#headers oath

[evacrstairs]

look for the girl with the broken smile, ask her if she wants to stay a while...

the oath we give (coraline whittaker) headers. like or reblog if you save or use. 🌚

art by btzart_ commissioned by silasvolkov 

[maddiesflame]

The Oath We Give headers

like/reblog if saved © maddiesflame

[istherewifiinhell]

were back to our (ir)regularly scheduled bullshit!

[ID: Splash page with the issue title and creative credits. Megatron is bound up in cables, some plugged into him, effecting repairs. He speaks: Remind me to thank you when i get down from here, Shockwave. Meanwhile, resumption of my command must begin now. Shockwave: You don't seem to understand. These autobots you see lying dead on the ground are there because I put them there. The Decepticons you see barely clinging to life are in that operating mode because of you. Until I intervened, Autobot victory over us was assured.* The evidence says your leadership was faulty, Megatron. Logic says I must assume command of the Decepticons. Editor's Note: *as seen in issue 8 END]

back to the USmarvel, The New Order, issue no. 5! (22-23 UK reckoning) from feb 1985!

Script: Bob Budiansky Art: Alan Kupperberg Letters: Rick Parker Colour: Nel Yomtov Editor: Jim Owsley EiC: James Shooter Digital Re-master by Digikore Studios Limited. Collection Edits by Justin Eisinger and Alonzo Simon. Editorial notes and assistance by Mark. W. Bellomo

now... welcome back digital re-master. just in time for me to rip you a new on... bare with my folks...

so this issue opens with new king bitch in town, shockwave, conducting research into humans via television. so uh.., they put honeymooners in my transformers comic?

[ID: Both images of a Full page B&W illustration, two men stand behind a table, one asking "Whatsa matter Ralphie-boy?" Ralph, staring wide eyed, dead ahead, grips a chair saying "Homina-Homina-Homina!" A woman looks in through a window, with a scowl. 1. The illustration uses blocked inks, and half-tones for the characters, but the background and objects have mid and dark halftones added in an almost painterly fashion. 2. The art now with most of the tones and shading removed, everything left either black, midtone, or stark white. END]

surely. one of these images is higher definition. but which one looks BETTER? now its possible this is actually about which master copies they were working from. perhaps a rights issues? (the uk printing replaces this page with a different image) but i note here ALSO. they removed the artist, Kupperberg's, signature form the bottom left corner. a hateful affair all told.

though, this doesnt just piss me off to see an artist works edited, and made to SUCK! (tho boy does it...) my friends... comrades, fellow bloggers. lend me your eyes. DO they see this the way mine do? cause ill eat my fucking hat if that's not DUOSHADE paper. the infamous medium of many a B&W indie. not familiar? check out my previous blogging on the friendly neighbourhood martial reptiles. but i digress.

if this. this INSULT to my very being wasnt enough. they also recoloured shockwave from a perhaps accidentally stunning shade of magenta to a cool lavender... which i personally just found quite boring. well. most of the time

[ID: 1. UK printing, Shockwave seated on throne like seat, coloured very warm toned purple. He listen to a sports broadcast and says "These humans are even more primitive than I thought." 2. Digital remaster, Shockwave's profile visible, coloured red, as he watches a news reporter. END]

the very first image of this post has another, red shockwave, btw. I suppose, they could be printing or colouring errors, but they could also be lighting/compositional choices by Yomtov (its not uncommon for his foreground characters to be done in monotone, particularly, purple) either way they corrected for it. and to me, this instance just comes of that whatever work flow being used, doesnt even flag the second figure AS shockwave, so a redwave remains...

i stress. i never blame any individual who does this work. its to them, just a job, and why should it not be? my ire is with IDW, and why they enact these "restorations" anyway, and why the fuck people ought to pay new money for old art that has been given so little respect...

anyway reading the print version meant a lot of tabbing between the us and uk printings. which is why i noticed this

[ID: The crediting for the colourist, Nel Yomtov. In the US printing the say "Colors" and in the UK "Colour", the S removed, and a U added. END]

im just amused by the effort taken... surely the kids dont care that much? and yes apparently they do this every time.

JEEZE CREESY WHO CARES. LETS SEE SOME ROBOTS

[ID: Shockwave watching the news, off panel dialogue Reporter: Ms. Beller, you have been called a computer genius even though you're only a few years out of high school. What is your role in this? Beller: It's true I designed the secondary and tertiary oil recovery systems Reveal of Beller, a very young looking woman in a jacket and a hard hat. She continues: --the semi-automated defense system, the refinery's non-polluting digitized micro-scrubbers. But I consider it all just a part of my job. END]

shockwave learns the alarming news that a new female character is being introduced!

[ID: 2 page spread, the bodies of almost every single introduced Autobot are hanging from the ceiling, damaged and "bloodied". Shockwave scrolls under them, saying "Indeed" END]

also. check this shit out

anyway WHATS going on between shockwave and megs?

[ID: Shockwave pointing to the still bound Megatron: You will explain now how you permitted our position to deteriorate so drastically, Megatron. Megatron, mostly off panel: As… Commander… it is your right to demand anything of me. It is my privilege to oblige. END]

OH. its like that huh?

[ID: Shockwave offpanel "--Should logic so dictate." A close on Megatron, he thinks "Talk, Shockwave..." A close on his repairing hand twitching "...talk while you still can!" END]

well maybe not for long...

anyway... turns out the WAS a reason we saw ratchet helping those EMT's

[ID: Ratchet driving into the hospital parking lot. Buster calls out "Ratchet!!" who responds "Greetings, Buster Witwicky how nice to see your carbon-based face again!" Buster asks "Ratchet, where've you been?" END]

I hope your all ready to become extremely endeared by ratchet, or else just put up with it. cause...

[ID: Buster and Ratchet, still in alt mode, continue to speak, while EMTs are searching for the source of this mysterious voice. Buster: If they attacked the Autobots they should all be broken-down junk-heaps by now! Ratchet: Wonderful! I knew your father was a human we could trust EMT 1: I'll look behind the grill, Mel! EMT 2: I'll check under the seat cushion, Gus! Four people react in shock as Ratchet shouts: Do you organic creatures mind? I don't go poking around your mouths to see how you talk, do I? END

my beloved....

[ID: Ratchet on the road, stopped at a red light, as Buster rides inside. Ratchet: Listen, friend traffic signal, we're in a hurry, so if you could please turn green… Buster: It doesn't hear you, Ratchet, it's only a machine. Ratchet: I'm a machine, and I hear you, Buster! Buster: Yes, but you're different, you're-- Inside view as the light turns green. Ratchet: Ahh, he changed! Thank you, friend traffic signal. May the rest of the day find you in proper working order. You see, Buster, you have to learn how to talk to people. Buster: I… I'll try to keep that in mind, Ratchet. END]

this is so charming can we get corey burton and uh. well rest in peace don messick.., so just corey burton twice will do, to record his.

oh and anyone interest in timeline of when tf lore gets introduced (me... thats... mainly just me)

[ID: Shockwave points to Megatron: As always, you underestimate Optimus Prime, Megatron. No, he will not be cut up into wires and microchips. His value is far greater to us if we keep him functional, for it is logical to assume that an Autobot of his stature contains within him--The Creation Matrix! Megatron thinking: By the divine weld! The Creation Matrix is the computer program that allows its possessor to construct new transformer life! Its power is the stuff of legends! Shockwave continues: It is said once every ten millenia a new Autobot leader is chosen and encoded with The Matrix. END]

MATRIX MENTION? everyone have their lore bibles out? someone WRITE THAT DOWN.

[ID: Buster stumbling through the Ark in shock, "N-no… it can't be true! There must be some explanation! There must be! Wait a second… I didn't see Optimus in there…there's still optimus… there has to be--" He walks into a room with Optimus Prime's severed head, plugged into grand machinery. Buster yells "--Optimus!" Prime, weakly: Buster Witwicky… You must help me… you are… the Autobots… last hope…" End card-- Next: Oil Rig Assault! END]

OH MY GOD!

[hiloedits]

— silascoraline headers

like or reblog if you use/save.

© hiloedits on twitter.

[smahell]

obey me and the fall - a metaphor for asylum and immigration, and the problems refugees face

(random fuckass header image bcs. i want this to be formatted nicely <3) Obey Me as a game hasn't really sparked me as the type to delve into sociopolitical issues of today (it's a dating sim for christ's sake; it's more escpism than anything), but revisiting some of nightbringer's main story did give me a strangely altered perspective of the events of The Fall, and the aftermath of such. Any piece of creative work have agendas behind them, and so from this I came to the conclusion that the events of the fall directly mirrors the plights refugees face when imigrating to a new country. obey in itself doesn't explicitly frame itself as political, but nothing is ever "not political".

(spoilers up to lesson 15 of nightbringer after the cut)

What We Know About The Fall + The Parties Involved

The Celestial Realm is governed by Michael, though the Father is an active and supreme force throughout the realm. The Celestial Realm remains the primary residence of angels and celestial beings.

The Fall occurs directly after the Great Celestial War, after their Father crushes the brothers' rebellion.

They fall to the Devildom and remain there as demons until present day.

Lucifer swears an oath of allegiance to diavolo "for all eternity".

The inciting incidence is arguably a miscarriage of the Celestial Realm's justice system, which failed Lilith and in turn the brothers. The rules (instated) remained in place in order to maintain balance between all three realms, but it had no consideration for the true safety of his own creation. It was obviously why they then decided to revolt; they refused to let their own sister be subject to just being wiped from existence. The revolt actively defied their Father's authoritarian rule and is directly political.

Being cast out of the Celestial Realm, they then fell into the Devildom and practically remained there, seeking polictical asylum. To ensure Lilith's and the other brothers' safety, Lucifer swears allegiance to Diavolo, perhaps in the same way one earns citizeship by swearing allegiance to a governmental figure. Many real immigrants have to undergo this process even when this new country does not have their interests priotized. Lilith is a martyr to their cause, dying (in their minds) as a figurehead of resistance against such a rule. Lucifer's allegience is a method of quiet resistance, not to only save himself but his family (and with such a move, he jepordises his fate).

Within the Devildom, the brothers are kept hidden, sheltered from the rest of the world as the news of the Celestial War shook not just the Celestial Realm but the Devildom too. As they had only recently arrived, they are in "no position" to refuse orders from the King himself. There's seven of them even with Lilith gone: with death and pain arrives another "brother" born from grief and wrath. We'll save him for later.

Whenever they do want to leave the Demon King's Castle, they were met with disdain and disgust. Mammon and Asmo can't even go shopping normally as they were thrown out not for their actions, but for who they were as people - angels. What truly matters, that many Devildom folk do not consider, is that they all maintain a soul within them -- they are alive in a sense, yet "dehumanize" each other.

In extreme conditions, extremist ideologies survive. When "foreigners" arrive, the hate and disdain is palpable. It is this xenophobia and villainization of immigrants that mirror the struggles the brothers face. When they prove themselves through jepordising their own lives, they become "rulers" of the underworld, status shooting up for the underlings they were previosly treated as. They become, in a sense, humanized; it wasn't just about being seen as powerful and preserving that power and status they held in the celestial reallm, it was about mere respect, basic human decency. They were not asking for much.

(i find it interesting that Mammon was one of the first to detest this treatment, and actively found ways to build his reputation: has he been treated like this before? Mammon doesn't seem like the type of character that wants to be pitied by others. or perhaps he wants to give back what he gave to Lucifer for "straightening them up". It's perhaps closely related to the fact that Mammon was more easily adapting to the idea that he was a demon now, better than even Lucifer himself. But at the same time, it wouldn't make sense for him to try and adapt to the view of others to be seen as a "demon". I think I'm thinking too hard about this. Maybe he just wanted the riches and fame, or this is a stretch.)

But for now, they dine as a family... even when in a later instance, the hatred persists, although different.

When Simeon and Luke have dinner at their first dinner within the Devildom, Luke refers to Asmo's newfound ability as "disgusting", and hates the fact that someone as beloved as the "jewel" of the heavens has fallen so low. As soon as they outwardly show this new label that they have claimed, it is still instantly rejected. Luke acts as the personification of natives in the same way rejecting those who have left their countries for a variety of reasons. In many ways are such people seen as traitors and backstabbers through the act of "betraying their homeland", but it is not a crime to want something better for yourself outside where you originally grew up. However, Asmo doesn't realize this and his yearning persists quietly in the background of the dinner as they continue to converse about old memories in the Celestial Realm.

Satan's identity is comparable to that of a second generation immigrant. Yes, he shares blood with Lucifer, but he never was truly an angel. Being born in a place where you have to assimilate at once, and have no knowledge of your homecountry, no knowledge of your "identity" or what you're meant to be... such a problem can resonate with second generation immigrants because they are seen as "one of the other". It can't be both. It is seen through the minor upset Satan has as a table -- everyone was reminicing about their hometown, where they still have positive memories from. The six still maintain identitis shaped from those memories, but Satan's remains unclear, attached to the person he hated the most. It is clear that the brothers's roots, though bittersweet, are still important to them. It still builds their identity and keeps them strong, and it's what Satan needs.

When finally confronted, Asmo finally reveals that he wants to return back to the Celestial Realm and being an angel, a metaphor for returning to one's home country and still taking back that rigid sense of identity established by others. Finally, when everything settles, Belphie and Beel invite the two other angels to play video games together. They all mention this feeling of connection to the room; the area acts as an analogy for shared culture(s), whether that be through food, music, dance, tradition. Though they are now angel and demon, immigrant and native, their identity shines.

The sole benefactor of their turmoil is Diavolo, who is still idealistic - perhaps this experience is what sowed the seeds of uniting the three worlds in peace. Nevertheless Diavolo accomodates them with Barbatos's help, mirroring the provisions the welfare state may provide for its people (in this case, it's asylum seekers). It's helpful, but holds an amount of power almost fragile to touch; the abuse of said power can be actively hurtful and harmful to such migrant communities. Diavolo takes Beel away for his destructive behaviour at dinner, unable to hear the other brothers' pleas for help. Barbatos notes that he has broken rules, and must be punish for destroying the King's property; law enforcement does not involve sympathy nor does it care for situation ethics. It can be sterile, and unmoving for even those who may have been seen to do the "right thing".

For some, they scenes are a reality, whether they may be escaping from extreme conditions or emmigrating for the shot of a better life within the western world. The mere label of "demon" given to them represents not only the physical change they have gone through, but the growth of a completely new and unique identity. The choice to stay in the Devildom is a metaphor for the fact that lines and boarders do not reveal one's true identity. Identity comes from family, culture, and the way that one has been brought up. The brothers embrace the titles of lords of the underworld, yet still preserve parts that still made them unique from the beginning of creation. So if that isn't how true identity works, I don't know what does.

thank you all for reading, and please don't be afraid to share your own thoughts and analysis! thank you to @avirtualdrive for listening to my deranged rambles over vc, as well as @sirstacksalot for just encouraging me to stretch this interpretation further ^^

[thenameswinterfics]

AGAPE

Fandom: The Last Kingdom Pairing: Osferth x Reader Settings: Between season 4 and season 5 Summary: Torn between the desire to feel you and the sacredness of his vows, Osferth gives you flowers as a token of his love and devotion, the meaning of his love hidden behind the flower's language. But a scouting expedition beyond Rumcofa's borders forces him to confront the devil who tempts him. Word Count: 2,9 K Warnings: Fluff, mild smut, mention of religious guilt, mention of male mansturbation A/N: Here's my birthday present for my beloved @zaldritzosrose . Happy birthday, sweet love. I apologise for taking so long, I hope you can appreciate this. (And consider also this as a way to thank you for all the graphics you made for me). As always, thank you to @foxyanon and @legitalicat for having an endless patience with me. Also, thanks to @sylasthegrim for the brief beta reading!

ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE. I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE FOR MY GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY MISTAKES.

Header by @legitalicat Dividers by @zaldritzosrose

READ IT ON AO3

THE LAST KINGDOM MASTERLIST

Agape: (n), the highest form of love. Selfless, sacrifical, and unconditional love; persists no matter the circumstances.

When Osferth saw you for the first time, the seed of sin was already creeping into his soul.

Brought up in a monastery, King Alfred's bastard son had been sheltered from the dangers of the outside world, his life rigidly punctuated by the silent rhythm of prayer and the teaching of sacred texts, his vow of chastity protecting him from the lustful pleasures of the flesh, his body preserving the purity so longed for by God. 

But everything changed when he joined Uhtred and his men, leaving behind his former life outside the holy walls of the Church and embracing the way of the warrior. His first days were not easy: he was not used to witnessing death and destruction first hand, and killing was a thought that made his stomach turn and his spine chill. But the years passed quickly, and the shy monk became a warrior and one of Uhtred's most trusted men. 

He had always heard Finan say "ale, women and prayer" whenever they temporarily settled in a village, and watched as he and Sihtric drank endless mugs of ale, joining them for as long as his stomach would allow. And every time the thought of the flesh came back to haunt him, his faith would help him resist the temptation, and Osferth would end up praying for God's forgiveness, soothing his guilt for almost abandoning himself in the sin.

But your arrival shattered all his holy defences. 

He watched with wide eyes as you challenged Uhtred to a fight, your body dancing with every stroke of your sword, admiring your coolness and agility in battle and how easily you disarmed a skilled fighter like the Daneslayer. And those same eyes, intense and fierce in battle, were the ones that met him, in a glance that ignited the spark of attraction, an unfamiliar heat that blossomed in his chest. 

Every time he closed his eyes, his thoughts were filled with visions of you - your wild spirit, your stolen glances, the way you cared for your friends and children even when you said otherwise, even the way your lips curled into a gentle smile. In the silence of his room, he struggled with his longing, every breath a battle between desire and duty. Part of him still had to keep his oath to God, the promise to maintain his integrity and serve Him and Him alone for the rest of his life. But another part of him wanted to surrender and embrace the sin that had taken root in his heart, to love you as freely as you did, whose own religion allowed you to worship the gods with physical touches and passionate love. 

Osferth always wanted to confess his love for you, but his shyness and his religious morality never allowed him to openly express his true feelings.

So he used the language of flowers to convey his unspoken feelings for you.

Osferth had always been an enduring mystery. You sensed it from the moment you met him, his blue eyes hiding a longing that you misinterpreted at first, thinking he was simply worried about his lord's fate since he was defeated in front of the bewildered gazes of his warriors. 

But it was not until Uhtred welcomed you into his group with open arms that you truly began to understand him. As you shared stories of your adventures around the fire, surrounded by the green of the boundless Mercian borders, you glimpsed a layer of his character that was hidden beneath his demeanour: he was a gentle soul, both in his words and his actions, and spoke with an intensity in his words that you hadn't found in any men you'd met in your life.

Your silent glances turned into lingering moments, and you both felt a connection to each other that you had never felt before. You brushed your fingers against each other as you reached for the same piece of food, or as you passed weapons to each other as you prepared for battle, and each time you saw the monk's smile as a silent response, his face flushed to the tips of his ears, a vision that made your heart pound in your chest.

In time, the accidental caresses became bold, and you both began to rest your hands on each other's cheeks, feeling the softness of each other's skin as the tips of your noses touched. But every time you thought you could go further, a wall of responsibility would fall over Osferth and the monk would leave your embrace. You interpreted his sudden hesitation as mere disinterest in you, but you didn't know that inside him there was a war between integrity and impulsiveness, for you were the devil who broke the chains of God's influence. 

You had known Osferth for long enough that you thought you knew everything about him. Yet, somehow, the once almost monk still managed to surprise you. One evening, while you guarded the children as you were granted accommodations by Lady Aethelflaed estate in Saltwic, he began exhibiting a predisposition towards plants and flowers. You watched as he bent over, his slender fingers gently caressing the petals of a flower before plucking it from the bush and turning to gift it to you, which you accepted happily.

Each flower was different, both in shape and colour: small and with few petals, roses of the brightest red, small wild flowers that he sometimes tucked behind your ear, large and fragrant tulips: they were carefully chosen each time you crossed Mercia, and your intimate ritual continued when you reached Rumcofa, the place you would soon call home. 

You leaned into his spontaneous gestures, consoling yourself a little, seeing them as the closest you could get to a gesture of love. But you would soon find out the hidden secrets that these flowers hide between their beautiful petals.

Spring arrived unusually early in Rumcofa, and while nature was already in full bloom - from the brightest greens of the grass to the most vibrant hues of the flowers - there was still a slight chill in the air, a silent reminder that winter had not yet loosened its grip on the earth. 

The sun was bright in the sky, and Uhtred and the boys patrolled the area, making sure there were no dangers or possible incursions. It was a sudden change of life for everyone, as you had lived in Coccham for many years, but this did not stop Uhtred from making his new piece of land powerful and safe for his warriors’ families.

Fortunately, the scouting had been without any particular difficulty, and after hours of riding, Uhtred decided it would be wise to let his men rest and feed the horses before resuming their activities. So they decided to head for the forest, which was somewhat drier than the dense vegetation that surrounded Coccham, but no less intriguing: the trees were tall and stringy, and the early scent of pine and damp earth filled the air. Birds were calling in the distance, their songs echoing through the treetops, casting small patterns of light on the ground.

Dismounting from your horse, you took your shield and sword from the saddle, carrying them with you in case you needed to defend yourself from an ambush. Deep in the forest, you and Osferth gathered as many twigs as you could find to light a small fire and prepare some food for your stomachs: the scouting had been long and hard, and hunger mixed with fatigue always fooled even the most skilled of warriors.

Having gathered all the twigs you needed, you decided it was time to take a little break. The two of you walked in silence, close to each other, shame and unspoken feelings filling a forest already blooming for the spring season, until you both reached a small stream where you could sit and relax, smelling the scent of wet grass and water plants, along with the chirping of cicadas and the singing of birds. 

You cautiously approached the water, dipped a hand in and lightly wetted your face, enjoying the coolness of the cold hair against your wet skin. Then you sat down, pressing your back against the grass and closing your eyes, surrendering to the peaceful sounds of nature, until a sudden rustling of leaves made you open your eyes. You lifted your head to see Osferth awkwardly gathering some flowers tangled in a bush, the sight so sweet it made you smile slightly.

"It seems you like picking flowers lately," you said with a slight chuckle, watching as the monk froze, the tips of his ears turning slightly red. You could feel one of his hands lightly picking up a small flower, the flicker transferred to its petals. 

“It is an activity I enjoy, my lady, before we come back scouting,” Osferth replied politely to you, and you could hear a flicker of nervousness in his voice. 

You rolled to the other side, your arm supporting your head as you watched Osferth pluck flowers from the ground and gently gather them into a small bouquet. With no small hesitation, he approached you, sat down on the ground and silently leaned the bouquet towards you, his blue eyes looking at you with their usual intensity and longing, betraying the decorum of his religious beliefs. 

You found yourself admiring the improvised floral composition, lost in its beauty: the flowers were large, probably larger than those he had given you in the past, the petals soft as silk to the touch, painted a vibrant pink with muted shades of pale pink. You had never seen such a beautiful flower in your life. 

“Osferth,” you breathlessly broke the silence, your eyes shining with contentment: you were a warrior woman, but even you had a soft side, “I do not know what to say. They are-”

“Peonies,” the monk interrupted you, his cheeks turning red while watching your bewilderment over his gift, “They are peonies. Very beautiful flowers, if I dare to say,”. 

Osferth paused for a moment, then cleared his throat and continued, "From the writings of the monastery, I have learned that peonies are rich in symbolism and have many meanings. One of his fingers pointed to the flowers in your hands, his thumbs gently stroking the petals, "Some believe it has healing properties and symbolises protection, others believe it is the symbol of honour and nobility,” 

Suddenly, he took one of your hands, and with incredible kindness he placed it on his chest, and you felt his heart beating wildly inside his chest, “And they are often given when you want to tell someone you love them,” 

Silence fell over you as you took your time to absorb Osferth's words, his words hitting you like an arrow shot to the chest: you were used to Osferth's elusiveness on these subjects, as you had caught him praying in solitude, asking forgiveness for sins he had not committed. But his gentle touches, his unspoken tender gestures and the flowers he gave you: he told you he loved you without thinking to touch you, so that his soul could live in peace. 

Your lips curled into a small smile as you brushed Osferth’s chest with your fingers, “Is this why you always give me flowers, when we get the chance?”, you asked softly, your own cheeks turning red as Osferth nodded shyly.

“I do,” the monk replied, his hand squeezing yours, “But I know this is wrong,” 

With a quick but delicate gesture, Osferth lowered your hand and stood up, pacing nervously and mentally reciting prayers of forgiveness. His behaviour left you both confused and broken, and after gently placing the flowers on the grass, you stood up and approached him, holding his hands in a way to calm himself down.

"It's wrong, what?" you asked calmly, hoping that your voice would bring him back to reality. But you knew from his gaze that he was somewhere else than with you, "Please, Osferth. Talk to me. Is it because I am a Dane?"

“It is because I desire you,” Osferth snapped, more in panic than anger, and the grip on your hands tightened, “It torments me to see you every day and wonder what it would be like to touch you and love you without feeling the burden of my faith,”

He then leaned one of his trembling hands, resting it on your cheek and brushing it gently, “All the flowers I gave to you, they were the sign of my love and commitment towards you without feeling God’s voice telling me it was wrong,” Osferth confessed with a soft sigh, closing his eyes as a way to hide his shame, “But now that I exposed my secret I do not know if he will grant me-”

“Is God watching us?” You asked out of the blue, interrupting his nervous stream of consciousness while your own hand rested on his cheek as well. Your question left Osferth surprised for a second, but a little chuckle escaped from his lips, amused by your apparent innocent question.

“My sweet lady, both your Gods and my God are watching us right now,” he replied sheepishly, and his answer satisfied you: it was what you wanted to hear.

“Then let them watch us,” you whispered with husky voice, your finger tracing the contour of his face, your touch sending him shivers down your spine, “Let them watch us consuming our love, only them as witnesses,” 

His breath caught as your soft touch lingered on his skin and the air suddenly became thick with tension. It was as if the war between righteousness and temptation was intensifying within him, the seed of sin blossoming into a small sprout destined to grow, fuelled by your carnal passion. 

And for the very first time, the devil won. 

His lips crashed against yours in a hungry kiss, releasing all the dormant passion he used to vent in the solitude of his room, reaching his climax when he cried out your name in his moments of lack of lucidity. Unable to restrain his hands, he gripped your waist in a surprisingly tight vice and moved you until your back was pressed against the trunk. He broke the kiss abruptly as guilt rose again in his chest, his eyes pleading for forgiveness.

“You need to stop me, please,” Osferth breathed against your lips, but you silenced him by teasing his upper lip with your tongue. 

“I won’t,”, you replied in a hoarse voice and put your hand behind his neck, “I have waited for so long, Osferth. I need to feel you,” 

With your last words, everything rational in Osferth's mind disappeared and your lips were locked in a heated kiss. A little hesitant at first, he grew bolder as the tip of his tongue tentatively demanded entry, which you gladly accepted. A wild and sensual dance exploded in your mouths as his hands slid all over your body, squeezing your soft breasts and forcing you to moan against his lips. With a confident movement, he undid the laces of your skirt, exposing you to the cold air of early spring. Your mind became dizzy as you felt Osferth's mouth run over your skin, tormenting first your neck, then your collarbone, until he indulged on your breast: with the tip of his tongue he teased your nipple, hardened by the cold and the rise of your arousal, while his hand teased the other with a pleasurable pinch. 

"You are tempting me, Lady," his shy and trembling voice contrasted with the bold movements of his hands, and you could only respond with whimpering and rambling words, your eyes closed as you rested your head on the trunk of the tree, drunk with the pleasure the innocent monk was giving you.

Leaving your chest, his hands slipped into your breeches, his fingers trembling and clumsy as he tried to find your pulsing core, wet with anticipation of what was to come. But as you felt the tip of his thumb caress you in a circular motion, two male voices called out to you in the distance, forcing you both to abruptly pull away from each other, hiding all evidence of your relationship. 

But all your attempts were in vain, as you realised with horror that Finan and Sihtric saw almost everything. 

"Looks like our baby monk is no longer a baby," Finan's teasing voice broke the awkward silence, supported by Sihtric's sly grin. Osferth's face turned bright red as he tried to cover you and save you from further humiliation. But he knew it was too late. 

“I-I swear I can explain,” the monk spoke with a quivering voice, but Sihtric was quick to interrupt him.

“Lord Uhtred gave the order to resume the scouting. Collect your things, both of you,” the Dane tried to stay as neutral as possible, his smirk betraying the seriousness of his words. 

“You will hump your lady later as a reward,” the Irishman added, and with a loud slap on the youngest's back, he and Sihtric turned and walked away from you. 

With a hint of embarrassment in the air, you tried to compose yourself by arranging your clothes and combing your hair into more tidy braids, and with a soft brush you told Osferth that everything was fine and that you were enjoying these little moments together. 

Gathering your things, you quickly rejoined your group and resumed your exploration of Rumcofa's surroundings, riding tirelessly until the orange sun disappeared behind the mountains. And as Finan said, your love and affection was the reward Osferth received after a long day, ignoring the guilt of his faith that whispered in his head as your naked bodies joined as one. 

If you've come this far, thank you so much for reading my fic! Hope you enjoyed it! Please, leave a comment if you want to be added in the taglist or be removed.

Osferth Taglist: @zaldritzosrose @legitalicat @sylasthegrim

[dakusan]

BEFORE I DROP THE ASK DUMP + FILTHY BINNIE VAMPIRE SMUT...

HOLY SHIT?????????? 2K FOLLOWERS??????? WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FERAL-FANGED-FUCK DO YOU MEAN. 2,000 OF YOU. IN THIS BLOOD-SOAKED, THIRST-DRUNK, CHAOS-DRENCHED DEN??? sincerely. why. but also thank you. but also how dare you encourage me.

ILY ILY ILY. like genuinely. from the bottom of my blackened vampire heart and the depths of my google docs folder titled “🩸 UNHOLY.” thank you for reading my brainrot, for screaming in the tags, for letting me be filthy and unhinged. you are all complicit in my crimes and i adore you for it.

now. are you wondering: “Daku will you do a 2k event?? 🥺✨”

LMAOOOOOOOOO.

probably not. maybe. i don’t know how to do those. never did one for 1k. never even knew what to do for that milestone besides spiral quietly and write another vampire smut fic.

some people are good at events and graphics and promo and being normal. me? i made a TikTok for VX, made a video, hated it, deleted it, and then went to lie face-down in my bed for two hours while a vampire playlist looped in the background. marketing??? never met her. aesthetic fic headers??? i try. i fail. they take me longer than the actual sex scenes. like i can’t pick a moodboard to save my life.

i love creating. i suck at promoting. but i’m still here. and you’re still here too. and that means more than i can articulate without getting accidentally soft and ruining my vampire rep.

anyway.

THANK YOU FOR 2K. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE A VAMPIRE WHORE ONLINE. THANK YOU FOR SCREAMING WITH ME ABOUT FANGS AND NECKS AND BLOOD OATHS AND AFTERCARE

— Daku 💋🦇

[edelgard-more-like-baedelgard]

I dont know who she is, would you like to infodump? (Regarding your new pfp and header)

Alright anon, I'm finally ready and I just have to warn you that you've brought this on youself <3

All those girls are from a game called Honkai Impact 3rd, which (ignoring the problems inherit in all games unfortunate enough to be gacha) has some of my favorite characters and one of my favorite video game stories EVER. Part 1 of the story, which features these girls, finished like... 3 years ago? And they have not released me from the brainworms for a single fucking second.

Pfp girl specifically is the main character of Honkai Impact, Kiana Kaslana. Now, the other 2 girls in my header with Kiana are just as heavily entwined with the story, but the purple haired girl, Sirin, is particularly Extremely Fucking Important to Kiana as a character and her whole backstory and character progression we see in-game so we WILL be talking about her specifically as well. However, due to Kiana being the main character and her story being so heavily entwined with 90% of the lore this also means I kinda have to explain big chunks of the game, so uh... have fun reading the massive essay I'm about to write lmao.

To start off, Honkai Impact is an AU of the real world where humanity is constantly under threat from an extradimensional force called "The Honkai" which can do everything from irradiate you in its base form of Honkai Energy, create Honkai Beast monsters to kill you, or create natural disasters (The Honkai canonically created the Black Plague in an effort to kill humanity in Honkai Impact's alternate history). Figuring out how to survive/eventually finally defeat whatever the Honkai throws at humanity next and the Honkai as a whole is the central conflict of the setting.

Now I'm gonna start with a general overview and then go into details from there.

Kiana

Enter: Kiana Kaslana.

At the point in the timeline the story starts, Kiana is an orphan who is training as a enhanced warrior called a "Valkyrie" with a secretive paramilitary group called Schicksal that is dedicated to responding to Honkai related threats. The principal of the school is a woman who knew her father and has promised to tell Kiana his wherabouts if she manages to complete her training AND get promoted to an A-Rank Valkyrie (The ranks don't particularly matter as far we're concerned with the wider lore but in the beginning this is particularly important for Kiana in her search for why her Dad abandoned her, even people in-universe question how good a system it actually is. All you need to know is they go D, C, B, A, S and A-Rank generally means "Powerful competent fighter" and S-Rank means "This person could challenge the strongest Honkai manifestations solo"). She starts very much your usual spunky hot-headed anime protagonist type girlie, constantly talking back to/ignoring authority figures, one of her very first scenes is her ignoring orders to instead run over to team up with her girlfriend one of our other main characters, Raiden Mei.

As the story moves forward and the larger plot begins to take shape around her, we see how despite this overconfident, carefree attitude she displays to everyone else, most of it is truly a front. A hurt girl who never knew her mom, was abandoned by her dad, and had to wander the world from ages 12-16 (until she met Mei) on her own searching for an answer to why she wasn't good enough for her dad to stick around. A hurt girl who desperately clings to the only thing her dad left her, which was the oath of the Kaslana family to defend the world from the Honkai even at the cost of their own lives, something which comes back to majorly bite her in the ass as it fuels her self-sacrifical tendencies to throw herself at danger believing she needs to try and save the world all on her own. Her relationship with Mei becomes a major part of her life, with her saving Mei's life after they met and both of them growing extremely close, and their relationship evolves and matures along with them.

Another major part of her early story arc is realising that she has the power of one of the Honkai's most powerful manifestations within her. That of a human-turned-demigod called a "Herrscher". And comes to see herself as the cause of the world's (and specifically her loved one's) misery after the Herrscher inside her takes control, causes a global disaster, and forces her to watch as the Herrscher fights and kills her teacher/mother figure Himeko Murata, but not before Himeko helped Kiana begin regaining control of her body. Over the next several arcs we see her go through suicidal depression (to the point of actually almost killing herself at one point) in the wake of her teacher's death, begin learning how to control her powers, and start to become suicidally self-sacrificial in an effort to redeem herself by saving the world on her own. Honestly you could probably get some pretty good detailed analysis from this part of her story about depression and how some people will find ways to hurt themselves that aren't the obvious things like cutting or starving themselves. Instead Kiana is going to use what little time she has left to be a hero even if it kills her faster. Even if it's obviously paining Mei with how much she loves and wants to protect Kiana.

One of the best story arcs in the game is when this all comes to a head. She's left her friends after regaining control of her body and been on the run for 4 months, she's helped stop a city from being destroyed by a Honkai radiation bomb at the cost of her own health, and due to how much Honkai energy that blast made her absorb, has travelled to the destroyed city where she first met Raiden Mei and her bff Bronya Zaychik to die alone. When it comes to Mei's importance to Kiana the writers spare no effort in making sure you know THEY ARE GAY. THEY ARE IN LOVE. In every way that won't get them censored by the CCP again (they already had to remove and change around some dialogue after being too blatant with the lesbianism, though they still kept in 1 line where someone does straight up call Mei Kiana's girlfriend). The way their characters entertwine with each other and the way their relationship grows is so so satisfying to watch.

Now needless to say, their relationship in the beginning while very sweet and extremely gay, was not the healthiest. Mei became extremely codependent on Kiana which was now conflicting with Kiana's insistence on sacrificing herself for the good of the world. A new antagonist that was introduced when Kiana saved that city from the Honkai gives Mei an out. A way to save Kiana from herself. I think this convo right here perfectly illustrates where they're at at this point and how Mei is getting pushed further and further to being willing to take an extreme option to stop Kiana:

So Mei takes this other option that could lead to a peaceful life for Kiana and this inevitably leads to conflict between the two and eventually a physical fight in one of the best boss sequences in the game from a story perspective imo, with a weakened and dying Kiana still desperately trying to stop a now much more powerful Herrscher of Thunder Mei from leaving her and Mei literally slicing apart flashbacks to how her and Kiana met and grew close that appear on screen. And also leads to this iconic line:

This whole event with the most important person in her life seemingly turning on her in order to stop her basically knocked some sense in Kiana. After the initial shock and depression passed, we get to spend several chapters watching Kiana learn to start relying on her friends and family more instead of trying to shoulder everything alone, and she is even able to save one of her close friends from sacrificing herself because "This is my mission" just like she was doing when Mei went to extreme lengths to stop her. She slowly begins to brighten up again. Now, of course she doesn't return to exactly how she was at the beginning of the game, but we see a return to a Kiana that smiles, cracks stupid jokes again, but also has moments of deep reflection where she shows she really has gained a deeper understanding of herself and how she had been hurting those around her with her self-sacrificing and has formed a more solid base for her philosophical beliefs and her goals. She becomes confident again, not just in herself but in her friends and family and their ability to overcome any obstacle together. And this includes Mei. During the culmination of this new arc, of watching Kiana come into her own and mature, of seeing her learn how to approach her goals of saving the world in a healthier way, she says several times that she's never held what happened against Mei. That she understands why she did what she did, and that if nothing else, it makes her still hold an unconditional trust in the woman even when others consider her a traitor.

They even have a sweet scene together when connected by their powers when Mei shows up to help Kiana reaffirming that they still want to support each other even if they can't fully have that reconcilliatory talk right here and now.

Kiana, as someone who has become a leader in humanity's fight against humanity, learned to shoulder these burdens with support rather than alone. As well as accepting her past and what that means for her moving forward, embracing the legacy her teacher left her and gaining even more power in THE best cinematic in the ENTIRE game, no shot, don't even question me. It brings together Kiana's entire character arc and besides being her learning to embrace what her power means as a hope for the future also draws multiple parallels between her and her teacher, Himeko as her fire powers are both literal as well as symbolic of how she's inherited Himeko's flame (i.e. her hope for Kiana and her trust in her student's ability to change the world).

As well as the symbolic nature of the way she uses her friends powers throughout the fight instead of only her own.

Her new form she gains is literally called the "Herrscher of Flamescion" which might be a rather obvious mashing together the Herrscher of Flame and "scion" but it does its job and she looks fuckin awesome while doing it.

If anyone says another cinematic is better than Everlasting Flames, they're fucking lying, the only thing that even comes close is Lament of the Fallen, the animation for Mei beating Kiana into the ground in a bout of lesbian angst.

Anyways, after that peak the writing kinda falls off imo but that's a whole other thing to talk about in a different post, I still mostly love all of Part 1. After this culmination of Kiana's entire story arc and finally reuniting with Mei, she takes it a step further and fights god alongside her girlfriend and best friend, finally achieving her goal of saving humanity from the Honkai by becoming the literal Goddess of the Honkai. Now, there's so much I could go into with just how much this probably fucks her up that in order to save humanity she has to shoulder being the only one to remain inhuman and seperated from them, but this is supposed to be In General so I will save it for later. The Goddess of Earth is where she stands today, after all those trials and tribulations and watching her grow every step of the way. Playing through the hours and hours of this game and watching this character development (alongside Mei and Bronya's own, I could do another entire essay like this just about Mei) Kiana is just so... idek how to put it in one word. Inspiring, I guess? To watch her go from the literal rock bottom of her life to gaining a circle of friends and family that give her the strength to take on the burden of being a lonely god. Honkai Impact quite literally ends with Kiana winning throug the power of friendship, but instead of making me cringe it has shot her up to one of my favorite characters of all time, because for the most part the writing in Honkai Impact is Pretty Fuckin Good and with how long you spend with her on this journey you get very attached.

Sirin

You see, one of the other major plot points of Honkai Impact is that the Honkai has an intelligence behind it that will every so often select a human with enough Honkai resistance and usually some animosity towards humanity to concentrate Honkai energy around and transform them into a "Herrscher". Now with Kiana I briefly mentioned this, how each Herrscher becomes basically a demigod capable of bending reality/breaking the laws of physics and each can generally do this in dangerous ways, but with Sirin we're gonna be going into more detail. Each Herrscher also has a specific specialty such as the 3rd Herrscher controlling electricity/lightning/electromagnetism or the 2nd Herrscher controlling "The Void", which manifests as her being able to open portals between two points and shift into other dimensions n shit, all that jazz, she's breaking the laws of space all over this bitch. Kiana's backstory specifically revolves around the 2nd Herrscher.

The Herrscher of the Void becomes an ever present antagonist for Kiana as her power is within her and the Herrscher begins to invade her dreams and tease her with bits of info about her past, her parents, how she was orphaned, until she drives Kiana to a point of mental spiralling that she can take over Kiana's body.

And here's where we talk about the purple-haired girl. Sirin. The Herrscher of the Void before Kiana ended up with her abilities. Her full story is told in a fucking EXCELLENT manga Mihoyo published called Second Eruption and I have read it multiple times at this point.

Sirin was also orphaned as a child. Though later we find out this was purposeful. You see, in order to further develop Honkai powered technology, including the implants that give Valkyries their enhanced abilities, Schicksal needed to experiment. Needed test subjects. And so children who had high Honkai resistance would mysteriously "disappear" or in Sirin's case, her mother would suddenly die of a mysterious illness so she could be taken in by Schicksal.

Schicksal then, of course, subjected all these orphans to horrifically painful experiments, injecting them with liquid Honkai and watching as it tore them apart from the inside so they could get more data on how it effects the human body until they died, which she shows to another one of Kiana's mentors, Theresa Apocalypse.

These events, of course, are what led to Sirin's deep seated anger and hatred towards humanity which led to the Honkai choosing her to be the next Herrscher.

Everything that comes after this is the named Second Eruption, as Sirin's awakening as a full Herrscher causes a massive spike in Honkai energy that manifests thousands of Honkai beasts and eventually kills most of Siberia's population due to the massive amounts of Honkai Radiation. Schicksal and their opposing faction called Anti-Entropy team up to fight back and this, including the First Herrscher, the Herrscher of Reason, who is also the first Herrscher to turn their back on the Honkai to help humanity instead. This manga also reveals that there is truly an intelligence behind the Honkai, with an entity they call the Will of Honkai guiding Sirin in her attempts to kill the Herrscher of Reason and wipe out humanity, an entity Sirin considers to be god, with her often calling herself a Holy Seraph or servant of God (there's a whole other conversation that can be had about how she was a child praying for salvation and the power to stop her suffering and the Will of Honkai used that spirituality to manipulate her into trading a physical cage for a metaphorical one). The Will of Honkai guides Sirin to four other dormant Herrscher cores on the moon, basically supercharging her, and Sirin puts a piece of these new powers into her friends' corpses, sort of resurrecting them as psuedo-Herrschers. While her dead friends each pick a city to decimate, Sirin starts chucking pieces of the moon at Earth and takes out several cities herself. To really hammer home how much damage she's causing, the manga even starts quoting the christian book of Revelation.

As for how all this relates to Kiana, well, for one thing both of her parents were involved in this. Siegfried Kaslana and Cecilia Shariac were both part of Schicksal and both deployed to Siberia to fight Sirin. Sirin stole a piece of another protagonist's power to create illusions and intended to trap both of them in a nightmare. However, instead, it looked at Sirin's true desires and instead created an illusion where the Honkai no longer existed, and the Kaslana family was all together and happy. Sirin was then pulled into it as Siegfried and Cecilia's daughter and Kiana's sister. This is probably one of the most important scenes in the entire manga because it's an encapsulation of everything Sirin's character is about.

A child who suffered horribly and lashed out at the world that had hurt her, but despite the pain she had inflicted in return, she was still just a young girl who- more than anything- wanted a peaceful life and a family that loved her.

And so she lets herself indulge, lets Cecilia take her clothes shopping, finally gets to just enjoy her childhood for a moment. Eventually her anger comes back and she lashes out once again, only to realise that Cecilia had never been tricked by the illusion and had known full well who Sirin was the entire time, yet still tried to treat her like her own daughter. It was through this moment that when Sirin was finally seriously wounded by Siegfried, Cecilia had used her own abilities to disperse the Honkai radiation around Siberia with her own blood to the point she would die soon, and the leader of Schicksal decided to bury Cecilia, Sirin, and everything that had happened with a barrage of Fission missiles, Cecilia hugged Sirin one last time and told her "I love you" in german. Ich liebe dich.

And now we circle back around to Kiana. Because the Kiana we know and play as in the story is not the real Kiana. You see, Sirin's Herrscher Core was damaged but still intact after everything was vaporised by the missiles. And so the Schicksal Overseer, Otto Apocalypse, took it and used it to create clones using the real Kiana Kaslana's and Sirin's DNA to make an artifical vessel because he wanted to utilise the power of the Herrscher of the Void for his own ends. And when he finally put the core into one of the clones after hundreds of failures one of them, K-423, achieved sentience.

This is the big twist of Kiana's character. Her consciousness isn't there by chance. Both her, and the Herrscher of the Void that fought her for control of their body are continuations of Sirin born from the Herrscher core in their body, with Kiana representing Sirin's desire for love, and her Herrscher of the Void persona being Sirin's continued hatred towards the world. This is also the reason Siegfried left her as a child. Siegfried turned on Schicksal for all the shit they'd done and attempted to steal Kiana away, however instead of his real daughter he got the Kiana clone with Sirin's core. He raised her for several years but eventually Sirin's hatred for him caused the Herrscher persona to awaken in a 12 year old Kiana. She promptly murdered a squad of Valkyries sent to take out Siegfried and recapture her, and Siegfried lost his left arm surpressing the Herrscher Persona. He then left Kiana by herself in order to avoid Sirin awakening again because of his presence.

For 25 chapters they struggle for control, and Kiana struggles to come to terms with the fact that she only existed to be a pawn, the being that her consciousness was derived from being the person that ruined the life of the real Kiana, wherever she was, and nearly destroyed the entire world twice, once while Kiana was stuck in her own mind only able to watch. It is in chapter 25, the same chapter the Everlasting Flames cinematic takes place at the end of, that she fully comes to terms with how she is tied to Sirin, how she doesn't have to let that past define her, but also how her goal to make the world a better place was now a promise to Sirin as well. The trials she overcame had also finally proven to the Herrscher of the Void persona that Kiana was capable of shouldering Sirin's memories and forging her own path, and she ceased fighting Kiana and allowed her uncontested control of the Herrscher of the Void's core (despite still not agreeing with Kiana's pov) before disappearing from her mind.

It is a very poignant moment, to finally have their conflict resolve through Kiana's view of Sirin going from hatred and considering her a monster that could only hurt people, to seeing Sirin for the hurt and traumatized child she had been and growing to sympathise with her instead despite their disagreement on how to handle humanity. And this then leads into the extremely fulfilling moment that is Everlasting Flames, which then leads into the bittersweetness of the girl who had been fighting for humanity, to have her own humanity acknowledged, to fulfill her promise to Himeko to give Earth's story a happy ending, becoming a lonely god. Trapped on the moon as she slowly siphons all Honkai energy off of Earth to finally give the people the peace she had fought for. Watching from afar while her family and friends make new lives for themselves without the Honkai, yet her life will now forever revolve around the Honkai, doomed to be an observer while everyone continues their growth without her. Sure they visit her and find ways to keep up communication with her, but it could never be the same as actually being there with them.

Tumblr won't let me put any more pics in this post but there's one moment that will always be stuck in my head forever, in the final cinematic of Part 1 called "Graduation Trip" showing Kiana walking through the peaceful life she's made for everyone with Mei until she steps away to assume the mantle of Herrscher of Finality, where she stares at her reflection, at the Herrscher of the Void looking back at her there, and asks if she has anything to say.

And instead of the usual disparaging comments, threats, or insults, Sirin tells her "You've done well."

The small smile Kiana has after those words carries sooooo much weight behind it it KILLS me every time I watch it.

Bianka

Last but not least there is the blonde girl in my header. Bianka "Durandal" Ataegina. I might keep this one a bit shorter because I can't add more pics and this post is already insanely long but she is too important to not say ANYTHING.

Long story short, Bianka is the real Kiana Kaslana after Otto kidnapped her, used her to make the clone Kiana we know as the MC, and wiped her memory before training her as a Schicksal Valkyrie under this new name she had chosen for herself. She was mentored by the Valkyrie who led the squad that was eventually killed by Sirin when attempting to apprehend Kiana and Siegfried. After this she formed herself into the model student, smart, attentive, extremely self-disciplined, the type of professional that people wonder why she has such a stick up her ass. She eventually became the youngest S-Rank Valkyrie in Schicksal history, choosing Durandal as her middle name after some inderdimensional shenanigans (there's lots of shit involving other dimensions and quantum physics in Honkai's story that I am NOT getting into here), which eventually becomes the name the public knows her by. By the time of the actual events of the game, Bianka is so strong she had become Schicksal's trump card plan against Herrschers as she was capable of 1v1-ing them without having any Herrscher powers herself. She's completely loyal to Otto for most of the game and as such becomes a bit of an antagonist for a little bit when she's sent to capture Kiana after she ran away following Himeko's death and clashed with Raiden Mei, who was also trying to bring Kiana back.

As the story progresses, the protagonists end up working with her at several points, but it's not until the final arc during the leadup to Kiana becoming Herrscher of Finality that events happen to confirm that she is the original Kiana. While the game could have done a lot better with how people react to this information, Bianka and Kiana do have a very sweet and emotional talk about themselves and this situation and eventually settle on considering each other sisters, Bianka not having any qualms with Kiana continuing on as Kiana Kaslana, as with her memory gone she has no real connection to the name, and prefers the legacy she has made for herself as Bianka Ataegina. It's at this point that white streaks of her original hair color start appearing in her Otto-modified blonde, which you might see around in fanart or official art/screenshots of her.

They also are able to both reunite with Siegfried, who readily accepts them both as his daughters, though Bianka is extremely awkwrd around him since she has no memory of him. It's with her family and her Totally Not Girlfriend Rita that we get to see through the professional facade and see Bianka acting much more like a loveable dork who can come off as a bit airheaded sometimes just like her sister when off the battlefield.

I'm not AS big on Durandal as I am Kiana and Sirin but I love them all v much. I think that's it for my way too long info dumping afgdaklghdskalghkljdasgask hopefully it's not too incoherent because I really am just rambling like I'm infodumping to someone standing next to me. I adore Kiana as a character and she will forever be one of my favorites of all time.

[emma-frxst]

Choking on Circumstances (ch. 1)

Pairing: Detective David Loki x f!reader

Summary: You and Loki navigate the aftermath of the Dover-Birch case all while navigating your feelings for each other.

Chapter Summary: the callback to Conyers. You return to Conyers, Pennsylvania sooner than you expected.

The ending of the Prisoners movie is meant to be ambiguous, however, in this fic we are going to assume Loki found Mr. Dover and he survives his injuries.

Series Masterlist

Warnings: language, talk of violence, inaccuracies about police/detectives/legal mumbo jumbo/ forensics/ psychology/ medical stuff. It’s giving two idiots in love, Loki being down bad, long distance relationship,

Authors note: The header is made with pics from Pinterest. The divider is from @firefly-graphics Tag list open! Let me know if you want on or off the tag list. Requests are also open!

Tagging regular tags and also some people who’ve kept up with demand for proof (just once) Tags: loki only tags: @spideyrights @sataninsatin @go-commander-kim @severuined @romancries @eclecticfashionbookszipper @fagen @sizzlingcloudmentality @mottergirl99

@meijasworldasf @1ivinqdeadqir1main @new-romanticz1989 @kittycat-kisses @diegos-sad-chick @sharp-cheekbones-locked @ochoaslvr @captgrim @buck-this-nasty @shycollectionwolfstuff

I’m shouting out @anunusers for being such a great support to me and this fic!

Your hands were sweaty and shaky as you rose from your seat; your favorite turtleneck suddenly felt too constricting. It was late January in Conyers now, and you just thought it was chilly at thanksgiving. You took a deep, steadying breath as you approached the witness stand; the old wood creaking under the weight of you. Both the defense and the prosecution deemed your expert testimony necessary for The People V. Keller Dover.

No matter how many times you testified in court, it still made you nervous. You’d think you’d be used to it by now, but every eye in the courtroom being on you was unnerving. But the nerves reminded you that you’re human.

Your left hand rested steadily on the Bible, your right hand raised in familiar poise. You took the oath very seriously. You believed in justice. You just hoped the system wouldn’t fail.

Your nerves settled for good upon finding David in the gallery. His usual scowl ingrained on his face. He was fixated on Keller, eyes boring a hole in the back of his head.

If looks could kill.

Loki made damn well sure that there would be a case against Dover. He needed to be held accountable for what he did to Alex Jones Barry Milland.

You and Loki weren’t sure if Keller Dover was really fucking smart or really fucking dumb. Keller had refused to take any deal the assistant district attorney offered, even though he was offered a damn good one. According to his lawyer, he would ‘take any chance at getting to go home to his family.’

His lawyer tried and tried to explain why a jury trial was a bad idea. If Keller didn’t take the plea deal, and the jury found him guilty on all counts, he would do at-least 20 years for kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, torture, and whatever else the DA tacks on. It would add up to a lifetime.

Keller wouldn’t hear it. He was sure if the jury heard his story, heard about Anna, if they saw a desperate father instead of a deliberate psychopath, then they would be sympathetic enough to find him not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.

You and Loki were almost worried that his plan would work.

Almost.

It was uncanny that Loki managed to find Mr. Dover in the first place, let alone finding him alive.

You knew David wouldn’t stop until he found all the pieces to the puzzle. He’d solved every case he’d ever been assigned, remember?

You thought back to when you first got the call.

You put your key in the door in a hurry, eager to get some rest. Not that you didn’t enjoy your time with detective Loki, but you were eager to sleep in your own bed and use your own bathroom. You swung your front door wide, luggage in tow; your home welcomed you like a warm hug.

You kicked off your shoes and drug your bags to bed bedroom.

Before you could do much of anything else, Your phone rang

You let out a groan. Couldn’t this wait ‘til you got back in the office?

The called ID surprised you.

None other than David Loki

“Miss me already?” You teased, picking up on the fourth ring.

“I found Dover! I-I found him.”

You nearly dropped the phone.

“What?”

Your eyes scanned over to the Dover family.

Keller was trying to look as pitiful as he could in front of the jury, his crutches proudly perched next to him on the table.

He had nearly lost his leg due to his gunshot wound going untreated for hours. But by some miracle he was learning to walk on it again.

Grace and the children sat directly behind him in the gallery. Grace Keller looked fucking tired. Not just tired, but plain worn out. You guessed the stress of your daughter being abducted and nearly dying, your husband nearly killing a man, and managing a household would do that to a person.

You wondered if she still stood by what she said when she and Anna visited Loki that day in the hospital. “He’s a good man.”

Was he Grace, was he?

Behind them sat the Birch family. They marked the end of the people you recognized. The other spectators were just press and news personnel.

“Please state your name and profession to the jury.” The district attorney, Julia, asked you. Or told you rather. From her reputation, Julia Williams didn’t mess around.

You knew how this would go, and not because you’d spent the last two days undergoing trial prep, but because you’d done it many a time before.

It usually went something like this:

You stated your name and explained what you did and what your job was. Then you’d testify to the defendant’s state of mind during the crime, citing evidence of course. Next you’d explain why or how the defendant knew or didn’t know what they were doing was wrong. Therefore, in your professional opinion, should be found guilty- or not guilty- of the crime. Then, the defense would question you, try to discredit you, and ultimately fail- because you were damn good at your job.

Your eyes scanned the jury as you talked, it was only day two of the trail, but they already looked tired. Maybe their deliberation at the end of all this would be quick. The evidence against Dover proved he did it without a doubt, but the Dover family somehow managed to afford a damn good lawyer. He wouldn’t prove temporary insanity beyond reasonable doubt, not if you could help it.

As you looked back to Loki, he was already looking at you.

And he was smiling.

[seiya-starsniper]

Turn the Page (A New Beginning, Another End) - Dreamling - Rating: Explicit

AO3 Link (COMPLETE)

Dreamwidth Link (COMPLETE)

Tags: Post-Book 10: The Wake (The Sandman), Comic Book Ending Spoilers, Parallel Universes, Multiverse, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, This is a story about Dream of the Endless but NOT about Morpheus, Imprisonment, Injury Recovery, Canon-Typical Violence, meet ugly, Getting to Know Each Other, Getting Together, Miscommunication, dream of the endless is bad at feelings, but significantly better than Morpheus, Oral Sex, Dream of the Endless switches genital during sex, Item Retrieval Quests, Fantasy Quests, Protective Hob Gadling, oaths of fealty

Summary:

In a different universe, a different realm, another Dream of the Endless meets another Robert Gadling. In a world where magic never left the realm, where dragons roam the lands and where science and magic are married rather than apart, this facet of Dream is not so heavily burdened by his function, and this Hob does not gain immortality as part of a wager. But some pieces of the story do not change across the universes. Dream is still captured by Roderick Burgess. Hob Gadling will still lose his family, and later his wife and child to tragedy. But they will always meet, as they were meant to, and in this universe, they also get the chance to fall in love.

Whoohoo, it's finally here! My fic for the @the-centennial-husbands-bigbang!!

I was so lucky to be paired with @five-and-dimes as my artist for this event, their art for my story is absolutely MAGNIFICENT. They even made the header for me as well, because they are THE BEST HUMAN BEING 🥰🥰💖💖

Chapter 4 Art Here!

[rainhaunted]

very scattered wind and truth thoughts

spoilers, as you might imagine

REALLY enjoyed the reading experience. loved how fast paced it was, and the countdown format. AND the crumbling pillars on the chapter headers were sick. the epilogue one having kaladin's face appear over the rubble? good fucking shit

i think adolin's storyline was my favorite (big surprise). i LOVED the whole thing about him deciding promises mean more to him than oaths. king shit. and everyone coming together at the end!! all the deadeyes!! the UNOATHED!!! yeah that fucking ruled

there was a lot more time spent in the spiritual realm that i expected. which is neither good nor bad, just, again, unexpected

still can't believe we got chana davar confirmed. AND gavinor as odium's champion.

speaking of gavinor do you think there will be like. an actual exploration of the Horrendous Trauma that child went through in the next series. cause that was some ridiculous shit he had to deal with.

also i completely missed the foreshadowing of the towers game may and adolin played against yanagawn pointing towards the combination of odium + honor creating a power that the other shards would rally against

kaladin actually being happy was such a shock to my system lmao. but it's about time. and GOD that moment where he stood up against the pain ishar was giving to him...

ALSO WHAT THE FUCK?? MOASH??? brandon really went "hey this guy's name is one letter off of marsh's. guess that means he gets turned into a discount inquisitor." i have so many questions about how those spikes work. and i'm surprised that moash's storyline didn't get resolved in this book? i really thought he'd be dealt with, either by dying or being redeemed (or starting the path towards it at least)

shallan my darling <333 i'm so proud of her. and VERY curious to see what she does next. being trapped in the cognitive realm is Shitty but she's nothing if not a creative problem solver

renarin and rlain actual fucking power couple. loved them making the decision to free mishram together.

speaking of the listeners i LOVE that they got the shattered plains. absolutely deserved.

[quixotic-paladin]

Romans 12:19, but I guess your header makes it clear with what little regard you hold Scripture. Catholic in name only?

"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord'"

Duuuuuude, it's a D&D reference, I play an Oath of Vengeance Paladin. I'm not actually seeking vengeance on anyone lol 😂😂😂

[soft-girl-musings]

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - CHAPTER 3 (My Way Of Life)

Noir!Jake Lockley x WOC Lounge Singer!Reader

written in collaboration with + header by @mrs-lockley

chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 4 chapter 5

cross-posted to ao3

tags: late 1940s Noir AU, Reader is WOC coded but with no physical description besides being slightly taller than Jake while wearing heels, no use of Y/N, brief description of injury

wc: 1,676

fic summary: Of all the gin joints in all the world, Jake Lockley walks into yours. Unfortunately for him, it's not quite the start of a beautiful friendship.

chapter summary: old habits die hard.

----------

You've never put much stock in wishes coming true.

Hard work, determination, and a bit of luck are what your faith lies in. Wanting something so badly that it comes to be? Nothing more than a fantasy.

At least, that's what you had believed before tonight.

The back table has been empty for a while– all evening, to be precise. You catch yourself looking toward the door between interactions. No Wesley. No Lockley.

It's Tuesday night.

Before you head backstage, you see a new guest being led to the back table. You rush to intercept, startling the poor waiter.

“Mr. Manalo, a word?” You smile apologetically at the guest and take his escort aside. “What are you doing, Teddy?”

His eyes turn frantic. “I was seating a guest, ma’am. Did I do something wrong?”

You glance at the clock behind the bar: twenty minutes past the hour, with the usual party nowhere in sight. They’re never this late.

“Miss,” Teddy urgently whispers, as the patron has started to get restless. “There’s no reservation tonight. I-I mean, not for this table, but for James Wesley, either.”

You can’t help how your face falls at the news. “I see,” you chirp, forcing yourself to perk up. “Then please make sure this gentleman enjoys his table. With a drink on the house for the inconvenience.” You pat his shoulder and step away.

Weren’t you counting down the days until his smug face stopped haunting your evenings? Didn’t it grate at your nerves to tiptoe around your own lounge twice a week, guarded and on edge? Isn't this a wish come true?

Later you walk onstage with the band and give your usual spiel. The applause rings hollow. As you scan the room, the man at the back table doesn’t even look your way, too engrossed in his dinner. You place a hand on your stomach to ease the knot that forms with every breath, along with the sinking feeling that something isn’t right.

But the show must go on.

----------

There's a cruel duality to Jake's commission.

Protecting the travelers of the night was, in a way, second nature long before his life became what it is now. Whenever he was out, he had his eye on the underdogs, the vulnerable on the outskirts. Most people were his people. It's the other side of the coin, the means to the end that eventually made his oath a burden, turning his cab into a hearse once the sun goes down.

Not all his passengers give him the courtesy of a quiet departure.

That's the case tonight, the throbbing pain above his eye reminds him. James Wesley didn’t go down without a fight. Jake came out on top– he always does– but there was a surprising ferocity behind Wesley’s bespectacled stare as he dealt a gnarly blow to fend off the inevitable. Stumbling through the night, vision spinning and blurring all at once, Jake wonders if the risk in confronting him unarmed was calculated well enough.

This would not have happened if you had used my gifts.

“Of course you wouldn't let me suffer in silence,” Jake mutters. The old bird has never been one for stellar bedside manner.

You have lost focus, my son.

“Oh I'm plenty focused, big guy. Right now I'm focused on not–” he coughs, mouth tasting of pennies and regret as his head wound steadily bleeds, “–not passing out in the street.”

The night air shifts around Jake as he continues to stumble down the pavement. The waning shape of the moon seems to glare down at him, its light as cold as the wind that stings his labored lungs.

The task at hand requires your full attention, and unless you are aided by my gifts–

“Oh yeah, what a gift. Sharp suit and a few tricks, pretty fair tradeoff for being your puppet.”

A sudden gust of wind nearly makes Jake lose his footing. 

Remember your debt, Jake Lockley. I have something your fractured mind wants.

Jake spits, staining the sidewalk red. “Maybe what I want is for you to see you have something to lose, too.” His breath is harder to come by, chest heaving as his temper flares. “Think you've been gettin’ too comfortable with our arrangement.”

You would risk killing yourself to make a point? Look at what your tantrum has cost you.

Jake finally stops walking, turning to catch a glimpse of himself in a shop window. He barely makes out the reflection of a hardened, bloodied man, staring back in resounding silence.

Do you think you would know a moment's peace if they knew a stranger inhabited the body? A murderer?

“You know damn well I’ve always done what I've had to do,” he grunts, slumping against the wall. “Done what you've told me to. They'd hate you more than me.”

Maintain your recklessness, and they’ll never have the opportunity for hatred. You'll bury them with you.

----------

“Sometimes I wish you lived closer to the lounge, this walk is too long.”

The night air nips at your faces as Matt treks dutifully beside you on the way to your apartment. You try not to make a habit of late nights, but over the past few weeks it's been harder to step away after sending everyone home. There's always one more loose end to tie up, another addition to the rehearsal schedule to jot down, some final complaint to resolve with a staff member. You'd all but live in the lounge if Matt didn't make it his mission to take you home every night, keeping you from falling asleep at your vanity if he could help it.

You roll your eyes. “You're welcome to hitch a ride with your favorite cab driver next time, since you're thick as thieves.” You surprise yourself with how bitter you sound; no matter how you feel about the company he keeps, he doesn't deserve your ire. “Sorry. I'm just a bit out of sorts tonight.”

He laughs at your jab, then turns more serious. “Yeah, I could tell. You sounded… distracted when I heard you wrapping up. Everything alright?”

You tighten your coat around yourself as you continue walking. Your shoes click against the pavement, punctuating the silence between you as you search for your words.

“That man, your friend Jake… he wouldn't get you in trouble, would he?”

Matt smirks as he weighs your question. “What's a little trouble now and then? You know I can take it.”

“I'm serious, Matthew.” You link his arm with yours and slow your pace. “I know he's more than your client, but I don't want to see you get hurt.” 

Matt Murdock has been your friend longer than he's been your lawyer. As he walks you home for the thousandth time, that same uneasy feeling from before rises in your stomach. Your thumb traces his sleeve. “I can't afford to lose you.”

His hand finds yours and stills it, pausing for a moment. “You won't. I promise.”

You search his face in the yellowed streetlights. You're typically at a disadvantage when it comes to one of you being able to lie to the other, but right now you believe him. Or at least, that he believes himself.

He pats your hand and resumes walking. “I have to say, Jake's not a bad guy to have in your corner. A bit rough around the edges, but I'm sure he'd be on your team if you'd let him.”

You sigh. “We don't have to keep talking about him. He takes up enough of my time when he deigns to show up and pester me.”

Matt's eyes crinkle behind his glasses. “Level with me: is he really that unbearable?”

“Yes.” You shake your head after a moment, mind racing like it was when you realized his weekly routine was broken. “No… I don't know.” 

The man has been a nuisance, but when you think about it, he's never been more than an annoyance with his cheeky persistence. Jake's like a puppy that continues to get underfoot, staring up at you with big brown eyes whenever you offer a crumb of attention. You may loathe his yapping, but without it, something was missing tonight.

“I know a friend of yours is bound to be decent,” you concede, “but I can't get over the feeling that he's hiding something. And I'm not too fond of anyone who makes me question what they could have up their sleeve.”

Matt nods as you talk, hesitant before responding. “You know, it's not completely fair to push him away because you don't know him… when all he seems to want is the chance to let you.”

You scoff at the thought. “You know full well I don't have time for entanglements, Matty. You've seen the blackmail. There's too much on the line to get distracted.”

“Sometimes distraction is a good thing.”

“That's rich coming from you.”

“Alright, so I'm not the most social guy,” he laughs. “But you should still think about what I'm saying. Jake's alright in my book.”

You remove your arm from his, wrapping it around yourself again. “It doesn't matter, anyway. He didn't show tonight. Bigwig client of his must have found a new rendezvous spot.”

You see Matt's jaw clench at the mention of Mr. Wesley. “You know something.”

“I didn't say anything.”

“Don't lie to me, Matty. You know something about that man he's been driving, don't you?” You walk slightly ahead, studying his face as you press on. “And I bet you know where they went tonight.”

Matt stops in his tracks, rigid and alert. You've learned that look, the one that tells you he's latched onto something like a bloodhound and won't rest until he hunts it down.

“Something's wrong.”

He takes off down the sidewalk, barely giving you time to catch up as he rounds the corner. A few more twists and turns in your route and you finally stop.

There, slumped against the brick wall of the apartment complex, bleeds out half of your 7 o’clock reservation.

----------

A/N: besties this is now a 10-chapter project... how did i get here

i am living for the speculation and hype in the tags/rbs, please don't feel shy-- let me know where your head is with all this! of course, if you are shy, no pressure. glad to have you along for the ride either way :)

as always, thank you for reading <3

tag list: @importantnightwerewolf, @cupidysm, @queerponcho, @nerdieforpedroo, @fandxmslxt69, @shadystarlightgentlemen, @lunar-ghoulie, @casa-boiardi (lmk if you'd like to be added to/removed from this wee tag list)

[red-sky-magpie]

◇ Reid Svetlakov

◆ 21 (June 3rd)

◇ male (he/him)

◆ Bisexual

◇ Bartender, sound guy, music man, anything you need to have a good time I'm not a thief what?

◆ Son of Jupiter, don't really associate myself with the guy though.

◇ Mun Viri's Other RP Accounts :3

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ Introduction ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Hey, what's up? I'm Reid, I'm 21, and I'm just here to have a funky good time~

I run my own gig called Red Moon, it's underground but we're not picky or exclusive about who comes 'round, as long as you're not boring, haha. Buuuut I'm always up for rent, you know? If you need someone to bartend, do music, or setup, or anything just give me a call and a price~

Hope to see you around, yeah? Don't be a stranger~

Still Open RPs: 1 2 3

◇◆Appearence, Family, Powers, and Misc under the cut◆◇

Header Credits to @cafekitsune !! More headers here!!

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ Appearence ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

◇ Hair: Long, red hair with some curl to it and a small triangular undercut, usually kept up while working, but likes to let it down at his leasure

◆ Eyes: Ruby red with an almost gem-like shine to them. They're very sharp and observant with long red lashes, and a thin golden ring around the pupil

◇ Skin: Fairly skin with a mix of moles and freckles all over his body. There's a four pointed star on the front and back of his neck. Is it really just a tattoo...?

◆ Height: 5'9"

◇ Notable Features: A large sleeve tattoo of stylized swerling clouds all along his right arm, hand, shoulder, and even up his neck. Oddly enough, sometimes it even seems to move and change with the weather....

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ Family ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

◇ Mother - Unknown, was raised by a group of women. Maybe his mother was among them, but he'll never know. Those women include Nadia, Tatiana, Irina, Rozaliya, Vera, Yula, and Siryen.

◆ Father - Jupiter

◇ Uncles - Pluto, Neptune

◆ Aunts - Juno, Ceres, Vesta

◇ Siblings [Via Father] - Mars, Vulcan, Bellona, Angelos, Lucina, Juventas, Minerva, Hercules

◆ Grandfather - Saturn

◇ Grandmother - Ops

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ Powers ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

◇ Enhanced strength/speed/Stamina/Durability/reflexes

◆ Vast and Powerful Weather manipulation, Storm Manipulation, Wind Manipulation, Cloud Manipulation

◇ Lightning Creation and Manipulation

◆ Flight

◇ Transforming himself into lightning/wind/mist/cloud

◆ Immunity to lightning

◇ Creating "Binding Oaths and Laws" That cannot be broken without punishment or consequence.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ Miscellaneous ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

◇ Reid is also an excellent thief, and will often hit up places he's been rented at, or work close by to rich neighborhoods. He'll steal just about anything for just about anything, but mostly himself.

◆ His thief name is Magpie, though he didn't come up with it and doesn't really like the name. He can be hired for a job if the price is right.

◇ Born and Raised in Russia by a group of prostitutes, left after he turned 18. He can speak Russian, Italian, Greek, and French.

[dutifullynuttywitch]

Avatar: art by the wonderful @lilyoffandoms

Header: created by the amazing @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Masterlist

Meet my MC: Autumn Nightbloom

Things left unsaid Mal Volari x f!mc Autumn Nightbloom (Ⓜ️🔥 Angst, Explicit/NSFW)

Reflections on the eve of battle Mal Volari x f!mc Autumn Nightbloom (Teen, angst)

A Thief's Oath Mal Volari x f!mc Autumn Nightbloom (Teen, fluff)

Pancake mornings Mal Volari x f!mc Autumn Nightbloom (Teen, fluff)

A Whitetower Festival Mal Volari x f!mc Autumn Nightbloom (Teen, fluff)

Mal and Autumn Picrew 🎨

Autumn and Mal's happily ever after headcanon

Gifts & commissions

Bumbling adversaries 🐝 A gift for the lovely Dani

Untitled Birthday Lovely gifts by the amazing @thosehallowedhalls 💛

In the arms of night A wonderful gift from Dani @storyofmychoices

Autumn nightbloom portrait 🎨A gift by the incredibly talented @lilyoffandoms

Mal and Autumn waltz 🎨A beautiful art commission by @hydn-jpg.

Pancake mornings 🎨Gorgeous art commission by Artbyainna (IG), gift from the @choicesficwriterscreations January 2024 reading event. Post blades 2.

Autumn Geometric Art 🎨 by the supremely talented Dani 🫶🏼

Autumn sketch 🎨 by the wonderful @aallotarenunelma

Meet my MC: Eva Archer ✒️🎨

Starlit night ✒️🎨Troy Hassan x f!mc Eva Archer (teen, fluff)  

Sisterly advice Eva Archer and Brynn Archer (teen)

Close call ✒️🎨Troy Hassan x f!mc Eva Archer (teen)

Kiss me ✒️🎨Troy Hassan x Eva Archer (teen)

Gifts

Happy birthday Eva Troy Hassan x Eva Archer f!mc drabble by the wonderful @inlocusmads 💛

Troy and Eva plushies 🎨 by the wonderful @cadybear420

Heaven's Secret 1 Revisited Dino x f!mc, Lucifer x f!mc, Sammy x Adi, other pairings

Mature / explicit content Ⓜ️🔥

A self-indulgent rewrite of Heaven’s Secret 1. It stays mostly true to the original story, delving into some of the main characters’ motivations and POVs, and a little more world-building. Dino-Lucifer-MC love triangle, and explorations of Vicky's relationship with Malbonte. Other pairings to come up.

Daddy Luci Lucifer x Vicky and Levvy (daughter) (G: domestic fluff)

Your relationship with Lucifer has significantly increased 🎨 (Vicky x Lucifer) commission by Elliott @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Art of Lucifer and Vicky 🎨commission by the very talented @bayleedraws-sometimesx

Lucifer moodboard

Vicky and Lucifer wedding outfit inspos

Lucifer x Vicky WIP Vicky x Lucifer (m: suggestive)

Meet my MC: Aurélie Bajolière

Dance féerique Cal Lowell x Aurélie Bajolière (f!mc) (general fluff)

Meet my MC: Geneviève of Carmelide

Redemption is a perpetual journey Kamilah Sayeed x Gaius Augustine (m angst)

What if Gaius had his moment of retribution? Gaius Augustine, Rheya Apostolous (t angst)

Will you be my Valentine? 🎨 Jax Matsuo x Buffy (f!mc) A gift from @loreofyore by the talented @weetlebeetle 💛

Elizabeth (Buffy) Matsuo's elopement dress This. This is the style right here.

A Pact with Lucifer Lucifer x f!mc 🔥 (E: NSFW smut)

Wounded Pride Lucifer x f!mc 🔥 (E: NSFW smut)

[wlwcatalogue]

Queer Women in Qing China: Chen Yun & Han Yuan in Six Records of a Floating Life

(Pak Suet Sin as Chen Yun (left) and Yam Kim Fai as Shen Fu (right) in Madam Yun, dir. Chu Kea, 1960)

Despite being written by a relatively unremarkable man, Shen Fu's (沈復) Qing-era autobiography Six Records of a Floating Life (浮生六記) captured the public imagination for its depiction of an unusually loving married couple - namely the author and his wife Yun - and for being very sad, because the wife died young after a protracted battle with illness and poverty. Their tragic tale has inspired films, TV series, stage plays, Chinese operas, and musicals.

But for some reason (spoiler alert: it's homophobia), as far as I can tell (see note 2 below the cut), the derivative media all fail to mention that while Yun certainly loved Shen Fu, there was also someone else she loved-- a female courtesan named Han Yuan, whom she convinced her husband to take on as concubine. Although there are only a few references to Han Yuan throughout the book, her impact is outsize, making her absence from the various adaptations all the more glaring.

So let's try to rectify things, shall we? Extracted here are all the references to the relationship between Yun and Han Yuan contained in Six Records of a Floating Life - although I haven't included all the other nods to Yun's fruitiness, so do check out the book in full - click below!

Overview

The happily married Chen Yun falls for the female courtesan Han Yuan and the two soon become sworn sisters (see note 1 below). Then, to ensure they can remain together, she manages to persuade her husband to take the latter as his concubine despite his protestations that they cannot afford another mouth to feed. This turns out to have unfortunate consequences: Yun's in-laws, who she was already on thin ice with, are highly critical of the two women's relationship, and have the married couple expelled from the familial home. Further, while Yun and her husband are living elsewhere, a wealthy man pressures Han Yuan into leaving and becoming his wife instead. Yun falls into despair and the heartbreak causes her already-delicate condition to deteriorate, leading to her eventual demise.

Note 1: Sworn kinship is the most widely-available Chinese custom allowing for the formalisation of a relationship between individuals of the same gender, other than those specifically hierarchical in nature (e.g. adoption, godparents, mentorship, etc.). While not primarily romantic in association, there is certainly precedent for it: arguably the most famous Chinese love story, The Butterfly Lovers, focuses on the romance between a man and a cross-dressing woman who swore an oath of brotherhood. Even after the latter reveals that she is female, there are repeated references to their oath, and the man continues to refer to her using familial terms (賢弟/"worthy younger brother" is simply switched to 賢妹/"worthy younger sister"). Note 2: As far as I can tell, Han Yuan really does never come up in the various derivative works. However, there is some (mostly very mild) hinting regarding the in-laws' disapproval stemming in part from Yun's failure to conform to cishet norms; at least three of the adaptations from Hong Kong take as the flashpoint an incident where Yun dresses as a man in order to enjoy the Mid-Autumn festivities with her husband (see the GIF in the header) and is discovered, despite it not having had any negative consequences in the book. (There is such a cross-dressing scene in the 2021 Kunqu opera adaptation, but for some reason, in that version, Yun seems to have been on great terms with her in-laws and there was no disownment at all.) AFAIK the only adaptation that explicitly deals with Yun's queerness is the 1987 dance production from Hong Kong, wherein the disownment happens after a scene which I'll just describe as "the Mid-Autumn Festival incident, but as a boat ride which Yun turns into a threesome between herself, the boat-girl, and her husband". This actually pulls from the source material, as there is a somewhat suggestive episode involving a boatsman's daughter (this is a few pages before Han Yuan is introduced - I did say Yun was fruity)... but it's interesting that the creators decided to depict her queerness through a drunken one-night stand where she's dressed in male clothing (which was not the case in the original, though the boat-girl does still know she's a woman in this version), instead of committing to her much deeper relationship with Han Yuan.

A (probably-incomplete) list of adaptations

Fei Mu/费穆’s 1943 stage play Six Records of a Floating Life/浮生六记 (PRC)

1947 film Six Records of a Floating Life/浮生六记 (PRC) – dir. Pei Chong/裴冲, starring Su Shi/舒适 and Sha Li/沙莉

1954 film Madam Yun/芸娘 (Hong Kong) – dir. Ng Wui/吳回, starring Cheung Wood-Yau/張活游 and Pak Yin/白燕 – full movie

1960 Cantonese opera film Madam Yun/芸娘 (Hong Kong) – dir. Chu Kea/珠璣, starring Yam Kim Fai/任劍輝 and Pak Suet Sin/白雪仙 – full movie; also see my posts on it here and here

1987 dance performance Six Records of a Floating Life/浮生六記 (Hong Kong) – dir. Chan Kai-Tak – full performance

Cantonese opera Shen San Bai and Madam Yun/沈三白與芸娘 (Hong Kong) – multiple productions from different theatre companies across the years – clip

1974 TV drama Madam Yun/芸娘 (Hong Kong)

Zhou Mian/周眠's 2018 Kunqu opera Six Records of a Floating Life/浮生六记 (PRC) – multiple productions – clip 1 | clip 2

Luo Zhou/罗周's 2021 Kunqu opera Six Records of a Floating Life/浮生六记 (PRC) – multiple productions – full performance (w/ English subtitles)

Tian Chenming/田辰明’s 2021 musical Six Records of a Floating Life/浮生六记 (PRC) – multiple productions – clip

2023 Peking opera Six Records of a Floating Life/浮生六记 (PRC) – assorted clips

Extracts from Six Records of a Floating Life, trans. Leonard Pratt and Chiang Su-Hui, 1983, Penguin Books

Part I – The Joys of the Wedding Chamber

(p.48)

In the seventh month of the Chiayen year of the reign of the Emperior Chien Lung I returned from Yuehtung with my friend Hsu Hsiu-feng, who was my cousin’s husband. He brought a new concubine back with him, raving about her beauty to everyone, and one day he invited Yun to go and see her. Afterwards Yun said to Hsiu-feng, “She certainly is beautiful, but she is not the least bit charming.”

“If your husband were to take a concubine,” Hsiu-feng asked, “would she have to be charming as well as beautiful?”

“Naturally,” said Yun.

“From then on, Yun was obsessed with the idea of finding me a concubine, even though we had nowhere near enough money for such an ambition.

(p.49)

[The courtesan Leng-hsiang] had a daughter named Han-yuan, who, though not yet fully mature, was as beautiful as a piece of jade. Her eyes were as lovely as the surface of an autumn pond, and while they entertained us it became obvious that her literary knowledge was extensive. She had a younger sister named Wen-yuan who was still quite small.

At first I had no wild ideas and wanted only to have a cup of wine and chat with them. I well knew that a poor scholar like myself could not afford this sort of thing, and once inside I began to feel quite nervous. While I did not show my unease in my conversation, I did quietly say to Hsien-han “I’m only a poor fellow. How can you invite these girls to entertain me?”

Hsien-han laughed. “It’s not that way at all. A friend of mine had invited me to come and be entertained by Han-yuan today, but then he was called away by an important visitor. He asked me to be the host and invite someone else. Don’t worry about it.”

At that, I began to relax. Later, when our boat reached Pantang, I told Han-yuan to go aboard my mother’s boat and pay her respects. That was when Yun met Han-yuan and, as happy as old friends at a reunion, they soon set off hand in hand to climb the hill in search of all the scenic spots it offered. Yun especially liked the height and vista of Thousand Clouds, and they sat there enjoying the view for some time. When we returned to Yehfangpin, we moored the boats side by side and drank long and happily.

(p.50)

As the boats were being unmoored, Yun asked me if Han-yuan could return aboard hers, while I went back with Hsien-yan. To this, I agreed. When we returned to the Tuting Bridge we went back aboard our own boats and took leave of one another. By the time we arrived home it was already the third night watch.

“Today I have met someone who is both beautiful and charming,” said Yun. “I have just invited Han-yuan to come and see me tomorrow, so I can try to arrange things for you.”

“But we’re not a rich family,” I said, worried. “We cannot afford to keep someone like that. How could people as poor as ourselves dare think of such a thing? And we are so happily married, why should we look for someone else?”

“But I love her too,” Yun said, laughing. “You just let me take care of everything.”

The next day at noon, Han-yuan actually came. Yun entertained her warmly, and during the meal we played a game – the winner would read a poem, while the loser had to drink a cup of wine. By the end of the meal still not a word had been said about our obtaining Han-yuan.

As soon as she left, Yun said to me, “I have just made a secret agreement with her. She will come here on the 18th, and we will pledge ourselves as sisters. You will have to prepare animals for the sacrifice.”

Then, laughing and pointing to the jade bracelet on her arm, she said, “If you see this bracelet on Han-yuan’s arm then, it will mean she has agreed to our proposal. I have just told her my idea, but I am still not very sure what she thinks about it all.”

I only listened to what she said, making no reply.

It rained very hard on the 18th, but Han-yuan came all the same. She and Yun went into another room and were alone there for some time. They were holding hands when they emerged, and Han-yuan looked at me shyly. She was wearing the jade bracelet!

We had intended, after the incense was burned and they had become sisters, that we should carry on drinking. As it turned out, however, Han-yuan had promised to go on a trip to Stone Lake, so she left as soon as the ceremony was over.

“She has agreed,” Yun told me happily. “Now, how will you reward your go-between?” I asked her the details of the arrangement.

(p.51)

“Just now I spoke to her privately because I was afraid she might have another attachment. When she said she did not, I asked her, “Do you know why we have invited you here today, little sister?”

““The respect of an honourable lady like yourself makes me feel like a small weed leaning up a great tree,” she replied, “but my mother has high hopes for me, and I’m afraid I cannot agree without consulting her. I do hope, though, that you and I can think of a way to work things out.””

“When I took off the bracelet and put it on her arm I said to her, “The jade of this bracelet is hard and represents the constancy of our pledge; and like our pledge, the circle of the bracelet has not end. Wear it as the first token of our understanding.” To which she replied, “The power to unite us rests entirely with you.” So it seems as if we have already won over Han-yuan. The difficult part will be convincing her mother, but I will think of a plan for that.”

I laughed, and asked her, “Are you trying to imitate Li-weng’s Pitying the Fragrant Companion?”

“Yes,” she replied.

(Footnote 44 of Part 1, p.153) The Lien Hsiang Pan, a play by Li Yu (1611-?1680). Li-weng was his literary name. Yun’s confirmation that she had this play in mind gives us our principal clue about just what her real relationship with Han-yuan may have been: the play tells the story of a young married woman who falls in love with a girl, and then obtains her as a concubine for her husband so the two women can be together. As van Gulik has pointed out, Imperial China regarded liaisons between women – as opposed to those between men – quite tolerantly. They did not by any means necessarily imply a lack of affection between such women and their husbands (R.H. van Gulik, Sexual Life in Ancient China, Humanities Press, 1974: he discusses female homosexuality on p.163, and the play itself on p.302, where he translates its title as Loving the Fragrant Companion.)

From that time on there was not a day that Yun did not talk about Han-yuan. But later Han-yuan was taken off by a powerful man, and all the plans came to nothing. In fact, it was because of this that Yun died.

Part III – The Sorrows of Misfortune

(p.76)

Yun had had the blood sickness ever since her younger brother Ko-chang had run away from home and her mother had missed him so much that she died of grief. Yun was so distraught she had fallen ill herself. From the time she met Han-yuan, she passed no blood for over a year, and I was delighted that Yun had found such a good cure in her friend, when Han-yuan was snatched away by an influential man who paid a thousand golds for her and also promised to take care of her mother. “The beauty belongs to Sha-shih-li!” I had learned of all this but had not dared to say anything to Yun, so she did not find out about it until one day when she went to see Han-yuan. She returned weeping, and said, “I had not thought Han’s feelings could be so shallow!”

“Your own feelings are too deep,” I said. “How can that sort of person be said to have feelings? Someone who is used to beautiful clothes and delicate foods could never grow accustomed to thorn hairpins and plain cloth dresses. It’s better that we should be unsuccessful now than to have her regret things later.”

I comforted her repeatedly, but having been so wounded Yun still suffered great discharges of blood. She was bedridden and did not respond to any treatment. She suffered relapses, and became so thin you could see her bones. After a few years the money we owed increased daily, and so did the gossip about us. And because she had pledged sisterhood with a sing-song girl, my parents’ scorn for Yun deepened daily.

(p.78)

[…] a messenger arrived. He had been sent by a woman who had been a sworn sister of Yun’s as a child, who had married a man named Hua from Hsishan, and who had heard of her illness and wanted to inquire after her.

My father, however, mistakenly thought he was a messenger from Han-yuan and so became even angrier, saying, “Your wife does not behave as a woman should, swearing sisterhood with a sing-song girl. Nor do you think to learn from your elders, running around with riff-raff. […]”

(p.79-80)

These were Yun’s parting instructions to our daughter: “Your mother has had a bitter fate and emotions that run too deep; therefore we have had many problems. Fortunately your father has been kind to me, and there is nothing to worry about in our leaving. […]”

(p.86)

I returned to find Yun moaning and weeping, looking as if something awful had happened. As soon as she saw me she burst out, “Did you know that yesterday noon [our servant] Ah Shuang stole all our things and ran away? I have asked people to search everywhere, but they still have not found him. […]”

(p.87)

[…] from then on she began frequently to talk in her sleep, calling out, “Ah Shuang has run away!” or “How could Han-yuan turn her back on me?” Her illness worsened daily.

Finally I was about to call a doctor to treat her, but she stopped me. “My illness began because of my terribly deep grief over my brother’s running away and my mother’s death,” said Yun. “It continued because of my affections, and now it has returned because of my indignation. I have always worried too much about things, and while I have tried my best to be a good daughter-in-law, I have failed.

These are the reasons why I have come down with dizziness and palpitations of the heart. The disease has already entered my vitals, and there is nothing a doctor can do about it. Please do not spend money on something that cannot help. […]”

[…]

(p.88)

Suddenly she fell silent and began to pant, her eyes staring into the distance. I called her name a thousand times, but she could not speak. Two streams of agonised tears flowed from her eyes in torrents, until finally her panting grew shallow and her tears dried up. Her spirit vanished in the mist and she began her long journey.

[…] Alas! Yun came to this world a woman, but she had the feelings and abilities of a man. After she entered the gate of my home in marriage, I had to rush about daily to earn our clothing and food, there was never enough, but she never once complained. When I was living at home, all we had for entertainment was talk about literature. What a pity that she should have died in poverty and after long illness. And whose fault was it that she did? It was my fault, what else can I say? I would advise all the husbands and wives in the world not to hate one another, certainly, but also not to love too deeply. As it is said, “An affectionate couple cannot grow old together”. My example should serve as a warning to others.