Jedi. He’s eaten more bugs than Anakin, and I'll die on that hill.

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

I went pretty broad on my other answer, so I’ll tell you two lil' things!

I’m tall (ironically I’m about Sifo-Dyas’s canon height, a character whose legit tallness is often overlooked cause he’s standing next to Dooku–) and I pull a ton of my own experiences into how I write the way he moves or his little gestures, especially how small he can fold up when he’s feeling vulnerable. There’s a unique tall person awkwardness that comes from experiencing the adolescent growth spurt right at the time when it’s the most emotionally unbearable to be physically conspicuous. 

I didn’t realize I shared his exercise-away-the-strong-emotion thing until I was chatting with @bolithesenate about some fic or something, and said something offhand like “too upset about Sifo-Dyas, gotta go for a run” and she was like “uh, Jess? are you QUOTING your own Dooku characterization here?” :O Don't call me out like that, bro!! Do not perceive me!

[papasbaseball]

The Wizard x Reader (Wonderful Wonderful Girl) | Chapter 18

Pairing: Wizard x F!Reader

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Power Imbalance, Boss/Employee Relationship, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Sexual Content, Spanking

Summary: Being a maid in the Royal Palace of Oz is not half so bad. Despite the meager wages, everything else is provided for you for an honest day's work. It can be unnerving working for the most powerful man in Oz, but you are able to avoid him most of the time. This changes during Lurlinemas, your paths soon becoming inextricably intertwined.

Word Count: 2,565 of 47,525

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AO3 Link

There are forty-seven steps between leaving the Upland Estate and killing Fiyero. The rest of the War Council has cleared out except for General Minkus, the Wizard, Madame Morrible, Tomathy, and me. The meeting and plans are on a strict need-to-know basis: no need for financial backers or anyone else that might let something slip from loose lips. The Wizard doesn't let me out of his grip the entire time, pulling me closer at any mention of possible danger.

"There isn't much cover," General Minkus says, sweeping his index finger down the straight railroad markings. "The train has been shut down, but the dirt road is still open. Over here, to the west, that's where they have their base camp set up. It's sheltered by some hillocks. They've set up some spike barricades here and here." His finger points to two hillocks that butt up to the walls of the Emerald City and dovetail perpendicularly together to form a triangle... except for a narrow sliver of a valley between them.

"One way in, one way out," I say.

"It's a good thing you sprained your wrist," Minkus says, pointing to the dirty bandages. The Wizard tightens his grip around my waist. "You sure Fiyero has a soft spot for you? The wounded animal ploy will only work if he wants to help."

"I'm sure," I say. It's a lie. Nothing was certain anymore

General Minkus looks to the Wizard. "He might take her as collateral if he thinks it'd make you surrender faster. We'd have to cut our losses."

"Yeah, well it won't come to that," The Wizard says, pulling me more to the side of him, away from the general. "We're going to be running scouts along the perimeter. She takes her time to go outside of camp to.... uh..." He waves his hand, and I try not to be embarrassed by what he’s implying in front of the most important people in Oz. "And we make sure she's okay. We’ll do it every day until she kills him, and then we’ll get her out immediately"

"It might be dangerous if we meet up immediately," I say. "I think we should give it two days. He's going to be watching my every move."

General Minkus nods at this. "She's right. If I were Fiyero, I wouldn’t even trust a known ally if they walked in halfway through a war. I wouldn't take my eyes off them. It’s been a week since the Lurlinemas ball."

"I don't care for this at all," the Wizard says. "Isn't there some other way? This… It just seems too risky. We've got the five thousand."

"Five thousand was good yesterday,” General Minkus says, “when our inside resources were twice as strong. With the barricades they've got set up, we're going to need everything we can get on them, including inside intel, maybe even a distraction."

"Or kidnapping," I say, grabbing the Wizard's arm. "I could seduce him out into an open area where it would just be him and me, and then you could take him hostage. It would put the war to an immediate end."

Oscar looks down at me with a chastising look of doubt, and I think for a brief moment I see his eyes darken at the thought of me seducing Fiyero at all. Best to be more mindful.

There's a knock on the doorway, and we all turn to see a blonde woman so thin and petite she could have been blown away with a strong breeze. She’s dressed all in pink, with a ridiculous arrangement of rose-colored ostrich feathers in her blonde hair. This must be Lady Upland, but it can't be: she's much younger than the woman in the portrait that hung in the office.

"Oh! So sorry," she says, her voice high and soft as a wind chime. "Auntie Lorinda didn't say anything about guests. It's so nice to meet you all." She offers a white gloved and thin hand in greeting, but startles when she notices General Minkus. "Oh!"

General Minkus says, "Miss-"

"Galinda," she says with a smile, crossing the room to offer her hand to him.

"Miss Galinda, this is a confidential meeting."

"How perfect! I just love meeting confident new people, They make life more exciting." Giving up on her vanishing goal of shaking the General's hand, she snaps in a pivot to me. "Don't you think so?"

I offer my hand to her, hoping not to call any attention to the private information behind her on the map. She takes my hand, and wraps her other hand around the back of mine, saying, "You know, I can tell a lot about a person just by saying hello." She stares into my eyes, narrowing hers. I think she's doing it to avoid blinking, to better stare all the way through me. "You've been traveling for days," she says, nodding her head. I nod with her, trying to play along. "Something tragic happened. You've been hurt recently." I try to steady my breathing, as if that will stop any reddening in my cheeks. Were the Wizard and I really that loud in the office? She grabs my injured wrist suddenly, gasping, "Oh! How horrible!"

"Are you a doctor?" I ask. How had I managed to turn this war meeting into a meet and greet?

"Me?" she says, blinking in disbelief. "No. Why? Do I look like one?"

"Ms. Galinda," Tomathy says, approaching us from the other side of the map table.

"Yes?" she replies with a cock of her head. Whatever image I had of her being taken away by a gust of wind was false. She was a perky pink parakeet, the way she chirped and flit with each new passing thing that caught her attention.

"You said that you knew she had been traveling for days. That's quite a remarkable observation."

"Oh, not really," she says with a laugh. "It's just the way..." she swallows and gives a nervous, high-pitched laugh. "Even if you all are confident people, it would be rude."

Tomathy smiles broadly. I think it is supposed to be an affable smile, but on him, it is always frighteningly toothy. "You're Lady Upland's niece, yes?"

Whatever faux pas she had imagined in her brain, it is now washed away and Galinda the parakeet is back. "Yes. I'm up here for Lurlinemas. I didn't know that she would have more guests. I heard you all talking up here, and I thought it was family, but, well, friends or family it makes no difference. The more, the merrier, right?"

"Of course, of course," Tomathy reassures her, putting an arm around her bird-boned shoulder. He takes me in his other arm, and I feel Oscar tense for the briefest of moments before he lets me go. "We're all here for Lurlinemas with Lady Upland, but your words got me to thinking."

"Yes?" Galinda says as we are escorted out of the library.

"My friend here, we can't have her looking like she's been traveling for days. Not on Lurlinemas."

"Oh. Oh, no!" Galinda agrees, grabbing his arm in excitement.

"Is there anyway you could make her look like she's ready for the best Lurlinemas party that anyone has ever thrown?"

Galinda gasps, and quickly hops out of his grasp. "I know it! I know just what to do! Stay here! I'll be right back. I- My luggage – oh, my luggage – it's downstairs. I'll..." She snaps in a pivot and is off flying down the foyer stairs.

"What in the name of Oz was that?" Tomathy breathes as he watches her hop across the white marble foyer on her pink parakeet legs.

"Lady Upland's niece, I'd say," Oscar says, scratching his cheek.

"How'd she know about the accident?" Tomathy asks.

"I don't know," Oscar says, "but I'm curious to see what else she's seeing that we're not."

________________________

We spend the rest of the day succumbing to Galinda's fashion whims, as she picks and prunes me into nearly what I looked like the night of the party.

When the night comes to a close, an Upland maid escorts us to our rooms. Oscar pulls me into his with an excuse that I am his personal valet and a generous tip to the maid (probably to keep her mouth shut).

"What happened to me being your daughter?" I ask after he closes the door. The room is dark, but rays of moonlight throw silvery shapes onto the cream carpet of the guest-of-honor room.

"If you want to call me daddy, I'm not going to stop you," he says, tossing his jacket onto one of the pale rococo chairs up against the wall. "One last night together. We can do whatever you want."

"You're not still mad from earlier?" I ask.

He walks through the moonbeams, letting them paint excitement onto the boring brown waistcoat and pants. I watch in envy as they trace his body, eager to let my fingers do the same in these last few hours of familiarity.

"Are you talking about the spanking?" he asks. "I wasn't mad. I just had to-"

"You were mad," I stop him. "It was wrong, but I knew it would make you mad to bring Fiy- him up. I could see it in your eyes."

He steps closer, shrouding himself in darkness once more, the ghostly glow kissing his cheeks and the silver stubble of his beard. "It doesn't matter if I'm mad or not," he says quietly, "we... I have a nation to run. Consequences are consequences."

I take his hand, admiring the taut skin of a foreign palm under my fingertips. Bringing it to my lips, I kiss a small scar on the side of his thumb. "What's the consequence of that?"

Our hands together come up to touch my face as he stoops to kiss me. His tongue tastes like warm cinnamon, and I remember looking over at him during Galinda's Great Big Fashion Makeover as she was slipping a green velvet dress onto me. His eyes were wolfish as he hollowed and unhollowed his cheeks, his tongue tossing a cinnamon candy he had grabbed out of a complimentary dish. Now, his tongue plunged into me, slipping warmly against mine in a plea as he pressed me closer to him, stomach to stomach, his fingers threading into my hair.

"Is it so severe?" I ask, breaking the kiss.

"Yes," he growls, picking me up so that I can wrap my legs around him. He walks us to the fluffy and overly-beaded and pillowed white bed, and kneels on it, careful in laying us down on the opulent quilt.

"What are we going to do?" I ask. The question could be about anything, really. I think, in the moment, I want the world to stop. I don't want the sun to rise, I don't want Oz to have a leader. Why can't it just be me and Oscar in the warmth of a stranger's home, tangled in an embrace without any fighting?

"Don't ask those kind of questions," he says, kissing my neck, biting but quickly releasing it before he ruins the carefully curated image we had prepared. "We'd better get you out of this dress, put it somewhere safe." He turns me over, dragging the zipper down slowly. The zipper comes to a stop, and he asks me to sit up before helping me shoulder off the velvet sleeves. He stares at my bare breasts, watching as I get up from the bed and let the rest of the dress drop to the floor.

"You said I could have anything I want," I say, standing there naked in the moonlight. I step out of the dress and throw it haphazardly into the chair with his jacket. "I want you."

"You have me."

"No, not the Wizard of Oz," I say. "I want Oscar. Show me who you are. No mechanical heads, no magic."

"No, you don’t," he says.

"Let me meet him and see for myself," I say quietly.

I go back to the bed and straddle him where he's sat on the edge, my hands sinking into the soft and curly white of his hair. My lips meet his in a gentle kiss that doesn't last. Oscar doesn't have the patience or will to conceal the need to fuck me, to claim me. The cinnamon of his tongue is a taste of how he paints with movements and touches: a violent red that is all-consuming, a warning of an overwhelming and dangerous lust made of clawing and scraping teeth. His mouth finds my neck and the plan to keep me as pristine as possible is gone as he inhales the scent of my neck in between painful kisses. "I don't want you to go," he breathes.

I push him onto the bed, rocking my hips against his pants and his hardened cock beneath them. "I want you to make me forget all of it," I say, kissing him. "I need you."

"Yes," he says. “Whatever you want.” He grabs me and flips us. Ridding us of the rest of our clothes, he then has me pinned to the bed by my wrists, sinking his cock into me.

"Oscar," I gasp.

"Shhh," he says, kissing me. His hips set a steady pace, not hard, but careful enough to catch the places within me that pull my back from the bed in an act of magic. He's true to his word, because as he pins me to the bed and takes me, I don't think about the war or the kidnapping or any of it. I can only focus on how I can’t move my wrists in his grip, the way his stubble pricks my lips in between the bites and lashes of tongue, the way he seems to alter the arc of his hips if I moan a certain way.

I feel the thread of pleasure tighten, and I struggle in his hands, fighting for anything to grab onto as his grip tightens even further around my wrists until I cry out in pain.

"Feel it," he pants. "Let it take over you. You can handle it."

A strangled bleat escapes my throat as I struggle against my restraints, desperate for any kind of tension to avoid feeling the full gluttony of pleasure that snaps within me. I need to rake my nails against his skin, grab fistfuls of quilt, anything to not bear the sickening sweetness that he has brought upon me as I feel my walls clenching around him again and again.

He pulls out before he can spill inside me. Warm spurts of cum land on my stomach, accompanied by his gasps. He stares at the way the moonlight falls on how he has marked me, his shining chest heaving from the effort, before falling down next to me.

"I like it better when you cum in me," I say, laying a hand on his still-heaving chest.

"I had to," he breathes with shut eyes.

"I know we haven’t talked about it,” I say, “but if it’s about me getting pregnant-"

"No," he says, pulling me closer so I can rest my head against the warm and sweaty skin of his chest. A smattering of silver hairs tickle my cheek and mouth with each rise and fall of breath. "Just... had to. That's all."

[tayswife]

oooh could you write the first time that Galinda falls asleep on Elphaba???

— moonlight hours

☆ glinda upland x elphaba thropp

☆ summary: glinda finds elphaba studying alone in the library late at night. when she decides to stay with her, she finds it incredibly hard to keep her eyes open. the only comfortable spot for her to rest her eyes just so happens to be on elphie.

☆ warnings: none

☆ a/n: glinda and elphie looked way too comfy sleeping on each other on the train so i think that was definitely not the first time. sooo here’s my take of the first time :)

it’s when glinda’s about to slip into bed for the night that fails to see elphaba already laying in hers, she sighs and feels a sense of sadness. she can’t sleep without elphie in the room. and what if elphie’s in danger and glinda is just here unknowingly sleeping? what if someone’s bullying her and she’s not there to protect her this time?

anxious thoughts flood her mind, ones that she knows aren’t truly logical ones.

she has to go search for her friend or…whatever they are.

the search doesn’t take very long. she knows elphaba wouldn’t break the rules and leave shiz after curfew, and she knows shiz is big but elphie typically sticks to the same spots.

her first guess is the library, knowing elphaba always has her face shoved in a book. she doesn’t understand why the girl fancy’s reading over partying. but either way, she thinks it’s cute. she doesn’t know if she’d ever have the courage to say it out loud but, she think her green nerdy friend is really goddamn cute.

when glinda’s spots her presence in the library, before glinda herself can be seen, she quietly runs out and goes to the kitchen to brew elphaba some tea, and hot chocolate for herself.

she goes back to the library.

when the doors creak open, elphaba’s head pops up this time. her brows furrow and she bends her neck to the side in attempt to catch a glance of whoever is also deciding that studying is better than sleep right now.

“who’s there?” elphaba asks. her voice bounces off the walls and echos, making her words seem louder than the volume she actually said it.

she doesn’t know why but slight fear pools in her belly.

glinda pops her head from one of the isles to show herself, a gentle smile plastered on her face. strangely enough, she was glad to see glinda. she exhaled the air she was holding in once she saw those glimmering brown eyes.

"i brought you some tea," glinda says and hands elphaba the mug with steaming liquid, "chamomile."

elphaba grabs the mug and smiles up at her, "trying to knock me to sleep?"

"maybe," glinda smirks back and takes a seat beside elphie, "why are you up so late again?"

elphaba takes a sip of her tea and then places it onto the table. it somehow tastes better than when she herself makes it. something about glinda making it just tastes better. maybe the simple fact that it's glinda making it.

"i need to figure out how to stop letting my own emotions control me," elphaba responds, staring down at the book on her lap in shame, "i want to be able to control them. i'm tired of causing damage."

"well i don't think it's damaging." glinda scoots closer to the elphaba and their legs are touching each other now. glinda's outer thigh feels cold against hers but quickly warms the longer they sit there. "i think it's powerful and…inspiring."

elphie looks up when glinda compliments her and raises her eyes brows at her as a; really? you don't actually think that.

"you feel your emotions strongly," glinda continues, "i think you’re powerful and inspiring.”

elphaba tries to suppress her smile but she fails to do so. she shakes her head and looks back down at her book. there’s silence for some passing moments besides the crickets that chirp loud enough to hear them through the windows.

glinda yawns and that’s what elphaba finally speaks up.

“you know you can go to bed. i’ll be fine here.”

she doesn’t want glinda to leave.

“no. i won’t go to bed until you do,” glinda says stubbornly. she hates when elphaba deprives herself of sleep just for her studies. she just doesn’t understand it.

“glinda—”

“im staying right here until you go to bed.”

“fine,” elphaba says, knowing she lost the battle. she looks back at the pages. glinda places her mug down and lays on her side on the bench that their sitting on. her head rests on the hard wooden surface and her body is positioned so her legs curl right beside elphaba.

once again, silence fills up the large library and the bench becomes increasingly painful against her body but most noticeable against her head. she will not give in though. she’ll stay right here until elphaba’s the one to crack.

she sighs until elphie looks over and can see how uncomfortable she is laying on the hard surface. she feels bad even though that was glinda’s plan all along anyways. "do you want to lay your head on my lap?"

glinda leaned up on her elbows and looks at elphaba while she spoke. the blonde girl simply smiles brightly and nods before getting up and laying her body the other way so her head is cushioned by the tops of elphaba’s thighs.

glinda’s typically very touchy and doesn’t have much personal space with elphaba, however, this environment and circumstances make elphaba even more extremely nervous than it usually does. not in a bad way. but in a way that she hasn’t felt towards any other person before.

elphie attempts to focus on the words on the paper but her eyes keep drifting to the sleepy blonde on her lap.

"glinda, you're falling asleep," elphaba says, looking down at the blonde girl that can hardly keep her eyes open.

“no,” glinda mumbles, and then says something that’s completely incoherent.

“you should get to bed before you’re fully asleep.”

glinda whines and shifts her body so her face is covered by the fabric of elphaba’s nightgown. her eyes are completely closed and she isn’t quite sure if she’s dreaming or not right now, but she won’t crack and admit that she’s falling asleep.

“won’t fall asleep, i promise.”

elphaba sighs. she knows that’s a straight up lie. but glinda does look so adorable right now, and the moonlight shining against her features through the cracks of the window make her look really pretty. for once, glinda is calm and not bouncing off the walls. she just gets to sit here with her and get the physical contact she’s always been deprived of. with the girl that she wants it from the most.

elphaba lets it go and starts focusing back on the pages of her book, trying not to move much in order to not disturb the sleeping -or totally not sleeping- girl on her lap.

after just a minute of silence, glinda unexpectedly speak up again, “elphie?” she says in a tiny voice, only merely above a whisper.

“mhm,” elphaba hums.

“can you scratch my back?” she asks, and for once, she sounds shy. glinda is never afraid to confidently ask for what she wants. but somehow this green witch comes along and brings out an entirely different side of her. when elphaba doesn’t answer fast enough, glinda speaks up again. “it just…relaxes me.”

“yeah, yeah, totally,” elphaba says. she places her left hand on glinda’s back that’s only covered with a thin piece of pink fabric and elphaba thinks of how cold she must be.

with the tips of her nails, she gently makes a circular motion on glinda’s back. she can feel glinda’s breath evening out, and by this elphie can tell that she’s on the threshold of falling into dreamland.

elphaba continues with her fingers movements, and when she finds her mind again, she starts simultaneously reading her book.

after what was most likely a half and hour, elphaba decides it’s time they both head back up to their dorms. however, the biggest problem she faces is the dead asleep glinda on her lap that’s practically pinning her to this bench.

she slowly slides her body to the edge of the bench, holding tightly to glinda’s body because they last thing she wants is for her to roll onto the floor and get hurt.

this ordeal would be much easier if she just woke glinda up, but she simply doesn’t have the heart to do so when she looks so peaceful.

she somehow manages to stand up with glinda in her arms. like a koala, glinda wraps her legs around elphie’s waist, still being asleep but knowing what to do out of instinct.

she walks out of the library. everything’s so dark and quiet but luckily the path from the library to her dorm is one that she could walk in her sleep.

when they finally get to the hallway of their dormitory, glinda lifts her head off of elphaba’s shoulders and looks around for a moment, her brown eyes wide and full of sleep. “it’s okay, i’m just taking you to bed,” elphaba coos. glinda puts her head back down on elphie’s shoulder and closes her eyes as if she were never even awake in the first place.

elphaba can hear glinda’s soft breaths by her ear and down her neck. it causes goosebumps to arise on her skin and her own breath evens out when glinda shows how comfortable she is with elphaba picking her up and trusting to take her to their dorm.

glinda; the one person who trusted that elphaba was a genuinely good person despite her green skin. the only person who believed that it made her better than the rest of the population.

elphaba somehow carried glinda all the way to their room. she was so grateful that all of shiz was dead asleep at this hour. she wouldn’t even want to hear the gossip if a wandering eye had caught this scene.

it was a struggle to open their door but once she managed, she brought her over to glinda’s bed and gently placed and down with her head resting against the headboard. her eyes fluttered open momentarily but immediately shut again.

elphaba sat down right in front of the half-sleeping girl.

“glinda,” elphaba said quietly but loud enough to keep the blonde girl awake, “don’t you want to wipe your makeup off before you sleep?”

“mhm” glinda responded, and elphaba knows glinda didn’t even listen to anything she said because she just sat there sleepily.

“okay,” elphie sighed and walked over to glinda’s vanity to grab a face wipe. she walked back over to the bed and sat in front of glinda.

glinda stared right at elphaba except her typical big brown eyes were only slightly open. usually, elphaba would’ve blushed and burned at glinda starting at her so intently, but she knew the blonde witch wasn’t even on this planet at the moment.

“i’m just gonna wipe your makeup off,” elphaba said, knowing glinda wasn’t listening but still wanting to say it incase she was.

elphaba brings the wipe to glinda’s face and by instinct, glinda’s eyes flutter shut. elphaba slowly and gently starts to wipe away the mascara painted on glinda’s lashes.

only a moment goes by before glinda suddenly jerks her head away from elphaba, suddenly having some energy in her. elphaba’s heart drops, her first thought is how she must’ve poked glinda in the eye by accident and she wants to cry at the mere possibility of glinda being hurt because of her.

“what— what’s wrong?” elphaba asks, her words strongly laced with worry.

“I don’t,” glinda looked down at her lap, “I don’t want you to see me without makeup.” her voice was raspy from sleeping and elphaba tried to ignore how attracted she was to it.

“what do you mean?” elphaba asks with the uttermost confusion. glinda said it as if they hadn’t been roommates for months now, as if she wasn’t the most perfectly crafted girl in the world. elphie simply didn’t understand. “i’ve seen you without makeup before. every single morning and night actually”

“yeah i know but like, from a distance.”

elphaba thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world, but something about her bared-face, no makeup and sleep still in her eyes always made her feel a special way towards glinda. it’s a glinda that only elphaba gets to see. the imperfect, yet still so perfect, glinda with no makeup. elphaba wished she could see her like that up close.

“glinda, i’m green. do you think seeing you without makeup is anything crazy?” glinda giggles, they both do. but then glinda’s face gets serious again. “if it helps any, i still think you look beautiful without makeup even from afar.”

glinda looks up from her lap, her cheeks are burning a deeper shade of pink and it’s not from her blush. “well, i think your green skin is beautiful.”

elphaba smiles and shakes her head, “let me wipe your makeup off now so you can get to bed?”

glinda hums in agreement, still feeling the anxiety of elphaba thinking differently of her. thinking she might see how flawed she is.

elphaba wipes off her makeup so gently that glinda almost fell back asleep even with the coolness of the wipe. glinda doesn’t look much different but it’s the mere fact that she’s just…glinda.

“already falling asleep again,” elphaba says with a simple smile she’s very clearly trying to supress and glinda doesn’t respond because elphie is correct once again. “let’s get you under the covers, alright?”

elphaba goes to help glinda up, but the girl refuses again, whining something incoherent until elphaba sits back down. “wanna sleep with you,” she says, eyes closed and head still resting against the headboard. elphie wonders if she’ll even remember saying it by the morning.

“what?” the green witch asks, not sure if she had even heard her correctly.

“i wanna sleep in your bed with you. don’t wanna be alone.”

elphaba glanced over at her own bed across the room and then back at glinda. she wanted to share a bed. a twin sized bed. with the girl that she had suppressed feelings towards. but glinda was so sleepy and she was asking so nicely—

“okay. okay, come on,” elphaba cracked. she expected glinda to stand up and follow her over to her bed, but she continued to sit there with her eyes shut. the only indication that she was still awake was the little smirk on her face.

“carry me?”

elphaba could not win tonight. she loved every bit of glinda’s clingy sleepy state and the time she was spending with her, however, it did not help her shove her feelings for her down further. matter of fact, it only made it nearly burst right out.

elphaba was in no room to argue with the girl on how she was going to get across the room and so the elphie grabbed her under her arms and carried her right over there.

elphaba’s bed was already unmade; ready for her for to slip into when she was done studying. certainly not expecting another girl to be in it with her.

she gently placed glinda on one side, and right as glinda’s head hit the pillow elphaba swore she immediately fell asleep.

elphaba went to shut off just one of the lamps of the two lamps that were lit. they agreed on sleeping with a single dim one on because glinda’s doesn’t like the dark. once she did that, it was time to slide into bed with glinda.

but she was afraid and hesitant. she didn’t immediately walk back to her bed. momentarily pausing right where the lamp was. why was it so hard to get into her own bed? just because a certain blonde witch was laying in it? she’s probably fast asleep by now anyways.

elphaba turned around and walked back over, slowly dragging her feet as if she had shackles around her ankles.

glinda still laid there in the same position. her rosy lips were slightly parted and her blonde hair was messily spread over the pillow with some strands laid across her face.

elphaba got in and laid down. finally. she took a deep breath because the hardest part was completed. she grabbed the duvet that was folded by their feet and draped it over both their bodies. elphaba felt as if she was now fully trapped in bed with glinda.

and it wasn’t horrible.

it was actually the complete opposite.

but then glinda stirred and somehow her head ended up laying on elphaba’s chest. and there was an arm wrapped around elphie’s waist. “thank you,” glinda said simply, breaking the complete silence. she must’ve not been fully asleep.

“for what?” elphaba asks in utter confusion.

“for taking care of me,” she responded, “and for letting me sleep with you.”

“of course, glinda.”

“i really like sleeping here with you. you’re warm. wish i could stay here with you forever” glinda mumbled into green skin. elphaba can feel her heart pounding and can even hear it in her own two ears. she wonders if glinda can hear it too. she must. she’s laying right atop of it.

elphaba goes to respond. she doesn’t know what she would really even say. but this time she can see glinda truly asleep. she can hear the difference in her breathing. she envy’s how quickly the blonde girl could fall asleep.

but then she remembers how glinda only ever falls asleep like that when she’s with her…

and she tries to not think about it so her, now, even faster heart beat won’t awaken glinda.

[talthorn-sylvoran]

Daily Writing Challenge Feb 2025: Day 2 - Cage/Power

Kicking the door open into his personal sanctuary away from time, Talthorn clutches the weakened form his small friend in arms. His wild, ragged look didn't suit the magi but it didn't matter to him as long as he was able to find the answer within his research to save this boy. After looking around this room that was in dire need of tending and cleaning, the door automatically closes he brings Ka'ness to the bed to rest in. It had not been touched or stirred in some time, but the magi would give to the other until he could conjure up something much better.

"Here. You can rest here....." Talthorn carefully puts down the boy and looks him over much as a physician. Observing how he was reacting to the concoction that he had made and administered.

"That is all I ever do is rest. I'd rather sit up if you don't mind, old man..." Ka'ness laughs at the other and looks over the area with curiosity. A good deal of the pain had been numbed, but breathing was still difficult. And of course the whole matter of not being able to walk anymore was a pain for someone that was so used to being as active as he was.

"I do mind." Talthorn speaks rather sternly and furrows his brows. And just as he gestures for the other to lie down, the boy begins with his questions.

"So you live here too?" Ka'ness asks and then his eyes enlarge seeing above him. He gestures toward the library archives above their heads, with the floating materials of many ages with amazement.

"Yes." The magi answers simply. "This is my...research area. A very boring place with nothing of interest." he lies not wanting the other to be distracted, but erks as the boy points upward to where the magical materials lingered and sorted themselves. "Yes, well. Perhaps there are a few things of note for someone not used to its properties."

The youth gives him an unimpressed look with his attempt at fibbing to him. "And what do you research in this boring place where there is nothing of interest?" he inquires as Talthorn looks like he push his head to get him to lie down.

"Boring things! A perfect place and time to sleep for now." The magi replies trying very hard to keep his composure so maybe he could convince his friend to rest! He had to get back to finding the answer to thi-

"I am not going to rest well until you tell me." Ka'ness says directly and continues to look around, already his breath stagger a bit.

Talthorn breathes out slowly as he weighs his options. Sleep potions were not beyond him, but he knew children had to be handled differently for more consistent results. He is already conducting spells on the side, to conjure water and have the bowl of it come to him with help of magic. His mutters to heat the liquid, so he could soak and ring out a cloth, he and Ka'ness meet eyes and have a sort of staring contest.

"This is my Sanctuary. A place where I observe, research and record the world's events and unravel their secrets." Talthorn speaks reluctantly at first, and offers the washcloth to his friend. "It's my true purpose and passion as you might know to a certain extent. Here I am granted the gift of extra time. You are the only visitor that has seen it."

As the boy freshens up a bit, he asks over the cloth. "By yourself. For years. Watching the world. Locked up in here." Ka'ness thinks about this with some hesitation in his glance. "You're right, that does sound boring. And lonely." he smirks at the magi. "Sounds more like a prison, than a Sanctuary."

"See? I told you, very b--" Talthorn jolts at this comments and speaks strongly. "It's not a prison! It's a place I have all the freedom to concentrate on what I wish in the intensities I desire. I have knowledge and understanding of this world and many others that many deities would envy." he speaks with confidence about his cumulative collections in libraries and mind.

"But you keep it here. Locked up with you." Ka'ness says carefully and gestures to library above them again with a circle of his finger.

"It will be passed on to generations after me." Talthorn puffs out his chest in another fib, because he had long forgotten how that would be something he would do. "No more questions. You have your answers to those for now. Now it is rest time." he points sternly.

Ka'ness looks at him with large eyes, the rims still glowing in a cursed darkness. "Maybe after a story? You kind of owe me. For....leaving....for so long...." It seems he was not above guilt to get some additional time with his parental figure he has missed for entirely too long.

Talthorn's finger wavers and he draws it back trying to disguise his emotion. If Ka'ness rested he would be able to sneak away to do more research for his condition! But his boy made such a simple request and the magi didn't have the heart to turn him down after all he had done. "One story then...." He still had time to mend those broken promises....

(( Glimpses of the past following this story . Talthorn's awakening happens at the end of this event, forever changing his life. ALL THE FEELS ))

@daily-writing-challenge

[love-toxin]

I know, I know, I knoooowwww its been months since you wrote for yandere/babytrapper Charles Xavier but I can't get him off my mind. Pleaseeeeeee, Miss Ellie, tell me what he would be like after he's successfully babytrapped you/how he would act as a father

meoooww I've been looking for a reason to write about charles again hehe <33

I can imagine he'd be tough to shake off, even after you're free of the pregnancy. Charles is smart enough to know you need to be taken care of in a multitude of ways to ensure the baby's health, but he's almost too smart because he regulates everything from the food you eat to the times you go to sleep. He's neurotic; he doesn't want his efforts to go to waste, he doesn't want you to get hurt, and he especially doesn't want his little one succumbing to anything terrible before he has a chance to meet them.

As a result of his powers, which he may allow to flourish more often once you're pregnant, he also dives into research about when babies develop their brains and when conscious thought may come into play, because he wants to see if he can hear his child's voice before they even come out of the womb. Those thoughts of fear or even anger towards him for pressuring you into it don't go unnoticed, however--he has to address those, but his way of doing it isn't exactly...healthy. He mostly spends the pregnancy slowly gaslighting you into believing you wanted it all along. Charles will plant seeds of doubt in your head wherever he can, even to the point of claiming that he couldn't stop hearing you think about having babies with him, and that he took that drastic step because he just thought you were too shy to say it out loud. That you couldn't bear to ask him because you just didn't know how much he wanted it as well. If he has to create thoughts that you think are yours to help convince you, he'll even go that far.

Whether you fall for it or not, the baby's coming either way. When she arrives, a head full of your hair and Charles' baby blues staring up at you, it's hard not to fall in love with your sweet little daughter. Charlie is absolutely mesmerized when he holds her for the first time, his trembling almost too much for him to keep her steady in his arms at first. It's obvious with one look that she's going to be daddy's little princess, and that he's going to spoil her like no little girl has ever been spoiled before.

If he hasn't wrestled you into a marriage by then, the baby is a great way for him to squeeze himself into your life for good. "Our girl needs both her parents, we have to try for her" he feeds you whatever he can think of to get you to say yes, and when you do, the only thing he relents on is whether to have a big wedding or a small one. If it were wholly up to him, he'd throw a massive party and invite everyone he knows to bear witness to your union, but if you want something small or to just sign the papers he'll take what he can get. At the very least, he'll get a nice cake.

But afterwards? When you fall into the routine of parenthood and navigate the turmoil of caring for a newborn baby? Charlie may get less pushy, but he's just as sickeningly intimate as he's always been. He feeds your daughter and changes her without complaint, and takes care of any chores or parts of the routine that you need done without being asked. It's tough not to feel something for him if you haven't before when he looks after the two of you so lovingly, and acts every part of the doting father and caring husband flawlessly. No amount of sleepless nights, colic, or failed soothing could dissuade him from still treating you as gently as a butterfly. No amount of frustration or sleep deprivation could make him take out his anger on you, not when you're the mother of his beautiful child.

That's not taking into account his jealousy, however, because that still runs rampant. Hank is close enough that he trusts him, but seeing Logan or Erik or anyone else around will slowly turn him mad. No, they can't pick up the baby, and no, you don't need any help or offers to babysit--that's what you have a husband for. There's always a threat looming of Charles trying to impregnate you again after a run-in with any male colleagues or friends, he just gets so possessive and moody and it's disgusting how good he is when he's in that state. Add to the fact that you probably have some reservations around intimacy now that your body has gone through so many changes, and it'll be a shock if after those six weeks passes he hasn't accidentally knocked you up again within the year. In fact, he might just try to; after all, keeping you busy with a couple of kids isn't a bad strategy to keep the men away from you, and he's got plenty of rooms to fill in the mansion for every member of his growing family. He's shown you he can be a good father to your child--give him the chance, and he'll prove he can be the perfect family man with the right motivation.

[dreamwreaver]

because Alastor has already canonically called Charlie good girl, she must return the favor by calling him good boy

honestly wanna see a fanfic do this where Alastor does what he's asked after Charlie wore him down after his incessant complaints and excuses. then once he concedes, she does what he did to her last time to mock him: she pats him on his head and chirps "Good boy!" and walks away, leaving a stunned demon who has unknowingly gained a praise kink

Ask and ye shall receive. Well, less of a fic and more of a ficlet but, I have something cooking for Valentine's Day I really wanna finish in time so...

As much as he adored his dearest Charlie, Alastor had to admit she could be as tenacious as a junkyard dog with a bone when an idea got into her head, and unfortunately in this instance he was the bone.

"Please Al?" She laced her fingers together in front of her chest, tucking them under her chin as she made her eyes as big as possible and fluttered her lashes at him, black lips pursed in a tempting pout.

Overall the effect would have been ridiculous on anyone else. But since it was his Charlie... ugh, when had he become so weak?

"Darling we've been over this," his frustration was about as sturdy as a rock sunk into the sea, worn down and eroded by the battering of the waves, "I don't particularly care for men in general, fathers in particular, and your father most especially. And the feeling is certainly mutual."

He did enjoy getting the fallen angel's... he'd say goat if he didn't find the prospect gauche and insulting to his sweetheart. And it did so sting the tiny would be tyrant that his own flesh and blood had chosen to be with not just a sinner, but the one sinner he hated above everyone else. A fact that Alastor took almost as much pleasure in as he took from Charlie herself. Nevertheless...

"But it'll be fun!"

Alastor resisted the ungentlemanly urge to snort in derision, "For whom, exactly?"

Charlie opened her mouth to counter, but stopped short when she realized he was right. That didn't mean she was going to stop trying though.

"Alright, fine," she huffed, "I know it's not going to be fun, for you or for him but... Al this is my dad. And sure he hasn't always been the most..."

"Caring? Affectionate? Able to prevent you from developing daddy issues?" He paused and looked at her, "Please, stop me when you hear something you like; I can go all day!"

"Present," Charlie emphasized the word, "But he's trying to be better, to fix our relationship. And I want that too."

"By all means dearest," Alastor held out his hands as if to demonstrate there was nothing up his sleeve, "I'm certainly not stopping you from seeing the man. Go to the dinner, have fun, and then when you get home I'll make you a proper meal."

"Al," Charlie's sweet mouth was set in a pout as she looked at him, "You can't just beg off anything that has to do with my parents. Like it or not, they're the rulers of Hell and I'm the princess. I have duties, expectations, and I want you to be part of that part of my life."

"I am perfectly fine being the ever feared Radio Demon. While I appreciate you thinking I'm worthy of being prince consort it's not a title that I exactly covet."

Alastor knew he'd said the wrong thing as soon as it left his mouth. Charlie's whole expression dropped.

"No, I mean," since when had talking ever been so difficult for him, "I will stay with you for an eternity my dearest. In whichever way you'll deign to have me. But despite how much I enjoy power, that isn't why I'm with you."

"I know," she replied quietly, fiddling with her hair as she was wont to do when her emotions were too much and the energy needed to be expended somewhere, "But being with me means being with all of me. I accept every part of you."

If his heart was still beating it might very well have tightened in his chest. He knew all of this already. It was one of the reasons he loved her.

"And I accept all of you my darling demon belle," he replied, "But I cannot in good conscience find it in myself to attend what would only be a disaster of a dinner with your father."

She resorted to pleading again, this time keeping her hands clasped low and using her arms to draw attention to her already ample chest. And again, he was left wondering when he'd become so weak-minded that a woman's breasts were of any interest to him. No wait, that was wrong, it wasn't any woman who could catch his eye. It was specifically because it was Charlie that he was distracted in the first place.

"You're my partner, the one I chose," Charlie had moved closer, placing her hands at his lapels against his chest, "If my dad doesn't like it then he can fucking deal. I'm not going to make all the sacrifices in fixing our relationship. You and I are a package deal, if he wants to see me, he needs to get used to seeing you."

It was easy to forget sometimes that Charlie was in fact a demon, such was her sweet and optimistic -if a bit crass at times- nature. However, Alastor felt his grin turn giddy, such pointed cruelty as to make her own sire suffer Alastor's presence if he wanted time with his child? Having the fact that a man the devil himself couldn't stand at his table, with full knowledge of what sorts of things people in committed relationships got up to rubbed in his face? Oh that was far too good an opportunity to pass up.

"Alright," he relented. But in truth he probably would have given in anyways. Alastor found that since he'd given his heart to Charlie there wasn't anything he could really deny her, "I'll attend, but don't-"

"I don't expect you and my dad to be best friend," Charlie rolled her eyes but her smile softened the sass, "Just... civil," a pause, "ish."

"I'll endeavor to do my best,"

"Thank you," she pressed a kiss against his cheek, "And maybe if you stay on your best behavior there'll be some... quid pro quo,"

Alastor wasn't quite able to swallow the half moan half growl that rumbled from within at her words.

Later that evening they stood waiting to be received by the king of hell before being seated. It was so like him to keep them waiting. At least there were plenty of portraits of his beloved to keep him occupied.

"Remember," Charlie whispered as a servant hurried into the hall.

"Best behavior," Alastor whispered back, "Yes dearest I know."

Charlie stared at him a moment, then with a sly smile and a dangerous gleam in her eye she leaned up to speak directly in his ear,

"Good boy," she purred, making things worse by gently patting him on the head, "Very good boy."

As she began striding away from him with a deliberate swing of her supple hips Alastor smiled so tightly his molars began to grind. Oh sweet Charlotte, how naive. She'd only asked him to play nice with her father. She never said anything about herself.

Hope you like it Nonny!

[rarepairdumpster]

Silco Jailed AU Part 2

Part 1

Pairing: Viktor/Silco (Arcane) Rating: M C/W: Canon Divergence, Jailbreak, Previous Zaundads Mention, Sky is Alive! (actually Arch just forgot she died and we rolled with it)

Viktor's plan for getting them to the undercity is entirely reliant on some students with pro-Zaun sentiment. 

"I ran almost the whole city," Silco says, "what do you think?"

"I think that power creates a vacuum and the one you left is sizable," Viktor reminds him, pulling the keys back out of his pocket. "Is there anyone you know will help?"

"Sevika," Silco replies immediately. "I left the bar to her. She'll have kept things tidy enough."

Viktor pauses at that name. Remembers it well enough from his parents' hushed conversations when he was young, when they thought he was asleep. Knows she once worked with Vander

Finally, Viktor opens the cell door, stepping aside so that Silco can step out.

Silco steps forward but hesitates. This wasn't the plan. He had put his affairs in order. He had left everything to Sevika and Jinx. He was ready to die for what he believed in.

"You're willing to die for the cause, but you won't fight for one?"

Silco's own words suddenly echoed in his mind and he looked up at Viktor. Even on death's door, he was fighting. He couldn't let the boy show him up now.

Silco stepped out of the cell and held out his arm for Viktor. "We'll need to move quickly. Come, lean on me for support."

Viktor moves as fast as his leg and pelvis allow, and he knows its not fast enough. He's almost tempted to just give Silco the location of the car waiting for them. 

Silco sees the pain in his every step. 

Remembers his own agony. 

And the arms that half-carried him to the Doctor.

And Silco acts on impulse, slipping his arm around Viktor fully, clamping his hand tight around his side. Half-carries him along

Viktor says direction and instruction as they go, which Silco follows until they are in sight of the car. Waiting there is a girl with fluffy hair and glasses, urging them on. When they get there, Silco opens the door to the backseat and slides in with Viktor close behind. 

Viktor grabs the hand of the girl and smiles. "Thank you, Miss Young."

She nods and then closes the door behind them before the car speeds off.

The only reason Sky is alive to be driving is because Viktor succeeded in dragging himself from the hexcore, twisted in the process, and knocked her down to the floor before she could try to grab onto him.

"I'm impressed," Silco finally says after catching his breath. "That was fairly well organized."

Part of Viktor was afraid that an enforcer would interrupt their escape, but it seems the other students he'd approached had fulfilled their distraction duties.

"I'm just glad," Viktor pants. "Everything went. According to plan. I..." He starts to feel a bit dizzy, the adrenaline starting to catch up with him.

And then coughs start wracking through.

Feels it like a vice inside him, squeezing, squeezing.

Silco is alarmed when Viktor heaves up blood, into his shaking hands, his lap.

"I can fix that."

"No one can fix me. I've tried. I've done nothing but try" Viktor says, resigned. "For months."

"I know what you're dying from," Silco says, causing Viktor to look at him with wide eyes. "I've seen it more times than I can count. Lost more people than I can count."

"Then how can you say you can fix it?"

"Because I know how to treat it." Silco looks out the window. "Shimmer....our miracle cure. A high dose, as close to lethal as you can get. Its a violent process. One you'll never forget."

"I--" Viktor's first thought is to viememently decline, but he's reminded of how it felt when he injected it into his leg. He could attribute his leg to the hex core, but not to his back and how much better he could breathe. Running felt like the easiest thing in the world. Maybe it was something so simple. 

"I will have to consider it," Viktor eventually says. 

"Don't take long," Silco sighs. "It doesn't seem like you have the luxury of time."

Viktor snorts. Pushes a tired hand through his hair, his palms and fingers mostly clean now.  Tips his head against the backrest.

Janna, he'd just like to sleep now.

Sleep, and sleep, and sleep.

Silco instructs the driver where to go so he can get a message to Sevika. He knows he can't just stroll into The Last Drop after all of this, as much as he could use the drink.

Once the message is sent, Silco directs them to the opening to an old mine shaft, long forgotten. "Sevika will meet us in there," Silco explains.

Sky and Viktor both hesitate.

They've heard things about the mines. Heard they're haunted. 

But Silco doesn't seem bothered

Silco eyes them a moment. "You realize they just tell those ridiculous ghost stories so children don't come playing around here, right?"

Viktor and Sky both blush.

Silco rolls his eyes. "Come on then."

Silco travels though the tunnels easily, armed with the light Sky provided. Every step reminded him of the hundreds of times he'd been down here before, and the deeper they went, the harder it was to push back the memories. Behind him, Viktor was starting to breathe more heavily and, honestly, Silco was glad for the reprieve. 

"We can rest a moment. It's not much further."

Silco doesn't think about all the times Vander shoved him up against dusty, rough walls. 

Doesn't think about the angry, hushed meetings by lantern-light.

Silco brings his hand to his eye, even though he knows the burning he feels isn't real. He didn't expect returning to have such an effect on him, but why else did he avoid it so long? 

Silco glances over at Viktor to see how he is doing and smirks a little at him shooing away Sky's worrisome attention.

The boy was stubborn, he would give him that. It really was a shame that they hadn't met earlier. He thinks about all they could have accomplished, if he'd snared the boy before Heimerdinger could.

Arch + Woods

[choppersconfirmedkills]

Your intro post says that your transformers dr is a combination with jurassic park/world and that sounds super cool! Idk if you’ve explained it before but can you tell me how that works and what it’s like?

YES YES YES ABSOLUTELY I WOULD LOVE TO! (prepare for the yap fest, I'm sorry but also not sorry).

It all starts with the greatest man to exist: my dad (aka my hero)

Dr. Alan Grant (and his stupid hat)

This background is common in my DRs and that's because of how connected I am to my father that it tends to manifest itself in my DRs.

Most of how I script is through what I call "core memories." I think on Tumblr they are more commonly referred to as "downloads?" If I'm not mistaken. So that is how I know most of this.

There is a long and complicated story as to how my Dad became a single father, but long story short: the surrogate (my mother) is not the best person.

(me and @moonsdrs commonly refer to him as Lord Mother, because he's the best mother to exist)

Growing up with a Paleontologist for a father, I was homeschooled and spent a whole lot of time on site with him, or bothering other personnel (how I learned Spanish).

I was pretty smart and learned things fast which is another reason I was so smart because I just kept learning. Me and Dad lived in a trailer bc of cost and location. And when I was about 9 years old he received an offer to save the dig site, and our family. So he went to Jurassic Park. Childcare, however, is hard to come by, so I came with.

I survived the events of Jurassic Park. Made it out alive but with a nasty scar on my leg and a particularly stubborn undiscovered infection.

My Dad always knew about my powers, but he was so nervous about the idea of me being tested on that he made me keep it secret. I have a vivid memory of being under the crushed car and I'm about to use my powers to lift it off me and Tim. I look to Dad and he shakes his head at me with the most serious look on his face.

One connection to Transformers is my cousin Sam.

Sam's father is my surrogate's (bio mother) brother. He was appalled by what she did and given they had a son my age, which influenced them to create a bond. Sam and I spent so much time together that we became nearly inseparable (we have a habit of holding hands in dangerous situations). It was important to both my Uncle Ron and my father that we have a relationship.

Years later, (a few years after an incredibly traumatic situation), my Dad and I got roped into going to Isla Sorna. Where I got another nasty scar, this time on my chest. Shortly after my father "died" (listen it's a whole complicated ass story that I still don't fully understand).

I moved in with my Uncle Ron and Sam. When I was 20, the first Transformers movie took place.

Here's where Jurassic World comes in (I'm sorry, I am such a yapper). After meeting Will and going on a few dates, he inspired me to follow my true passion in life: following in my father's footsteps. But not exactly like him. I got a degree in Paleontological Animal Behaviors and became a registered Animal Behaviorist. Eventually, I joined a program in the Navy called "LS-9." They were looking to research how sharks could be beneficial for the military. We were successful.

I wind up getting a job offer email about "Jurassic World" (this is about 4 years later, 3 years after the events of TF2). I blow it off thinking it's spam mail, yk? Who in the hell would think it's a good idea to make another park, let alone try and train raptors. That's ridiculous, even though it would be a scientific breakthrough, and I'd be continuing my father's legacy and mine, but no. It's not real.

After a really bad fight with Will, I talked on the phone with my best friend Owen (we met in the Navy) just to get some relief. I mentioned the spam email and he told me he got a similar one, that he did some research, and that he was positive it was real. I was shocked, to say the least. I contacted them just to see and they basically offered me the job (my reputation proceeds me). The downside? I'd have to live on the island for the duration of the contract. Even though Will and I were in a really rough spot, I didn't want to just leave him, but he told me that I needed to do it as it was my dream.

I wound up there, doing the research. About a year later the company InGen hired an outside military contractor to assess the viability of the program in the military forces. It was Will. That's when the events of Jurassic World occurred. We all made it out okay including my nephew, who did not shut up about the scary dinosaur for years.

3 years later Fallen Kingdom happened, and that's where I met my daughter.

I love this girl so much, Will calls her my "mini-me" because she looks, acts, and talks like me. She is a great big sister, and the toughest and smartest girl to ever exist. She's also an animal lover (like her mom) and spends a lot of time at the rescue farm.

[traintrainingmontage]

"It is sinful, Skarloey, to love another man as you do. Perhaps if we introduced you to a nice female engine—"

"With all due respect, Robert, I have met several lovely ladies, and I admire and respect all of them for their work. But I think of them no more highly than the Refreshment Lady or Agnes or Ms. Last or any of my other friends. I know the difference between friendship and... more. I know what humans call love, and I feel it for Neil."

"But he's male—"

"That's another thing I don't understand, Robert. You divide us into human categories, but we're not humans. We're engines. Despite you classifying me as male, I could be equally female. I've heard some people call 'male' engines 'she!' I don't understand it!"

"...Look, Skarloey, the point is that you may not be human, but you are human enough. It is not appropriate for two human men to love each other, and you cannot be exempted from that rule simply because you're engines."

"Fine! Call me 'she', then! I don't care! I just want to be with him!"

"That's... that's not..."

"Not what? Not allowed? Why wouldn't it be? If you're determining our—I believe genders is the word you use—by something like our voices, I would ask to have my whistle re-pitched and then I'll have a lady's voice. I have no preference for 'he' or 'she', as long as I can stay with Neil!"

"I... I'm sorry, Skarloey. I truly am. But I can't allow it. Too many people know you as male already. Too many questions would be raised. I already know the church and the council would raise a fuss. It just... can't be done."

"But that's not fair! There must be something you can do! Please, Robert, you—"

"ENOUGH, Skarloey! That's no way to speak to your Controller!"

"............"

"I'll give you until tomorrow morning to say your goodbyes."

"............"

"...Understood, Sir."

"Hah. Not human at all but human enough to love, and too human to love as we like..."

"...Oh, bless my Lady of Gold, who gave us life and the power to love... who would have thought that your own divine love could also be so cruel."

Neilloey angst where the reason why Neil isn't seen after WWI is because he and Skarloey got caught being affectionate, and if they'd been found by anyone except Robert Sam, they could have been reported and scrapped...

Sir Handel Brown I sending Neil away instead to a friend on the mainland so that both engines could live and scandal be avoided instead of his beloved engine and his paramour dragging down the entire railway and causing upheaval in an already overwhelmed community...

They're not human, and don't have the same conception of gender, but they're too human for such behavior to be ignored, especially in the heavily-Methodist Skarloey Valley...

Maybe one day, post 2017, they could be reunited again. Until then, they'll have to bury their feelings in the pits of their fireboxes and hope that one day, their tracks will cross again.

[longagoitwastuesday]

Every day I am haunted by the fact JJK could be amazing but it will be just idk Bleach or something