#M notebook 14 (I)

[phantomwithbreakfast]

DANNYMAY DAY 15: Stars

Day 14 • Day 16

⟢ I played it smart. Alright? I took a sketch from a few months ago—or… I don’t know exactly when I drew this one—and I just colored it. Time saving! So now, I’m only running one freaking day behind. No, it’s not a crop top. I didn’t know how the folds of the hoodie would fall if it was floating like that, lol. (More under the cut)

Genre: Angst / Hurt / No Comfort • TW/CW: PTSD — Depression — Identity Loss — Emotional Distress — Medical Trauma (non-graphic) • Aftermath of Scarred For Half A Life (my phic) — Just my Danny, the stars, and what’s left of him • AU — OOC • Rate M

Danny liked the stars.

No—he loved them.

There was something about the quiet hush of the sky, the endless stretch of velvet black pricked with distant, shimmering lights. They felt like hope, once. A future. A promise. The universe was out there, and he used to believe—really believe—that one day, he’d be among them. NASA. Astronaut. The whole suit-up-and-fly-away dream.

Danny Fenton, future astronaut—NASA’s next big shot.

He used to close his eyes and picture it—helmet snug around his head, fingers wrapped around the controls of a shuttle, weightless and free, watching Earth shrink to a marble behind him. He would have built the engine himself. Engineered the future. Calculated trajectory. Solved for the impossible. He had notebooks—had, because they were probably in the trash now—filled with sketches and plans. Rocket diagrams scrawled between geometry homework and ghost-fighting strategies.

He still smiled when he flew above the clouds, phasing just high enough that the cold air bit at his skin and made his fingers tremble. The wind didn’t matter. The ache in his chest didn’t matter. When he was up there, alone in the dark, the stars were close enough to count.

And sometimes—just sometimes—he forgot.

Forgot what had been done to him. Forgot the collar. The white rooms. The smell of ectoplasm. The way his screams never echoed back. Forgot how she looked at him like a test subject. Forgot the way he begged her, Mom, please, it’s me—

He forgot.

But it never lasted.

Because then he’d remember. The stars were fucking lies.

He wasn’t going to reach them. Not now. Not ever. They stole that from him. Ripped it out of him like they did everything else. Phantom was back, sure, but the dream—the human dream—was gone. NASA didn’t accept broken things. And he was so broken.

His hands shook when he reached toward them. He used to pretend they were close. That if he just stretched enough, just a little more, he could touch them. But now?

Now his hands were too scarred to stretch that far.

The stars didn’t feel like hope anymore. They were witnesses.

They watched when he was on the table. They watched when she carved him open. They watched when he stopped screaming because it hurt less to go quiet. They were there when he forgot what his own voice sounded like, when his body trembled from withdrawal—not from drugs, but from the lack of pain.

And now, they mocked him. Beautiful. Untouchable. Just like everything else he wanted.

A breeze whispered past him, brushing through his pitch white hair, and he realized—he didn’t know if he was smiling anymore. His lips were curled, but it didn’t feel happy. It didn’t feel like anything, honestly.

Just muscle memory. A hollow reflex.

He hovered above Amity Park, staring at the stars with an ache stitched so deep into his bones that even vivisection hadn’t reached it. It throbbed under his ribs—quiet, constant. A craving, not just for the stars themselves, but for the boy who used to believe he could touch them. For the dream that wasn’t laced with ectoplasm and restraints. For the version of himself that didn’t tremble at the smell of antiseptic or jolt at the flicker of overhead lights. He wanted that ache to fill him, to drown out the numbness, to remind him he was still someone. Still human. Still Danny.

But even that hurt felt distant now.

“I was gonna touch you one day,” he whispered as he watched the stars, his voice splintering halfway through. “I was gonna be something.”

But they didn’t here him. No one did. Not even the fucking stars.

His hands dropped to his sides.

And Danny… Danny kept floating there, motionless and small, a glowing silhouette lost against the sky—half dead, half hoping, all hollow. Craving the pain that used to make him feel real.

And still… the stars kept shining—distant, perfect, untouched—while he stayed broken beneath them, bleeding out on the inside where no one could see.

⟢ Not part of the main phic, just a small one-shot taking place in the same universe.

[dollystuartwrites]

Stray Gods - Chapter 49

Pairing: Gods!OT8 x !F!Reader Genre: romance, friends to lovers, polyamory, mystery, supernatural, angst, fluff, smut Wordcount: 5112 Chapters:  [1] - [2] - [3] - [4] - [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9] - [10] [11] - [12] - [13] - [14] - [15] - [16] - [17] - [18] - [19] - [20] [21] - [22] - [23] - [24] - [25] - [26] - [27] - [28] - [29] - [30] [31] - [32] - [33] - [34] - [35] - [36] - [37] - [38] - [39] - [40] [41] - [42] - [43] - [44] - [45] - [46] - [47] - [48] - [49] - [?] MASTERLIST Summary: With no memory of who you were, you wake up in the woods, only to be found by eight unusually handsome men. With no information of the past, the guys decide to take you in and take care of you for the time being. But that time becomes years, and as time passes, you start to notice that there is something different about them... and something different about you... Warnings: angst, praise, thigh riding, kissing, fingering, overstimulation, lovebites, bad/miscommunication, low self-esteem, swearing, name-calling, dry humping, college, degradation, gods, special powers, vaginal sex, oral sex (f&m), mentions of contraception (condoms&thepill), injuries, mentions of death (but no character deaths), virgin!reader, teasing, orgasms, poly relationship, semi-public sex, daddy kink, strength kink, grinding, I've probably forgotten some, so let me know if I did and I will add more as the story progresses.

Taglist: @eastleighsblog​​​​ @tangerminie​​​​ @swittyregan​​​​ @septicrebel​​​​ @jiimout​​​​ @zandra-42​​​​​​@julciaqwerty​​​​ @vampcharxter​​​​ @mercurezed​​ @thatgirlangelb​ @cookiemonstermusic258​​ @stayconnecteed​​ @bubblelixie​​ @smilingtokki@hash2013 @juskz Want to be added or did I miss you? Just send me an ASK or DM

Lots of love and many thanks to my current beta’s from Wattpad: rocker7898 and sydneye2411. You guys made my writing so much better <3

'Hey, look at me,' Felix spoke. You looked over at him, your hands still fidgeting with the straps of your bag sitting on your lap.

Felix had insisted on taking you to school today, as Minho had already left, having to arrive early to be on time to prepare for the lessons he had to teach that day. Minho hadn't said much, and you were sure he was the only one who was as doubtful about the entire situation as you were. When Hyunjin had left your room, he had returned to Han, continuing to monitor him and relieving Felix from his post. You had gotten ready far too slowly, your head still going back and forth between believing and trusting in Hyunjin and the urge to run back into Han's room. By the time you were done, Minho had already left. You knew you had been slow on purpose, hoping that being unable to catch a ride with Minho would give you the excuse to stay home. Somewhere you suspected that that was why Minho hadn't announced his departure, nor given you a heads-up and final call like he usually did. You suspected he too would prefer it if you were to stay home with Han, even if it would hinder your academic success. But Han wouldn't have it. When Felix had left his room it seemed like Han had given him a mission of making sure you would get to school today. After checking your bag for the umpteenth time, pretending you weren't sure if you had packed your favorite pen, notebook, and charger, Felix was starting to lose his patience and urged you out of the house. For the entire drive to school, you sat beside him silently, fiddling with your bag nervously as you kept imagining Han's pale and sick face.

Felix gave you a kind smile.

'We've arrived,' he said simply. You looked out the window again, seeing the familiar building, with many people coming and going to and from the entrance.

'Right,' you said, quickly opening the door and jumping from your seat.

You heard the other car door open and close, and as you were about to take a step towards the school, Felix halted you. He rested his hands upon your shoulders and turned you to face him, hands not leaving you.

'He'll be alright by the time you get home,' Felix assured you, repeating Hyunjin's words.

'How do you know?' You asked, insecurity lacing your tone. Felix sighed.

'Trust Hyunjin. He knows what he's talking about. I know it's scary and all, one of us being sick for the first time, but I'm sure he is right. There is no doubt in my heart that his diagnosis is incorrect. So trust him,' Felix urged.

'I do but…' you began, hesitating for a moment, 'but how can he look like that, be so sick… just because of.. love… is it… it's… because of me, right?'

'Oh baby,' he said with a chuckle, taking you into his arms and hugging you tightly.

'None of this is your fault, and no one could've ever seen this coming. We only just found out too, even Hyunjin had a hard time placing his finger on it,' Felix said in a comforting tone.

'But how can he be that sick?' you pressed on worriedly. Felix let go of you, putting his hands on your shoulders once more and looking at you warmly.

'We might be gods, but we don't know everything, you know,' he said with a chuckle. 'Honestly, I don't know why he is as sick as he is, and why he is the only one,' Felix admitted truthfully, looking thoughtful, 'but I know illnesses and I know they can affect different beings in very different ways, even if they are the same species. Besides, it's what Hyunjin always says; the power love holds over all things is severely underestimated. I've seen many pets miraculously cured of diseases that I personally had diagnosed and pronounced terminal, just because of the love they got from their humans. Mind you, of course, that's not for every pet, and that doesn't mean they don't get enough love but-' he added, but seeing your face he quickly stopped and cleared his throat. 'Anyhow, what I was saying is that, as Jinnie always persists, love has more power than we realize and works in mysterious ways.' Felix ended.

'He will get better,' you said, stating it to convince yourself.

'He will get better,' Felix said definitely. 'And he is already getting better as a matter of fact. Just when you left I noticed his heartbeat seemed to be getting back to normal and even his color and scent seemed to be slowly returning to its original state,' Felix said seriously but with a smile.

You nodded.

'Now, no more dawdling because Han will give me an earful, as soon as his voice is recovered, if I do not get you to your next lesson on time,' he laughed. You couldn't help but chuckle a bit at his remark. He let go of your shoulders, and one of his hands took hold of your chin.

'Can I see your pretty smile one more time before you leave?' he asked sweetly. You smiled for him, a real smile and a bit of warmth seemed to return to your insides. 'That's my baby,' he grinned. He bent towards you, planting a soft kiss on your lips before withdrawing again. You could instantly feel yourself blushing. 'Just making sure I won't get sick as well,' he teased. You pouted at him and he winked, letting go of your face and waving you goodbye as you walked up to the school.

'WHYYYYYY are you not just addicted to your phone like the rest of us,' an irritated voice spoke. Before you could look around, you were being jumped, an arm around your neck pulling you into a headlock.

'Sera!' you said her name, laughing but trying to get free.

'No! I told you I would kill you when you'd get back, so get it girl,' she laughed, rubbing her hand over your hair and messing it up. You squealed and giggled, trying to get loose but she wouldn't let go until she was satisfied.

'There,' she said huffing as she let go of you, putting her hands on her hips and looking at your messed up hair proudly, 'totally killed your vibe.'

'I guess I had it coming,' you chuckled, trying to flatten your hair again with your hands.

'Yes, you did. And after my lecture yesterday, you still didn't react to my messages this morning,' Sera said, tutting and shaking her head like a disappointed parent.

'Oh, shit, Sera I'm sorry,' you said, quickly pulling out your phone and checking it. You indeed had quite a few unread messages. Sera sighed but smiled.

'It's fine,' she said, waving her hand dismissively. 'I'm just happy you're here and you're fine. Wanna have lunch then?' she asked, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the cafeteria. You nodded.

'Where's Adam? You asked her, looking around but not spotting his blonde hair anywhere.

'Class,' Sera said simply, pulling up her nose and shrugging.

The two of you made your way to the cafeteria, chatting about her weekend. By the time you got seated and started eating, the conversation slowly shifted to your weekend.

'So erm, how did your weekend end?' Sera asked, suddenly sounding apprehensive. You looked up, a feeling of suspicion instantly upon you.

'Why do you ask?' You said, slightly sharper than you had intended to. Sera looked away for a second. You could see her chewing the inside of her cheek thoughtfully for a second, an expression on her face that seemed almost doubtful.

'I…' she began, pausing for a moment, then hesitantly continuing as she straightened her back, 'I incidentally saw you arriving this morning. My class was boring and you just happened to be right outside of my window,' she added quickly, hesitating and pausing again. 'I saw you with some guy- a different one I mean,' she said meaningfully, 'Don't get me wrong,' she quickly added, putting her hands up. 'I mean, I just,' she said, her face suddenly becoming quite pink. 'I'm a curious person, okay?' she insisted, her cheeks blushing and nervously scooting over the bench. You could feel yourself holding your breath. 'It's just- I'm normally very good at reading people, but you… You're different. Good different though! Not like I think you're an alien or something,' she giggled nervously. You had never seen Sera like this before. You knew her to be a confident person, resolute. But you wouldn't be thrown off by her behavior, holding your mouth shut and keeping a face of steel. 'It's just, you're a bit unlike other girls our age you know. As I said, for one, you're not addicted to your phone and stuff,' she said, smiling awkwardly and pausing again. Then she suddenly sighed. 'Uhg okay, I'mma just come out with it,' she said suddenly. Your heart felt like it stopped.

'Are you poly?'

'Wh-What?' you asked, blinking.

'You know, polyamourous. In more than one relationship. Like multiple boyfriends,' she pressed on, looking eager now. You scanned her face. This was what she had known, what she had been asking about, hinting at, fishing for. It hadn't been about you, or your divinity, nor the boys or their powers. This was all.

You suddenly started to laugh, unable to help yourself. The apprehension, caution, and fear instantly slipped away from you. She could be trusted. It was safe. You knew. Your Goddess knew.

Sera looked at you uncomfortably, probably slightly startled by your burst of laughter and still waiting anxiously for you to respond.

'I'm sorry,' you chuckled, seeing her stressed face, 'I know what it means, it was just really unexpected that you asked,' you began.

'I'm so sorry,' Sera said quickly. 'I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, it's just, people and relationships really interest me and I might've watched just one too many dramas and-,' she rattled but you quickly cut her off.

'No Sera, it's fine,' you said as you stopped chuckling and gave her a reassuring smile. You were sure you could tell her. You could see her light now. See it was dim like the other humans, but pure and safe. 'Yes. Yes, you're right,' you answered her question.

Sera looked at you with big eyes and slowly a smug smile appeared on her face.

'I knew it! I swear I fucking knew it. Adam wouldn't listen to me. I mean he doesn't know, I didn't tell him, I was just fishing for information, but that boy can't take a hint,' she said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. 'But ever since I saw you with Mr. Hwang and then when you left with the other guy at that birthday party,' she said, giving you a meaningful look that told you she had known what you and Minho had been up to back then, 'and then the others. I mean I swear every single time was coincidental okay. It's not like I'm some weird creep who's spying on you, but it just turned out that way, honestly. I wasn't sure if I should say anything because you weren't saying anything and-' Sera babbled on. Clearly, she was completely in her element.

'Well, it is kind of an awkward topic to talk about I guess,' you said truthfully. She instantly shut her mouth and looked at you.

'Oh shit, sorry. You want me to shut up?' she asked quickly. You shook your head smiling.

'Nah, it's fine. Actually, I think it would be nice finally being able to talk to someone about it, to be honest,' you said truthfully.

'Oh thank god, good. Okay,' she said, bending over to you eagerly, 'gimme all the deets.'

'Well, erm, I don't know where to start,' you said, frowning, thinking.

'Okay, so I figured it's at least four or something right?' she said eagerly.

'Erm, eight actually,' you admitted.

'EIGHT?' she exclaimed loudly, her eyes growing big. You kicked her under the table.

'Shut it!' you hissed but giggled, 'I mean I'm fine with you knowing but I don't need the whole school to know.'

'Right, right, right, sorry,' she said, rubbing her painful shin but still looking eager. 'So I guess that means it's all of your roommates then, isn't it?' she asked. You nodded. Sera mouthed a silent "Wow".

'But eight? Really? Isn't that like,' she raised her eyebrows meaningfully and continued in a whisper, 'a lot of work.' You felt yourself blush and she wiggled her eyebrows, leaning back in her seat, your change of color apparently giving her enough of an answer.

'You know, good for you,' she said, putting her hand up in an okay sign and looking smug. 'I mean I can't even deal with one knucklehead now and then, but eight… Pfft kudos to you,' she chuckled.

'Don't you… find it weird?' you asked, feeling awkward yourself now as well. Sera raised her brows and this time it was her turn to laugh at your question.

'Honey, you're asking an adopted pansexual girl with an interracial lesbian immigrant couple as parents. Nothing is weird to me,' she shrugged.

It was hard to believe she really didn't think it was weird, but she seemed to be more curious than judgemental regarding the situation.

The rest of the break she spent bombarding you with eager questions about your relationship with the boys and the dynamics in the house.

By the time the bell rang for your next class, Sera wasn't done asking questions yet.

'I really have to go to class now,' you laughed as you saw Sera racking her brain for another question she could ask quickly before you'd go. Sera pouted.

'You know you can always text me, right?' you chuckled as you got up from your seat and gathered your belongings.

'It's not like you'd answer anyways,' Sera said sticking her tongue out at you playfully. You laughed and were just about to turn around when she grabbed your arm.

'Wait!' She said quickly, sounding eager.

'Wha-hat? I have to goooo,' you said impatiently as many others were leaving.

'Let's go on a double date!' Sera suggested enthusiastically.

'I-what?' you said, taken aback by her question.

'A double date. Or, wait, what do you call it when it's with multiple people? Okay never mind,' she said quickly when she saw your face. 'But please, let's do it. I swear it'll be fun! We can get to know each other, make friends,' she suggested. When she saw your doubtful face she continued. 'Come on, I bet you've never been able to go somewhere on a date with all of them. I promise we'll pick somewhere busy, that way you won't stand out too much.'

You hesitated. You had been to places with all of them, of course. But never really on a date…

'We could do the funfair! It's always super crowded and no one will notice, trust me. The weekend after next? Saturday at eight. We'll meet you at the entrance.'

Before you could object, Sera grabbed your hand and shook it before running off with the leaving masses, leaving you behind slightly bewildered.

You blinked a few times and then chuckled. Sera was unlike anyone you had ever met. But it was nice having a human friend with whom you could be more open and trusting. It'd be nice to feel normal for a bit.

Minho was already standing by the car, waiting to take you home from school. Seeing him from a distance made your heart pound faster. Not just because he always looked so dashing in his brown suit, gray hair, and glasses, but because you were a little scared. He had been sweet to you this morning like he always was, but you had failed him as a goddess. You know how much he treasured you and knew how much you being his goddess meant to him, and you were scared he'd be mad at you for what you had done, or more so the lack thereof. You also knew how much Han meant to him and what it would do to him to see Han so sickly. With all of these thoughts swirling in your head, you took a deep breath and walked up to him.

You were slightly surprised to see that the dark circles around his eyes seemed to have almost disappeared. He looked healthier somehow, even though he'd had a long day of working.

'Hi Lino,' you said with a small voice as you approached him. He gave you a smile and a curt nod, holding the door open for you as you got into the car, but he didn't say anything.

During most of the drive, he was silent, and your heart started to sink again, lower and lower with every silent minute that passed by.

You were just about to say something, anything to break the silence. An apology or any words that could comfort him, tell him you were sorry and would never forgive yourself for what you had done when he suddenly spoke.

'It's not your fault you know,' he said suddenly and softly. You looked over at him somewhat startled. This was the last thing you expected him to say.

'I-what?' you said, feeling dumbstruck.

'You know it's not your fault right?' Minho repeated. 'None of us could've ever seen this coming,' he elaborated. You were silent for a second.

'But it is my fault,' you whispered, looking down at your lap, your heart sinking once more. Minho clicked his tongue.

'If you really wanna blame yourself, go ahead, but know that we don't,' he said simply. 'Honestly, we blame ourselves for not realizing what a mess we are without you,' he added softly. You weren't sure how to respond. You felt quite sheepish, staring out of the window, looking at the streets you passed by. 'We should've known we can't be without you anymore... And we should've called you to come back,' he said, then suddenly he clicked his tongue angrily, smacking his hands irritably against the steering wheel. 'I should've never listened to him!' He said with a sudden intensity, his eyes straight on the road. 'I begged him to call you, but he wouldn't let me. I could barely convince him to let Felix check him out. I don't know how Felix managed to convince him to let Hyunjin check on him as well…' Minho said, grabbing the steering wheel hard until his knuckles went white. You looked at him in shock. You couldn't remember if you had ever seen him so angry. 'He should've just let me call you,' he repeated with clenched teeth. 'It would've never gotten as far as it had. I know he's fine now, but he looked like dog shit,' he grumbled. His anger seemed to die down and he sighed, putting on his blinker and taking a right turn.

You were surprised with Minho's anger, which seemed to be directed at himself. This was not what you expected. You suddenly realized that the look on his face was nothing but a mirror of your own feelings; disappointment, annoyance, and anger, all directed at himself. You wanted to help him, to comfort him, but how could you, as you had no way of stopping yourself from feeling the same way.

'He's doing better now?' you repeated with a small voice, a lame attempt at making him feel better even though you barely did.

'Yeah, he is,' Minho said with a nod. He sounded calm again. You could see him straightening his shoulders and letting out a quiet sigh, as if to breathe out his feelings, before he started speaking again. 'He called me during the break and he seems to be back to normal again,' he said.

'He called you?' you asked, feeling hurt that Han hadn't contacted you in any way.

'Yeah, video call. He looked quite normal again, so don't worry about it, okay? It really wasn't your fault,' Minho said once more. But his words simply made you feel shittier. The fact that Han hadn't contacted you broke your heart. Was he angry with you? But Minho said they didn't blame you, even though you did yourself. Why hadn't he called you? Why?

'Han?' You knocked on his door softly, but there was no response. You knocked again, calling louder this time. Still, no response. You sighed, withdrawing your hand from the door and turning around. But just when you were about to take another step, you changed your mind. You knew Han was in there. You were sure. And according to all the other guys, he was doing fine now, almost like nothing ever happened. And Minho had assured you he wasn't mad at you, although you were mad at yourself. But you knew your heart would not be at ease until you saw him.

You turned around to face the door again. Maybe he was asleep. Maybe that's why he hadn't answered. You could imagine he hadn't slept too well for several days and now that he was better, it might've finally caught up to him.

You weren't one to go into other's rooms if they weren't there. You never really snooped, nor entered without their permission. But this time you didn't care. You had to see him for yourself. You had to be sure he was doing alright.

Slowly and quietly you turned the handle, opening the door to peek inside.

Han was sitting on his bed, his back turned to you as he seemed to be staring out of the window.

'Hannie?' you said his name softly, scared to startle him. He turned his head towards your voice but stopped halfway, showing he was listening but not responding, nor looking at you.

You bit your lip and walked over to him, but as soon as you got close to him he turned his face away from you. You stopped in your tracks, hesitating for a moment. No, you need to talk to him. Pushing through your anxiety you went to sit next to him on the bed.

'Hannie?' you said, repeating his name in a steadier voice this time. He still didn't look at you. You needed to make contact. You could feel your inner Goddess, like she was tapping you on the shoulder, asking you to give her space. You took a deep breath, in and out, and opened your mind.

Although his light shone bright, there was a certain dimness to it. Carefully, you took his hand into yours, caressing it with your thumb.

'I am sorry, Hannie,' you spoke softly, 'for letting you down. For not being there, and not doing my duty properly as your goddess.'

Finally, he turned his face to yours. His green eyes looked at you incredulously.

'How could you say such a thing?' he whispered, shaking his head and frowning. He grabbed the hand that you had used to stroke his tightly with both of his hands. 'Don't you ever say that again,' he said almost angrily. 'Don't you know how it hurts us when you are hurting?' he spoke.

You gave him a sad smile, squeezing his hands for a moment. As Minho had said, he hadn't blamed you for a second.

Suddenly he let go of your hands and turned his face away from yours again.

'It's me…' he whispered suddenly. 'I am the problem… I am… weak.' He said the words painfully, clearly disgusted with himself. It broke your heart. Tears welled up in your eyes.

'Don't you ever say that again,' you repeated his words back to him, your voice trembling with the pain you felt for him.

Han simply huffed, his eyes still locked on the floor. 'You know it's true y/n,' he said bitterly. 'I am weak. I was the only one who got sick, the only one affected so ridiculously. None of the other boys were even close to… my state of being,'

'But they were all sick,' you stopped him before he could continue. 'They told me none of them were feeling right. Everyone was unwell in their own way. Maybe you just didn't see because-'

'-Because I was the sickest of them all?' Han interrupted you. He scoffed. 'Yeah, like I said, none of them were close to being as "lovesick" as I was. Clearly, I am the weakest of the bunch,' he said angrily. 'I mean, I guess I've always known it. I mean look at them, look at their cool powers. Lino being time itself, Chan taking care of souls, Seungmin making this planet liveable, Hyunjin making life worth living. I mean I could go on, but it's clear all their powers are way cooler and way more important than mine. I mean what do I do? I talk to plants. So what? Big deal. Nothing cool or sexy about it. I should just-'

'Han Jisung!' You said his name so loudly and suddenly that he jumped. He instantly turned his head to face you once more, looking at you with big watery green eyes. You had never used his first name with him. From day one he had always been "Han" by his own request or "Hannie" since it sounded like the pet name "Honey" which he enjoyed. 'I won't allow you to talk about yourself like that,' you said sternly. Han simply scowled and was about to look away again when you grabbed both of his hands tightly and continued talking.

'You are everything,' you said to him slowly in a lowered voice, the words now coming from your heart. A small crease appeared between his brows and you continued. 'You are every breath we inhale and exhale. You are the light that keeps us warm and the shade that shelters us. You are the water we drink and the blue skies that we see. You are life,' you said insistently and seriously. You could see Han's jaw tightening, a habit he adopted from Chan. 'You are all of the others, as they are you. And without you, they wouldn't and couldn't be.' Your voice almost turned into a whisper and you paused for a second. You knew he was listening. Not just him, but his aethereal self. You could see how his light responded to your words. But his pained expression and self-doubt weren't gone yet.

'Without you, I wouldn't be,' you whispered to him, softly squeezing his hands. His face started to relax somewhat now. The painful knot in your chest that seemed to mirror his own lessened, even though your watery eyes weren’t dry just yet.

'Hannie,' you said his name once more, his sweet name that you loved to speak so much. His lips quivered for a moment. 'I can still remember back when I wasn't aware yet… The first time I saw your gift…' you said, the words suddenly feeling so emotional that they were hard to speak. 'I remember seeing you, just through the crack of the door, seeing you make that beautiful flower bloom,' you pointed over your shoulder at the plant on his drawers next to the door. 'It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,' you whispered as a tear rolled down your face. Han looked at you, his brows slightly raised now, as his eyes were filling with tears too.

'You give life, Hannie,' you said, letting go of his hands and catching a tear on his cheek with your pinky finger. 'How can you forget that?'

'I-I haven't, I just-,' Han stammered as more tears fell from his face.

'You don't have to be cool or sexy. You don't have to be strong either,' you added. 'You just have to be you. You have to remember who you are, what you are. Don't let those human emotions get in your way of knowing how special you are,' you said, shaking your head.

Han nodded in response. The tears that were falling from his face seemed to contain the darkness that was covering his light. You looked into him, seeing his light shining brighter than ever as he softly smiled at you. You smiled back at him and sighed deeply. Your goddess retreated into the shadows once more, knowing that the job was done. You lean over to him, putting your forehead against his, noses aligned and touching. You felt yourself breathing in his scent, and the tears in your eyes finally seemed to dry.

'I've been such a fool, my love,' Han whispered. You smiled softly, your heads still touching. 'I let envy and frustration overtake me. You're right. I guess I forgot who I was there for a moment.'

You slowly withdrew your face from his, smiling at him and seeing him smile at you.

'It's okay Hannie, that's what I'm here for,' you said kindly to him.

'I know, but still, I was acting a little dramatic I guess,' Han said with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. 'Having a human part of us sometimes is a little-' he spoke, but suddenly stopped. He turned his head away from you, looked at the door, and frowned. He blinked a few times, then turned his head again, looking at the wall that was separating his room from Minho's. Han raised an eyebrow.

'Han? What is happening?' You asked, feeling apprehensive. Han put up a hand to silence you as he stared at the wall for another second before he looked down at the floor. He scoffed for a moment and then suddenly started laughing.

'Han what-?' you asked again, getting kind of concerned now. But he wasn't listening.

'No way,' he whispered to himself, getting up from the bed, and, for a moment, totally seeming to forget you. He walked a few paces, still looking down, before stopping again and chuckling once more. 'No way!' he laughed before looking at you again with a wide grin.

Startled by his unexpected reaction, you pulled at your goddess for help, but you instantly felt that it would be no use as if you had used up all of your credits for the day. You got up too now.

'Han, what-?' you repeated taking a few steps before it suddenly dawned on you. Han still didn't respond but simply grinned at you. 'Oh,' you breathed. Han simply nodded, understanding that you understood.

WRITERS NOTE

Thank you all so much for your continuous support. I understand that you had to wait for a long time but I simply have too little time to write. 

I try my best to write when I can, and your encouragement, kind words, and fun reactions really make me happy<3

However, I'd like to ask some of you to please understand that rushing or pushing me won't make things go faster and will only make me feel bad :(

I have been working on this series for over two years already, and I am currently working on Chapter 50 (!).

Although I really do love this story, it has been quite difficult, tiring, and time-consuming work (for me as well as for my lovely editors) at some times. I love writing a lot and I post this story for free on multiple platforms because I want everyone to be able to enjoy reading this for free as I too know all too well what it's like to have no money to spare for your hobby or favorite artist (life is expensive ya'll, I know that)

So please, if you enjoy my story, give it a vote or a nice comment, and trust that I will come back with a new chapter for you to love, even though it might take longer than you'd like (trust me, it takes me longer than I would like as well). 

Please remember, that creativity cannot be forced or rushed.

Once again, thank you all so much for all the love, votes and comments, and trust that I will be back with more. I appreciate every single one of you <3

Lots of Love

Dolly

[theglamorousferal]

Persephone's Binding Part 9

Hardcover/Anger Management ship Sacrificial Bride au

AO3 Prompt Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

"Does your sister frequently miss meals?" Jason asked Danny while the young halfa was shoveling the corner portions of the baked meal into his mouth.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, meeting days especially. She usually spends a few hours after they're all done so focused on making notes about them that she forgets. I usually bring some to her after I'm done." Danny then licked one of the four plates in front of him clean before moving onto the next one.

Jason mulled over a thought as he chewed then swallowed. "I could take it to her? I remember where her office is."

Danny paused in inhaling his food. "Sure, I guess. Probably should bring her some tea too, chances are she's stressed as hell and she could use it. Here, I'll get a skelly to bring a cup of Sam's tension blend." He snapped his fingers and went back to eating.

"Who's Sam? Actually, I meant to ask Jazz, but I can ask you the same question. Will I get to meet the rest of the royal family?"

"Sam's one of my partners, she's the one in charge of the garden outside. My other partner is Tucker, he usually is chilling in his man cave programming and playing video games. As for the Prince and Princess, how much did Jazz tell you already?"

"Their names are Ellie and Dante, ones a clone of you that's a girl and the other is an alternate dimension version of you inhabiting a clone body."

"Cool, I don't have to spare details. Yeah, so they're both traveling the Realms for the foreseeable future. They do have to come back every three months though, so depending on how long you're here for you may get to meet them. You'll probably meet Sam and Tucker later this week, they still have finals, I was able to get mine done early." He finished off his third plate.

As Jason placed his fork on his empty plate, a skeleton came in with another serving of food and a steaming mug. "Guess that's my cue. Have a great night Danny." He stood and retrieved the items from the skeleton and left the room, headed towards the office he had spawned in.

When he reached the door, he knocked and heard a soft "Come in" before opening the door.

"You can just set it on the side table Danny, I'm almost done here." Jazz, in full regalia though the helm-crown was sitting on the desk next to her elbow, didn't look up as she continued writing in her notebook.

Jason chuckled and she froze, eyes wide. "He said you were focused, but I didn't realize how in the zone you'd be." He walked toward her an noticed she was flushed to her ears as she finally looked up at him. "Here, he recommended you have some of this tea, and judging by the line of your shoulders and the frown on your face when I walked in you need it." He set the cup on the desk in front of her and she leaned back in her chair. She didn't move, still frozen and looking at him. He decided to be bolder and, after placing the feathered part of the quill pen she was using as a bookmark in the journal, placed the plate in front of her. He then took the mug and pressed it into her now empty hands.

She took an absent sip of tea, which seemed to snap her out of it and properly savor the sip, her shoulders losing some of their tension and no longer at her ears. "Thank you, yes, he was right, I needed that." She placed the mug on the desk and took up her fork and began to eat. " Where are my manners, please sit, sit." she gestured to one of the chairs that had been pulled in front of her desk, probably from an earlier meeting. "So, how was your day with Danny?"

"It was fun! It's always fun to spar with new people, but especially other heroes. Whenever it is we find my dimension, I really want to introduce him to the hero community, I think it'd be good for him. We have a few royals in the community that you guys can chat about ruling with too." She nodded at that.

"That is, if we can travel easily between the dimensions, stable portals are hard to make, and I'm not sure the schematics for the one going from an outside dimension into the Realms would work the same way as one going out to a specific one." She took another sip of tea before swallowing quickly. "Oh, I meant to tell you, tomorrow we're going to the Far Frozen to find out your classification. It should help us narrow down which dimension you're from. Then we can work on getting you home." She gave him a warm smile before turning back to her food.

Jason sat there for a moment, hands folded in front of him, before he leant forward resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm in no hurry, so far I've enjoyed my time here. I'd like to learn all I can, and depending on if I can come back, I may even look into IRU. I have a feeling that unlike the colleges of my dimension, they wouldn't mind that I'm legally dead." Jazz's face flushed as she glanced between Jason's forearms and his face and back down to her food.

"Yeah, they're a great place, thousands of different majors." She said to her plate.

Jason inwardly smirked to himself. Maybe I do effect her after all? "Is there an introductory book for the Realms?"

She immediately perked up and stood, turning to the bookshelves behind her. She pulled out a large three ring binder, stood in front of him and gestured for him to take it. "I've been working on this since Danny started taking his lessons on Realms history, he would only go if I went too. It's still a rough draft, but this has most introductory knowledge of the Realms and the major locations and peoples." She stood with her hands on her hips, obviously proud.

Jason began to flip through the pages. It had to be five hundred pages long. "This is extensive, but I suppose it's about an entire dimension, so that's to be expected. Thank you." She nodded and went back to her desk.

"I still have a bit of notes to get through before I head to bed, do you mind if I get back to it? I'd like to get to bed at a decent hour tonight."

"Yeah, no problem, mind if I sit on your couch to start reading this?"

"No problem, let me know if you have any questions, okay?"

"Yeah, do you happen to have a notepad and a pen or something that I can use for notes?"

"Oh, yes, one second." She reached for a lower drawer and pulled out a journal identical to the one she was writing in and a red feathered quill pen. "The quill is magic, so it never dries out or runs out of ink."

"Cool, thank you Jazz." He smiled up at her and stepped away.

He will fully admit that when he sat on the couch that he was posing. One leg bent for him to rest the journal on, and propping the binder in front of that so he can easily flip between the two. The other leg extended off the couch as he laid back and lounged, relaxing into it. He enjoyed every time he caught her looking at him out of the corner of his eye for the first twenty minutes until both were so focused on their tasks that two hours went by without either realizing.

Finally Jazz set her quill in its stand and sighed heavily. She stretched her arms above her head, grunting as something popped. Jason set the binder on the side table. He then stood and tucked the journal into his back pocket, and the quill behind his ear.

"Bed time?" He asked.

"Yeah," she sighed again. "I'm making use of my giant bathtub and taking a nice, long, destressing bath, and then I'm going to pass out until the morning where I don't have anything until we take you to the Far Frozen." She said almost mechanically. Jason chuckled again.

"I get that, I've had those days. The world on your shoulders and then finally you have a few hours to yourself. It's the best."

She nodded enthusiastically before putting her journal in one of the drawers and standing herself. She picked up the headpiece and placed it upon her head, her eyes flashed yellow for a moment before it subsided. "Shall we?" she asked, gesturing towards the doors.

"Yeah, sure." They headed out from there, making small talk about things Jason read in the intro guide. Once they got to the split in the halls, they both paused. "I uh, had a nice time hanging out tonight. Next time you just have paperwork to do, do you think I could hang out with you? I know there's plenty of books for me to read."

"Yeah, that'd be nice. I'd like company and most of my options are either unable to stay quiet or work for me."

"Oof yeah, I get that. But for now, goodnight. I'll see you at breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me, have a great night Jason." She turned down the family wing and Jason turned towards his door.

Once inside he punched his fist into the air. "I think she's into me at least a bit. Okay, I got my foot in the door, now to figure out an actual game plan." He took the notebook and quill out and began a new page, tucked about 3/4 of a way into the journal. He titled the page 'Date Ideas', and began writing into the night.

[the-words-we-say]

✨ Winterbaron Works Masterlist ✨

Last updated: 14 June 2025

Currently open to Winterbaron prompts/requests.

🔫 One shots 🔫

Zemo will be in Thunderbolts* Series

Hello, James - The Taskmaster is revealed to be Zemo | 1.5k | G

In Your Dreams - James enters the void to face his past | 1.3k | G

Valentina's Assistant Assistant - During the events of thunderbolts*, James encounters a familiar face | 2k | G

Tactical Gear - If Zemo wants to join the team, he'll have to wear his goddamn suit | 2k | M

What if… Bucky and Zemo had kissed? Series, set during TFATWS

The Half Mile High Club – they kiss on the plane | 4k | T

Playing Soldier – they kiss after James fights as the winter soldier | 4k | M

He Will Do Anything You Want – they kiss after Shelby’s | 1.6k | T

Trouble? – they kiss at Sharon’s | 2k | T

Where My Loyalties Lie – they kiss after returning from Madripoor | 1.7k | T

Like Cherry Blossom Tea – they kiss after the famous leverage scene | 2.1k | T

Ain't that a Kick in the Head – they kiss after Zemo gets hit by Cap’s shield | 2.5 | G

The Notebook – they kiss shortly after James breaks Zemo out in Berlin | 2k | T

>>> I'm open to other one shot requests for this series!

Winterbaron Valentine's Day Event 2025

Trip Me And I’ll Fall For You – on a mission, James and Zemo accidentally consume drugged Valentine's chocolates | 6k | M

This Ain’t No Love Triangle – James is convinced Sam and Zemo are secretly together | 2.7k | M

(wip) Just a Valentine’s Card – James is sent a Valentine’s day card by Zemo and assumes it’s a prank. It is. But also not really.

(wip) By Anonymous – James indulges himself reading Bucky/OC fics on ao3, but some of the fics have references only one person could know.

Winterbaron Kink Meme

I've written a few works for this collection, but since it's anon, guess we'll never know which ones are mine. 😉

Other one shots

A Quick Detour To Level 8 – Sam visits Zemo after Brave New World | 700 | G

(wip) The White Wolf of Winterfell – Game of Thrones AU (and yes I'm making this a one shot because I don't hate myself enough to make this a novel).

(wip) thunderbolts* paper company - Office crossover (and yes I'm making this a one shot because I don't hate myself enough to make this a novel).

📚 Multichaps 📚

Dirty Dancing: Ready to swing, playboy? – Dirty Dancing AU - | 40k | M | 10/10

When All Words Fail - WWII Bucky comes across a Sokovian soldier | 20k+ | M | 4/5

My Little Pet Psychopath – James deals with his trauma by re-enacting it in a controlled environment. Well, sort of. 3/3

(wip) The Line – Zemo is granted parole in exchange for helping a certain super soldier deal with his PTSD.

(wip) The Wolf – The Bear AU

(wip) James and Zemo take part in a therapy-mandated anonymous snailmail exchange. Neither know they’re writing to each other.

(wip) James assumes making amends includes writing to Zemo, so that's what he does.

(wip) Mile High Club – The jet they use to get to Madripoor does not have enough fuel to get them there in one flight. Meaning they had to stop somewhere, perhaps spend the night in a hotel... the possibilities are endless.

🎨 Fanart 🎨

Tagged as ��my art.” I make memes too.

Highlights:

🎥 Edits 🎥

(wip) The Line (twenty one pilots)

(wip) Car Radio/Heathens (twenty one pilots)

🔍 Meta 🔍

(wip) An Analysis of the Sharon Scene in Episode 3 of TFATWS

Zemo will be in Thunderbolts* - crack theory

[verai-marcel]

Your Hearth Is My Home (BG3 Fanfic, Astarion x Female Reader, Part 15 of ?)

Summary, Notes, Tags, & Part 1 are here.

Act I - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

Act II - Part 13 | Part 14

AO3 Link is here, my dear.

Word Count: 3268

————————————

Act II, Chapter 3 - The Rescue

Being within the soft silver glow of Isobel’s shield, the party felt less of a need to keep watch, but Astarion still stayed awake out of habit, only needing four hours of trancing to feel refreshed. So it was in the pre-dawn hours that you found him in front of his tent, reading a book.

“Awake so early?” he asked as you passed his tent.

“Old habits,” you mused.

He only gave a small “hmm” and continued to read as you walked away.

You were heading towards the cave behind the waterfall, notebook in hand. It had been so long since you had practiced aloud, and you were scared you would forget the songs that your mother had taught you. The old songs, the ones that she said were special, were part of her lineage.

We come from the eladrin, not the ones from Toril, but from the Feywild. Long ago, an eladrin came to this plane and stayed a while, and had a child. So our lineage continues to this day, fey blood in our veins.

You took a deep breath.

And sang.

You weren’t sure how long you sang this song or how many times you repeated it, but when you finally stopped, you still felt the same as before, just with a sore throat.

Mother said this song could bring out the fey in my blood. But nothing ever happens, no matter how many times I sing it. Maybe I don't have enough power in me. 

Sighing heavily, you closed your notebook and left the cave. Your companions were already up and about, getting ready for the day.

And unfortunately, Volo had found them first.

Shit.

“If I could just get a few quotes about your adventures—”

“Not interested,” Lae’zel snarled. “Be gone. We have enemies to kill.”

“Ah, but only a sentence or two—”

You gently took Volo by the elbow and guided him towards the pathway away from camp. “I’ll regale you with some of their adventures back at the inn. I need to help them get ready, and then I’ll join you there.”

He brightened. “Oh, that sounds lovely, I will see you soon!” 

As he jauntily headed away from your camp, you heaved a sigh of relief. Turning to the party, you noticed that they also looked relieved to see him gone.

“We owe you,” Wyll said with a grin.

You gave him a small salute. “Just doing my duty to protect the camp,” you said with mock seriousness, earning you a few chuckles.

You walked with the others to the bridge, and wished them well as they left the safety of the shield. Watching them disappear from sight, you silently wished for their safe return.

Then you turned to the inn.

Sigh. Guess I better face my own battle.

***

An hour felt like an eternity with Volo asking question after question. It felt more like an interrogation rather than an interview. As you finished answering yet another follow-up question, you peeked at his writing. He was clearly embellishing and exaggerating nearly everything you said.

“That’s not what I said,” you finally pointed out.

“I’m punching it up a bit, making it sound more exciting to the average reader,” he explained. “You have to make them cling to your every word!”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. Eventually you caught the eye of Alfira, who came up to you and asked for your assistance in the kitchen. Excusing yourself, you followed her until the two of you were safely out of earshot.

“You looked like you needed an escape route,” she said with a knowing smile.

“I did, thank you so much.” You looked around. “I guess I’d better actually do something in here, so it’s not too obvious that I ran away from him.”

She giggled. “Well, we could use your help preparing the midday meal.”

As the two of you chopped ingredients and cooked, she shared some stories of her past.

“I’d love to hear one of your songs,” you said after she mentioned how she had met the others.

Alfira looked at the pile of peeled and chopped potatoes. “Well, I think we’ve prepared enough for now. Let’s go out back, I can sing for you there.”

She grabbed her lute and the two of you went out the back door to the shoreline behind the inn. Strumming the lute a few times to tune it, she began to sing.

It was a beautiful song, and her voice was soft and warm, wrapping around your heart and making you feel every note like a gentle caress. Unable to stop yourself, you began to sing with her.

Without missing a beat, she harmonized with you, and together, the song grew stronger. You created a verse in response to hers, and though she looked a bit surprised, she smiled and let you sing. Before long, your song began to gather an audience.

When the two of you ended the song with the last few notes sung as a complement to the other, applause suddenly burst out around you.

Unused to the attention, you froze up. Beside you, Alfira bowed gracefully and you quickly followed suit, your movements a bit stiff. She turned to you as the crowd dispersed. “I didn’t know you could sing so well.”

You shrugged. “I don’t do it often in front of others,” you replied. At least, not if I can help it.

“Well, could’ve fooled me. You’re a natural. I can’t believe you came up with that verse so quickly.”

“Just felt… inspired, I suppose.” You smiled. “Thank you for sharing your song with me. It was brilliant.”

She smiled back, and together the two of you walked back into the inn to finish preparing lunch.

***

It was very late. You had taken an afternoon nap so you could stay awake to watch for the group, but even so, you were starting to feel sleepy. And yet you continued to stare at the pathway, willing them to come back safe.

They’re on a rescue mission. In enemy territory. There’s a very high chance something has happened.

You shook your head. You didn’t want to think about that. Getting up, you cast the hot water rune under the waterfall, and then decided to distract yourself by practicing your old songs and dances.

A few hours passed in this way until you felt exhaustion sink into your bones and drag you down to your bedroll. And still, you stared at the pathway, laying on your side, unable to sleep, anxiety gnawing at the periphery of your mind.

Finally, amidst the soft rustling of the trees around the campsite, you closed your eyes.

It’ll just be for a moment.

***

Memories this far back were more like impressions, feelings, colors splashed onto a snow white canvas.

Your mother, the color of warmth, of autumn, of the sun.

Your father, the color of the earth, of summer, of the sky.

They were happy together, always smiling at one another. And they always smiled at you, as if you were their shining star. They would always love you. They would always be there for you.

Until they weren’t.

The village was peaceful, quiet, tucked away in the mountains just south of the Spine of the World. Far from the chaos of the cities, where devil-worshiping cultists summoned infernal creatures to take over the continent.

And yet, somehow, these far-reaching plots and conspiracies touched even your miniscule spot in the world.

Somehow, the snow white canvas you loved so much became drenched with red.

But before the crimson stained your life, it was full of songs, of dance, to celebrate the change of the seasons.

You always thought your mother looked the most luminous during the harvest season. Her cheer was infectious, spreading throughout your small village. Everyone knew her. Everyone loved her.

Of all the people that died that day, you missed her most of all.

***

The soft chime of the alarm bells woke you. Pushing yourself up with some effort, you saw your companions returning, looking fatigued and covered in grime and blood. 

“If you’re famished, there’s some snacks near the campfire,” you told them. You had set up a platter of nuts, dried fruit, and meat jerky before you went to sleep, just in case. “I’ll go renew the hot water rune,” you added before heading off to the waterfall.

You could hear someone languidly following you. You expected Gale, who enjoyed observing your magic. Perhaps he wanted to make his umpteenth attempt to guess where it came from.

Instead, you were surprised to glance behind you and see white hair stained with blood.

“Are you alright?” you asked, turning towards Astarion.

“I’m fine, go on,” he said, waving his hand at you dismissively. “I need a shower.”

I would too, with all of that blood. Stepping into the water and casting the rune as quickly as you could, you realized the water was going to be hotter than usual. Shit, I sang the song too fast.

You tentatively stuck your hand into the heated shower to check. You quickly pulled your hand out and stepped back, only for your back to slam into Astarion. You turned and, looking past his bare shoulder, realized all of his clothes were on the shore.

Is he…? Oh. I should not have looked down. Immediately focusing your gaze to his face, you blurted out, “The water is too hot.”

He raised an eyebrow, then walked past you. Before you could stop him, he stepped into the hot water and sighed happily.

“Perfect.”

“R-really?”

He turned his head toward you. “Yes, darling. A few of us think the rune is never quite hot enough.”

You gawked. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Astarion shrugged. “They probably didn’t know it could be changed. And it felt good regardless.”

You made a mental note to tell the others that you could adapt the temperature. You also realized that Astarion was still showering in front of you as if you weren’t there. Quickly turning around, you stiffly marched back to camp.

“Not even a goodbye?”

You waved back to him without turning around. That view is going to haunt me now.

Back at camp, some of them were snacking while others had broken into one of the wine bottles and were drinking casually. You asked what had happened, and quickly you learned that because of the worm in their heads, they could easily pass through the towers. After they were interrogated and then tasked with finding the whereabouts of Bal-something, they were left alone. Unsupervised, they were able to track down the tieflings and gnomes and escaped via an underground dock. 

“Wow,” was all you could say. No wonder it took them so long to get back.

Astarion returned from his shower, which reminded you of the temperature. “Right, so, just in case any of you prefer hotter water, just ask me to adjust the rune next time. It’s a bit hotter this time since I rushed the song, but hopefully it’s still suitable.”

Gale immediately turned towards you, academic interest brightening his expression. “So the speed of your song dictates temperature?”

You shrugged. “To some degree. Pun not intended.” Gesturing towards their tents, you continued. “I adjusted all of your tents to your comfort level as well, after talking to each of you.” You stared at Gale with a grin. “I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed.”

Gale opened his mouth, gave you a look, then scratched his chin. “I thought mine was fine.”

Interesting, I saw you sneak into Shadowheart’s tent. Perhaps you were too distracted to notice that her tent has a higher temperature than yours. But I won’t say anything. You snickered to yourself.

Gale raised an eyebrow at you, but said nothing.

One by one, everyone took their turns in the shower and headed off to their tents, until finally, it was just you and Astarion, sitting side by side, staring into the dying embers of the campfire.

“You aren’t going to trance yet?”

“Not yet. I… I need to process something that happened tonight.”

You recalled that he had just stripped and gotten into the shower while you were still there, as if he was desperate to get clean. Your hackles raised. “Did someone try to hurt you?”

He let out a small huff of laughter. “Someone is always trying to hurt us, darling.”

“I don’t mean in battle.”

He was quiet for a little while before he spoke again. “There… was a blood merchant. She wanted me to bite her in exchange for a potion, but…” He looked sick for a moment. “Her blood smelled foul, rank. And the way she leered at me… I can’t get it out of my head.”

You remained quiet, letting him continue.

“But the others… they didn’t force me. Gale asked me if I wanted to, and when I told him I didn’t, all he said was, ‘then don’t.’ Like it was that simple.”

You nodded. You were glad that everyone was growing closer together, and could trust each other.

“I’m… grateful… that they told me it was my choice,” he said quietly. “It’s been so long since I’ve had to make these decisions for myself. I won’t lie”—he looked away for a moment—“it’s a daunting prospect.” He looked down, his expression darkening slightly. “If they had told me to bite her… I would have just gone along with it. A moment of disgust to force myself through, and then I could have carried on, just like before.”

You frowned. “One potion isn’t worth it.”

“Then what is? Two potions? A moment of unpleasantry doesn’t matter if there’s a fine reward, right?”

“Not if it means giving up something you don’t want to give,” you replied. 

“But we could have used that potion,” he argued. “Perhaps I should have just gritted my teeth as always and let her”—his voice caught, his expression pained—“have me, for a bit.”

“Absolutely not!” You turned your entire body to face him. “You’re not some object to be passed around.”

He looked at you for a moment, his eyes widened with momentary surprise before he looked back at the fire. “You’re right. I’m more than that. More than a thing to be used.” 

You watched him as memories seemed to play across his vision. He let out a huff. “Being forced to lure pretty things back to my master, what I wanted be damned, was my entire existence for two hundred years.” He frowned and took a breath. “I had nothing at all for so long. Not even my body.”

He turned back to you once more. “Today made me realize that I never stopped thinking like I was still his slave, even in freedom.”

You reached out with the intention of hugging him, but you pulled back. You didn’t want to force anything on him, not now. You put your hand back in your lap. “I’m glad you’ve realized that,” you told him. “Whatever happens, whatever is asked of you, you can always say no. I’ll never judge you for it.”

He nodded. “Thank you,” he said, the sincerity in his tone marking your heart. “You can too, you know.”

You looked at him in confusion.

Astarion smiled. “You can say no to me as well. You don’t have to feed me every night.” He gently brushed your cheek with the back of his knuckles. “You’ve looked more tired since we’ve come here.”

Your eyes widened. Ah, so he’s noticed.

“I can go for a while without a meal. I’m not so weak that I can’t hold back until you’ve recovered.”

“And I’m not so weak that I can’t handle a bit of blood loss a few days in a row. I am a woman, after all.”

He chuckled. “Fair point.”

You looked back at the fire, letting the silence simmer over the flames as you digested the conversation. It was… a lot. Quite the catharsis and revelation for your poor vampire spawn.

Wait.

Looking back at Astarion, seeing his contemplative expression as he stared out into the distance, you wondered when your heart had claimed him as one of yours. 

You knew you had been staring at him for too long when he glanced back at you. He gave you a flirty smirk. “Admiring my beauty?”

“Just… just wondering if you wanted a hug,” you mumbled, feeling lame. “But not sure if you were comfortable with that,” you added sheepishly.

He sat up and smiled. “You are such a little sweetheart,” he said as he opened his arms. “Come here, darling.”

As you snuggled into his embrace, you felt something strange when your skin made contact with his.

…guilt…conflicted…

It was faint, but it was there. You honed in on it, even as your body was reveling in physical contact. 

Why does he feel this way? Godsdammit, nothing is ever simple with this man.

You pulled away, unable to get your head out of your own, well, head. “I think I’d better get some sleep now,” you said, stuffing your own thoughts deep down for later.

“Of course.” He stayed where he was for a moment, looking at you with a slightly pained expression before he got up and gave you a slight bow. “Sweet dreams, my dear.”

As he left for his tent, you crawled into your bedroll and tried not to ruminate on the reasons why he would feel guilty.

***

A trance for an elf was more a meditative state, a reverie to refresh the mind and body. So when Astarion went to lay down in his tent, he expected his subconscious to run through his usual mental training exercises.

Instead, his mind decided to replay the scene from this morning.

After seeing his sweet treat walk past him with a mission in her step, he waited a few moments before quietly getting up and following her. It took a moment for him to brave the running creek and peek into the cavern behind the curtain of water.

There, he could hear her sing a song in a language unknown, and yet it felt familiar. It had been decades, over a century even, since he had spoken Elvish with any regularity. And yet… even after so much time, he still understood that the witch was singing something similar, yet different somehow.

She read the lyrics from a worn notebook in her hands, her attention completely on her song and not on anything else. She has zero awareness, dammit. Astarion stayed and watched, keeping one ear out for anyone who may approach.

Not that he was guarding her or anything. He was just… listening.

The song ended, and he started to move away from the cave entrance, but then he heard her sing again from the beginning.

She’s going to sing herself hoarse.

Shrugging, he continued to walk away, but he paused when he heard her cough violently.

She’ll be fine.

Her song continued, her voice cracking in places.

Damn foolish witch. Why should I care?

But he did care. And he wasn’t happy about it.

Shaking his head of the memory, he turned over and tried to go back into reverie, but his thoughts turned to how delightfully sweet she looked when she asked him for a hug, how nice she felt in his arms. The conflicted feelings he had, both wanting her and not wanting her, stemmed from the same reason. A reason that was growing harder and harder to deny.

Godsdammit. This is going to be a long night.

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

Act II, Chapter 3 End notes: Oh dear, Astarion is starting to catch FEELINGS. Whatever will he do? As always, thanks for your continued interest in my little story, please let me know what you enjoyed by leaving a comment!

Tag List: @numblytemporary @xalphafox @avitute

[echodoesstuff62333]

ROTTMNT Mad Dogz Headcanons

Headcanons for stupid turtles because HELL YEAH

R A P H A E L

• Probaby has OSDD-1/P-DID [savage anybody??]

• Has plushies of his bros + April

• He/She slay

• Pansexual

• Has had his tail used to trip others

• Could go onto a 5 hour ramble on kid show's characters' personalities and how deep the story actually is

• As a tot he had an absolutely horrible chewing habit[chewing through furniture, chewing his own arm, etc]

L E O N A R D O

• He has dyslexia [you can't change my mind]

• Older between him and Donnie

• Trans in some fucking way

• Leo is androsexual [y'all I'm teaching words here]

• When Leo was a tot he often mimicked his brothers to "fit in"

• Sometimes indulges in binge eating

• Leo felt separated from Donnie as a tot

D O N A T E L L O

• As a tot he was the one that suggested being twins with Leo

• Austic ass

• Has burnout but is very good at masking it

• Asexual Demiromantic demiboy king✨

• Has a wall thingy to show off all his fidget toys

• You could infact troll him with the Alt + F4

• Has a notebook to write down stuff about people. Knows the sensory needs of all the people he cares for.

M I C H E L A N G E L O

• ADHD

• Can get very aggressive when upset

• Chewing habit [whether that be a braclet or paper]

• He likes to doodle on extra markings onto himself

• Mikey is just Mikey, he doesn't do labels

• As a tot he has tried to bring stuff like food into his shell

• Knows exactly where that thing from 183 days ago you lost at 7:14 am is but can't remember where he put his pencils

[ynsvnte]

The Speckled Diary: Masterlist

Synopsis: In which Kim Sunoo finds a notebook on his desk and reads the name Y/n seems a name he never heard before. He decides to return it, but…what if he “accidentally” reads through it..

Pairing: non-idol!sunoo x Gn!reader (I might put she/her pronouns at times)

Featuring: Nwjns Minji, NMIXX Sullyoon, Ive Reí, Jungwon, Treasure Jeongwoo, P1h Intak, Zb1 Ricky, Lssfm Kazuha, Itzy Yuna

Warnings: Swear words 👍, probably kys/kms jokes, Ricky being bullied (you will understand as you read I hope) embarrassment..more to be added I fear. I will added individual warnings as well

Genre: SMAU, fluff, crack that’s about it I think. Strangers to lovers 🤷🏻‍♀️

Notes; This is my first time doing something like this let’s hope it goes well and I don’t slack on this. 🧎‍♀️

Taglist: Closed

Status: Completed

Started: July 10 Ended: Sept. 3

Profiles: Itchin and Burnin , Shiver me Timberzz

Chapters:

1. Just Gave Birth

2. You better start running

3. Oh no we gotta go

4. HE WHAT!

5. Let me just

6. Sorry bout that

7. Oh no I hope I don’t fall (for him)

8. Hehe Found it

9. Moments before disaster

10.Ouch 🤕

11. Lost era

12. Don’t worry I got you

13. Saur real

14. (Un)Forgiven Im a villain

15. Just a hater

16. Delusional ass bitch

17. L rizz

18. Yn saved the day!

19. Question mark?

20. That’s what I’m talking about

21. Bad news

22. girlboss, gatekeep, gaslight

23. Badge of Honor

24. Cry about it

25. Awkward Dates

26. O. M. G.

27. In yn we believe

28. Confession of a hopeless romantic

29. Big reveal

30. Oopies Daisies

END

© ynsvnte 2023

[eggmole-official-blog]

Hhow does this thing work??

Oh th ats how okay

I guess this is just a diigi al notebook so

I got this thing for m brithday and it's like a blue tablet thing but this is the only app on here aside from some gaemd

Amy taught me how to tyep and reas and stuff so I guwss I know how to use this. It keeps changing stuff I put tgo. Why arw some words have grean under them

Anyway I also got ths coold little pet spiky cat thing and a plushie to match it, I'll haveto get a pi cure. I think he's cool, he's blue and likes bugs too.

#—Log 000, 14:04, 02-02-40

[rorywritesjunk]

(one day I'll post non-Sunny and Buggy stuff but right now isn't that day. Death mentioned, mourning, things like that. I needed to throw something in here that wasn't just fluff. I'll write the next part soon 😌 eventually I'll write when they have their first kiss)

pt 1 + pt 2 + pt 3 + pt 4 + pt 5 + pt 6 + pt 7 + pt 8 + pt 9 + pt 10 + pt 11 + pt 12 + pt 13 + pt 13.5 + pt 14 + pt 15

pt 10

Sunny tapped her pencil against the blank page of her notebook. She didn't know what to write apart from little scribbles of outfit ideas for Buggy, what she thought his future jolly roger would look like, little things like that. Should she write about meeting Shanks and Thistle? Remembering how he was when Sunny first met him, how upset and angry he was, maybe he wouldn't want to know.

Instead she wrote down some thoughts: that she missed Buggy, wished she could see him more often, things like that. She wrote about how blue the water looked the other day, that it reminded her of the color of his hair. She thought his hair was so pretty beautiful. Wondered if he'd let her braid some flowers into it.

Oh, maybe that was a little... Much.

Sunny really didn't want to cross too much out in the journal. This was meant for her and Buggy to share what they had been up to when letters weren't an option. Would he get weirded out if she said stuff like this? Was this okay?

Maybe nighttime wasn't the best time to think about this. With a sigh, she closed the journal and tucked it under her pillow before turning out the light.

She hoped he was okay.

~

It had been four months since she last saw Buggy.

When one of Miss Pins' regulars came in, needing work on his jacket to get some holes fixed, Sunny heard why.

The regular talked about a pirate ship being attacked by a dangerous crew, one that enjoyed slaughtering others and causing destruction. They didn't care who they were attacking. They just enjoyed it.

Sunny listened as he described the destruction. There were no survivors left. The ship was left to float with the bodies of the crew remaining behind, to rot in the sun. The jolly roger was the only thing to survive: a skull wearing a large hat with a feather sticking out of it. Miss Pins glanced over at Sunny when the regular finished telling the tale before leaving the shop.

"You do know what ship he was referring to, don't you?" Her boss asked. Sunny shook her head. "That was the ship your friend had been on."

"What?" Sunny frowned. No, that couldn't be right. It could have been a mistake. "I don't... I don't think it is, Miss Pins."

"His captain has been a client of mine for years." Miss Pins continued as she closed her ledger. "That was his ship that was attacked."

It didn't make sense to Sunny. Why would the ship be attacked? Buggy had to be fine. He was going to walk through that door with his friendly captain and everything would be fine. She looked between the door and her boss, clenching her fists as she shook her head.

"I don't believe it."

"Sunny, that boy is dead." Miss Pins told her. "You heard that man. There were no survivors."

"How do we know?!" Sunny snapped, surprising her boss. The teen never spoke to her like that. "Well?! M-Maybe that man attacked the ship, you know? Or maybe it was the wrong ship! You know, Buggy, he-he could have changed crews or something before it happened! He's too stubborn to die like that!"

"Sunny."

"He's not dead!" Sunny insisted, glaring at her boss, tears forming in her eyes. "Buggy's made it this far, he won't be killed by some awful pirate crew!"

Her boss crossed her arms, fixing the teen with a look. Sunny sniffed, rubbing her nose on her sleeve as she tried to not cry. Buggy couldn't have been killed like that. She couldn't accept that.

"Take the day off and clear your head." Her boss told her, pointing to the door. "Don't come back until dinner."

"I'm fine! Why are you kicking me out?!" Sunny demanded, sniffling as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Buggy's not dead, okay? I refuse to believe it!"

"Sunny." Miss Pins kept pointing to the door. "Now."

Glaring at her boss, Sunny took a deep breath and turned, storming to the door. She threw it open and stepped out, making sure to slam it shut behind her.

Buggy was not dead. It didn't make sense to her.

~

She came back for dinner, barely ate anything, then headed to bed without a word to the others. Word got around of the attack and Sunny heard bits of it as she walked around town. Some said there were survivors, some said no one was alive. There was mention that the ship had been completely destroyed, sunk to the bottom of the sea, while someone claimed they saw it sailing away.

It was hard to accept Buggy could be gone. Would Shanks and Thistle find out? If Sunny met them again, would she have to tell them the news?

It wasn't fair.

She rubbed her eyes and grabbed the journal, flipping through it. There were little doodles Buggy did last time they saw each other: a lion, a flower, the sun. She didn't want to lose those.

Was it dumb to be this sad? They really didn't know each other that well, but she did like him. A lot. She wanted to be with him when he had his own ship, be a part of his crew, spend more time with him.

Sunny sniffed again and picked up her pencil, staring at the blank page. Maybe she just needed to write out how she was feeling. Maybe that could help process the loss.

[ao3feed-matchablossom]

[Podfic] past patiently waiting

by nonplussed non-fic (nonplussed) "This is still about last night, isn't it?" Kaoru keeps his gaze studiously on the notebook. "I had no chance." Kojiro huffs. "Of course you didn't," he says. "You went up against Snow. Barely anyone's got a chance against INFINITY's founder, not even Reki, usually, and they've been skating forever." == In which everyone's ages are flipped around but Kaoru is still a gay disaster and Kojiro is still the hopeless fool pining for him. Podfic of past patiently waiting by Slumber. Words: 14, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: SK8 the Infinity (Anime) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe, Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Getting Together, Mutual Pining, But Cherry is also a gay mess, Background: Reki/Langa, Implied: One-sided Cherry/Adam, Implied: One-sided Cherry/older!Reki, Podfic, Podfic Length: 20-30 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Audio Format: Streaming source https://archiveofourown.org/works/64456150

[sweetorangepoptart]

20 Questions for Writers

Thanks to my hero and basically my fanfic mentor @pikapeppa for tagging me!!! I'm going to answer for ALL my fics, not just my Wuko ones, but there's definitely a 'before' time when I was writing Bioware stuff and then had a loooong hiatus before I was writing again, And I think my writing has improved markedly between the time skip.

Tagging @korrasamibottles @creampuffqueen @appalesbian @kjthenbee @starshinemaiden @mellyoraa @shippingondemand and I'm sure I missed some people

1). How many works do you have on AO3?

24

2). What’s your total AO3 word count? 453,053! I'm getting close to half a million, that's kind of exciting!!

3). What are your top five fics by kudos?

Secret (Legend of Korra, Mako x Wu) 445 kudos

Dance (Mass Effect 3, FemShep x Garrus) 353 kudos

Windswept (Legend of Korra, Mako x Wu) 195 kudos

Crawl to Me (Dragon Age Inquisiton, Female Trevelyan x The Iron Bull) 161 kudos

Unnatural (Legend of Korra, pre-relationship Mako x Wu) 159 kudos

4). What fandoms do you write for?

Pretty much just LoK these days, though I have been jotting down some things for a possible Ocarina of Time fic.

5). Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes!!!! I love replying to comments. They took the time to comment, so I'm going to take the time to reply and let them know how much it means to me to get a comment! One thing I do for my chaptered fics, though, is to wait to reply to comments until I post the next chapter. I feel like it helps let people know I've posted the next chapter in case they aren't subscribed

6). What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I think it's either Unnatural or My Empire of Dirt. On the one hand, Unnatural is, as a standalone, angsty all the way through and has a somber, melancholy ending. But immediately following it is Secret, which nullifies the unrequited love angst. On the other hand, My Empire of Dirt has angst throughout and ends on an ambiguous note, because I intentionally left it open ended for the reader to insert the outcome of High Noon quest. So it could be VERY angsty if you assume Sloane dies and Kaetus is thus imprisoned indefinitely, or it can be a happy ending for them if the reader saves Sloane's life.

7). What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Love, Asami for sure! I might as well have written "And then they lived happily ever after." (take that, Seven Havens!!!!)

8). Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet... I think I should be flattered if I ever do. It'll mean I've made it or something

9). Do you write smut?

So much smut. A lot. My earlier stuff is F/M BDSM and then I wrote Alien/Human sex, but now it's just a lot of vanilla M/M stuff

10). Do you write crossovers?

When I was like 12 I wrote a Sailor Moon/Ocarina of Time crossover. Not completed, obviously, but I wrote out the idea and characters and their roles. It involved Ocarina of Time taking place in the Silver Millennium, and all the OoT characters reincarnated in the modern sailor moon setting

11). Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12). Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but if anyone ever wants to they are more than welcome 🧡

13). Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yes! I was cowriting a Wuko fic with my friend but real life got in their way, so now I'm soloing it. But when I was in high school I collaborated with friends a lot on fics. Many of which we never published. Just writing in notebooks, old school.

14). What’s your all-time favorite ship?

ALL TIME? That's impossible to say, across fandoms I have so many favorites. You'd think it's Wuko because that's been my obsession for a while, but if we're saying all time I'm honestly going to have to say Seto Kaiba x Kisara from Yu-Gi-Oh

15). What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I've got a multichaptered DA fic set between 2 and inquisition that I'm super close to orphaning because I'm pretty sure I'll never finish it, but I can't bring myself to do it.

16). What are your writing strengths?

Korrasamibottles just told me I reimagine aspects of canon in 'such a thoughtful way that it feels like that's how things actually happened' and that my dialogue is very in character, and it's honestly such a wonderful compliment and I work really hard on it so I'll take her word for it and say those are my strengths!!

17). What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes I feel my writing is kind of bland. I don't evoke a lot of beautiful metaphors. I guess I'm working on that but generally I have to work hard to make my writing 'interesting' like by going through during the editing process and digging more into character's emotions and providing extra sensory details. My first drafts are usually pretty simple and boring.

18). Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

Not sure! I think the fandoms I write for it's not really an issue. It feels like I'd only do a word here and there or if there's clearly a language barrier between two characters.

19). First fandom you wrote for?

Ever? I can't remember what was first. Probably Sailor Moon. Possibly Cardcaptor Sakura or Digimon? I was a little thing writing stories in notebooks. I just unlocked a memory of using a silver gel pen in a notebook with black pages to write a sailor moon fic

20). Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Honestly it's You'll Be the Death of Me. It's not finished but I got really deeply invested in the story I created here. I outlined it after listening to some audiobooks on writing and I'm really happy with the story and how it's turning out. And it's maybe not as popular as my other fics because it's got triggering topics but the reception to it has been delightful and I'm having a blast taking everyone on this horrible torturous angsty ride.

[autistic-gale-dekarios]

BG3 OC Lore: Hugo

Meet Hugo :) The first character I made in BG3 and still probably my fave. This post is all about him.

Basics

Full name: Hugo Lightquill (His chosen name -- he can't remember his birthname)

Race: High half-elf

Gender: M (trans) (he/him)

Birth date: 14 Flamerule 1451 DR (age ~41 during game events)

Class: Evocation Wizard

Background: Haunted One (Dark Urge)

Stats: 8 STR | 13 DEX | 15 CON | 17 INT | 12 WIS | 10 CHA

Moral alignment: NE (pre-game) / CN (early game) / NG (endgame)

Personality (MBTI, Enneagram): INFP, 6w5 ((self-insert spotted))

Neuro stuff: Autism, depression + anxiety, C-PTSD, dissociative amnesia

Sexuality: Gay

Romanced character: Gale (ship name: Weavequill)

Media

Tags: #oc: hugo (my posts about him); #hugo core (posts that are him coded)

Pinterest board

Character playlist

Weavequill playlist

A full rundown of his story is under the cut (CW for brief self-harm mention; spoilers for Dark Urge & general BG3 storyline)

Pre-game

Early life

Hugo was the only child of two high half-elves living in the Upper City of Baldur’s Gate. His father was a sorcerer and his mother was an apothecarist. He took an interest in arcane magic as a child and was encouraged by his parents to pursue it. He had a fairly sheltered upbringing, largely homeschooled by his father and private tutors.

Hugo was born and raised female, but from a young age he felt different. He struggled with many aspects of his identity and sense of self. By his early teens, he was suffering not only crippling gender dysphoria, but also intrusive thoughts of violence that seemingly came from nowhere. The dysphoria and the Urges were equally distressing to Hugo, and slowly became intertwined, inseparable -- the desire to remake himself, and the desire to unmake others.

Deeply confused by and ashamed of these feelings, Hugo never confided in anyone, and grew increasingly withdrawn throughout his teen years. Hugo didn't understand where the Urge came from, but he knew he had to conceal it at any cost. What few friendships he’d made as a youngster disintegrated, and he avoided getting close to people in an effort to protect himself from the world, and the world from himself.

Hugo began writing as a coping mechanism. He would bring a notebook wherever he went, write down his most shameful thoughts and feelings and urges, and hide them away. He would draw, too -- producing increasingly grotesque illustrations that came so automatically, it often felt like his hands had a mind of their own -- and he would terrify himself with some of the things he created.

For a time, pen and paper were his lifeline. But despite his best efforts to vent in this way, the Urges eventually proved too much, and Hugo sought more material ways to satisfy them. He started by hurting himself, then moved onto small animals -- mice, birds, anything to quiet the screaming in his head. It was getting harder to control his behaviour, and Hugo noticed he'd started losing himself sometimes -- blacking out and then coming to minutes later with little to no memory of what just happened.

To the rest of the world, Hugo was growing into a promising young wizard -- a bit of a weird kid, perhaps, but undeniably talented. At 18, he applied to Blackstaff Academy but didn't make the cut (to the disappointment of his father). Instead, Hugo pursued an apprenticeship in the literature department of Sorcerous Sundries. He was getting by, just about, but he felt like he was constantly hanging by a thread, and the slightest push could tip him over into the dark.

Cult of Bhaal

The final push came when Hugo was walking home from work one night. Sceleritas Fel approached him on the street and promised him everything he wanted. Sceleritas somehow knew all of Hugo's secrets, and spoke of a "powerful god" who could offer him a new body and a new life. He promised acceptance and belonging -- a place where Hugo wouldn’t have to hide who he was. Afraid and desperate and with little fight left in him at this point, Hugo followed Sceleritas to the Temple of Bhaal, and never returned home.

Hugo had known very little of Bhaal and his followers before this point, but he was re-educated quickly. He was told of his birthright and his "purpose" as the one true Bhaalspawn. He agreed to become the new leader of Bhaal's cult. In return, Bhaal resculpted Hugo’s body into a male form, and offered him a new name, which was to be respected without question within the Temple. Hugo felt truly himself and truly seen for the first time in his life. He believed this was proof of Bhaal’s love for him, and felt indebted to him.

With his new corporeal form, a sense of purpose, and nothing of sufficient value to return to outside, Hugo remained in the Temple, where he was groomed into a Bhaalist poster child, a merciless killer. Violence was rewarded, everything else stamped out; his magical abilities honed to enact the Dread Lord's will. Even in the depths of depravity, he retained his habit of writing -- he became known for writing and drawing in blood, even using it as quill ink. Hugo spent the next two decades as Bhaal’s Temple leader and, eventually, Bhaal’s Chosen.

During game

When Orin infected Hugo with the tadpole, the damage to his brain made him regress to an earlier state of consciousness. He lost not only his memories and much of his powers, but also the ruthless aggression that he’d learned from Bhaal. When he woke up on the nautiloid, he was his fragile younger self again -- alone, afraid, and tormented by shame and self-loathing.

Hugo began Act 1 with no moral compass, and tended to act in self-preservation above anything else. Meeting Gale and bonding over magic with him helped Hugo relearn what it meant to be good and rediscover those principles within himself.

Gale was Hugo’s first love and his first healthy sexual relationship. They were both grounding forces for the other: Gale’s gentleness was a foil for Hugo’s violence, and Hugo’s caution a foil for Gale’s hubris. Despite them both being wizards, their first time was decidedly free of magical enhancements. Hugo just wanted to be close to Gale, to feel loved in the purest and simplest way. They didn’t just bring out the best in one another, they saved each other from their respective catastrophic acts of self-destruction. (I Can Fix Him, He Can Fix Me, Fixing Him Will Fix Me, Fixing Me Will Fix Him, etc.)

Throughout game events, Hugo suffered incessant nightmares, flashbacks and hallucinations of the horrors he'd inflicted in his past. These were especially distressing early on, when he had no context for them. While he did his best to control himself, the bloodthirsty side of him would sometimes emerge. (He’d always get a little crazed in the heat of battle, which Gale found disconcerting and also kinda hot.)

After the revelation about Hugo’s past involvements with Gortash and the Absolute, Gale distanced himself from Hugo for a while, and Hugo fell deep into depression, convinced he had blown his only chance at finding real love. However, the two became close again toward the end of Act 3, when Hugo convinced Gale not to pursue godhood and Gale realised how much they really needed each other to not lose touch with themselves.

Aside from Gale, Hugo got along well with the rest of the party. He became especially close friends with Shadowheart, bonding over their similar experiences of being groomed into a cult, losing their memories and having to relearn how to be good.

As Hugo regained his powers and his memories, he felt more and more able to resist his Urge. After defeating Orin, he rejected Bhaal and went on to destroy the Absolute, saving Baldur’s Gate from the evil he had once created. Only then did the weight of Hugo’s guilt finally begin to lift.

After their victory, Hugo persuaded Gale to leave the Crown of Karsus where it fell, and with it any prospect of ascension. Walking away from their respective pasts, Hugo and Gale decided that their ordinary, mortal love was more powerful and valuable than anything their former gods could offer. <3

Post-game

Shortly after game events, Hugo and Gale got engaged and went back to Waterdeep. In a long letter to his parents, Hugo apologised for leaving all those years ago, came clean about who he was, and invited them to his wedding. They both attended.

With the orb quelled, Gale returned to Blackstaff as a professor, with Hugo initially staying at home and helping Tara clean up Gale’s neglected tower. After a year in Waterdeep and with a shining commendation from Gale, Hugo secured a position on the Blackstaff faculty as a co-director of their magical archives, specialising in blood magic and evocation scrolls and tomes.

Hugo stayed friends with Shadowheart for many years, and she became like a surrogate sister to him. She came to visit him and Gale for dinner every so often, where they'd talk her ears off about their work while she fussed over Tara and only half-listened.

Hugo continued writing, and went on to publish a memoir and several text books on what he’d learnt from his dealings with Bhaal and the Absolute -- all of which took pride of place on Gale’s bookshelf.

Trivia

Hugo’s favourite colour is powder blue, his favourite season is spring, his favourite food is mushroom soup and his favourite animals are pigeons.

Hugo is a good cook and he and Gale regularly cook together.

Hugo is a nerd. He loves to learn and, once he comes out of his shell, he loves to talk about things he has learned (though he'll never compete with Gale's levels of infodumping).

Hugo has a soft spot for animals, perhaps partly out of remorse for hurting them in the past. Once he settled down with Gale he decided to stop eating animals, volunteered at a local stray shelter, and cooked vegetarian meals for Gale until he liked them too. He also conjured his first familiar -- a large black raven called Leopold.

Hugo is a very subby bottom and he has a praise kink

Characters that inspired Hugo include: me, Viktor Hargreeves (TUA), Frodo Baggins (LOTR), Donnie Darko, Father Paul (Midnight Mass), Will Byers (Stranger Things) and the Tin Man (The Wizard of Oz).

If you're still reading, thank you for being interested :') Feel free to send asks about Hugo (or any of my OCs!) because I will always welcome the opportunity to yap. I'll make similar posts for my other 3 tavs at some point soon.

[lumaconstante]

Ok, I couldn't resist, un(fortunately) the writer is anxious so here are some headcanons with Shoto Todoroki and Izuku Midoriya related to the fanfic Star:

Shoto Todoroki

1. Daily messages: Shoto sends Alice messages every day, even if they’re short, to remind her that he’s thinking of her. Simple phrases like “How are you today?” or “I hope your day gets better” are a constant in their conversations.

2. School memories: He often reminisces about fun or special times they shared at school to make her smile. He might mention something like, “Remember that time we got lost at the school festival and ended up eating all the sweets from the stall?”

3. Letters and gifts: Even from a distance, Shoto makes a point of sending handwritten letters and small gifts, like Japanese tea, lucky charms, or personalized items that he knows Alice likes. He finds that receiving something physical can help comfort her.

4. Sharing silence: Shoto knows that Alice may not want to talk all the time, so he offers a calm and comforting presence, even from a distance. Sometimes, he suggests video calls where they just sit together in silence, each going about their own business.

5. Musical Memories: Knowing Alice’s connection to music, Shoto makes playlists with songs he thinks will cheer her up or calm her down, including some he remembers her liking back in school.

6. Direct Advice: Despite being a more reserved person, Shoto is direct when he feels Alice needs support to deal with haters or pressure. He encourages her to be firm, reminding her of her strength and how much she has overcome.

7. Unexpected Visits: Whenever his schedule as a hero allows, Shoto makes a point of visiting her, even if it’s just for a short time. He shows up unannounced, bringing something special like a Japanese dessert or a comforting gift.

8. Silent Defender: If Shoto notices someone attacking Alice online, he discreetly intervenes. He doesn’t get into arguments, but uses his influence to report content or even mobilize fans to support her.

9. Subtle motivation: Shoto, as someone who has faced a lot of family pressure, shares his own experiences and how he found the strength to keep going. He never pressures Alice, but shows that he understands her feelings.

10. Pet names: To create a sense of normalcy and comfort, Shoto uses pet names for Alice, just like he did in school, calling her something like "Hoshi-chan" or "Ali."

11. Checking in with Tommy: Shoto makes a point of checking in with Tommy to see how Alice is really doing and, when needed, offering emotional support or ideas for practical help.

12. Escape points: He suggests activities that Alice can do alone or with Tommy to escape the pressure, such as drawing, writing, or even exploring the city. He reminds her of the importance of taking care of herself.

13. Special message for concerts: Before every performance, Shoto sends messages of encouragement. Something like: "You are amazing, Alice. Just shine the way only you know how."

14. A special amulet: In one of the gifts sent, he includes an amulet he bought at the temple they visited together as children, believing that it can protect her and bring good energy.

Izuku Midoriya

1. Detailed check-ins: Izuku sends messages asking how Alice is doing and listens attentively to everything she has to say, offering sincere support and encouragement. He asks about her health, her routine, and even small things like what she ate that day.

2. Support strategy notebook: Izuku creates a “support notebook for Alice,” where he writes down things she enjoys, hobbies that can help her relax, and even strategies for dealing with haters and media pressure. He shares these ideas with her in a low-key and loving way.

3. Words of encouragement: He frequently reminds Alice of how strong she is, comparing her journey to that of heroes who have overcome challenges. He says things like, “You may not be a hero in the traditional sense, but you’re facing an inner villain with just as much courage.”

4. Uplifting audio messages: Izuku sends Alice uplifting audio messages before her shows, with messages like: "Remember that everyone who loves you is rooting for you, including me! Do your best, you can do it!"

5. Regular virtual visits: He suggests video calls where they can just talk or watch something together. Izuku also shows her his notes about heroes, which often distracts Alice from her problems and inspires her.

6. Inspiring stories: He shares stories of heroes who faced extreme challenges but kept going, showing her that she can overcome their difficulties too. He does this carefully, without seeming to belittle her problems.

7. Support on social media: Izuku never fails to like and comment on Alice's posts, genuinely praising her to boost her self-esteem. He also reports negative comments when he sees something toxic.

8. Sentimental gifts: Izuku sends small, personalized gifts, such as a green bracelet (her favorite color) with an inspirational quote engraved on it or a keychain that represents a memory from their time together.

9. Hero books: He suggests books and stories that can inspire Alice, especially those that he believes have messages about resilience and hope.

10. Expanded support network: Izuku enlists the help of other friends, such as Ochaco or Iida, to send Alice encouraging messages or small gifts, creating a support network for her even from a distance.

11. Shared journal: He suggests that they both write in a shared journal, where they can exchange thoughts and feelings. This helps Alice express herself in a more intimate and less public way.

12. "Daily missions": Izuku suggests daily "missions" to help Alice stay active and focused on something positive, such as "take a picture of something that makes you happy today" or "write down one thing you like about yourself."

13. Memories of Japan: He sends Alice souvenirs from his hometown, such as traditional sweets or small objects with cultural symbols, to remind her of her roots and his support.

14. Emotional escape plan: Knowing that Alice is under a lot of pressure, Izuku suggests that she imagine happy places or memories as a "mental refuge" whenever things get tough, something he uses in his own battles.

15. Promise to meet again: He promises that, as soon as he gets the chance, he will visit her in person so that they can spend time together and she will have someone with whom she can feel truly comfortable and protected.

And for those who haven't read the fanfic yet, it's available on Wattpad in Portuguese and English, these characters will appear soon:

Check out the list pinned on my profile, I'm accepting requests to write for you! ✨

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

E Rated Fics Masterlist (14)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 /

Created: November 18th, 2023

Last Checked:-----

Netflix & Chill-dandelionsandberries (ao3) Summary: When her best friend ask Katniss to come to his dorm to watch a movie, she’s simply happy to spend a night chilling. But when her roommate insinuates he means something completely different, she begins to worry. And, perhaps, hope for something more. Written for Prompts in Panem Round 8 Day 2 and Day 4.

Netflix and Chill-shesasurvivor (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen works three jobs, and is a full time student. She really needs to learn how to chill–and Peeta Mellark knows how to help. Modern Day AU. Written for the Fall 2016 MoreS2SL fundraiser.

Never Have I Ever-teetorini (ao3) Summary: It takes everything he has not to look up when he hears her coming into the room, her delicate voice traveling up the risers. But then she laughs, and it feels unavoidable that his eyes flit up from his notebook to find her talking to Dr. Heavensbee. Katniss. God, she is so pretty… and probably doesn't even know he exists. In which Peeta learns a few things after a game of 'Never Have I Ever.'

Next To You-thegirlonpeetamellark (ao3) Summary: "She closed her eyes and saw his perfectly chiseled face and then imagined those boxers of his falling to the floor before he got in the shower. The last thing she needed was to be attracted to Rye Mellark's older brother." Desperate for a place to live, Katniss moves in with her friend, Rye, who has always had a crush on her. Then she meets his older brother, Peeta. Modern Day AU.

No Surprises-nonemoreblack (ao3) Summary: He thought they made an odd pair, the two of them. The oddness, he thought sadly, surely rested with him. Katniss thought they were perfect. He was perfect. Modern day AU.

No Time This Time-Gamemakers (ao3) Summary: When Annie and Finnick head out of town for a (mother-in-law mandated) Hawaiian vacation, Katniss is called up for babysitting duty. Watching three kids doesn't leave a lot of time to see Peeta, but somehow, they'll make do.

No Touching-Xerxia (ao3) Summary: In the boardroom, she's in charge. Outside of the boardroom is another story…

No Unicorns-misshoneywell (ao3) Summary: Two years, three months and four days: that's how long it's been since Katniss Everdeen has had sex. Someone wants to help her change that. Modern AU. Rated M for explicit sex and language.

Not Yet-Katnissinme (ao3) Summary: Katniss has always described her sex life with Peeta as phenomenal. But after a revealing girls-only night, she begins to wonder if there isn't something missing.

One Good Turn-atetheredmind (ao3) Summary: Katniss has heard a little rumor about that mouth of Peeta's, and after a disastrous relationship, she's ready to put that theory to the test. And as they say, one good turn deserves another.

[cto10121]

R&J Clown Takes Round ♾️ Part 14

Featuring a lot of recycled clownery, some comments on the recent Jamie Lloyd production, which looks to be a mess of clownery as well, and R&J being such a ~~light-hearted comedy. On nom nom

Tag yourself, I’m “a critic second.”

I like how Clown OP had to act like the Chorus’ very flattering and romantic description of R&J was a literal prophecy. 🤣 Like R&J were some Lord of the Rings-esque fantasy novel.

So “star-crossed lovers” have nothing to do with R&J being destined to fall in love. It literally means “crossed by the stars.” As in, the forces of the universe hate their guts and fucked them over. This idea is repeated with the Friar saying that Death is “enamored” with Romeo’s parts (the French musical as always picked up on that brilliantly) and that he and Juliet are “wedded to calamity.”

You said it, Clown OP! Fuck *checks list* Titanic, Casablanca, Pyramus and Thisbe, The Fault in Our Stars, Brokeback Mountain, Moulin Rouge, The Bridges of Madison County, The Notebook, The English Patient, and all of dem cats. No one on this earth has ever or will ever think of these as love stories!!!!

“The families weren’t paying attention—” The Capulets tried to marry Juliet off because she “wept immoderately” for Tybalt’s death. Because she felt sad for the death of her own cousin. Before that they kept Juliet under almost constant supervision, and Juliet herself is called for at least three times.

The only accusation of neglect that may ring true is the Montagues, who are so hands-off they have to get freakin’ Benvolio, their own nephew, to find out about their own son. Even so, they seem much nicer than the Capulets. Lady M died of heartbreak over Romeo’s banishment and even in his madness Romeo made sure to let his parents know via letter of his intentions.

“R&J Is A Comedy!!1!!1” Round ♾️

So this is what happens in the “light-hearted” first half of the play before Mercutio’s and Tybalt’s deaths that these clowns insist is a comedy:

Sampson and Gregory joke about killing and raping Montague women

Tybalt threatens to murder Benvolio and attacks him

The Prince threatens to execute anyone who disturbs the peace again

Romeo talks about how Rosaline has sworn never to have sex and what an awful waste it is that she won’t open her legs to that sweet golden cum 😔

Capulet thinks Juliet is too young for marriage, but Paris cheerfully says that younger girls than she is (13-14) are already “happy mothers” 🤢

Lady Capulet tells Juliet that she was around her age (13-14) when she had Juliet—so that makes it a-OK to get her married!

The Nurse reminisces fondly about the time her husband joked about two-year-old Juliet having sex eventually when she gets smarter. Not older. Smarter. 🤮Oh, and she also casually drops the fact that the Capulets left Juliet with the Nurse and said husband while they were in Mantua doing fuck knows what

Mercutio’s fantastical Queen Mab speech becomes dark really quickly as he talks about raping virgins

Romeo has a presentiment of his untimely demise…which eventually comes true

Juliet worries that their love will be “like lightning”—here and gone before you know it

The Nurse believes Paris is hotter/better than Romeo for Juliet, which makes Juliet mad, foreshadowing their rupture

The Friar gives a dark warning in his famous “These violent delights” speech about the longevity of too-swift love

I think it’s obvious that there are attempts by Shakespeare to 1) satirize the feud and violent Veronian society and its gender roles and 2) foreshadow Romeo and Juliet’s death and set up the tragedy re: the Nurse’s betrayal of Juliet.

Just because a tragedy isn’t all doom and woe for 2 hours doesn’t mean it isn’t a tragedy. There is the danger, yes, of a production being 100% intense 100% of time; the dark comedy/satire is very much necessary from a thematic standpoint. I reckon that was the fault of this Jamie Lloyd one. But I read this shit when I was 10 and Mercutio’s and Tybalt’s deaths didn’t surprise me at ALL. It was an “oh shit” moment, sure. But I definitely understood why it occurred and I was not surprised. A good R&J production should have that same feeling.

[drsteggy]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @cyraclove - thank you so much, I really enjoy these!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

39

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

175,330…I wrote 100k of that in 2020

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Legend of Zelda…mostly in my non canon but could be a game AU

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore

Reunion

Eternal Shipwreck of our Hopes

Nothing (but Flowers)

Homecoming

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I DO! I love having a little back and forth. I enjoy nerding out with people and maybe making friends

6. What is a fic you write with the angstiest ending?

7. What’s the fi. You wrote with the happiest ending?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not that I’ve seen on AO3. I had an anonymous jerk on FFN, so I left there.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I DO. I write pretty vanilla but explicit stuff where everyone has a fun time. Sometimes it’s silly.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I am not really into crossovers unless the premise really makes sense to me.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I did have one turned into a podfic!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not, not sure I have the personality for it.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Hmmmmmmm Mulder/Scully and Link/Zelda

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Nayru’s Counterpart. Though I’m considering a rewrite of the fic this is an offshoot of, and will roll it into that if said rewrite happens.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Action, combat in particular.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I love repeating words, sometimes in the same sentence…and then I can flip the other way and use a really ridiculous word when like….’said’ is perfectly fine.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I live in a place where I regularly hear people talk in languages I don’t understand, or maybe I can catch a word here and there, so I’d be fine with that if it makes sense in the fic. I don’t want to learn high elven or whatever while I’m reading, so it could be gibberish or maybe I catch a word or two. It depends on the story

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Fraggle Rock when I was like….13. In notebooks. That I still have. They were illustrated.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

This is a super rude question.

I reread my own work. A lot of it was custom made for me! I think my favorite is still Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore. I love some of the arcs through it. I don’t look back on it and cringe, though I know I could do it better. It came during a time I needed it. I love it.

I am not sure who to tag here so….no pressure shouts to @zeldadiarist @m-r-levine @kittmoon @snidgetwidgeon and ummm @spicychestnut