#[ i need to make a master post that just contains how everything is connected to each other so far but.. words ]

[fountainpenguin]

#Riddle Watches Traffic - Secret Life Session 4 POVs - This post contains Joel, Grian, Etho, Martyn, and Scar commentary

Joel POV (My first POV for this session):

Joel, the ex-Shrek, running around dropping lines from "All Star" in conversation is everything I could have wanted.

Joel: If you were a color, what color would you be? Pearl: Red.

Can't argue with that.

Lizzie: You like my path? Joel: I do. Is it going to link up with mine? Lizzie: We've got connecting paths now. Joel: I didn't realize we were that close. Lizzie: To touch paths. Joel: I know we're married, but come on... It's getting a bit crazy now.

slkdjf Joel really does not want to be touchy-feely with anyone this season huh?

Okay I switched to Grian's POV because Joel came up to the rest of the Mounders and they were all giggling and telling him to go talk to Grian, so swapping my liveblog over:

Grian POV

?? Grian's task was to bait a yellow into believing his task was singing everything he says, that feels kinda unfair to the yellows because it doesn't give them a way to call him on it, does it? slkdjf

That is really funny he needs to get someone to call him out in order to succeed, though.

Grian's really good at like, recapping and/or giving context (like pulling up his screen to walk the audience through exactly who the Yellows on the server are). Thanks G.

sldkfjs Scar singing back to Grian... They are soulmates, your honor.

Cleo, trying not to bust up laughing: How long do you have to sing for? Grian, singing: I don't have to sing! It's a choice~!

Grian chasing people and singing while they run sdlkfjsd... Mumbo like "Please stop following me! I don't want to deal with your singing anymore!"

sldkfjsd can we make a reaction clip out of Grian sadly singing, "I am mortally wounded~"

Grian is SO GOOD at this baiting game, though. Despite needing to get a yellow to guess his task, he takes off running as soon as Joel shows up, then when Joel starts talking to him he clams up. Master of manipulation; what a deLIGHT!

sldkfjs the hilarity of Joel smugly calling Grian out and then Grian takes out his book, sighs loudly, and trots off to the Secret Keeper... and hits success instead of fail. omg.

Joel immediately adding "My world's on fire; how 'bout yours?"

Grian: "You are all terrible friends and that's what I needed <3"

lskdjfsdk Scar being like "Wait, that was your task? I thought we were just being musical." Your honor, they are soulmates.

Does... does Etho have my "reference previous seasons / fake moment from previous series" task suggestion?

Switching back to Joel:

slkdfjsldkjfksdl in Joel's POV, there's a bit of lag so when Joel confronts Grian, Grian suddenly bolts across the bridge at light speed and it's hilarious.

Switching to Etho because dying of curiosity:

Etho making cute benches outside his shack.

Cleo: Oh, there there... I was going to pat you, but then I realized... Etho: Pat me with a sword? Clean slice through the head?

sdklfjsdfj househusband Etho strikes again?? Cleo accidentally whacks him with a sword and he immediately spins around like "I'm sorry- I'll do the dishes, I'll do whatever you want! No more, no more!" Love that for him.

Love how Etho said "Aha" after looking at his task even though he hadn't even received that suggestion yet.

You nerds really gonna be like "Etho and I aren't romantic" and "We're besties" and then put a single bed inside your house, huh? What am I supposed to do with that.

?????? Martyn giving Etho the assignment of gaslighting someone into believing a fake moment from the previous series? Does Martyn have my suggested task or did we just same brain on that one? lol.

[More liveblogging under the cut <3 #Long post]

Switching over to Martyn POV because curious:

skdlfj wow Martyn's video is super loud after coming from Etho's. Just gonna turn my sound down there.

??? Martyn does not have my suggestion so I guess he and I just had the same brain wave. Alas. Here were some suggestions I put in Tango's Session 3 comments, for anyone curious:

Reference events from past Life series at least 4 times in conversation with other players (Ex: "This reminds me of that one boogeyman kill in Last Life; remember when X happened?") - [Some ideas that come to mind are that it would be funny to pester players who missed seasons by lightheartedly teasing them about events they weren't around for]

Alternatively: Convince at least 2 players that a falsified event happened in Secret Life or a past Life series [Ex: "Haven't you seen the fanart of this? I'll send it to you later." / "Remember, we were all there? Oh, you didn't play in that series; I guess you wouldn't know."]

?? They took the world border out of the Nether. Untapped escape routes in Hell.

I appreciate "mayor" Scar chasing the Big Dogs away and telling them he was going to send them to the pound.

(Loud sigh). Scar upset with Martyn for peeing on (dumping water on) his base. Martyn is running amok. Unrestrained.

slkdjf Martyn admitting he had read a lot of tasks in the past week and was thinking he'd probably end up taking someone else's idea. Y'know what, good enough for me. Whether we same brained or he read that, I'm satisfied. Also Etho saying "Martyn, you should write tasks because that's a great idea." I'll take it, slkdfj.

Watched a few minutes more of Martyn, he's talking with Joel and I have nothing to say atm, switching back to Joel:

Joel so sad when his cows get loose.

I appreciate how Martyn allowed Etho to buy his silence but then he runs to Joel and starts dropping hints.

slkdjfs Joel nailed his lyrics, good for him.

Joel working on his farms before pressing the success button is mildly stressing me out. (Oh, he was waiting for safe day).

sldkfj Etho giving Joel a chance to take a guess at him and Joel phrasing his words specifically as "Was your goal to bait a yellow into guessing you're saying 'Aha?'"

I always admire Joel's commitment to getting the right colored resources, especially wood. He takes so much pride in his builds even in the deathgame.

One of my other task suggestions was to break game rules for part of the session and I used the example of wearing a helmet. If Scar has that task, that will be quite funny. He's being super sus about that helmet and even talking like "I can take it off! I'll take it off right now" which would line up with my 50% of the session suggestion. I'll have to check on him next.

Gem's Yellow life heterochromia.

lskdjfslkjdf Boat Boys, my beloved...

Etho, parking a boat and making eye contact: Joel. Get in. Joel: The fandom's gonna go crazy, Etho. We can't do this. Etho: We're reliving the past, Joel, right now. Remember the good old days, just me and you? Joel: I do. The Relation ship. Etho: Riding the boats? Etho: ... Back when you cared about me.

skdjf I had to pause to start writing that and it really does just keep going, huh?

Joel: I still care, Etho. It's just... Etho: You still care? We hardly see each other anymore. Joel: I know, I know, but that's because I'm with the Mounders now. Etho: Well, this is where the relationship ends.

What is in Etho's Secret Life water; he is SO clingy and mushy with Joel every episode.

Joel calling Scar out for breaking the rules... is this my task, I am so curious.

Kind of surreal watching this play out. Definitely picking up the vibe that the players screened tasks together before putting them in and so they've got "rule breaker" as a possible option in their minds and that's why they're so quick to jump in and call Scar out on that TODAY despite the fact that he was also breaking rules in previous episodes. Very curious.

Martyn's calling a meeting, seems like a good time to pop over and check on Scar's task. Episode title is him calling himself a server villain so it might not be my task, but that's very funny anyway. Let's see.

Alas... It is not my "Break the rules for 50% of the episode" task suggestion, but the task he does have is really clever (Do the opposite of what people tell you to do).

Gonna bounce back to Joel and finish his episode and return to Scar later, but that will be a fun watch <3 Still getting the vibe that they screened my task ideas and maybe we will see it another day. We shall see.

I like the mental image of Scott looking up, covered in mud and dirt, as the Task Force comes barreling over the hill like "We caught you mud-handed!!"

Also enjoy the mental image of Joel catching Gem at the bottom of his water slide.

Joel @ Gem about The End: How come they went? I wouldn't go. Gem: idk, bunch of improv nerds. They just kept saying 'Yes.'

Yeah that tracks.

Gem: I just saved you a heart. I don't think I have to give you one.

I love how Joel is always like "Everybody likes me because I'm really popular." Like that's his actual dialogue. He's so fun to write and it's always funny to remember that he really is just Like That.

Congrats to Joel for finishing a nice fence around his base, lighting it up, and chopping down the trees to prevent skeleton spawning! He's doing pretty well this season.

MARTYN FIRST RED... He fell out of the world. what an idiot /affectionate.

Jimmy too... Jimmy. Jimmy, my man who has been out first four seasons in a row... is also on red life now... Jimmy, you are playing a DANGEROUS game.

Done with Joel's POV, switching to Grian's (after leaving a nice comment and a like on his video ofc <3)

Grian: The reds work slightly differently, but I'll explain that when we get our first red. Me: ... ah.

It's fun to see how careful and skilled Grian is. He's been a very high-heart green name for several episodes and it gives me 3rd Life vibes again.

That said, he lost a bunch in the caves... but I get why, gotta do the mining. Oh geez, zombie kid with a sword hits hard. Ouch.

Loving his dramatic music, though. It was interesting a few months ago when I went back and started binging some early Hermitcraft episodes, because you never appreciate the skill these guys have with subtle music until you compare them to their older videos which feel more awkward and empty. gg.

Holy GEEZ, Grian's dropping hearts like mad. Also watching him panic as his hunger meter drops because he's out of food is super funny. Yeah, that'll kill you.

Grian Session 4 would be a good early watch with that kind of tension... Also I love him limping into his base and devouring berry after berry.

Scar unable to take off his helmet because everyone keeps going "?? Take off your helmet!" and he can't.

The hilarity of:

Grian: Can I use your enchantment table? Scar: YES! ... Wait........ Grian: /turns around Scar: Noooo... Grian: /cracks up

Scar indicating he's okay with Grian using the table by using a sarcastic sing-songy voice to tell him it would be a bad idea to use it skldfj

Scar following Grian's instructions but doing so with a delay while Grian stands there confused sdlkfj

Grian: Scar said I could use it! How else would I know you had it? Cleo: ?? Why would Scar be in charge of our enchanter? Grian: ??? He said it was his??

Etho telling Grian to give his heart to Cleo slkdjf. Etho just really wants to be affectionate to someone.

Grian: What do I have to do to be friends? I hate living in that egg.

lskdjf obsessed with the besties roommates getting a third wheel roommate who brings them golden carrots.

Etho: You've been burning down your bases every episode. One rule: If you move into ours, you're not allowed to burn it down.

<3 Builder roommate!!

slkdfjsk they outsourced the bed shrine to Grian.

Etho: Cleo, you're really going to get along with Grian. He likes burning things too.

Obsessed with Grian asking why Etho waterlogged his chests and when Etho explains it's to prevent TNT damage, Grian just pauses and goes "I have made the right choice." sldkfj. Grian and Etho and Cleo team up! Very exciting; what will they do?

Grian asking Scar if he's okay and Scar saying "I'm neutral." skldjf. Scar is so good at this.

Loving Grian going to visit BigB for his obligatory "let's find out what weird stuff he's doing" commitment (and dragging Scar after him).

slkdjfskldj wheezing:

Grian: Why is Tango hanging around? Mumbo: ??? That's a bit rude? Someone partaking in a conversation and you're like "Why are you here?"

Watching Martyn eyeballing The End advancements in the chat while I know he's this close to dying from jumping in The End is stressing me out.

Mumbo: Grian, let's play a game. You stop. Grian: /stops Mumbo: /takes off running

And there go Martyn and Jimmy...

?? How interesting that red lives can't immediately PVP other players, but that's hilarious that they're supposed to have a never-ending chain of harmful tasks to complete. POV, you get possessed by a bunch of spirits who don't want to release your body. Time to add that to my Secret Life 'fic collection...

Grian's POV is done, going to leave him his like and comment, quickly wrap up these recaps, and sign off for the night.

Etho time:

Coming back in to Martyn's gaslighting suggestion... picking up what Etho does from here. sldkfj that really is my task he suggested, but Etho interpreted it differently. Fun to watch though. Also hilarious that Etho started claiming he came up with the Aha bit. sldkfj. Everyone in this series is nuts.

Shout out to Bdubs: "I want to be Yellow just for the barks."

slkdfj love Jimmy pointing out that in Last Life everyone was cracking up over Aha jokes but now everyone is just sighing at Etho.

Etho possessed by dead Southlander ghost :(

I like Etho asking if Grian wants a bread bridge because it really does sound like he's just bringing up "dead memes."

wheezing at Bdubs like "Wow, someone made the whole world in this short of a time?" and Scott jumps in like "Only a Bad Boy could do that." slkdfjlsdjf

Martyn: I meant something else but :'D (GG)

slkdfjsdljfskl screaming at BigB like "I forgot I was supposed to report to the Heart Foundation."

Etho: I'm a horse girl too. Cleo: I mean, that's what I call Bdubs.

lskdjfsldkjf Impulse jumpscare. Haven't seen him show up in any of my POVs yet. Will probably circle back to him later this weekend.

That wraps up Etho's POV, switching over... I have been watching Minecraft for like 3 hours straight.

Bdubs in Etho's comments launching a "formal complaint" against Etho sldkjfs. That's friendship.

Speedwatching Martyn and then Scar and then we rest.

Picking up 15 minutes into Martyn's episode:

Joel, about his wife: Oh, Lizzie. I forgot her. Not like she's an important part of my life or anything. Martyn: Old news, old news. Separation of work and life.

I do find it funny that Etho was bouncing around like "Joel, want to take a shot at me?"

The "Scar never stood trial" screen is cracking me up.

Again, RIP Scar unable to take off his helmet because everyone kept telling him too slkdjf.

I love Martyn and Pearl going back and forth like "You just told me to give my base a big butt and then walked off."

Martyn: I'm waiting to hand in my task in case I lose hearts so I can recover. Curse of knowledge: ...

<3 Pretty Heart Foundation cherry blossom heart and cool globe in the background.

sldkjf Impulse urging everyone to gift Skizz hearts. The guilt. They are BFFs, your honor.

Martyn's dramatic music while Scar takes off running slkdjf.

Big brain move by Martyn for swiping Mumbo's horse while sussing out his task.

Welp, this is as far as I got before someone came in and pulled me from my computer, which of course restarted in my absence and closed all my many incognito tabs with my videos :') Ugh. Thank goodness for auto-saved drafts though or I would have lost this after 3 hours of watching.

Posting now and if I have anything more to say about Martyn or Scar, I'll do so in another post!

[imminent-danger-came]

Possible thought about Qi Xiaotian in relation to the fact that he and broken memories make similar sounds- he is a memory.

A memory of Sun Wukong given life. Here's my evidence:

While he did come from a stone egg, we never actually see that egg in reality, just in the memory scroll.

One of Wukong's most used powers is shape-shifting, and that is still used. But Wukong has a long history of shifting into human guises, and we never see him do that- Macaque does it, changing both into Xiaotian in his debut episode and the puppet master. It may be possible that Wukong hasn't done that in the present because he doesn't need to, but there's not even a mention of it in glimpses at the past

All the mirror parallels between Xiaotian and Wukong

And that's my only pieces of evidence. My other theory is that it's a side effect of having his monkey woken up inside the scroll when you probably should have done that anywhere else.

(Post anon is referencing!)

So, I think it's pretty clear by this point that MK is connected the scroll is some shape and form. Both times he enters the scroll, it emanates from him (which MK distinctly notices the second time):

(4x02 Familiar Tales)

-

(4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)

-

In s4, we also have the gang embody/meet their past counterparts: Tang becomes Tripitaka, Pigsy becomes Zhu Ganglie, Sandy becomes Sha Wujing, and Mei meets Ao Lie, but MK....MK meets the curse. That's the reflection of himself he comes across.

In 4x02, this is how Azure describes the scroll/curse:

Azure Lion: "[The scroll of memory is] a prison, designed to contain wicked souls, forcing them to relive their past misdeeds over and over again, for all eternity. In order to contain it's prisoners, a powerful protective curse was cast upon the scroll to prevent those in prison from escaping, and ensnare any who would seek to free those locked inside, trapping them forever. Left unchecked, that curse would have spread, consuming everything until nothing remained."

So, the scroll/curse forces you to re-experience memories, but for MK it tries to encourage him to give into Chaos and pushes him to the brink to reveal his Monkey Identity.

MK is a reflection/mirror of Wukong, yes, but there's also this other aspect to him we've never quite touched on. His eyes go blue on occasion, he interacts strangely with the Lady Bone Demon's powers, he seems to be associated with memory (LBD's og plan was to "undo" the memories of the world, and to use MK to do it).

MK being a warped memory of Wukong isn't necessarily off the table, but I do lean against it because of this scene:

This is what Scroll Subodhi asks MK to "remember" about his childhood. It's a memory that's linked to his creation, in some way.

And right now, I'd posit that MK is part underworld/scroll/memory, and part Wukong/the stone.

Wukong wasn't able to defeat the Jade Empeor, he says so himself (and so does the plot lol):

Sun Wukong: "But don't worry—I almost beat the Jade Emperor single handed once!" (4x12 The Plan Man)

But then soon after, Wukong makes this claim:

MK: "Ne Zha's right—while Azure has the Jade Emperor's power and the scroll, there's NO way we could beat him head on!" Sun Wukong: "I mean, some of us could beat him! *ahem* One of us, specifically-" MK: "Nope! None of us at all."

(4x12 The Plan Man)

-

Wukong isn't talking about himself here. He's talking about MK, and how MK could beat the Jade Emperor single handed. MK then quickly denies it, wanting to ignore this part of himself. Then in 3x13 MK pushes Azure to his absolute limits, causing Azure to go berserk and almost destroy everything. Had MK not been thrown out of his Monkey Form, I have no doubt that he really could have defeated the Jade Emperor—which makes him terrifyingly more powerful than Wukong.

One of my biggest questions pre-s4 was how MK got his powers, and why exactly he was so strong (particularly when facing the Samadhi Fire, something that's world-ending). Monkey Form explains some things, but we haven't gotten to the real meat of MK's origins yet, which I'm excited for.

[runes-menagerie]

Analysis of Ascendant Astarion Part 1

WARNING!! This post contains spoilers for Act 3 of Balder's Gate 3. Specifically for one of the possible endings of 'The Pale Elf' companion questline along with the entirety of the Astarion romance plotline since I do reference earlier romance cutscenes.

This is the first of a series of dialogue analysis posts focusing on Ascendant Astarion. This part focuses on his dialogue as the ritual is being complete and the conversation you can have with him afterwards.

In this series I will be exploring several possible interpretations of his words based on the lore we are given in the game about the effects of Ascension.

To sum up that lore; we know it's an Infernal ritual connected to a pact made with Mephistopheles, an archdevil and ruler of one of the hells, and that the ritual is considered so profane that none have attempted it until now.

We also learn that there has been an abusive cycle going on between vampire masters and their spawn for centuries if not generations of vampires. Vellioth abused Cazador until he got powerful enough to kill Vellioth. Cazador abused Astarion until he got powerful enough to kill Cazador. Given that there was a specific name for this event, The Rite of Perfect Slaughter, it seems reasonable to assume that the cycle extends beyond these three.

Given Astarion's change in behaviors post Ascension I find it reasonable to conclude that the ritual has some effect on his mental state. This is something that I will explore in this post and expand on in later ones.

This is, of course, just my take and while you are free to agree or disagree, I will laugh at any hate sent my way. That said, I would love to have reasonable discussions on this topic and hear other viewpoints.

On to the analysis!

_____________________________________________________________

(End of ritual dialogue)

"I... I can't feel it. That ache in my stomach, that hunger - it's gone. I'm free, I'm finally free! Oh it feels delicious."

-- I find it telling that the first thing he talks about post ritual is that he no longer feels the hunger for blood that he has since being turned. Knowing vampire lore it does make sense why he would react to this first since it would have been such a driving factor to his actions since being turned. Case in point, the whole romance with the player is kicked off by him being desperate enough for blood to try feeding from you.

-- His next thought is about being free, understandable considering everything we know about his life with Cazador and why he wanted Ascension in the first place.

-- So far no red flags or anything outside of what would be expected given how Astarion has acted in the game thus far.

(Possible player responses)

You did it! I can't believe you did it!

So... What now?

And? What can a Vampire Ascendant do?

Not sure I like the sound of that.

Prompt 1 "I did. We did. Come on, let's get out of here. I have a brand new world to explore."

-- To me this reads as being exited for what the future holds. Again that's to be expected given how heavily Cazador and this event have weighted on him.

Prompt 2 "Now we deal with the elder brain. I no longer require the parasite, so we can end this once and for all."

-- This response is more to analyze I feel. On one hand there's the implication that the only reason you hadn't gone after the elder brain yet is because of his parasite, we can see signs of him becoming more vain and self-centered here.

-- It could be argued that he was always vain and self-centered but when you look deeper into the things he's self-centered about, they are all related to keeping himself safe in one way or another. Something most people are self-centered about.

-- This bit of dialogue hints that he's starting to go beyond that normal amount of self-centeredness and into egotistical. On the other hand, it could be a reassurance to the player that if they had been holding off so he can have more time in the sun, that they don't need to worry about that anymore.

Prompt 3 "I think the answer to that is 'whatever they damn well please'. Come on, let's get out of here. I have a brand new world to explore."

-- Much the same as the last response, this one indicates some change in Astarion's thinking. Now this could be interpreted as him becoming becoming egotistical as with the last one. Or it could be interpreted as him riding the high of Ascending and killing Cazador, the rush of victory leading him to feel like he can do anything.

-- I personally feel the second is more likely given his questline as a whole and just how many events happen in quick succession once you enter Cazador's palace.

Prompt 4 "Oh don't worry, darling. I won't bite unless you ask very, very nicely. Come on, let's get out of here. I have a brand new world to explore."

-- This seems to somewhat mirror his words right after you find out he's a vampire and he's reassuring you that he's not a danger to you or the party.

-- At the same time this is more teasing and flirting than the previously mentioned event was. This could also be a hint of lead up towards the choices you have to make during the Ascendant romance scene which I will discuss more in the post focused on that event.

(Post Ascension conversation)

"This is it. The hopeless dream dreamt by all of my kind. I am the greatest vampire to ever walk this land. Even the Pale Knight would have knelt before me."

-- Here's another possible example of him becoming more egotistical post ritual. However, I believe that the same reasoning of him riding the high of Ascension could also apply here since the first two sentences are statements of fact no matter how vainly they're worded. The last line has the feel of a boast, something one might say after completing a difficult task. Which is essentially what just happened.

(Possible player responses)

You are magnificent.

Has your body changed?

you may have power, but your greatness is yet to be proven.

No more Cazador, isn't it a relief?

Prompt 1 "I felt so very little for so long... My edges dulled over the numb years rotting in the boudoir and kennels. Now I can hear it at last. See it at last. How all the lowly creatures of this plane are begging to serve. How to call upon them. Scurrying footpads in their safe-houses, rats below our feet in their filthy holes, the crows in the night above... They will obey. In you, too, I can tell... your heartbeat races... you hold your breath while I speak. You await my command. The world will stir in fear."

-- The first line very poetically explains how Astarion sees his pre-ritual self and likely how he secretly felt about himself this entire time. It certainly does fit with his growth as a person over the course of the game.

-- The next two sentences about how he can hear and see differently imply to me that the ritual might have had some effect on his senses. Especially combined with his comment about how dulled he felt before. This seems reasonable to me due to the fact that the Vampire Ascendant is suppose to be something greater than a normal vampire and we know that vampirism on its own enhances the senses.

-- His interpretation of what those enhanced senses are telling him however I believe is influenced by the ritual. Before this point he has talked about controlling others, primarily taking over the Absolute's cult before you learn what the Absolute is. So it isn't entirely out of character and could be an enhancement of thoughts he already had. That said, there could be more to it than that. Given that he drops the idea of controlling the Absolute if you don't Ascend him, it seems very likely that something about the ritual is influencing him. Now this could just be the high I've mentioned before and him feeling like he could do anything since this conversation takes place within minutes of him finishing the ritual.

-- Finally, his thoughts about the player. On the surface these comments could be seen as signs he's becoming controlling towards the player. But if we use the same thought process as above, it could simply be the high of the ritual causing him to misinterpret the player simply showing an interest in what he's saying and still calming from the fight that just happened.

Prompt 2 "Everything has changed... (goes back to prompt 1)"

-- Not much to analyze here that hasn't already been said previously.

Prompt 3 "Shh, Hush. Feel what is in the air. (goes back to prompt 1)"

-- Another example of either him trying to process the information of his new senses or his growing controlling tendancies.

Prompt 4 "Never again. I will not think about him. I don't even want to say his name."

-- I can't really blame Astarion for feeling this way about Cazador given everything we know he put Astarion through. I imagine that Spawn Astarion would have a similar reaction. Edit: I've been corrected that Spawn Astarion does have a very different reaction to Cazador being brought up.

(Possible player responses to Prompt 4)

1. You don't sound too happy

2. He can't hurt you anymore.

3. I suppose it can be left to the past.

(all lead to the prompt 2 response then to the following dialogue tree.)

-- Since all of these responses lead back to the same response as you get from Prompt 2 above, I'm not going to go into them too much.

All prompts lead to this set except prompt 4

1. Embrace it. Together this world will be ours.

2. I'm not afraid of you.

3. You're starting to scare me...

4. Come on, you're still the same Astarion, just stronger.

bullet 1 "Everything will be ours. Everything. I already hear the world whispering in sweet surrender. And I feel alive."

-- I feel this response is less indicative of how Astarion feels and more a response to the desires of the player. The player indicates a desire to rule and Astarion responds in kind.

-- I see two ways to interpret this response. Either Astarion feels the same way, possible given the previous comments during this conversation. Or, it indicates that his desires can be swayed by the player's. That was certainly true pre-ritual since with high enough approval he will stop disapproving of some choices the way he would if the approval rating was lower.

bullet 2 "You've been very brave, haven't you? You've done so much for me... Everything will be ours. Everything. I already hear the world whispering in sweet surrender. And I feel alive."

-- The first part of this response could be interpreted as condescending which would support the idea of his growing ego. Or it could be him acknowledging how scared the player likely was when Astarion was captured at the start of the Cazador fight. This feels reasonable since if you fail to defeat Cazador in time, Astarion would die with not chance of resurrection.

bullet 3 "Our lives will never be the same again. Everything will be ours. Everything. I already hear the world whispering in sweet surrender. And I feel alive."

-- The first part of this is a statement of fact. This choice does change both Astarion's life and the player's life with him. Whether this is a blessing or a curse is dependent on the player's choices after this point.

bullet 4 "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. The very composition of my blood has been altered... Our lives will never be the same again. Everything will be ours. Everything. I already hear the world whispering in sweet surrender. And I feel alive."

-- The first part of this introduces a very interesting concept that isn't mentioned elsewhere. That Astarion's blood is now different on a fundamental level. It does make sense and also gives us more insight into just how deeply the ritual could have effected him.

(End of dialogues)

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

Assessments

In conclusion I feel there are two distinct interpretations of these two sets of dialogue.

On interpretation is that the Ritual and the events leading up to it had a profound effect on Astarion's thought processes. His desire for power over others to protect himself was shifted to a desire for power for the sake of that power. His ego also seems to have been boosted although whether that is a side effect of the Infernal nature of the ritual or simply the fact that objectively he has become a higher form of life form. Whether that makes him 'better' than the other races isn't the topic of debate in this post. That said, he seems to believe he is in this interpretation.

Another is that while the Ritual and the events leading up to it did have an effect, it isn't one that's going to linger. Remember that these conversations happen within minutes of each other from the perspective of the characters involved. Meaning that Astarion has had no time yet to process any of this. Not all the memories being back in Cazador's palace brought up, not Cazador's death, not the implications of killing 7 thousand people, not his enhanced senses, and not any new power the ritual gave him.

In conclusion, I don't think we can read too much into who Ascendant Astarion is at this point because of the fact that everything would still be so very new to him and he's just been through the ordeal of a lifetime.

[deanwinchesterswitch]

Run to You ~ Chapter Twelve

Chapter Summary: The pair are a filthy, sweaty mess. Kasey surprises Dean with an unexpected gift.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Kasey Belmont (OFC)

Warnings: Language; Here, there be smut; and lots of it.

Rating: Mature 18+ NSFW

Word Count: 10,028

Series Master Post

Beta: @princessmisery666 and @wayward-and-worn

Movie Reference/Quote: Titanic

Song Reference: Love Will Keep Us Alive - Eagles

Author’s Notes: This is an AU. While there are several SPN characters mentioned, basically no one has the same connections as they did in the show, and Dean and Sam are not related.

Written for: @jay-and-dean -Jay’s 3K Celebration and @spnaubingo.

SPNAUBingoSquare Filled: Fugitive AU

Kasey’s chest rises with a deep inhale, legs sliding off him and fingers stilling in his hair. Rolling off her and onto his back, he scrubs a hand down his face and inwardly groans.

What the hell is wrong with me? 

It’s as if she’s cast a spell over him. He hasn’t been able to contain any of the feelings he typically hides away from the world. All he’s done from the moment she asked him to tell her the truth is spout a fountain of thoughts and emotions that he never imagined he’d feel, let alone say aloud. 

It’s astounding how everything fell so quickly into place. Alarming how easy it is to picture himself happy with her, building a life together. So the demons of his mind come calling to remind him that he’d tried for the apple pie life once before, and look how that turned out. Right now, there’s a big red target on his back, and the need to protect Kasey from any more of his crazy life looms heavy in his heart. The thought of harm coming to her as a consequence of simply knowing him causes his breath to catch in his throat and his muscles to tense. 

Dammit, why couldn’t I have met her sooner? Before I got married. Before, my life ended up being a living nightmare.

Dean feels the mattress shift, and then her shoulder is pressed to his, fingers smoothing back a lock of hair from his face as she murmurs his name.

Turning his head to look at her, he’s greeted with a soft smile, and she confides, “We’ll figure it out. Right? We promised to trust each other, remember.”

It’s not a question. It’s a reminder, and just like that, the anxiety melts away.  

How does she do that?

The grip on his heart eases, muscles loosen and flex, and his breath comes fast but easy. Placing his hand over hers, he kisses her palm, then pulls her on top of him. One arm securing her around the waist, the other wrapped around the back of her neck as he claims her mouth in a bruising kiss, teeth clacking together with the surge of emotion. He pours every bit of that emotion into the kiss because even though he’s been running off at the mouth, there are still words that wouldn’t make sense to say to someone he’s only known for three days.

She kisses him back with just as much passion, hands cradling the top of his head, thumbs massaging his temples. He doesn’t break the kiss until they’re both struggling for breath. Kasey immediately buries her face in his neck, bringing her elbows closer to his body. He hugs her tighter, caging her against him with both arms. Sweat coalesces between them—hot, slick, and admittedly a little gross, but neither moves to remedy the situation.

Until her stomach loudly growls in the weighted silence. Chest vibrating against his with a bubble of laughter, a smile is pressed against his flesh. 

“Maybe I should have let you have a taste,” he husks into her ear. 

Sharp teeth nip at his skin before she pushes off him with a small cry, “Shit, the food!”

Dean reluctantly releases her, each groaning at the squelching sound when their bodies slide apart.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was so damn hot in here?” she grumbles, slipping from the bed. “I would have found another fan for you, or we could have taken the plastic off the windows.”

“Honestly, it hasn’t been that hot until now. You brought the heat with you.” He wiggles his eyebrows at her, earning an eye roll in response. 

Hands ruffling through the twisted sheets, she tilts her head and lightly slaps the side of his thigh. “Lift your leg.” Arching an eyebrow, he obliges, bending his knee. Her eyes scan the space, the corner of her mouth curling up when she apparently finds what she is looking for. Blunt nails graze his flesh, causing his leg to jerk, and he grunts in surprise. 

She holds up the hair band that had been stuck to the back of his shin with a triumphant smile, then quickly pulls her hair into a high ponytail before wiping her body down with a corner of the sheet.

Dean stares hungrily at the smooth, tanned skin covering lithe muscle, the curve of her ass as she bends to pull her dress up her body, the arch of her back as she glides the material over the swell of her breasts to retie the knot behind her neck.

Dick twitching in response, he drops his gaze, pulling the sheet over himself to wipe away the moisture dripping down his chest. She’s already down the hallway by the time he looks back up, calling out to him, “Are you coming?” He chuckles and shakes his head. He probably could come again just thinking about how good it felt to be sheathed inside her.

“Be there in a sec,” he hollers back. Closing his eyes, he commits it all to memory—the sultry air heavily scented with warm bread and cinnamon, the drag of nails over his flesh, the pull and slide of sweat-slicked skin, the softness and weight of her, the lust-filled, honeyed rasp of whispered words and pleading cries.

He’ll keep it securely tucked away in his heart and mind, a happy memory, so when he’s back in that godforsaken cement cage, he’ll have something to remind him there’s light, even hope, out there. Dean heaves himself out of bed and pulls on the discarded pajama bottoms, padding down the hallway after her.

When he enters the kitchen, he finds Kasey poking her fingers into a large round of dough. Leaning against the doorframe, he watches as she folds and reshapes the mass before placing it into a loaf pan next to the other three. She huffs a breath and swipes the back of her hand along her forehead, leaving a trail of flour behind.

“Saved it.” Brushing her hands together to clean them, she gives him a pleased grin which turns into a pout as she looks around the space. “Hmm, not so much the other stuff, though.”

Dean smiles and pushes off the frame. “What can I do?”

“Take care of what’s on the table?” 

Feeling Kasey’s eyes boring into him, he asks without turning, “Like what you see?”

Her reply is swift, voice coated in adulation, “I most certainly do,” and further informs him, “especially since the thin cotton covering that perky ass and those beefy thighs is nearly transparent in the sun.”

Stopping at the end of the table, he widens his stance, hands on his hips, and stares out the large window for a moment, chuckling at the huff of breath and cute grunt he hears in response.

About forty minutes later, he places the last pan in the drying rack. Leaning back against the sink, he follows Kasey’s movement around the room as she hums along to the song on the radio, once again contemplating how ‘normal’ this all feels—the domesticity of it all—something he’s never experienced on this level before. It was never like this with his wife, and he starts to wonder why they ever got married. 

Making a conscious effort not to spiral down that rabbit hole, he picks up a discarded towel from the counter as he makes his way over to her. She scrunches her face when he grips her chin, turning her head so he can brush the powdery streaks from her forehead and cheek. Kissing the tip of her nose, he tosses the towel back onto the marble, asking as he steps back, “It’s like Dante’s seventh circle outside. Why all the baking?” 

“I was frustrated. Baking has always been a way to help me calm down. Besides, it wasn’t quite as hot when I started.”

“Must have been pretty frustrated,” he teases. “How’re you feelin’ now?”

Entirely unprepared for her response, he doesn’t have time to move before being covered in a mixture of flour and crumbs from the scrap pile on the island countertop. Blinking, he feels the silky powder drift from his lashes to float away on the sun-dappled air. “What the-” He shakes his limbs, trying to dislodge some of the dusty mix, but it clings to his damp skin like the mist of heavy fog.

Bent over laughing, she almost misses seeing him lunge for her, but she skirts out of his reach and tries to put the island between them. He’s quicker, though. Snagging his fingers in the back of her dress, he pulls her flush against his chest.

She squirms in his hold as he rubs the side of his face against hers, smearing the sticky mess across her skin, and growls, “That wasn’t very nice.”

Scooping up the remaining floury debris, he mashes the mess into the hair on top of her head. Kasey laughs louder, her ponytail loosening as she struggles fruitlessly against his hold. She shrieks when he spins her away from him, grasping her hand just before she’s out of reach. 

A wispy halo of white surrounds her head, bits of dough are caked in her disheveled hair, and lumpy cream-colored streaks trail from her hairline to her chin. She looks beautiful. Eyes sparkling and a lighthearted smile. 

Feeling his chest swell with his escalating heart rate, he tugs on her arm, and she falls into him, warm and pliant. He immediately captures her lips in a hungry kiss, running his hands up her arms to cradle her neck, thumbs gently stroking along her jawline.

Body trembling with the intensity of the kiss, he tries to ground himself in the feel of her. Kasey’s breath hitches as the tips of his middle fingers lightly brush down either side of her spine unhurried. When he reaches the small of her back, his hands fall to gently rest on her hips, and her entire body seems to sigh as she drapes her arms over his shoulders. 

The song changes, and he sways them to the slower tempo. Breaking the kiss, he presses his forehead to hers. “This is the song that was playing when the power came back on.”

“Hmm, one of my favorites.” She pecks his lips and then lays her head on his shoulder. He reaches back to take a hand in his, and her fingers wrap around his thumb, the other hand resting against his shoulder blade, letting him dance her around the kitchen. It’s easy and comfortable, intimate, and the same feeling of contentment that struck him when he agreed to stay settles in his soul.

Timothy B. Schmit’s high tenor comes around, and Kasey softly sings along. Dean’s heard the song hundreds of times, but as the low harmony of her voice fills the air, he latches onto a new meaning behind the words.

“I was standing, all alone against the world outside. You were searching for a place to hide.”

Kasey snuggles closer to him, and a sense of hope fills him as she slides her hand over his bare skin to wrap around the nape of his neck.

“Lost and lonely, now you've given me the will to survive.”

A lump forms in his throat at the realization of how closely their lives mirror the lyrics- 

“When we're hungry, love will keep us alive.”

-and his pulse quickens over the last line of the chorus. 

She met him at the worst possible time in his life, has seen him at his lowest, yet chose to trust him, is willing to face the consequences of helping him overcome the biggest challenge he’s ever faced, has given him hope, and has shown him kindness.

Time has lost all sense of meaning for him. It’s like she’s always been with him—in the back of his mind, his peripheral vision, his dreams—waiting for him to truly perceive her. The fact that he only saw her for the first time three days ago is incomprehensible. He wasn’t lying when he told her he had been hers the minute he stepped onto the porch. He hadn’t realized it then, too focused on the need to survive, but once he knew he was safe, he recognized the feeling for what it was—it had felt like coming home. She feels like home.

He promised no more running. He promised to trust her and told her this was where he felt he belonged. So he shoves down his insecurities and lingering misgivings and chooses her. Chooses to trust his heart. Chooses to stay with her and fight his demons in the same vein she has chosen to fight for his life.

Closing his eyes, he tightens his hold and brings their clasped hands to rest on his chest. “You know,” his voice is steady, further solidifying his resolve that this is where he is meant to be, “this sounds like us.”

Kasey pauses on the following line but doesn’t say anything right away, and he wonders if he should have kept his mouth shut. Then he feels her smile. 

“Yeah, I guess it does.” She sighs, fingers playing with his hair while she goes back to singing.

The inevitable happens, and the song comes to a close, but even though the faster-paced strains of Traveling Riverside Blues begin to float through the space, he keeps her close, continuing to sway slowly in place, not wanting the moment to end. 

If it were possible, it feels like she melts even further into him as he begins to sing. “Your voice is beautiful,” she whispers into his chest. “I could stay right here like this all day.” Squeezing her hand in agreement, he continues to serenade her as they drift around the room. 

About halfway through the song, though, he feels her body shake just before her laughter reaches his ears. “As seductive as your voice is, I think we should finish cleaning the kitchen and then get cleaned up ourselves.”

Regretfully, he has to agree, feeling the tug on his skin as she pulls away, the flour having turned into a sticky paste between them.

Another twenty minutes later, the dishes have been put away, the countertops are gleaming, the floor has been swept and mopped, and the bread is in the oven.

Dean picks at a dried clump of goop on his chest as he leans against the counter, catching the flaky pieces and tossing them into the sink. Sitting next to him atop the surface, she bumps his shoulder.

“Go get in the shower. I’m going to wait for the bread. It’s almost done.” 

He’d like nothing more than to wait for her so that they could shower together. However, his skin itches, and he feels gross, probably smells gross, too. Pushing off the counter, he kisses a clean spot on her forehead. “Yeah, okay. Feeling pretty disgusting right now,” he grimaces.

“Me too,” she laughs, pulling a chunk of dough from her hair. 

He laughs with her as he heads out of the room, stopping to look back when she calls out to him. 

“You can use the one in my room. It’s bigger. Has the fancy shower heads and everything.” She wiggles her eyebrows with a flashy little show of jazz hands. 

She wasn’t kidding when she said it was bigger. The wide glass door opens into a walk-in stone slab and river-rock-lined space that should be located in a spa or some million-dollar mansion. It’s slightly larger than his jail cell had been and sports a stone bench, recessed niches for storage, a rain shower, and two multi-function shower heads.

Modern and sophisticated, not at all something original to the home. It appears that the only item left of the original bathroom is the cast iron claw-foot tub placed beneath the large window looking over the side yard. 

The update is an interesting contrast to the way Kasey seems to have preserved the rest of the old farmhouse. A unique reflection of her refined yet down-to-earth personality. Perhaps, a piece of the city she couldn’t leave behind.

It takes him several minutes to figure out the controls, but when he finally does, he’s treated to a pulsing cascade of water from almost every angle. He’s just beginning to relax when Kasey surprises him by slipping her slender arms around him from behind, and he nearly elbows her in the side. She squeezes him tighter as he grips her forearms to keep her from slipping. 

“Sorry,” she chuckles. “I couldn’t wait any longer to get this crap out of my hair. I hope you don’t mind.”

Gently tugging on her arm, he pulls her around to face him. “Not at all. Was actually hoping you’d join me.” The smoldering look she gives him as her hand slides over his hip to grope his ass makes his cock swell. 

After helping each other remove the more tenacious gunk from their bodies and a round of satisfying and only slightly complicated shower sex, they head back downstairs to eat lunch. Opting to forego clothing, they’re each wrapped in only a large fluffy towel, which does nothing to diminish his hunger for her. Now that he’s tasted her, felt her around him, he craves more. He’d love to bend her over the counter and rail her.

Turning from putting the dishes away, her eyes spark, and the corner of her mouth twitches when she catches him staring. He feels the heat spread across his chest and neck, knowing that she knows precisely what he’s thinking, but then she covers her mouth to stifle a yawn, reminding him of how little sleep they have both gotten the past couple of days. Standing from the table, he holds a hand out to her, and they make their way back upstairs to her room. 

“Is it always this hot around here?” Dean huffs as he plugs in the fan from downstairs to supplement the ceiling fan in Kasey’s room. Ensuring it’s set securely on the small side table, he momentarily stands in front of it, letting the forced breeze cool his skin.

Kasey laughs as he walks toward the bed to lie beside her. “Not this time of year. It appears you brought the heat with you when you obnoxiously collapsed on my porch.”

“Ha ha, funny,” he grouses, lifting his arm for Kasey to lay her head on his chest. “I could have died.”

“Not on my watch,” she states almost vehemently, causing him to smile at the protectiveness in her tone. He likes the feeling it gives him.

“It seems like this is healing nicely.” Her fingers drift down his body to trace the edges of the fresh bandage she insisted on applying after their shower, where she fussed over the fact that he got it wet. “It feels okay? Doesn’t hurt?”

“It’s fine,” he huffs in exasperation, then yelps and slaps her hand away when she pinches the skin about an inch above the wound. “Hey.”

“Don’t get testy with me,” she derides, but he can hear the humor lacing the edges of her retort. “I’d hate to see it get infected.”

“Seriously,” he grips her forearm and pulls it over his body, “it’s fine. It’s pretty much healed. I got the bullet out and cleaned the wound. I just didn’t have time to stitch it up. Having to constantly do a parkour routine to keep ahead of the law kept opening the wound. That’s the only reason it was still bleeding. I didn’t have time to rest and let it heal properly.”

“You know, you could have made it worse by taking the bullet out,” she sniffs.

“I couldn’t leave the slug in my gut. It definitely would have gotten infected or caused more damage.” Tears dampen his chest, and he tightens his hold, pulling her a fraction closer. “It wasn’t deep. The guy’s hand was shaking; it ricocheted off of a seat, slowed it down. Besides, it’s been over two weeks. If it was going to kill me, it would have already,” and runs a soothing hand over her hair.

Bringing her hand back to lightly rest over the bandage, she mumbles, “Not letting it happen ever again.”

He kisses the top of her head, relaxing into the soft bedding, fingers tracing random patterns on her arm. Moments later, the rhythm of her breathing lets him know she’s asleep, and he follows shortly after.

Dean wakes to a dimly lit room. The sun is low in the sky, deep, vibrant shades of purple and orange painting the view outside the window. Stretching lazily, he tries but fails to recall the last time he’s felt this relaxed. Rolling to his other side, he finds the space next to him empty and a slip of paper on the pillow. Sitting up, he turns on the small lamp on the nightstand. Not sure why he’s surprised to find that her handwriting is just as beautiful as she is, he chuckles.

Get dressed and meet me on the porch. ~K

He’s quick to obey and make his way downstairs to find her lying across the swing, a leg thrown over the side to keep it in motion.

“Finally,” she huffs, sitting up as he steps up next to her. “I was beginning to think I would have to drag you out of bed.”

“Why, what’s up?”

“You’ll see.” 

Kasey holds out her hand for him to help her stand, and he tugs on her arm, making her wobble with the momentum. 

“I’m not big on surprises,” he drolls, setting a hand at her hip to help steady her.

“Oh, I think you’re going to like this one,” she quips, reaching into the pocket of the Daisy Dukes she’s wearing. Coupled with a bikini top, the outfit leaves little to his imagination. “But hey, I can always just tuck these back in your jeans.”

She hooks a finger into his left front pocket, and he bites his lip as she runs it over the fabric against his skin. The jingle of metal draws his attention to her other hand, where she twirls the small ring that holds Baby’s ignition key around her finger. “Thought you might like to go for a drive.”

Stunned, mouth agape, his eyes repeatedly flick between her and the key as he absentmindedly pats down his pockets. A flick to his nose makes him focus, and he rubs a finger over the tip, remembering how she’d done the same thing that first night when they’d been drinking.

“Did I break you?”

“Phftt… No,” he hedges, rolling his eyes like it’s the most ridiculous concept to ever be voiced, then immediately implores, “Are you kidding? Please say you’re not kidding.” 

“I’m not kidding.” Turning his hand, she drops the key in his palm and curls his fingers around the cool metal. “We have a track on the ‘back forty’. It’s dirt, but it’s well-maintained. There’s even a couple of areas where you can get a little heavy on the pedal.” She winks. “Come on, Winchester, take me for a ride.” Taking his hand, she pulls him off the porch and down the steps.

Son of a bitch. 

Dean knows that her comment was about the Impala, but the image that springs to his mind of her moaning his name, tits bouncing and silky walls squeezing, as she comes undone while riding his dick again almost sends him to his knees. He stumbles on the last step, nearly knocking her down when he topples into her.

She holds her ground and manages to prevent him from falling in the process. “Hey, are you okay?” 

Her eyes scan his body, and when they meet his once again, the tips of his ears burn bright. The coy smile lets him know she has seen the evidence of his wayward thoughts.

“Wow. Should I be jealous of the car?” Her lips twitch, the corner slowly curling up.

“I- What? No,” he splutters. The warmth of embarrassment spreads across his chest and into his cheeks. “That’s not- I-” 

She’s full-on laughing now, and he huffs a breath.

Wait. Jealous?

Eyes narrowed, he scrutinizes her demeanor. “Why would you be jealous?” The thought of her being possessive in relation to him makes him simultaneously happy and intrigued. He truly believes that having sex with him is more than a convenience fuck for her, but he never dreamed that her feelings might be on the same level as his.  

Kasey’s eyes widen, and the laughter immediately dies in her throat. “What?” She looks shocked, a little frightened, but quickly schools her features. Turning away, she calls over her shoulder, “Let’s go, or we’re going to miss it.”

“Hey, wait. Miss what?” He has to jog to catch up with her. 

Once inside the building, she doesn’t give him a chance to bring up the subject again, practically sprinting to the back of the barn and disappearing into a room on the left. When he finally catches up, he finds her in a sizable office, leaning over a glass-topped wooden table. “Here, come and look.” 

Dean steps up beside her to find what appears to be a large sheet of paper covered in geometric shapes in various shades of green and brown, sealed beneath the glass. Upon closer inspection, he realizes it’s a plat map of the farm. Golden-yellow lines mark the property lines of each acre. Pale blue squiggles and circles show the creek's path, tributaries, and what he assumes to be a couple of ponds or small lakes. 

“This is where we are.” Her finger taps a small square near the bottom middle third of the area before gliding over the surface to a tan-colored line about a quarter-inch thick that splits in two. “See this?” Not waiting for a response, she continues. “Off to the left is the path we took to the creek the other day. It’s narrower and rougher. But here,” her slender finger moves to the right, tracing over what he assumes is the dirt trail she mentioned before, “see how it’s wider, less curvy? That’s the route we’re going to take.” 

He follows the trail that cuts through the top third of the property before circling back to the fork in the road where she started. It’s almost like a long race track. If it’s as well maintained as she says it is, he could let Baby loose on that top stretch. The thought of feeling the power of her engine, the wheels eating up the dirt beneath them, sends his pulse racing like a freight train and blocks all other thoughts from his mind. 

“Dean, let’s go!” The impatience in her tone and the light slap to his bicep bring his attention back to her. “That’s the second time you’ve spaced out on me. Maybe I’m the one that should be driving?” 

“Oh, hell, no.” Bending, he flips her over his shoulder and heads out of the office door, not stopping until they are next to the Impala. Setting Kasey down on the trunk, he wedges himself between her legs, cradles her face in his hands, then plants a firm kiss on her lips.

When he breaks away, her confused eyes scan his face. “What was that for?”

“For… everything.” Emotions surge through him, but thankfully the tears remain at bay this time, replaced by the ramble of words that spill from his lips. “The bed, the clothes, the food, taking me in, helping me, this,” he waves his hand in the direction of the Impala, “for saving me… for- for being you.”

Kasey stares at him, stunned, lips parted around a word she can’t seem to voice. He shakes his head and adds, “I’ll never be able to repay you.”

Her features morph into a provocative pout, eyes gleaming with mischief. Hooking her fingers into his belt loops, she tugs, sliding closer as she pulls him to her. “Oh, I can think of a way you could start to repay me.” 

Licking his lips, he plants his palms on the cool metal on either side of her and arches a brow. “Oh?” The thin material of his t-shirt does nothing to hinder the scrape of her nails as she dances them up his torso while pressing her core against his still semi-hard cock. He leans into her and growls, “And what would that be?”

The hard shove to his chest is a surprise, throwing him off balance. Kasey’s laughter echoes around the space, “Show me what you can do behind the wheel of this car.” Sliding off the trunk, she ducks beneath his arm and is opening the barn’s large double doors before he even has a chance to comprehend what just happened.

Fuck. She’s going to be the death of me.

He knows there are much worse ways to go, though, so he shakes his head and smiles. Adjusting himself, he walks around the car and slides in behind the wheel, running a hand over the dash as he closes his eyes. The smell of leather and motor oil is tinged with a fresh sweetness that was never there before. He’d caught a hint of it last night, but hadn’t given it much thought, too overwhelmed and lost in memories.

He inhales deeply, trying to identify the not unpleasant scent. It doesn’t take long for him to realize the same scent surrounds him whenever he’s near Kasey. Unlike the murderous sentiments that usually fill every molecule of his body when thinking about someone else driving his Baby, there’s a strange calmness in knowing that she sat in this same seat and had taken such good care of his most prized possession.

A loud whistle breaks his reverie, and he looks up to find Kasey standing in the open doorway with her arms out and a ‘what the hell are you doing?’ expression etched on her features.

Smiling sheepishly, he turns the ignition key, and the engine roars to life. He maneuvers the car out of the garage, stopping just outside the entrance to allow Kasey to get in. 

“You sure you don’t want me to drive?” she huffs before even closing the door.

“No, sorry. I’m fine. Just got caught up in some memories,” he shrugs.

She smiles warmly, getting comfortable in the seat and rolling down the window. “Alright then, let’s roll.”

When they hit the first long stretch, Kasey tells him to floor it, and they shoot down the trail doing eighty-five. It’s exhilarating. He’d missed this feeling—the adrenaline rush, the sense of freedom, of being one with his Baby and the road—missed it deep in his bones. Never imagined that he would ever experience it again. 

The trail is better maintained than he could have imagined. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought they were traveling over freshly laid asphalt.

He sneaks a glance at Kasey. Her arm hangs out the window, hand riding the air currents, laughing as the wind whips her hair around her face. She’s carefree... captivating. He’d give anything to stay in this moment forever, but he needs to pay attention to the road. He’d prefer not to crash and possibly injure Kasey or Baby. Taking the curve at a more reasonable speed, he prompts, “You do this with your truck, don’t you? That’s why the trail’s so smooth.”

“Maybe,” she giggles, brushing the hair from her face. “We race the ATVs too.”

“We?”

“Oh. Yeah, uh, my friends, the farm workers, neighbors...” She waves a hand in the air like it’s no big deal. “We have a huge celebration after the harvest. Everyone brings food, and there’s a local band that does great rock covers. Usually lasts the entire weekend.”

“Where do all these people come from?” Worry churns in his gut, and his grip tightens on the wheel. A sudden influx of people on the property would not bode well for either of them. She brushes back the hair at his temple but quickly drops her hand when he jerks away. 

“Hey. It’s alright.” Her voice is hushed, and he glances over to see a tender smile. “This is the lull before the storm. We still have a couple of weeks before the bunkhouses start to fill up. We’ll be well into your case to free you by then, and I have an idea about controlling exposure. But we’re not discussing that tonight. Tonight, we’re going to enjoy this beautiful evening and each other’s company.”

The luminescent smile she gives him when he looks her way again nearly forces his heart from his chest, and he almost misses the next curve, swerving at the last minute to keep them out of the field. Kasey grips the door frame to keep from sliding off the seat, her high-pitched squeal ringing in his ears. 

“You know, I honestly thought you’d be a better driver.” she taunts.

He would have been offended, except there’s humor feathering her words, and when he looks, her eyes are shining with mischief and crinkled at the corners with glee. Gripping the hand flattened on the seat, he roughly pulls her across the leather and growls, “I’m the best damn driver you’ll ever meet.” 

Putting his arm over her shoulder and hugging her close, he stomps on the gas pedal as they hit the bottom straightway of the makeshift race track, Kasey’s joyful shout urging him on.

After two more laps, she points to a side trail and asks him to take it. The sky is fully dark now. The car’s headlights cut through the eerie reddish glow of the waning gibbous moon as it rises. The path is narrower and rougher, too, so he slowly eases the Impala over the small ruts, not wanting to damage the suspension. A few minutes later, the tree-lined path ends at a clearing containing one of the small lakes he had seen on the map—a little oasis among the acres of corn.

Kasey exits the Impala from the driver’s side, sliding out behind him. Scanning the area, he hears a door of the car open and turns to find her ass in the air as she bends over the backseat to grab something from the floor on the opposite side. He’s really not sure how much more he can take. His dick strains against the soft, worn denim. It hasn’t fully softened since he found her stretched out on the porch swing. He’d love to take her right there on the back seat and have her ride him just like he imagined.

“Stop staring at my ass and come help me,” she laughs.

Shit. Busted again.

“I wasn’t- that’s not-,” he stutters. 

Kasey stands, “Really?” handing him a lantern, then reaches back in to pull out a small green cooler she sets off to the side. “You weren’t just thinking about having sex on the backseat?”

Turning on the light, he places it on top of the cooler. Eyes dragging up her body as he straightens, he nearly bites off his tongue, seeing her tease her nipple through the bright purple fabric barely covering her plump, perfectly sized breasts.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“No? Nothing to say?” Gaze intent on the movement of her fingers, he startles when she palms his crotch and pouts, “Too bad because I was.”

Hips instinctively shifting, he presses into her hand with a moan, ready to lose his goddamn mind over the simple touch. It only takes a couple of seconds for the circuits in his brain to reconnect, though, when she starts to pull away. He flattens her hand along the firm line of his shaft with his own and grinds into it.

“Such a tease.” He wraps his other hand around the back of her neck, eyes scanning her form. “Wearing this skimpy little outfit,” he rolls his hips, “that pretty little mouth so full of sass.” Using his entire body, he pushes into her space, only stopping when her ass hits metal.

Laying his forearm on the roof of the car by Kasey’s head, he leans in until her back is flush with the vehicle, her hand trapped between their bodies. “Maybe I should fill it with something else.” He thumbs over her lips, hears the moan she tries to swallow, feels the rapid rise and fall of her chest, “Or maybe,” he snaps his hips forward, hard, the delicious friction nearly knocking him from his course of action, “you wanna ride this?” 

“Yes.” One thing he’s learned about her is that she’s not one to back down easily, so it’s no surprise when she curls her fingers as best she can and defiantly replies with a squeeze to his sac. “I do.”

Her other hand pushes against his chest, and he doesn’t fight her, amused and turned on by her confidence. He shuffles back a couple of steps as she continues to grip him tight, eyes locked with his. “I want to ride this big beautiful cock,” she forces the heel of her palm against his shaft, making him choke down a groan, “in that glorious black beauty,” her fingers massage the denim covering his balls, and his hand tightens around her nape, “until I’m screaming your name.”

Jesus fucking christ!

There’s no containing the growl that rises from his chest. He has no explanation for how she seemingly knows precisely what he wants exactly when he needs it, but it’s a helluva turn-on. Kasey grips his forearm, the other slipping beneath his t-shirt, fingers popping the button and dipping into the waistband of his jeans. 

With a low grunt, he pulls away. “In the car, now.” Turning her, he gently shoves her toward the open door. 

Kasey’s laugh coasts on the breeze. Eyeing him over her shoulder, she croons, “Yes, Sir.”

The sultry voice, coupled with the innocent bat of eyelashes, is like a backdraft settling in his groin before being ignited by his sharp intake of breath to burn through his veins. He’s never before felt the level of desire she sparks in him and takes a moment to close his eyes and palm himself through the denim, trying to relieve some of the pressure. 

The sight that greets him when he peels his lids open only makes him harder. The tiny shorts she’s wearing barely cover any flesh, the seam pressed into her crack, giving him a peek of the purple lace beneath as she crawls across the seat. When she stops and steps back out of the car, he challenges, “What are you doing?”

She leans back into the car without a response, and he follows the long line of her legs down to her bare feet. Catching sight of the cooler she’d set down earlier, he notices what appears to be a familiar dent. “Hey, this looks like my old cooler,” he states, the tension easing from his voice.

“Probably is. It was in the trunk when I bought her.”

Dean shakes his head, not even fazed that she has yet another cherished object that belongs to him. It’s like an unseen entity has been gathering them up and placing them in her care until he could come along and collect them again. Maybe there is something to all that destiny crap. But right now, he has far less philosophical matters to attend to. 

Bracing a hand on the door, he bucks his groin against her backside, causing her to fall forward onto the blanket she is spreading over the backseat. “A little warm for that, isn’t it?”

Looking over her shoulder, she pushes back against him, stating matter of factly, “It’s this, or we’re going to be peeling our skin off the leather.”

Gritting his teeth against the pressure on his cock, he growls, “Have I told you how sexy that brain of yours is? And that it gets me really, really hard?”

“You may have mentioned it,” she wiggles her ass, “and I can certainly feel it, but why don’t you get those clothes off and show me?” she challenges, folding her arms over her chest as she straightens, leaning against the rear quarter panel.

“Seriously. The death of me,” he grumbles under his breath, but he doesn’t hesitate to quickly rid himself of his clothing. As he steps out of the denim, he laughs to himself. Every time he thinks he has the upper hand, she pushes back and turns the tables, but he can’t deny that he’ll willingly dance this little dance with her for as long as she’ll let him.

“Your turn,” he taunts.

Kasey pushes off the car with her ass, eyes locked with his. Stepping up to his side, she ghosts a hand over his chest, letting her fingers trail down his arm as she walks around behind him. Her movements are slow, deliberate, and his breath quickens. 

Like the stroke of a feather, the tips of her fingers trace the curve of his butt cheeks. His pulse jumps, and the muscles twitch beneath her caress. She comes round to his other side, her chin tucked, eyes roaming over his flesh. He attempts to make a smart-ass comment. The words lodge in his throat, breaths coming shallow and quick, heart pounding against his ribcage when those delicate fingers he’s obsessed with tickle the palm of his hand, and he watches in anticipation as they drift over his thigh only to stall.

The air is punched from his lungs, heartbeat arrested, the moment she drops to her knees in front of him and takes him in hand. His legs nearly give out, and a hand falls to rest on her shoulder for support when she flicks her tongue through his slit. He barely registers her comment over the rush of blood pulsing against his eardrums.

“You’ve already denied me once. I want a taste before anything else.”

Eyes dark with desire, peer at him through thick lashes, tongue continuing to tease before slipping him into her warm, wet mouth and sucking as her plush lips seal around his head.

“Shit.” The pressure builds. His fingers compress into the curve of her shoulder as she sucks him in further and moans. His sac tightens when her tongue massages the sensitive v near his tip. “Fuck.” He stumbles backward, dick releasing from her mouth with a pop.

Dean grunts, mouth agape as he holds her at arm’s length with one hand and squeezes his tip with the other.

“What?” Though her voice is laced with angelic innocence, her eyes harbor a wicked glint. “I just wanted a taste.” Kasey curls her fingers around his wrist at her shoulder and stands, licking her lips. “Yum.”

Roughly pulling her closer, he locks her against his body with one arm around her back and cradles her head with his other hand as he claims her mouth in a searing kiss. Kasey pushes up on her toes, fingers pressing into the flesh of his shoulder blades, the heat of her body fueling the fiery embrace. Dean lifts her and walks the short distance to the car. Once he reaches the open door, he releases her lips and sets her back on the ground, careful not to bump her head as he maneuvers her down onto the blanket-covered seat.

Kasey smiles at him and crooks her finger, summoning him to follow as she wriggles to the other side. He doesn’t need coaxing and scrambles inside, leaving the door open for air. It’s not like anyone is going to see them anyway.

As he situates himself in the middle of the seat, Kasey kneels against the bench, hunched over as she shimmies out of her shorts and underwear. Losing her balance as she kicks them off her ankle, her hand slaps down on his leg, nails digging into the tender flesh of his inner thigh. 

His dick jumps, slapping against his stomach at her touch. “C’mere.” He’s done with the foreplay. He needs to be buried inside her, and he needs it now.

Kasey reaches behind her back to untie her top, but he grips around her waist and moves her until she’s straddling his lap. “Leave it.” She stares down at him, each searching the other’s face, a silent communication of their desire for each other. With a small whimper, she cups his face and smashes her lips against his as she rises to her knees.

Dean takes the hint. Gripping his dick, he runs the head through her wet folds, she’s practically dripping, and he strokes her slick over his shaft. “You ready?” he mumbles against her mouth. When she tilts her hips to catch the tip at her entrance, he lets go to grasp her waist and help ease her down his stiff cock. Kasey, however, isn’t waiting. She slams her ass down on his lap, taking him in completely. 

Swallowing her moan, his fingers clutch at her flesh, holding her in place as she tries to rise again. She feels like tightly wrapped silk around him, and he struggles to keep from immediately blowing his load. “Shit. Give a guy some warning.”

“Hmm,” she nips at his earlobe, “what was it you said?” licks along the shell, and he shivers despite the heat, “Oh, yeah. ‘Why? It’s more fun this way.’” She bites the muscle in his neck, fighting his grip to roll her hips, and whines, “Let me ride you. Let me ride you hard and fast until we’re both screaming.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he growls. “Can’t argue with a request like that.” As soon as he loosens his hold, she’s up and quickly drops down on him again, rolling her hips.

He settles into the seat and runs his hands up her stomach to the soft flesh of her breasts, cupping them beneath the fabric and letting the weight of them nestle into his palms. If possible, the view is even more amazing than the first time she sat atop him. 

Hands flattened against his chest, head tilted to the side, mouth parted around a moan, and body gracefully arched, she’s like a beautiful erotic painting, an image preserved in the throes of delight.

Her beauty should be captured and kept for a lifetime. Yet she’s flesh and blood, hunger and heat, sensual and supple within his grasp. The pace she sets is swift and steady, rougher than the first time, and he can’t help but wonder just how rough she’d be willing to get. 

Within minutes he feels her walls fluttering, and he flicks his thumbs over her taut nipples and rasps sordid sentiments in her ear. She clenches around him, nails digging into his skin, lascivious words and broken pleas falling from her lips, juices coating his shaft. 

He’s so ready to burst, it’s almost painful, and he sits up as she collapses against him, ready to flip her over and fuck her hard like he wanted to earlier. Kasey pushes against his shoulder, stopping him as she pants against his cheek, “I’m not done with you yet. I said we’d both be screaming.”

“Make it quick,” he begs. “I’m ‘bout to explode.” Dropping his hands to her waist, he sucks a mark into the top of her breast, right next to the one he left that morning, and she grinds her clit against his pelvic bone, tugging at his hair, pulling his mouth away from her flesh.

“Settle in, Sugar, ‘cause I’m about to break in a mustang.”

He can’t help but laugh at the over-the-top Texan drawl but howls in surprise with the forceful slap she applies to the side of his thigh. “Hey!” The contact makes his dick pulse in response, and her knowing smirk offers a little more insight into her proclivities. Her countenance turns questioning, and his fingers dent her flesh while giving her a nod.

Gripping his hair tighter, she rises until the very tip of his cock rests just inside her. If either of them moves the wrong way, he’ll slip free. Ever so slowly and with minimal movement, she lets go of his hair and removes her top. Tossing it out the door, she eases down an inch, smiling coyly as her fingers trace lazy circles around his nipple.

She winks, and in that space of a heartbeat, he finds freedom. Freedom to release his remaining doubts, to give Kasey the trust she seeks, lay bare his soul, and open his heart completely. He’d give her anything she asked for and more.

He bites his lip, teeth grazing the swollen flesh as she slides back over him in one smooth motion, reducing his existential contemplations to raw, primal lust.

He shifts lower in the seat, causing her to lean forward, and her breasts hang freely above his face, inciting his dick to twitch inside her.  

She squeezes tight around him, rolls her hips, and then starts a frustratingly slow pace. Her hands roam his body, nails scratching, moist lips and heated breath teasing, every touch leaving his skin tingling like he gripped a live wire.

“Damn, you feel good.” He captures a hand in his, kissing her wrist before setting her palm on the curve of the seat next to his head, then does the same with her other hand. Using the seat as leverage, she speeds up her movements, arching into him, her pelvis tilts, taking him deeper. “That’s it. Shit. So tight.”

Her entire body shudders, followed by a whimpering sigh when he ghosts his fingers up her sides, and he does it again to hear the sweet sounds it elicits. Her breath hitches, “F- f- fuck,” when he palms each breast, kneading the soft flesh, rolling the nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. 

Sliding a hand down her stomach, he laves his tongue over pebbled flesh, and her pace falters. She quickly recovers, though. 

“Guh… that feels good.” Fingers tangle in his hair, “...so f- fu- …big …shit …right there, right there, right there,” she whines as he massages her clit. Nails dig into his flesh when she braces her other hand on his shoulder as her walls ripple and contract. 

On the next downward thrust, he latches onto her breast, teeth grazing over the taut bud. Warm slick coats his throbbing dick as she convulses around him, clenching hard enough to nearly push him out. Squeezing his fingers into the globes of her ass, he plants his feet on the floor and gives a hard thrust upward, staking his claim, burying himself and pulsing deep inside her, shouting her name to the heavens as she curses his.

When they’re both spent, he drops his hands to his sides, and Kasey falls against him, elbows set on his shoulders, chin resting on the top of his head as he presses his forehead to her chest, panting. When his softened cock slips from inside her, she slides off his lap to sit next to him, a knee cracking as she unfolds her legs. 

“Ooof.” She rubs a hand over the joint before picking up his hand and holding it between hers, intertwining their fingers as she kisses his shoulder. “That was one helluva ride.” she breathes.

“Better than riding shotgun in Baby?” he goads.

“Oh, that’s a tough call,” she muses. “I may have to go another round or two on both to ensure I have thoroughly done my research and have all the evidence to make an informed and objective opinion.”

He stares at her in stunned silence, unsure how to take the seriousness of her face and matter-of-fact tone, but when she purses her lips, throwing him a kiss, he bursts out laughing, head tilted back and body shaking. Kasey joins in seconds later, laying her head on his arm and squeezing his hand.

When he’s recovered enough to speak, he kisses the top of her head and asks. “Hey, what were you afraid we were going to miss?”

“Oh.” She leans back to look out the rear window. “Perfect. Come on.” She scurries out of the car, tugging on his hand. 

“Nooo,” he whines, playfully fighting her pull. “Wanna stay here.” Honestly, he’s not sure how she can even stand right now. After all, she did all the work. He feels like a blob of jello. The woman definitely has some stamina. He makes a mental note to test her limits at a later date. When she continues to yank on his arm, he falls to the side in a heap. 

“Fine,” she drops his hand and huffs, “be an old man.”

After a few moments of silence, a low growl escapes him, and he shifts his head, peeling an eye open to see what she’s doing. She’s facing the lake, standing butt naked a couple of feet from the car, staring up at the sky. As quietly as he can, he scrambles from the vehicle, scooping her up in his arms just as she turns at the sound of his approach. He runs toward the lake as she squeals in his arms. 

He knows the lake is deep; she had told him while they were driving how she would spend her summers here as a child, floating on a makeshift raft, acting out grand pirate adventures, pretending to be the lady of the lake, or jumping from the rope attached to the tree a few feet away. So he doesn’t slow as he nears the water’s edge. “Old man, my ass.”

Arms locking around his neck, Kasey shrieks his name over his shout to hold her breath as he leaps toward the center of the water. Letting go of her legs, he holds her chest to chest as they sink. Kasey presses her lips to his, arms still wrapped around him as they drift downward. It's a welcome relief when the water is warmer than he expected, and he gets momentarily lost in the otherworldly quality of it—the seductive silence, the pressure of the water buoying their bodies, the feel of her skin sliding against his as darkness encompasses them.

He jolts when she starts kicking her feet, fingers tapping on his spine, recognition sinking in that they will soon need air. Kicking out, he swiftly propels them upward, each gasping for breath as they break apart when they breach the surface.

Kasey swims to the far side of the lake, pushing herself up onto some kind of narrow platform. Lying on her stomach, she paddles back to him. 

As she drifts closer, he notices the tattered tarp covering a row of slender logs that have been expertly lashed together. Assuming this is the raft she made, he bobs his head in admiration of her handiwork.

“Sorry, Jack, there’s not enough room for you,” she pouts, coming to a stop to float next to him.

“Oh, there was plenty of room for him,” Dean argues. “The issue came down to buoyancy. The added weight would have submerged the wood and made it unstable. Any movement would have made them slide off. Besides, Jack had to die.”

“Seriously?” Kasey stares at him like he just kicked her puppy. 

Dean chuckles, gripping her hand between his he pretends to shiver. “...promise me you will survive....that you will never give up...no matter what happens...no matter how hopeless...promise me now, and never let go of that promise.”

“I promise,” Kasey replies, overly dramatic.

“Never let go,” Dean responds just as dramatically. She squeezes his hand and something shifts in her demeanor.

“I promise. I will never let go, Dean. I’ll never let go.”

The impassioned edge to her tone, the way she grasps his face, eyes boring into his as she says the words are gut-wrenching. He doesn’t miss the fact that she uses his name or that he can taste the salt from her tears when he kisses her.

“Dean, I-” 

She tucks her chin, but he tilts it back up with a finger crooked beneath it. He’s close enough to see the multitude of emotions swirling in her anxious gaze. Just as she can read and decipher what he leaves unsaid, he understands her uncertainty, the hesitancy to voice the words that lie heavy in both their hearts.

“I know.” He thumbs the moisture from her cheek, and she gives him a brief nod before rolling onto her back with a sniff. He takes a moment to calm his heart and swipe away the tear that spills over his lashes. Stars shine brightly overhead, twinkling little dots in the water. Crickets chirp and frogs croak, lending a melodic soundtrack to the charged moment.

Struggling to find the right words, he falls back on humor to break the tension instead. “You know, for someone that doesn’t own a television or any way to stream, your movie quote game is pretty impressive,” he chuckles.

Kasey snorts. Stretching an arm over her head, she reaches for the back of his neck, fingers slipping as she attempts to tug him around to the side. He takes her hand and moves of his own accord, folding his arms on the edge of the raft, keeping her hand in his as he kicks lazily to stay afloat. 

“I worked long hours, and aside from a handful of friends, I kept mostly to myself. Movies were my ‘thing’, plus I have a good memory.” She waves a hand in dismissal of his admiration. “You seem to have a pretty impressive knowledge of movies yourself. Curiously enough, ones that could be considered chick flicks in that repertoire. Titanic?”

He huffs, “There was a girl...”

The little boat rocks with her laughter. “Say no more.”

“Seriously. Made me go see that damn movie five times, but would never agree that there was enough room on that door. If they had just put Rose’s-” 

Before he can finish his explanation, she cuts him off, pointing to the sky and exclaiming, “Look!”

Dean lifts his gaze to catch a thin strip of light streaking across the sky. Two more quickly follow, and then the sky is filled with shooting stars. “Perseids,” he whispers in awe.

He holds her hand as he rolls to lie back and float on the surface. When he starts to drift too far, Kasey pulls him back. Arms on the edge of the raft, chin sitting atop his crossed hands, he gently kicks them around the small lake as they watch the universe's light show. When she begins to card her fingers through his hair, he turns his head to watch her instead.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she whispers, still staring at the stars.

“Stunning.” 

How the hell did I get so lucky to be pulled into her orbit?

Shifting her glance to him, she softly smiles. “I agree.”

As the meteor shower dwindles, they return to the car. Kasey pulls the blanket from the back seat, spreading it over the ground, while Dean grabs a beer for each of them from the cooler. Relaxed and sated, they let the warm summer air dry their skin as they spend the next couple of hours discussing the classics—music, cars, movies, and cheesy pick-up lines.  

After polishing off the six-pack and the remainder of the pie, they get dressed, pack up, and head back to the house. The return drive is quieter, a comfortable calm permeating the air around them. Once Baby is back in her delegated space and the house is secured for the night, they crawl into bed. 

Kasey falls asleep almost immediately, using his chest as a pillow, and Dean stares at the ceiling, stroking her hair. There’s a lot they need to talk about yet, but that’s a conversation for tomorrow. He still has to deal with what feels like a cosmic battle for his life, but the day was the break he needed to refuel and find hope, and he has her to thank for that.

Sated and content with Kasey tucked into his side, he kisses the top of her head and falls asleep feeling safe in the knowledge that he can survive anything that comes his way as long as she’s with him.

Love Me Some Pie

@123passwort // @akshi8278 // @asgoodasdancingqueen // @calaofnoldor // @compresshischest09 // @deans-baby-momma // @deaneverafter // @deans-spinster-witch // @deanwanddamons // @flamencodiva // @globetrotter28 // @iamsapphine // @idreamofplaid // @jerkbitchidjitassbutt // @justagirlinafandomworld // @justrealizedimmascifygurl // @ladysparkles78 // @lyarr24 // @michellethetvaddict // @mrswhozeewhatsis // @mvdeanw // @princessmisery666 // @shawnie74 // @thinkinghardhardlythinking // @thoughts-and-funnies // @waynes-multiverse // @wayward-and-worn // @waywardbaby // @weepingwillowphoenix

[shinymisty-blog]

The Seer Who Warns a Deadly Fate (The Oracle and his Status)

I felt this needed to be its own post, as it not only covers the Oracle, as a character, but the Oracle, as a figure. I worry that, if I put it in with “Characters of Authority” or “the Supporting Cast,” those posts will get clogged with everything about HIM! He is involved in multiple episodes so I can’t just leave him for one, either. 

…I do REALLY wish that we got more information on the Oracle. What is an Oracle? WHO is the Oracle? What do they do, and how are they made? How old is he? WHAT IS HIS GOSH DARN NAME?! We get NOTHING, so I said to hell with it and am doing my own world building and lore and all that.

Just remember… More than any other post in this project, this is full of shit that I MADE UP in my head. We have so little information about this character and what he is that I have to do what I have to do.

Disclaimers and notes for this particular post: •Be warned: These posts are often just MASSIVE walls of text! I have the "Keep Reading" tab there for a reason! •While there is no real order to these, I’ll try to keep things in order of relevance. •There will be times when I'll reference something that involves things that would be more relevant after the 40 episodes. During these headcanons, I'll place a nice little ✨ to indicate that it is one of those headcanons. (Everything mentioned will have some sort of explanation if needed). Think of it as a sneak peek at the story I am working on. •If I happen to update anything within this post, I’ll reblog it with the tag #Sonic Underground Project Update, along with a note on which information was updated. 

Links: Master Post | The Origin’s Arc 

·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ The Oracle (the Status) ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·

Instead of talking about how I feel about this, particularly, I’ll instead talk about my process with how I am making the lore and headcanons. Like I said, we know NOTHING, save for a few things we can infer from the character, himself. 

I am also seeing this as practice for my own Original Project that I am slowly working on, as it contains a lot of topics and characteristics similar to this particular character (and his status)...so hey, there is a plus side here.

•♫•♬• Headcanons LORE •♬•♫•.

➣An Oracle is a very special mobian, picked out by the Chaos Emeralds themselves. Before getting picked out, they are mobians trained as Seers, which are mobians born with strong connections to the Chaos Emeralds. While there is only one Oracle alive at a time, Seers will often train under the current Oracle and will stay close to the Chaos Emerald they have the strongest connection. There used to be more Seers before Robotnik took over

➣Both the Oracle and Seers receive messages and visions, often depicting what could happen in the future, from the Chaos Emerald that they are most connected with, though it is never of themselves and they cannot fully influence what they see to change the outcome. 

➣Only Oracles have a strong enough connection with the Chaos Emeralds to receive Prophecies, being a mixture of both a message and a vision of an important event in the coming future, usually linked to the royal family. It is seemingly impossible to change what an Oracle sees in a Prophecy, however none have ever tried.

➣It is said to be disrespectful for a mobian who isn’t extremely close to the current Oracle to address them by their given name. 

➣Oracles will often take a title to differentiate themselves from Oracles of the past. Usually, it is a family name or the province they are from. 

➣No one knows how, but Oracles gain a more extensive lifespan. Most expect it is due to the Chaos Emerald’s influence, while others think that Oracles are just a Chaos Emerald taking a physical form. 

➣It is strongly believed that Oracles are immortal. However, this isn’t true. They are very resilient and can survive usually fatal injuries, there are ways to kill an Oracle. Obviously, it isn’t well known and mobians are led to believe that they are immortal. 

➣Another rumor that is spread around by mobians is that, if an Oracle isn’t immortal, their death results in a new Chaos Emerald. This sometimes mixes with the rumor that an Oracle is just a Chaos Emerald taking a physical form.

·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ The Oracle (of Delphius) ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·

I went into the project not liking the Oracle of Delphius -I’ll be referring to him as the Oracle unless stated otherwise-. I didn’t enjoy how he was handled and felt he showed off too much of his powers in the Origin Arc episodes and just in general. 

I grew to like him the more I got to see his character and writing him has been a joy. I just wish they didn’t show off that he could…freeze people in place and have some type of teleportation powers and all that. 

•♫•♬• Headcanons •♬•♫•

➣The only mobians (that we know of) to know the current Oracle’s name are Aleena and Athair. Yes. I have made a name for our Oracle. No, you are not getting it.

➣His title, “of Delphius” comes from the name of the place where he was born. 

➣The Oracle knew the Royal Hedgehog that was before Aleena. He was also alive to see the Royal Hedgehog two generations from Aleena, too, but was young.  

➣The Oracle’s species is a Giant Ground Pangolin. (He has a bit of star-nose mole and Giant Anteater mixed in, giving him the long, frilled nose)

➣The Oracle is Aromantic.

[latenightgremlin]

I just realized how creative my brain can get when I’m bored. I’m currently on Summer Break and I have nothing to do, so I wrote this basic plot outline while listening to a random Spotify playlist. I’m really proud of it so please don’t steal it or copy it.

Evil Character Story Idea

Character Development

MC is a genuinely happy person at first, they have a close-knit group of friends that are able to know what is going on inside MC’s head. Development contains many different situations where MC is loved deeply by others outside their family but then that love fades out almost instantly once the relationship starts or over long periods of time and MC develops a cynical view of love. Then MC is loved by a toxic person who is very vocal about dumping them. This dumping starts the villain arc. MC soon after finds a genuinely loving person who matches their energy (Love Interest)

Villain arc

MC continues being happy despite the many failed relationships in their past. Everyone knows them as a constantly smiling, charming person. Major event happens that sparks a complete flip in MC’s personality. MC’s friend group+Love Interest tries to help them through the emotional roller coaster that is the grieving process. MC meets a person (Bad Influence) who knows how to teach MC a way that will make it seem to everyone else that they are still the same person they were before, but they will be more powerful. This bad influence slowly teaches MC the ways of dark/blood magic and how to control it to benefit themselves and others. MC soon masters dark/blood magic and no longer needs Bad Influence, but they still keep Bad Influence around for companionship. MC maintains the image of a happy smiling person throughout learning and mastering dark/blood magic.

Post-Villain Arc

MC and Bad Influence enter the underworld of dark/blood magic together and quickly take it over. MC maintains connections with friend group and Love Interest, but they show up at gatherings and dates less and less often; making up shitty excuses about why they aren’t able to be there. But then, MC runs into toxic ex while going about their regular life with Bad Influence, argument quickly ensues and MC casually demonstrates their use of dark/blood magic at a low level to frighten their toxic ex. Ex shows off their knowledge of dark/blood magic at a higher level than MC’s previous use and says “oh, you finally learned the basics, good for you sweetie”. MC then puts Ex into a death grip using magic and says “I will turn everything you love into ash and then make you watch as I blow it all away”. Bad Influence finally realizes how deep MC has gone into the magic and eyes go wide.

Redemption arc

After the encounter with Toxic Ex, Bad Influence tells MC’s friend group and Love Interest about the dark/black magic underworld that has been going on for X amount of time. Friend Group reveals they been knew. Bad Influence, Friend Group, and Love Interest confronts MC about dark/blood magic use. MC grapples with how much they have changed since Toxic Ex had broken up with them. Friend Group helps MC let go of dark/blood magic behind Bad Influence’s back and MC starts to go back to who they were before the break up. Love Interest notices this and starts to encourage it.

Happily ever after

After MC drops dark/blood magic almost entirely, they are walking through the underworld with Bad Influence as they tell Bad Influence that they are done with dark/blood magic and they are ready to leave the influence they have in the underworld entirely to Bad Influence. Bad Influence starts to freak out and convince MC to stay in the underworld with them maybe threatening Love Interest in the process. MC refuses and leaves Bad Influence behind. MC lives a happy rest of their life with Love Interest and Friend Group until they run into an old friend from the underworld while doing a mundane task like shopping or something.

End Story

[mx24]

there is.. so much going on in Deltarune. and Undertale

[ballorawan740]

SCP Scenarios: When you try you commit suicide (REQUESTED)

SCP Scenarios Masterlist | My Works Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Rules | My Original Post | Request | Socials

WARNING: If you are or know anyone who is suicidal, please get them help! If this topic triggers you, please leave now!

And if anyone's putting you down and you feel this way, let me know (So I can yah yeet them into hell and back again then throw them into 939 and 682's cell >:D)

SCP 073 (Cain)

Cain's heart drop when he figured out that you were suicidal

He probably has figured out bits and pieces since he noticed that you've acted a lot more different than usual

You came from a very abusive family and everyone around you were toxic

Then you came into the foundation and worked hard enough to stress you out

Didn't help that much since your mentor died from an SCP and some of your coworkers were being bullies to you

Which then drove you to become even more suicidal

Found out much later when someone called him in because you were at the medical bay

Glass was sat there beside you and wanted to check up on you

No responses were heard and Glass turned to see Cain's pained look

He told Cain everything that has happened and he was truly heartbroken by all this news

Cain had tried to comfort you and would give you some space if you need

Would remind you every so often that he loves you and makes sure that you're taking breaks

Definitely dealt with the bullies without you knowing

SCP 076-2 (Abel)

He's quite dense so he might not know that you're suicidal

Probably noticed a few changes in your behaviour but wouldn't question it

Definitely didn't try and threaten to kill everyone once he found out that you were injured

Stormed into the medical part of the Foundation and asked for you

Was about to drag you back to his cell but was stopped abruptly because the doctor who was treating you said the scars were from yourself

Abel looked at you with confusion and hurt

He allowed you to rest in the hospital for a couple of days and asked so many questions

And realising that it was because of your PTSD working with the Foundation and not wanting to stress further

Swore to protect you for all of eternity and wouldn't allow you to go back on the field

So you settled to work in an office instead, handling safe classes and taking some time off

Abel monitored you to make sure you don't do it again

Definitely gave you a huge lecture

It was loud enough for the whole floor to hear and everyone just stopped what they're doing just to see what was happening

SCP 999 (Tickle Monster)

To say 999's little jello heart shattered to a million pieces was an understatement

Nobody has ever seen a bright orange blob of happiness looked so worried and somewhat traumatised as he had received the news

That said news was you trying to commit suicide

And fortunately, there were people around to stop you from hurting yourself even more

999 slithered over as quick as possible and went in to check on you

The first thing he did was to give you a big warm hug and to tell you that he cared about you and you meant everything to him

He never complained about you once and you were grateful for that

999 didn't question your reason for suicide since he knows it'll make things worse and that you'd open up to him whenever you were ready

He saw many of the scars you have on your body and was immediately concerned

Noticing this, you explained your situation to him and he was very much understanding

999 would comfort and support your decisions in not trying to commit suicide

Everyone outside just peeked in and was relieved that you've agreed to work on this together with 999

SCP 682 (Hard to Destroy Reptile)

When 682 heard that you wanted to commit suicide, he was confused and concerned

Part of him wanted to know why and the other part told him that you were stupid for doing that

The both of you were transferred into another room as requested by 682

The very first thing he did was to shout at you for doing something so stupid

Moments later after you cried for a bit, he checked up on you, asking if you were alright, making sure you were comfortable and nuzzled your side for a bit

Once you were relaxed, you've told him everything that's been happening and he listened for once

Which did surprise the researchers when they found out moments later

Unfortunately, 682 did breach containment just to hunt down whoever made you feel that way and he did succeed

Then casually went back to his cell which shocked everyone, even you

Well, let's just say that you were feeling much better and nobody ever bothered you again

SCP 049 (Plague Doctor)

049 was sus since you were acting strange lately

He had 100% noticed the scars but didn't ask, thinking that you went on a mission and you were just injured and you went to the medics

Later on, his heart dropped when he heard someone say that you seemed like ending your life, which you did

He came into the room you were in and checked on your injuries and scars

You could see the pain in his eyes when he connected the dots and you didn't need to say a thing for him to understand that you did all this to yourself

049 just sighed a little, took a chair and sat on it then nursed your injuries and gave you such a disapproving look

"Who is it this time?" he asked which shocked you since you've never told him explicitly that something or someone bothered you

But you weren't that surprised since your bird boi is observant af

So you just told him everything and he dealt with the situation professionally

And whoever/whatever's bothering you just vanished out of thin air and nobody ever questioned it

SCP 035 (Possessive Mask)

As I've mentioned in the other chapters, 035 is a master manipulator and actor/actress

So when it comes to body language and the tone you'd use when talking to someone, he would have an idea of what's going on

So when you secluded yourself every passing day and would avoid talking about reoccurring scars on your body, 035 would have quite an accurate guess

When he confronted you about this, you shied away from him for a moment

Since you know 035 well, you just told him everything as he listened intently

He just absorbed all the negativity from you and you just felt better

035 would reassure you and you blindly listened and feel much better with him

And of course, like any other partners out there, he dove into whoever was making you feel suicidal and sorted it all out

After a couple of days, you went back into 035's cell and asked about the missing person

All 035 told you was that the person just got eaten by some SCP and nobody knows how the said person got there

SCP 105 (Iris)

Iris might question your scars here and there if you ever had them

She might not even think that you were suicidal until you showed the obvious traits or if someone told her that you were in the medical bay

Would 100% lecture you about being suicidal then comfort you a second after she's done

She's just super worried about you and even though she's in the foundation with you most of the time, there are moments where she's asked to go into the field with the MTFs

As Iris is rightfully worried about you, if she can't stay with you, she'd make Cain, Dr Glass and Dr Lights watch over you

Maybe Kondraki if he's ok with this

Might even go to Clef and/or Bright if she really needs to

At least they can keep your minds off things

Iris would tend to any of your scars and injuries and motivate you to live

Shows you loads of photos of the happier times you've both shared

Would never let you touch anything that can cause you an injury

Definitely would deal with whoever's making you feel that way if there was that someone

SCP 106 (Old Man)

106 would probably find it hard to grasp the concept of emotions other than the few basic ones

So when he was informed about your attempted suicide, he was confused

not because he didn't understand it, because he definitely did

It's just because he never understood why anyone would do such a thing

Even more so if that person was you

When 106 came to visit you, he would unintentionally show his worried expression which saddened you

Is definitely torn between just comforting you and wanting to ask you about your issue

You did tell him at the end about you wanting to commit suicide and 106 telling you to never do such a thing

Making sure that if someone made you feel this way, he'd deal with them right away and you'd never have to worry again

Although he finds it hard to sympathise with others, he did understand the term, so he would try his best to do so

SCP 096 (Shy Guy)

He's basically 106 but a little denser

096 is 100% more anxious than the other SCPs here and would definitely show signs while he's being observed in his cell

Kind of understands the term 'suicide' but not to a full extent

Like he knows what it is, but not how and why people would do so

When 096 got the news about this from your psychologist, he literally went brrrrrr

Went to check in on you and gave you a bone-crushing hug

Made sure that any injuries were properly bandaged and treated

Started to cry midway through

You explained to him that you didn't go all the way because you knew that he needed you and you'd never leave him alone again

096's worried expression slowly turned to happiness and gave you another hug

Dr Jack bright

Bright would notice something's off with you but wouldn't say a thing just yet

Like if he notices that whatever is happening to you has worsened then he'll confront you

At first, you would avoid his gaze and questions, but you ended up telling him everything that's been happening

Bright was shocked and conflicted about all this information

You could literally see him tearing up as he was trying to find the words but couldn't

He ended up giving you a big teddy bear hug

And you just cried into his shoulder/chest

Jack Bright would try his best to comfort you because he wants to take all the pain away

Whenever he's on break, he'd make sure to check up on you

If he was busy and can't visit you, he would make sure to send someone to check up on you

Most likely Dr Glass

Would tell you about his dark thoughts as well

Only because he understands and you wouldn't feel alone about this

Dr Simon Glass

Glass would definitely know

He's a psychologist after all

Would find a way to get you to be more vocal about the issue

And it's quite subtle so you wouldn't know

Once he gets all the information he needs, he'll start to find ways to minimise the chances of you feeling suicidal

He's just so subtle about this that you wouldn't even know

Once you feel better, Glass feels more relaxed knowing that he helped you overcome the issue

Would 100% still watch out for you in case it happens again

Everybody else notices this and helps poor mama Glass look out for you too

Wouldn't necessarily beat up anyone if they hurt you but would definitely give some warning signs to back off though

Sometimes our hardworking Dr Iceberg ends up helping him because mama Glass is busy af

Dr Alto Clef

As dense as he may seem when it comes to emotions, he is very much aware of your unusual behaviour

Would most likely ask for some advice from Dr Glass

By ask I mean he booked in a therapy session for you and tricked you into going

And yes, you did end up going to see Glass

Simon then informed about your situation with Clef and he was stunned

If it was someone/something making you feel this way then he'd go out of his way to sort it out

After all, Clef is rather good at completing missions

Makes sure to comfort you whenever you're down and suicidal

Sometimes he'd even share his experiences with you

Would try and act goofy but came out rather annoying

Ended up asking Bright to help him cheer you up

Dr Benjamin Kondraki

Kondraki is a little dense but would notice something's off

Wouldn't be 100% sure so he just keeps the thought to himself instead

Would also go to Glass for some advice about your strange behaviour

Glass ended up teaching Kondraki some psychological stuff just so he can be left alone for once

Would never make you feel down about yourself

Definitely would motivate and compliment you

Acts all fatherly with you

Like he's protective with you to the point some people would jokingly say he's your dad

Making you share a room with him because he's worried and wouldn't act up weirdly when you're along

Kondraki might resort to asking Bright and Clef for some help

Might even ask Iceberg to do some of his paperwork because he wants to spend more time with you

[ahockeywrites]

Lights Down Low

This is super self-indulgent whoops. I was listening to this playlist and got an idea.

Warnings: minors dni, explicit fem!reader, smut, consensual possessiveness, use of sex toys, oral sex (male and female receiving), rough smut, unprotected sex, dom!josh, sub!reader, masturbation, orgasm denial swearing Word Count: 3.3k

Being named the first start of the night meant that Josh had more media commitments than usual, so your alone time in the apartment you shared in Montreal was extended. The blue of the 17 Reverse Retro jersey you were wearing complimented the blue thong hidden underneath.

The full-length mirror sitting in the corner of the master bedroom was perfectly placed to take sexy photos in and send to Josh and that’s exactly what you did. The Polaroid camera that you had been gifted from Josh for your last birthday was intended to take photos of the pair of you on your travels but had quickly found a more sexual purpose.

The photos taken in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and on a Gondola in Venice quickly became ones of you on all fours with Josh's hand pulling at your hair as he pounded himself into you and him walking out of a lake, abs and v-lines on show. You audibly groaned as you thought of previous nights spent under the sheets with Josh and felt the wetness pool between your legs. Josh was sure to notice when he saw you for the first time.

It was easy to take a few photos of you in his jersey, showing the small amount of lace visible underneath it. You made sure to take a few of his name on your back because he loved seeing you with it resting over your shoulder blades. He wasn't usually possessive, but whenever you wore his name or number, it seemed like all he wanted to do was rip all your clothes off and take you right there. Even in public.

Remembering to send a warning text, you didn't need one of the younger players looking over Josh's shoulder and seeing more than he bargained for again, you sent him a photo of the Polaroid images scattered over the freshly made bed. A few spritzes of the perfume you only used for special occasions added to the atmosphere you had created by lighting some candles after taking some time for yourself after Josh's fight.

He was quick to respond to the messages.

J x: you look so good in that jersey. too bad it'll be in pieces on the floor when I'm home x

Josh was always straight to the point after a game like this. You tried to keep yourself together as you connected a playlist of slowed songs to the extensive set of speakers connected through the house. Your hips swayed to the bass of the r&b flowing throughout the room and you grabbed two glasses of wine from the kitchen.

The bedside table drawer was filled with your most commonly used toys. Namely the small bullet vibrator that always went away with you on work trips but Josh always preferred to use the long, slender vibrator when he was with you. He would use it along with his fingers and bring you to climax faster than anyone ever had, even yourself. He knew your body like the back of his hand and you wouldn't have it any other way.

The silver bullet was the way you wanted to start pleasuring yourself before Josh came home and you turned it onto the lowest setting. Before putting it between your legs, you brought it around each of your nipples before teasing yourself by pulling your thong to the side and running it through your folds. Soft moans of pleasure escaped your lips and you began to lightly press it onto your clit. Short, sharp electric, pleasure waves travelled through your body and you were so close to your orgasm, you could almost touch it.

A loud thud of Josh’s black, leather hockey bag alerted you to his arrival home and you quickly dropped the vibrator down to the side but it was too late, he had already noticed that you had started the night before he had arrived home.

"Well isn't this a sight to come home to," Josh said breathlessly. His eyes were filled with passion as he looked up and down your body, taking in every inch. "Stand up for me baby girl, show me what you're wearing."

Your legs felt like jelly as you were still coming down from the almost orgasm but you still followed Josh's instructions and forced yourself off of the bed. A quick twirl showed him everything he needed to see, the way the jersey rode up exposing the lace once more.

"Lay back down for me princess," he said, using his large hands to remove the tie he was wearing. "Play with yourself if you want, you know how hot you look when you do it." Josh could feel himself growing hard at the idea of you touching yourself in front of him.

"With the toy?" you questioned, knowing how quickly you could bring yourself to a high.

"Whatever you want baby girl," he replied, moving to unbutton his shirt.

You flicked the vibrator onto the second-lowest speed and pulled your panties back to the side, immediately pressing the tip to your clit. Unconcious moans came out of your mouth as you twisted and turned under the electricity running under your skin. Your gasps of pleasure filled the room and you were about t-

"Stop. Stop now." Josh demanded. Reluctantly, you pulled the toy away from your most sensitive area. The pulsating force of your clit flowed through your body and all you needed to do was rub a few circles on it and you would be there.

You groaned in complaint but realised that Josh was going to be in control of everything tonight. Even your orgasms.

"Remember your safe word sweat pea?" Josh asked. You quickly nodded. "Say it," he said.

"Cannon," you whispered. A reminder of the time when you lived in Columbus.

You had only used it once before; when your arms were tied above your head and ankles tied to the posts at the end of the bed. You felt comfortable with the blindfold being placed over your eyes but when Josh was about to place the gag into your mouth you shouted the word three times, letting him know that you were uncomfortable. Immediately, Josh removed the blindfold from your face and went to take off the restraints on your extremities. The bathroom contained everything he usually used for aftercare and he went to collect everything he normally would. Gently, he wiped down the red marks on your skin, then moisturised them softly. He brought you into his chest and began to comfort you, never wanting to cross your boundaries.

"Josh," you whispered, looking up at him. His face still looked scared to touch you, thinking that any touch would make you uncomfortable. "I'm okay now, I'm okay now you're holding me."

He held you all throughout the night, pressing soft kisses into your hair as you fell asleep.

"And you'll say it if you need me to stop baby girl?" he asked once more.

"Yes," you whispered.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, daddy," you spoke, looking up into Josh's eyes.

"Good girl," he moaned, pushing down his dress pants. Josh kicked them to the side, leaving him in just his boxers. All you wanted to do was crawl over and kiss his clothed bulge but you knew that if you even tried moving, you'd be laying over his lap whilst his hand came down on your ass.

The bed dipped as Josh made his way to rest his forearms on either side of your head. His lips were plump and he lowered them to meet yours. One of his hands started patting around, around where you had dropped the vibrator earlier. As soon as he picked up the small toy, he pulled his face away from you but slipped his other hand under the jersey.

"No bra?" he questioned, shaking his head. "Naughty girl. And you know what happens to naughty girls?"

"They get punished, daddy," you replied without hesitation.

"You're right baby girl," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair out of your face. "They get punished. And I have the perfect punishment for you. No cumming until I've cum."

You gasped and Josh found that a perfect time to kiss you deeply once again. His fingers began to trace the outline of one of your nipples, gently squeezing the surrounding flesh. It was a natural response for your back to arch up into his touch, your body begging for more than he was giving.

Rather than moving down your body, Josh shifted his weight so he could caress your other breast in the same way. He could tell that you craved more and reminded you that he always gave you what you needed. "Good girls are patient," Josh lowered his lips to your ear and said that in a deep voice before kissing you there. He spent his time focusing on your chest and collarbones before dragging his pointer finger down your stomach to the waistband of the thong.

Shuffling down the bed, Josh came face to face with your clothed core. He pressed a few soft kisses around your clit before pulling the thin material to the side and kissed around your entrance.

The vibrator that you had almost used to bring yourself to orgasm twice shined under the light of the candles and you noticed Josh place it on the lowest setting before starting to kiss up your thighs, the vibrator following the wet trail he was leaving.

Incorporating your sex toys wasn't something new with Josh, he loved to find out what you just liked and what made your toes curl. He was more than happy to sit between your legs alternating between his mouth, fingers and your favourite vibrator.

"As much as I love these on you," Josh said, motioning towards the lace sitting on your hips. "They have to fucking go." The next thing you heard was the ripping of the fabric and you saw Josh throw the remains of them somewhere in your room.

It took all of Josh's self-restraint not to drive into your pussy and start feasting on it. Instead, he brought one of his fingers through your folds, ghosting your clit. The vibrator was still in his other hand and he began tracing around your folds and you tried to move to catch the tip of the vibrator on your clit.

Josh's muscular arm came down across your hips quickly to stop them from moving. It was with a swift movement of his body that he brought his face right up to your slit, swiping his tongue through the arousal. "Such a sweet little pussy," he groaned, letting the vibrations run to your clit.

He tossed your legs over his shoulders and continued to explore your most sensitive area. Your hips stuttered and Josh could tell that you were very close, so he pulled the toy away before pressing the pad of his thumb to your clit. "Naughty girls don't get to cum, remember?" he said looking up and down your body. "Sit up for me sweetheart."

Still, in a daze, you were unable to move as quickly as Josh wanted so he lightly spanked your pussy to get your attention. "I said, sit up," this time he had an authority about his tone, one that commanded attention. You followed his word and sat up, back flush with the headboard of the bed.

Josh brought his hand to caress your cheek before tracing the outline of your lips that were stained with his favourite deep red shade. Instinctively, you brought his thumb into your mouth and started sucking on it. His head was thrown back in pleasure, imaging that it was something else you had your lips around.

“You ready to be daddy’s good girl?” Josh asked as he ran his large hand over your head. You nodded your head as much as you could with his thumb being shoved in your mouth. "I think you know what to do princess," he said motioning to the large bulge in his boxers.

Josh loved to sit at the end of the bed with you between his thighs so you pushed on his shoulder softly, letting him know exactly where you wanted him to go. Featherlight kisses were pressed against his muscular thighs as he started relaxing into the feeling of your lips on his skin.

Your soft fingers were a delicious contrast to Josh's bruised abs and he revelled in the feeling of the tips of them dancing along the waistband of his boxers. Looking up for his permission before removing his boxers was a must when Josh was in charge. He nodded before running a hand through your hair.

The material barely needed to be moved before his hard length sprung out, lightly slapping his abdomen. You pressed a few gentle kisses to his tip before licking the entire underside of it. Josh wasn't small by any means and he knew it. He never forced you to take more than you could handle.

You brought the tip into your mouth, hollowing out your cheeks around it whilst looking up at him. Josh's stare back was piercing but you could see the pleasure in his face as you began to take more of him.

Unless he was thrusting hard into your mouth, Josh's hard length couldn't fully fit into your mouth so you quickly pulled off it, and spread out the saliva that you had already put onto it. One hand rested on his thigh, the other gripped onto his base rotating slightly to increase his enjoyment.

He could tell when he reached the back of your throat, but your gag reflex had become desensitized to having something shoved down your throat after being with Josh for so long. You took a deep inhale through your nose before swallowing around his tip, feeling the whole length twitch.

The hand that rested in your hair was nothing more than a reminder of Josh. He could easily change the situation at the flip of a switch, but he loved watching you work your magic around him.

Pulling off him once more, you licked the vein on the underside again before attempting to take him back into your mouth. Josh grabbed hold of your hair, stopping you before you could. "Lay back up against the headboard princess," Josh moaned, taking in your body once more.

You followed his instructions once more, back against the headboard, legs open for him. In a split second, he was resting himself on top of you, lips pressed to yours.

Josh ran his hard length through your folds. “You want daddy to fuck you, princess? Daddy always takes care of his girl,” he growled into the shell of your ear. All you could do was nod in response.

Your head hit the headboard as he slowly entered you. Josh took his time, slowly stretching you out underneath him. His lips found yours once again and he timed one particularly hard thrust well as moaned his name into his mouth. It was the perfect time for him to slip his tongue into yours and he took control straight away.

He could feel you start to clench around him and once again brought you to almost being able to feel the orgasm before pulling out of you and flipping you onto all fours. "C'mon baby," Josh said, running his hand down the arch of your back before spanking one ass cheek, followed by the other.

His thrusts were relentless, in and out at a pace that felt unknown to man. "Fuck baby, you feel so fucking good around me," Josh moaned pulling you up by your hair to whisper into your ear. "This sweet pussy always feels good for daddy."

"Just for you daddy," you groaned as he hit an extra sensitive spot inside you. "I'm all yours, daddy." Josh hit the same spot once again and you collapsed underneath him, almost running out of energy to hold yourself up.

"C'mon baby girl," Josh said, slightly manhandling you from underneath him to both his hands resting on your hips. "Gonna ride daddy like the good girl you are, eh?" His large, calloused hand threaded his way through your hair and he pulled on it to force you to nod in response to his question. You loved to be on top, even when you were tired because you were in control, for at least some of the time, and you could see Josh's face perfectly and do exactly what you knew he loved.

Slowly, you lowered yourself onto his throbbing length, moaning loudly and throwing your head back as he filled you up. Josh allowed you to take control for the first few moments before placing one of his hands around your throat and the other on the top of your head. This was nothing new, but when he started thrusting up into you, brushing your g-spot every time, you felt something completely different. It was new but familiar at the same time.

Words were barely coming to you as he kept pounding up into you but through short gasps, you announced to Josh that you were very close to release. One of your hands snaked to your clit but the hand, which was resting on your head, slapped it away. "You wait for me baby," Josh moaned. You looked down at him to see sweat covering his brow and you reached down to press your lips to his. Josh forced his tongue into your mouth and controlled the deep kiss.

You felt him start to twitch inside you but he continued to thrust up into you with force. All of his training may have been for hockey but it came with additional benefits. Josh could easily throw you around the bedroom and it was something that you absolutely loved. He always made sure that you were okay with it but he knew that you enjoyed it more than you told him.

His hips stuttered and he pulled you off of him before releasing hot ropes of cum onto your bare chest. You knew it wouldn't take much to get there and simply sitting on Josh's bare, muscular thigh did it for you. A few back and forth movements allowed you to elongate the pleasure as you moaned your boyfriend's name. It seemed to go on forever, and you thought that you would never feel something this intense again.

A groan escaped Josh's lips as he saw you basking in the post-orgasm glow. He took one of his hands and spread his sweet release over your breasts and the blatant declaration of possessiveness was almost enough to send your overstimulated self over the edge once more.

"That's it, baby," Josh whispered, hand on your hips to help you move, "use me." He watched as you threw your head back in pleasure, repeating his name as if it was a spell.

Sitting was too much for you and you collapsed off his thigh into the plush mattress. Josh sat up on his arms and pulled a few strands of hair out of the way of your eyes. "Maybe I should fight more often," he contemplated. You could barely muster enough energy to shake your head so all he got in response was a groan.

The mattress raised slightly as Josh made his way to the ensuite to collect a washcloth and a drink for each of you. Gently, he wiped between your legs, trying to reduce the marks that his beard had made and also the cum from your chest. More often on nights like this, both of you were too tired to go for a proper shower so a quick clean up like this was common. Josh also liked to go for a softer round in bed sometimes too and even thinking about it made you lean into his touch as he brought you into his arms.

"Get some rest baby girl," he said softly. "I know you need it."

[softprincesso]

✨ HOW TO BECOME A WEALTHY MIDDLE AGED MAN✨

PT.2: Overview to understanding different saving/retirement methods, investments, and forms of income

Pt. 2.2 Overview of Investments

Welcome lovelies to (what I hope will be) a helpful series on gaining wealth and becoming financially literate and independent!

Disclaimer: Check other posts. It's too long to keep typing out.

Now comes (what I believe) is the fun part of money. Making it grow.

Investments are defined as “an asset or item acquired with the goal of generating income or appreciation.” Essentially, anything you purchase with the belief that in time it will be worth more. This includes the entire stock market, cryptocurrencies, art, real estate, jewelry, vintage coins, designer bags, etc. Of course, some of these take more time and each comes with some amount of risk. These variables change according to your strategy as an investor.

✨THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND✨

Begin as a Beginner

Do not overwhelm yourself during your financial literacy journey by trying to learn everything, all at once, while also trying it all out. The thing that creates the most confusion when learning is believing the lie that you can multitask well. Yes, start with a brief overview of the systems and institutions (what we are currently doing in the series) but literally all you need to start is definitions and a gist so that you can comprehend how they connect later on. Learning an entire world that has never been taught to you is going to take time, and I’m talking years. And then, when you think you have something down your going to mess up or read an article about how the stock you saw yesterday for $6 is now $1000 and you’re going to be frustrated (this happens a lot). But, If you want to learn about the stock market, focus on the stock market. Retirement still scares you, focus on that until you master it and have a plan. And for Christ’s (or whatever deity/person/universe you believe in) if you do not have a steady stream of income do not put your last pennies trying to get into crypto (or any investing truly). This is something to start after you have income, a savings, a retirement, and have paid off at least most debts.

Recommended sources to learn more:

Netflix has a great series called “Explained” where (you guessed it) they explain things. While I recommend every episode because you can never learn too much, there are ones specifically dedicated to the stock market, cryptocurrencies, and billionaires each that helps to uncomplicate the history and purpose of each of these things.

✨Let’s get started✨

The Stock Market

“Stock markets are real and electronic exchanges that enable the buying and selling of securities. The most popular include the NYSE, Nasdaq MarketSite, and Tokyo Stock Exchange.” Let me, let you, in on a little secret-the stock market is essentially fantasy football (sorry, my American is showing) but with companies. When you buy a security, you are betting that (in the long run or short run, depending on your strategy) that a certain company will perform well and gain profits, which in turn will gain you money on what you bet. There are two categories of players in the market which include the assets (the football players) and the investors (the betting public). Of the assets you can categorize further by what position they play on the field…

Stocks

Most well-known, but the riskiest. The “star” player that everyone hypes up and takes all the credit. Stocks are fractional pieces of publicly traded companies, and by buying a stock you own a relative size of that company. They are either “paying you” through growth (when their stock price rises) or through dividends (when they send you a piece of their profits directly).

Mutual Funds

Less known but a safer bet than single stocks. Popular among those in middle age. “Mutual funds are baskets of stocks or bonds. They come in all different shapes and sizes, from covering broad stock market indexes to focusing on specific sectors.” When you buy a mutual fund, you are saying that you believe on average that pile of stocks/bonds are going to do well, instead of betting on a single player. Usually they are actively managed by people who are trying to “beat” the market for you. Statistically good for the short term, long term are less effective than ETFs.

Index Funds: a subset of mutual funds that are passively managed and track indexes like an ETF but trade like a mutual fund (once at the end of the day and without reliance of supply and demand)

ETFs

Exchange traded funds. The up-and-coming underdog that’s gaining popularity. These are passively managed baskets of stocks and bonds that track over a specific index like the S&P 500. They work like stocks, being traded throughout the day, relying on supply and demand, while giving a lot of the advantages that mutual funds do. They also come with their own set of disadvantages but are still a great way to diversify a portfolio inexpensively.

Bonds

The reliable bench players you know you can put in to save a game. Great safe bets that can generate a steady income. Bonds work like a loan for a regular person, except for a company. You can loan your money to a company which will pay you a principal plus a fixed interest back every specified period. There are different types which come with different advantages and strategies, so make sure to read the fine print.

Commodities

Tangible goods that go into manufacturing-Gold, oil, metals, corn, soybeans, etc. A good defensive team to have in the game for a hedge against inflation or economic troubles. They trade in a commodity exchange. You can still access them through most brokers.

Source to look into for deeper understanding and questions: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/investment.asp

Easy way to get started quickly:

1. Create a brokerage account: There are lots of accounts to choose from, but I would go for accounts that have zero fees and no minimum, this is starting to become the norm but once upon a time you had to give a minimum investment of $5000 to get started. I personally use Charles Schwab and Robinhood. I love all of the tools and accounts Schwab has and Robinhood is just easy to use.

2. Sign up: this may take a day or two to finalize, especially with banks but it shouldn’t be a big deal

3. Connect a card or account to transfer funds

4. Buy your first security: I would start off with simply looking up beginner investments on google. I recommend either an ETF, index fund, or choose a company that you have an interest in because you will be more likely to keep up on their news

5. Tip: think long term as a beginner. Sure, once you start learning and understanding you can change your strategy to gain more in a shorter time, but this comes with much more risk. Do not be an idiot and sell all of your stock when you see your investment plummet nor sell as soon as you see it go up a little. The best advice for a beginner: Buy a stock and leave it alone (for YEARS)

Property/Real Estate

There are many ways to invest in real estate-you can buy a property, you can invest in a property fund, you can become a landlord,or you can flip a property. Again, depending on the strategy, will change the risk and reward you have taken on. All of these options are usually on the more cash heavy side but can reap a lot of rewards if done right.

Source to look into:

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/5-ways-to-invest-in-real-estate

Easy way to get started quickly:

1. Buy a real estate ETF or fund, you can just look this up on google or through your brokerage

2. OR you could look into buying a property near you and renting it out if you have that much cash (Make sure to do your research, this can get pretty complicated)

Art

Also considered property but until recently it was incredibly hard to invest in art without significant cash and contacts available. Now, there are platforms like Masterworks where you can buy a fraction of a piece like a stock of Monet and you get the rise in appreciation. However, it still is for those with money already available, I believe you have to invest a minimum of $2500 to get started on MW.

Sources to look into: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/fine-art.asp

Crypto

Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that are not backed by real or tangible assets or goods, but on the trust and value of the people that use them, and supply and demand. They can be traded like stocks on an exchange and are tracked with a digital ledger on the blockchain. The first cryptocurrency was Bitcoin and the rest that have followed are categorized as altcoins (alternative coins).

The stage of cryptocurrencies we are in is likened to the early 90s with the internet. Not a lot people truly understand the blockchain (the vast ledger space which contains every transaction made securely in encrypted “blocks” that are then “chained” together so that if one block is compromised the whole chain shuts it down.) It is decentralized and written simultaneously on thousands of super computers. The beauty of it is that if one ledger on one computer is somehow hacked or wrong the rest of the computers storing the ledger interrupt and either fix it or shut it down. A way to understand it is blockchain is to the internet as bitcoin is to a website, but the internet runs off people trusting the system, blockchain runs off trusting no one.

The currencies that run on blockchain can have a multitude of purposes, but bitcoin was really just the starting solution to fix the problem of trust on the internet. People wanted a secure, anonymous, untraceable way to spend money online, like cash is in the real world. And while for the most part it is just that, it isn’t completely anonymous. Like in the real world if you buy something from Mcd*nalds with cash that transaction is still recorded in their system and through a receipt. Your crypto transactions are recorded in the blockchain, but most people don’t even know how to access the ledger so for now any ill*cit purchases you make are pretty safe.

I HIGHLY recommend looking into a cryptocurrency course or training just because there is so much that goes into it and lots of details that can help you. This investment is incredibly risky and volatile! I only would suggest investing an amount you are completely comfortable to lose ALL of.

Sources to learn more:

https://www.investopedia.com/cryptocurrency-4427699

Easy to get started quickly (Please dear lord do your research first):

1. Sign up on a crypto exchange like Coinbase or Binance, some brokers (like Robinhood) also allow you to trade crypto but it’s a very limited selection

2. Do lots of research!! (I’m going to say it until you get it, and I don’t think you get it yet)

3. Think of it like stocks, if you read up on the coin and its purpose, and think that it’s going to be useful soon or in the future, then invest

4. Tip: the crypto market moves MUCH faster than the stock market and is much more sensitive. In just these last few days (literally hours) bitcoin was trading at $40,000+, the following day, for whatever reason (people got scared, people wanted to sell to get profits, etc.) it will barely hold $33,000. So, invest wisely!

This is very brief list of the main investments. There is still a lot of depth each of these goes into and especially with things like crypto, information changes 24/7. I hope you have learned by now that you should be continually learning as well. Instead of spending your morning looking at your Instagram feed of bum friends, dusty men, and “models” spend it reading the paper and catching up on the market. Follow investors and billionaires like you follow celebrities and see how much smarter you become. At the end of the day winners focus on winning, losers focus on winners.

With love,

O

[xaharadesert]

Immortal MC & Reincarnated LI - Headcanon Pt 2

Arcana Characters (Muriel, Asra, Nadia) x MC

A/N: Part 2 for the lovely @firefly-child! See part 1 for details, it should be the post just before this one! I swear I’ll learn how to make a master post one day :) Nadia’s part turned a bit more introspective than romantic, but honestly, it felt more interesting than simply repeating the same few points about eternal love that I used previously, so I hope you don’t mind!Thank you to everyone who reblogged and left comments on the last post, you’ve all really motivated me! And thank you to everyone who has sent in requests recently, that’s definitely a big boost to my confidence! Please let me know if there are any spelling or grammatical mistakes :) requests are open!

TW: mentions of death

💚Muriel💚

You would have to wait for Muriel to settle comfortably into your relationship before telling him about your immortality, but believe me, it would be worth the wait

At this point, he genuinely trusts you, and knows you wouldn’t lie to him (beyond a couple minutes where he thinks you might be trying to prank him)

He’s not entirely certain how to respond to the revelation and situation as a whole, so he simply… accepts it

Although he doesn’t really ask many questions about it, please don’t assume that he’s not interested

He is— but since you waited so long to tell him, he assumes it may be a sensitive topic, and wants to wait for you to open up at your own pace

His favourite tales from your past are the more mundane ones— he likes to hear about different creatures you’ve met, and places you’ve traveled to that no longer exist

But, to be perfectly honest, he would listen to you talk about almost anything if it made you happy

If you try to subtly hint about his past lives, it’ll go completely over his head

He’ll assume they were simply past lovers, unrelated to each other or himself, cherished, but long gone

So when or if you decide to reveal the nature of his own existence to him, he would be even more surprised than when you initially announced you were immortal

But once again, this ultimately leads to acceptance

A part of him is glad that he can be reincarnated by your side in an endless cycle, even if he can’t remember it

It means that the two of you were meant to be together, and that you would support each other come what may

He won’t ask about himself, and frankly, he doesn’t really want to know

Muriel doesn’t feel the need to compare his current self to his past selves, partially because he doesn’t want to feel as though he’s falling short

He still has days where he feels ostracized, like he doesn’t quite fit in with the life he believes you deserve, and the idealistic implication that comes with reincarnation is one he’d rather not taint

💙Asra💙

Shockingly, he wouldn’t believe you right away

You might think that due to his own connections to magic, he would be one of the first people to accept that you’re telling the truth

But he’s never encountered an immortal on the same plane of existence he lives his everyday life on (and the fact that you had died before did nothing to help)

However, his heart tells him that you’re telling the truth, and he already knows you would never lie to him about something so enormous, so, try as he might, he will eventually believe you

Once he comes to terms with it, he thinks it’s amazing— or more specifically, that you’re amazing

He loves to hear you talk about the past; adventures you’ve had, people you’ve met, places you’ve been, and especially magic you’ve learned

Magic is an ever-evolving concept, and although your old knowledge might not apply to the present, he stills enjoys learning about how it evolved (and it doesn’t hurt that your eyes light up whenever you divulge what you believe to be a particularly interesting fact)

Occasionally you mention a significant other from your past, and his heart seems to tug at him with a feeling he can’t quite place

Jealousy? Longing? … Familiarity?

One thing that genuinely bothers Asra is the fact that one day he’ll grow old, and pass on, and you’ll still exist, alone

So when you reveal to him that he’s been by your side almost as long as you’ve been alive, he’s thrilled

He has no issue accepting that he’s a reincarnation of your past lover, simply happy to know that the two of you are genuinely intertwined on a level that can never be touched by death

Asra rests easier at night knowing that nothing could ever truly separate the two of you, even if he was to die

A small, morbid part of his brain questions if his heart will return to him whole in his next life, or if you will continue to share it— and more importantly, how many more times could he split it in half if you were to be the one to pass away again?

For the most part, he doesn’t think about the possibility that you might be the one to die, but the though does occasionally come to him in the dead of night

And now, knowing that the two of you are so integral to each other that you would find him no matter what life he lived, he is fully aware that he would go to horrendous lengths to keep death from pulling you away

But of course, he tries to focus more on the relief he feels that he’ll never have to leave you, and you’ll always find a way back to him

💜Nadia💜

She doesn’t doubt you, even for a moment

You know infinitely more about magic than she does, and she trusts that you wouldn’t lie to her about something so important

With that being said, by announcing your immortality to her, you’ve just opened the floodgates to infinite questions

She wants to know everything about the past, no matter how mundane you may believe it to be

Nadia is a firm believer in the idea that history repeats itself, and she wants to learn from the past so she can help Vesuvia grow into a better future

She’s quick to make connections that even you may have never thought to make, and is clearly pleased with her own ingenuity (as she should be, she’s amazing)

She seems to be enthralled with even the most basic of knowledge you can provide about past civilizations, and makes a point to take as many detailed notes as possible

Questions about even the smallest details are a constant, so best of luck to you if your memory isn’t perfect

She tries to keep quiet if you seem to be particularly emotional about a certain tale, but sometimes she can’t help but ask for clarifications

You might need to gently remind her that you’re her lover, not a specimen

Setting boundaries about these questions is probably a wise choice

Nadia offers you a more official position as an advisor to make up for her work life bleeding into your down time together

It’s fine if you decline, though— the two of you can work out a certain time every day or two for her to ask whatever questions pool in her mind

When you finally reveal to her that she was alive during most of these past events as well, her initial response is frustration

She’s very much annoyed that she can’t remember her past lives, and wishes she could draw on past experiences to better herself in the present

Overall, her questions remain focused on general life and governments of the past, and she rarely asks questions about her past selves

She feels no need to hear about her old exploits, unless they contain something that you feel could be important to her now

Although she never feels the need to compare herself to her past, she does wonder if some part of her lives accumulated into what she currently was

And if that were true, what would she be like in the future?

In love with you, no doubt, as there was no way she could see herself alone, but would she continue to be good?

Would she always be someone in a position of power? Or would she step away from it in her next life, in exchange for more time with you?

To some degree, it soothes her to know that no matter what she does in her lifetime, she can make up for it in the next

[aboveallarescuer]

#that happens even when the person isnt trying to argue that shes a mad queen/villain but that she has both 'good' and 'evil' in her#and is meant to fail#(e.g. that meta about how dany is a tragic shakespearean hero; which annoys me more bc it sounds convincing when you don't remember what#happened in the books very well...

Can you talk more about your problems with that essay? I thought that it sounded plausible... I don't want those things to happen to Daenerys, but I don't trust GRRM either.

Anon, thank you for this ask and sorry for the delayed answer. I was already planning to write several posts as a response to the arguments of “Daughter of Death: A Song of Ice and Fire’s Shakespearean Tragic Hero” (which you can read here), but I couldn't find the time or motivation for that lately, so thanks for giving me the opportunity to counter-argue it in a single answer. I tried to be brief by summarizing some of my notes and by linking to a lot of metas instead of repeating all of their points, but the response unfortunately ended up becoming long anyway.

In the context of that essay, Dany is considered a Shakespearean tragic hero because the writer thinks she fits five requirements: 1) Dany’s chapters contain supposedly deliberate references to Shakespearean plays; 2) Dany is “torn by an internal struggle”, namely peace versus violence or companionship versus rulership or home versus the Iron Throne, all of which also drive the external conflicts. Choosing the second options will lead to her demise; 3) prophecies and “influential accidents” - that is, events that “have roots in a character’s motivation”, as well as “the sense of ‘if only this had not happened’” - will “heighten and exaggerate [tragic flaws that] already [exist]” in Dany; 4) Dany will (according to the essayist’s speculations) take actions that produce “exceptional calamity” and her demise will be “her own choice and doing”; 5) Dany “[rose] high in position” and is “an exceptional being”, which sets her apart as a character that fits the mold of the Shakespearean tragedy because her reversal of fortune will highlight “the greatness and piteousness of humanity”.

I would argue that the points that the essayist made to justify how Dany supposedly fits these five requirements are all very skewed.

1) When it comes to requirement 1 (Dany’s chapters contain supposedly deliberate references to Shakespearean plays), the essayist is conveniently cherry-picking (as they often do throughout the meta). Bran Stark wants a dreamless sleep just like Dany: “Sweet, dreamless sleep, Bran thought.” (ACOK Bran I); “That night Bran prayed to his father’s gods for dreamless sleep.” (ACOK Bran II). Indeed, @marinabridgerton argues that that’s most likely tied to the fact that they’re the two characters most heavily associated with prophecies. Even Sansa is said to have a dreamless sleep: “Sometimes her sleep was leaden and dreamless, and she woke from it more tired than when she had closed her eyes” (AGOT Sansa VI). And yet, where are the essays about how these quotes are teaching the readership to interpret Bran’s and Sansa’s characters, storylines and trajectories based on Shakespearean tragedies?

2) When it comes to requirement 2 (Dany is “torn by an internal struggle”, namely peace versus violence or companionship versus rulership or home versus the Iron Throne, all of which also drive the external conflicts. Choosing the second options will lead to her demise), the essayist is right to point out that those dilemmas exist. However, they portray Dany’s struggles in a way that makes it seem that 1) there are “good” options (peace/companionship/home) and “bad” options (violence/rulership/Iron Throne) for Dany to take and that 2) choosing the latter ones will lead to Dany’s downfall. There is a lot to question about these assumptions.

2.1) When it comes to Dany’s conflict between peace versus violence, the essayist takes everything that Adam Feldman’s series of essays “Untangling the Meereenese Knot” says for granted when it shouldn’t be. I’m not going to delve into all the problems/inaccuracies/double standards with those essays. For our purposes here, it’s enough to say that they: 1) dichotomize Dany’s identity into mhysa and mother of dragons to argue that the former represents her desire for peace and the latter her violent impulses; 2) assert that the peace was real; 3) conclude that, by rejecting the peace, the Dany of ASOS is gone and from now on she’s going to be a very different person because she will have chosen to follow her violent impulses.

As already argued before, though, 1) Dany’s character can’t be dichotomized in that way because these facets - mhysa and mother of dragons - actually complement each other (as @yendany made clear in her most recent meta). Because Dany was the mother of dragons, she was able to act as mhysa way before she was hailed as such, which we see, for instance, when she kills the Astapori slave masters to free the Unsullied. Both of these identities manifest Dany’s fierceness when faced with great injustices. This is why, in ADWD, locking her dragon children prevented Dany from properly defending her human children… She needs to integrate both parts of her identity to be able to protect them. But Feldman couldn’t recognize that because 2) he accepts the peace deal that Dany made with the slavers as valid. Doing so would mean, however, ignoring the re-enslavement and suffering of thousands of marginalized people, which GRRM continually emphasizes in Dany's and Tyrion’s final ADWD chapters (read more about this here and here) to hammer home that the peace is false for prioritizing the slavers over them. Finally, 3) Dany is not a violent person nor does she have violent impulses. Feldman decontextualized the moments in which Dany uses violence from the standards of her time and place (read more about this here and here and here and here) to portray them in a more negative light than how they are actually meant to be viewed. Additionally, he conveniently left out all the moments in which Dany chooses to be merciful, from when she spares Yunkai and most of the Meereenese slavers (she didn’t do the same in Astapor because she was outnumbered and needed to protect her retinue) to when she doesn’t punish people who threaten or disrespect her to her face (such an envoy who spits at her face, a boy who tries to attack her, Xaro after he says he wishes he’d killed her), to give a few examples (read more about this in @rainhadaenerys's comprehensive meta). I would argue that Dany’s conflict is less about peace versus violence and more accurately about her tendency to be merciful versus her desire for justice (which, especially in the particular context she finds herself in, is unattainable without violence). In fact, I would go further and say that it’s distasteful to characterize Dany as someone “violent” or with “violent impulses” when, so far, she’s only used violence to a) defend and protect victims of (physical and systemic) violence and/or b) in circumstances in which her actions are no more problematic than those of any other leader of her world. And yet, the essayist portrays them as if they were (“To choose indiscriminate destruction over peace tends toward the evil”).

It’s also convenient that the essayist only talks about fire negatively (“Dany wields unmatched power that can “make or unmake at a word”—Dracarys—villages, armies and kingdoms”, “in the words of Maester Aemon, “Fire consumes.””) when it's also connected to life, rebirth, healing and enlightenment. And dracarys in particular is explicitly associated with freedom by the narrative while Dany frees the Unsullied (her decision, in turn, is associated with her future actions in the War for the Dawn). But acknowledging these things would make it harder to portray Dany as a Shakespearean tragic hero.

2.2) When it comes to Dany’s conflict between companionship and rulership … Again, the dilemma exists, but not in the way that the essayist presents it. What I mean is that they go out of their way to make it seem that Dany’s loneliness was the main factor driving her decisions, such as the liberation of the Unsullied (“She feels for the forced loneliness of the Unsullied, and it is loneliness that convinces her to commit violence in the plaza to free the slaves—just as it is in loneliness she chooses violence amidst the Dothraki Sea.”)... And not, y’know, her compassion and sense of justice (“Why do the gods make kings and queens, if not to protect the ones who can’t protect themselves?”), which are rarely acknowledged in this essay even though it’s arguably the main aspect of Dany's characterization. Why does the essayist do that? Because, since they are arguing that Dany is a tragic hero, they need to present Dany’s loneliness both as the reason why she achieved greatness and as the reason that will lead to her demise when she (supposedly) starts distrusting people, closing herself off and choosing violence (“the moral conviction she feels for her abolitionist crusade is part of the greatness that is also her tragic trait [...] She feels for the forced loneliness of the Unsullied, and it is loneliness that convinces her to commit violence in the plaza to free the slaves—just as it is in loneliness she chooses violence amidst the Dothraki Sea.”). As I said, however, doing so requires downplaying Dany’s compassion, as well as ignoring the fact that she does not close herself off to people in ADWD, nor is there any sign that this was seeded as a serious issue for her in future books (especially considering that her governance is meant to be contrasted with Cersei, the character who actually does close herself off to people. But more on that below when I talk about why Dany doesn’t fit the essayist’s third requirement).

Also, singling out rulership in particular as a reason for Dany to feel alone is conveniently selective (“Returning to Westeros means ruling Westeros - and ruling means loneliness”). All the major characters have reasons to feel lonely and isolated in their society because GRRM chose to focus on the underdogs. Their social standings are already enough to make all of them feel alone. As he said, “Tyrion of course is a dwarf which has its own challenges. Dany is an exile, powerless, penniless, at the mercy of other people, and Jon is a bastard”. You can also throw in Arya for being a young girl struggling to adhere to gender norms and Bran for being a disabled child. And that is just one example… There are a myriad of reasons and situations for various characters to feel lonely and isolated, but the essayist specifically chose to talk about how rulership causes that for Dany. And, considering that the essayist thinks that Dany’s rulership -> growing isolation and loneliness -> her ultimate downfall, it really feels like they’re punishing Dany narratively for acquiring and wielding power. Which leads me to the next point...

2.3) When it comes to Dany’s conflict between home and the Iron Throne, I would argue that that’s not really a conflict. Dany (like any feudal leader) believes she needs to retake the Iron Throne to stay in her homeland just like the Starks believe they need to retake Winterfell to stay in their homeland. Whether Dany finds herself at home in Westeros or not is irrelevant to that fact. And yet, the essayist only presents the former as being in the wrong for fighting for her birthright. However, as it's been already explained before, the Starks’ claim to the North isn’t morally righteous. They only have dominance over the North because, for thousands of years, their ancestors fought against, drove away and killed most of its indigenous population (the Children of the Forest), as well as multiple families who were also vying for control over the region. With that in mind, Dany fighting for her birthright isn’t any more problematic than the Starks enjoying the lands and privileges obtained with conquest and bloodshed, as well as the labor of peasants. One could argue that GRRM may have a double standard against Dany in this case (though it's been argued before that he doesn't intend to present the Iron Throne as a source of greed and evil like how fandom presents it) because of the order of the events and depending on whether he holds Dany accountable for more problems for waging her war than the Starks for having done/doing essentially the same thing, but that’s not what the essayist is doing. Instead, they a) take for granted that Dany is doing the wrong thing for fighting for the Iron Throne ("To delay the call of the North and continue to divide an already weakened realm is to give into dark desires.") and b) center all their speculations about her eventual demise based on that belief.

Ultimately, I would argue that none of these three dilemmas - peace versus violence, companionship versus rulership, home versus the Iron Throne - come with easy answers. When it comes to the first conflict, it’s important that Dany prioritizes the lives of the slaves over the privileges of the masters, but that causes more war and bloodshed. When it comes to the second and the third conflicts, it’s worth noting that the first options (which the essayist presents as the “good” ones) are actually the selfish paths for Dany to take. After all, she would rather live a normal life with a husband (companionship) in the house with the red door (home) - “She would rather have drifted in the fragrant pool all day, eating iced fruit off silver trays and dreaming of a house with a red door, but a queen belongs to her people, not to herself”. But, as the quote shows, instead of choosing these selfish goals, Dany accepts the burden of rulership and the fight for the Iron Throne because of her duty towards her people and ancestors. And, while this path leads to war (either in Meereen or in Westeros, though the former is morally righteous and the latter, while not inherently justified, is not any more problematic than Robb fighting for Northern independence), power is also the means through which Dany can make changes that benefit the common people.

With all that said, it’s ironic that Dany fans are often accused of flattening her character or her choices when it’s actually her detractors or “neutrals” (like the essayist) who do so - they are dead set on portraying Dany’s available options as either “good” or “bad” and on speculating that choosing the latter ones will lead to her downfall, but the text actually gives her conflicts in which all the options have their pros and cons.

The essayist also makes a mistake that isn’t really up to interpretation or difference in opinions. They say that, in AGOT Daenerys III, “after admitting this difficult truth [that Viserys will never take back the Seven Kingdoms], Dany assumes the goal for herself (and at the time, her son)”. That is incorrect. In AGOT Daenerys V, moments before Viserys’s death, Dany says she would have allowed him to have the dragon eggs because “he is my brother … and my true king”. Jorah doesn’t think she should still acknowledge him as such, but she tells him that “he is all I have”. So no, Dany hadn’t assumed the goal for herself at that point, she only took over his campaign in her son's name (not hers) after Viserys's death. But the essayist needs to exaggerate Dany's ambition to justify her demise, since they speculate that “in that hurt and betrayal, all that will be left - she will think - is the crown”.

3) When it comes to requirement 3 (prophecies and “influential accidents” - that is, events that “have roots in a character’s motivation”, as well as “the sense of ‘if only this had not happened’” - will “heighten and exaggerate [tragic flaws that] already [exist]” in Dany), the problem is not in cherry-picking or in double standards against Dany, but rather in the essayist’s lack of knowledge about Dany’s characterization. It’s simply not true that Dany’s distrust of people grows to the point that she closes herself off to them. Instead, I would argue that Dany is actually portrayed as someone with a healthy distrust of people. We know from the books (1, 2, 3, 4) that she finds it unlikely that Barristan, Grey Worm or Missandei would ever betray her, but that she doesn’t think she can rely entirely upon Reznak, the Green Grace, the Shavepate, Hizdahr and Daario. Do Dany’s doubts about these people’s intentions lead her to, as the essayist says, “push people away”? No. Through almost all of ADWD, she (wrongly, though understandably) believes that "until [freedmen and former masters stand together, Meereen will know no peace". Accordingly, Dany is willing to listen to the counsel of all of her advisors (both the ones she trusts and the ones she distrusts) to ensure that she makes informed decisions. To give some examples:

Dany allows “well spoken and gently born” people (i.e., not the typical condition of most former slaves, who are glad that Dany freed them) to sell themselves into slavery and imposes a tax each time men chose to do so like how it happened in Astapor (ASOS Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she agreed with both Missandei and Daario.

Dany employs the Unsullied to ask the Blue Graces if someone showed up with a sword wound and to ask butchers and herdsmen who’s been gelding goats (ADWD Daenerys I). By making this decision, she disagreed with Barristan.

Dany chooses not to punish any noble in response to the murder of Stalwart Shield and only increases the amount of gold for whoever gives information about the Sons of the Harpy (ADWD Daenerys I). By making this decision, she agreed with Reznak and disagreed with the Shavepate.

Dany gives up on banning the tokar and wears it herself (ADWD Daenerys I). By making this decision, she agreed with the Green Grace.

Dany (rightly) refuses to reopen the fighting pits for a while until she later relents in the name of the peace with the Meereenese nobles (ADWD Daenerys I, II, III, VI). By making this decision, she disagreed with Hizdahr, Reznak, the Green Grace and the Shavepate and agreed with Missandei.

Dany delays the choice of a husband until it becomes necessary later (ADWD Daenerys I). By making this decision, she disagreed with Reznak, the Shavepate and the Green Grace.

Dany chooses to pay the shepherds for the animals that they say their dragons ate (ADWD Daenerys I). By making this decision, she disagreed with Reznak.

Dany pays Hazzea’s father the blood price (i.e., one hundred times the worth of a lamb) for her death, lays her bones to rest in the Temple of the Graces and promises to pay for his children each year so they shall not want (ADWD Daenerys II). By making this decision, she disagreed with the Shavepate.

Dany allows the Shavepate to torture the wineseller and his daughters for information about the Sons (ADWD Daenerys II). By making this decision, she agreed with the Shavepate.

Dany imposes a blood tax on the noble families to pay for a new watch led by the Shavepate, takes the gold and the stores of food of any nobleman who wishes to leave the city and keeps two children from each pyramid as hostages instead of letting the nobles go unpunished after nine freedmen were killed by the Sons (ADWD Daenerys II). By making this decision, she agreed with the Shavepate and disagreed with Reznak.

Dany has Barristan and Groleo and his captains and sailors to inspect Xaro’s ships (ADWD Daenerys III). By making this decision, she agreed with Barristan.

Dany chooses not to go to Westeros despite being offered ships to do so (ADWD Daenerys III). By making this decision, she disagreed with Barristan.

Dany doesn’t kill her child hostages despite the Sons’ ongoing attacks (ADWD Daenerys IV). By making this decision, she agreed with the Green Grace and disagreed with the Shavepate.

Dany agrees to marry Hizdahr if he’s able to give her ninety days of peace in Meereen (ADWD Daenerys IV). By making this decision, she agreed with Hizdahr, the Green Grace and Reznak and disagreed with the Shavepate, Barristan, Missandei and Daario.

Dany refuses to gather the masters and kill them indiscriminately (ADWD Daenerys IV). By making this decision, she disagreed with Daario.

Dany doesn’t allow the Shavepate to continue his tortures due to their unreliable results (ADWD Daenerys V). By making this decision, she agreed with Hizdahr and disagreed with the Shavepate.

Dany refuses to use her dragons in battle (ADWD Daenerys V). By making this decision, she agreed with Reznak.

Dany decides not to take the field against Yunkai (ADWD Daenerys V). By making this decision, she agreed with the Shavepate and disagreed with Barristan.

Dany brings the food to the Astapori refugees instead of sending someone else to do it (ADWD Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she disagreed with Reznak, the Shavepate and Barristan.

Dany burns the dead among the Astapori refugees, bathes an old man and shames her men into helping her (ADWD Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she disagreed with Barristan.

Dany refuses to allow Hizdahr’s mother and sisters to inspect her womb and to wash Hizdahr’s feet before he washes hers (ADWD Daeneerys VI). By making this decision, she disagreed with the Green Grace and Reznak.

Dany decides to marry Hizdahr by Ghiscari rites and to wear a white tokar fringed with pearls (ADWD Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she agreed with the Green Grace and Reznak.

Dany allows Hizdahr to reopen the fighting pits (ADWD Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she agreed with Hizdahr, the Green Grace and Reznak.

Dany goes along with a peace agreement with the Yunkish slavers in which she’ll let Yunkai and Astapor reinstall slavery if they leave Meereen intact (ADWD Daenerys VI). By making this decision, she agreed with Hizdahr.

Dany holds court in order to, among other reasons, meet the Westerosi men that came over from the Windblown (ADWD Daenerys VII). By making this decision, she agreed with Daario.

Dany doesn’t accept Quentyn’s marriage proposal because she doesn’t want to abandon her people (ADWD Daenerys VII). By making this decision, she disagreed with Barristan.

Dany doesn’t ride a horse in a tokar to meet Hizdahr (ADWD Daenerys VII). By making this decision, she agreed with Missandei.

Dany decides not to sound out the Company of the Cats (even though she wanted to) because Barristan says he's untrustworthy (ADWD Daenerys VIII). By making this decision, she agreed with Barristan.

Dany attends the reopening of the pits (ADWD Daenerys IX). By making this decision, she disagreed with Missandei.

Dany allows the Brazen Beasts to guard her because she wants to show that she trusts them so that her people can trust them as well (ADWD Daenerys IX). By making this decision, she disagreed with Barristan.

Dany prevents Tyrion and Penny from fighting against lions with wooden swords. By making this decision, she disagreed with Hizdahr.

I didn’t include all of Dany’s decisions because she makes many of them on her own and/or without someone explicitly supporting them or opposing them (in fact, many of the ones above were made without any advisor giving her their feedback, but I listed them if they’re seen agreeing or disagreeing with her onpage anyway). That being said, note that Reznak is the one that Dany is most suspicious of (because he perfectly fits the description of one of the treasoners), but that five of her decisions follow his recommendations, in contrast to Barristan (the knight who she actually trusts and who keeps all her secrets) only having his advice followed twice. Also note that Dany “trusted Skahaz more than she trusted Hizdahr”, but she agreed with the former three times and disagreed with him eight times, in contrast to having agreed with the latter four times and disagreed with him twice. The list clearly shows that Dany listens to everyone’s feedback (including from people she distrusts), considers it carefully, makes her own decisions and handles dissent extremely well. Her actions reflect her own words (“A queen must listen to all. [...] One voice may speak you false, but in many there is always truth to be found”, “It seems to me that a queen who trusts no one is as foolish as a queen who trusts everyone”).

There is, however, one character who is seen only listening to people who agree with her and who distrusts and closes herself off to almost everyone - Cersei Lannister. And it’s especially worth noting that Cersei is meant to be “directly contrasted” with Dany, that the author was “doing point and counterpoint” with them and that each of them is meant to show “a different approach to how a woman would rule in a male dominated, medieval-inspired fantasy world”. In other words, Dany and Cersei are narrative foils, but Cersei’s traits are being transferred to Dany in this essay.

Also, I could just as easily create an entire narrative about how Sansa will end up closing herself off to people based on what we see on canon. She thought she could trust Joffrey, but she ultimately couldn’t. She thought she could trust Cersei, but she ultimately couldn’t. She trusted Sandor, but he left her. She tried to trust the Tyrells, but they ultimately disposed of her after she was no longer necessary. She tried to rely on Dontos, but he was a disappointment and was ultimately murdered. She doesn’t trust Littlefinger, but she needs to stick to his side because she has no better option. She considered telling the Vale lords her identity, but she doesn’t trust them. All of this feeds into Sansa’s distrust of others and will lead to tragic consequences. Indeed, as Sansa herself says, "In life, the monsters win". I bet that the essayist would find this whole speculation biased considering that they favor Sansa's character. But then, why is only Dany singled out as the one who is going to meet her demise even though it’s made clear that she continues to trust people through and through?

The essayist needs to say that Dany starts distrusting people to an unhealthy degree (“As Dany gains more power, [...] her focus on the treasons causes her to push people away, widening the gap between rulership and companionship”; ”The more power she gains, the greater her isolation and likely her fear of betrayal. The fear of betrayal is, of course, human. But GRRM has stated that he likes to turn dramatic situations up to 11, which is necessary to create the Shakespearean tragic hero. Dany’s fear must be larger than life.”), as well as to judge her campaign to take back the Seven Kingdoms based on double standards (“Dany’s great sin within the story’s moral order will have been focusing on the war for Westeros against Aegon VI before she turns to the enemy of the North”) compared to the Starks. If they didn’t do so, there wouldn’t be a reason to justify Dany’s demise. If they didn’t do so, the entire speculation that she’s a Shakespearean tragic hero falls apart. But saying that something is true doesn’t necessarily make it true, you need to provide the textual evidence (which they barely do … They assume that the reader will take almost everything they say for granted. After all, since there’s a prophecy foretelling that Dany will be betrayed three times, of course she’s going to distrust people way too much from now on).

There’s also another aspect of Dany’s relationship with prophecies that the essayist portrays inaccurately. They say that “the effect of this prophecy on Daenerys is multifaceted” for “[promising] greatness” (which, along with the also inaccurate statement that “part of Dany’s pursuit of the Iron Throne is born from a sense of destiny”, implies that Dany wants to be great or that she thinks of herself as great, none of which are true) and pushing her “further from the people who surround her”. I already questioned the latter statement, and the former is inaccurate too. After all, Dany has doubts that there are men in Westeros waiting for the Targaryens to return. The birth of the dragons has to do with the fact that Dany was able to put two and two together with clues from dragon dreams and Mirri's words, not because she thinks she's exceptional. Dany is not really sure that the red comet was meant for her. She followed its direction because the other paths weren't reliable and, even in Qarth, she's unsure that it was meant to guide her to success. Then she never thinks about it again. I'd expect otherwise from someone who thinks they're exceptional. Dany is surprised when told by Quaithe that she's the reason why magic is increasing in the world and never thinks or brags about it after their interaction. I'd expect otherwise from someone who thinks they're exceptional. Dany doesn't think she won any victories in the House of the Undying, she credits Drogon for burning the Undying Ones. She only allows Jhiqui to add a bell to the end of her braid because "the Dothraki would esteem her all the more for a few bells in her hair". Dany refuses to sit on the throne inside the Great Pyramid's audience chamber and chooses to sit on a simple ebony bench that the Meereenese think does "not befit a queen". Dany refuses the offer to have a statue in her image to replace the bronze harpy in the Plaza of Purification. I'd expect otherwise from someone who thinks they're exceptional. Dany is highly self-critical and, later in ADWD, thinks that she "was as clean as she was ever going to be" after taking a bath because she holds herself accountable for the upcoming slaughter in the opening of the fighting pits. I'd expect different from someone that thinks they're exceptional. Dany doesn’t think that the people who came to the reopening of the pits wanted to see her - “it was my floppy ears they cheered, not me”. I'd expect different from someone that thinks they're exceptional. Most of Dany's titles (the Unburnt, Mother of Dragons, Mhysa, Azor Ahai, etc) are given to her by other people, they're not self-proclaimed (not that there's a problem if they were, I'm only saying it to reiterate that Dany doesn't think she's exceptional). The ones that she assumes on her own are the ones that anyone who believes in birthright (i.e., everyone in her time and place, regardless of family, regardless of whether they're Targaryens) would assume.

4) When it comes to requirement 4 (Dany will (according to the essayist’s speculations) take actions that produce “exceptional calamity” and her demise will be “her own choice and doing”) … Well, we now enter the realm of speculation. It’s not impossible that Dany “will feel like a villain to the Westerosi, as she burns their villages and crops ahead of a hard winter” in the future. The problem here, once again, is in the double standards. Look at the way the essayist describes the likely reascendance of the Starks in the upcoming books - “With the death of “good” characters like Ned, the injury of innocents and moments such as the Red Wedding, ASOIAF as a story is not concerned with justice. But as the story progresses, we see that the way Ned ruled his people and raised his children contrasts with characters like Tywin and his methods. Much of the North seems to continue to rally behind the idea of the Starks, some with less “honorable” methods than others, while Tywin’s legacy begins to fall apart. Like in Shakespeare’s tragic world, there appears to be an order that arcs towards a higher idea of goodness that instills a dramatic satisfaction”. Like I said above when I questioned requirement 2, the Starks’ claim to the North is no more justified than Dany’s to the Seven Kingdoms. They have the advantage of having had their rule normalized throughout the thousands of years they ruled the North, but it doesn’t change the fact that, because they’re feudal lords, they still maintain a system rigged in favor of the nobles that promotes social inequality and extreme lack of social mobility. It doesn’t change the fact that there's no righteous form of feudalism. But only Dany is criticized in that sense by the essayist - “By nature, power breeds inequality, when one party has the ability to decide the fate of another. That inequality creates distance. As a queen Dany wields absolute power over the rest of her subjects and her court”. Which is pretty infuriating not only because the Starks are also morally grey in the sense that the essayist describes, but also because GRRM specifically mentioned that Daenerys is the ruler "who wants equality for everyone, she wants to be at the same level as her people". Additionally, if Ned left a legacy that motivated his people to fight against his enemies, so did Dany with the former slaves. But the essayist needs to ignore all of that to paint Dany as a Shakespearean tragic hero.

Even if we don’t take into account what TWOIAF reveals about the Starks’ ancestors, the main story itself often paints House Stark’s actions in a negative light. We see a peasant spitting at the mention of the Starks and saying that things were better with King Aerys II in power. We're told that Northmen looking for Jaime on Edmure’s orders burned a village called Sallydance and were guilty of rape and murder. It’s no wonder that the High Sparrow mentions the wolves along with the lions as threats to the septas. Also, thousands of soldiers died indirectly because of Robb’s decisions, as well as lots of people who remained north and became vulnerable to raping and pillaging due to his inability to hold Winterfell. And finally, when winter comes, the smallfolk will be affected by the actions of the northmen, who (like Dany might do in the future) already helped to disrupt the harvest and to leave the continent short on food. And yet, why is their future success framed as “an order that arcs towards a higher idea of goodness”? Why is Dany the only one who is said to be “giv[ing] into dark desires” by “divid[ing] an already weakened realm” when the Starks (framed as the heroes in the essay) did the same thing? This double standard gets infuriating when one remembers that Dany is the one fighting a war in the name of the disenfranchised (even though she is not connected to them by blood or lands or oath of fealty and doesn’t gain anything by helping them), while the Starks are (and will be, if they want to retake Winterfell) fighting a war because of personal injury (which, sympathetic as it may be, doesn’t justify the damage that they caused to the smallfolk). It gets even more infuriating when, as @rakharo pointed out to me, one remembers that, while Dany is trying to right the wrongs of the Valyrians by ending slavery in Slaver’s Bay, none of the Starks have acknowledged, much less tried to make amends for injustices perpetrated by the First Men against the Children of the Forest. It gets even more infuriating when one remembers that Aegon the Conqueror united Westeros in preparation for the War for the Dawn (something that GRRM himself confirmed), while the Starks’ ancestors conquered the North solely because of their greed. That's why Dany’s story can’t be effective as a tragedy: she’d be punished for starting to do what everyone else was doing after doing more than almost everyone else was doing.

5) When it comes to requirement 5 (Dany “[rose] high in position” and is “an exceptional being”, which sets her apart as a character that fits the mold of the Shakespearean tragedy because her reversal of fortune will highlight “the greatness and piteousness of humanity”), again, we’re in the realm of speculation. But there are some things to question as well. First, the essayist validates the criticisms that Dany “too easily ascends to a position of power” by using them as proof that she’s a tragic character. But that’s not really true, which becomes clear with a few comparisons: the Starks lost their father, mother and older brother throughout the story because of the Lannisters, which Dany also did; but her losses go beyond them: she also lost another brother, her first husband and her first child. The Starks had their direwolves given to them, Dany had to use her intuition and then literally walk into a fire to birth her dragons. Aegon the Conqueror used dragons to take Westeros, Dany conquered three cities without barely using hers. Jon Snow’s conflict in ADWD involves conciliating the Free Folk and the Night’s Watch after he makes decisions favoring the former group, while Dany’s involves conciliating the freedmen and the slavers after she makes decisions favoring the former group, which has a worldwide impact; Jon’s conflict has relatively low stakes (because it hasn’t involved the Others so far), Dany’s conflict leads to “half the world” wanting her dead. As these examples show, Dany suffered more losses than the Starks. Dany had to do a lot more than the Starks to find her animal companions. Dany became a conqueror primarily because of her military strategies and resourcefulness without relying on dragonfire like her ancestor. Dany faced greater opposition than her male counterpart Jon so far. As we can see, gaining power and retaining it has not been easy for Dany at all. Every single one of her accomplishments has been earned. But it sure is interesting that Dany’s supposed future tragedies must stem from her actions, but that her victories aren’t given the proper credit and acknowledged as being a result of what she also did as well.

And then the essayist declares something even more inaccurate: that Dany “overcame each obstacle that came her way” and that “Robb and Jon paid for their mistakes while Dany did not” (which, to the essayist, is evidence that “Dany’s fall is meant to stand in contrast as something grander than just one slip-up”).

First of all, Dany clearly did not overcome every obstacle that came her way. Saying so means ignoring all of her ADWD storyline (and it’s funny how Dany's detractors go from saying that she’s overpowered and hasn’t suffered consequences to accusing her of being a bad ruler precisely because she dealt with the negative consequences of her choices, lol). To recap, Dany had an indirect part in the wars outside Meereen because she left the Yunkish slavers’ wealth intact, which leads to terrible consequences - multiple city-states and sellsword companies joining forces against her, Astapor’s fall, the pale mare’s outbreak, the emergence of refugees from Astapor outside her city and the upcoming Battle of Fire. Dany had an indirect role in the wars inside Meereen because she left most of the Meereenese slavers alive with most of their wealth intact, which leads to terrible consequences - the Sons of the Harpy’s attacks and dozens of freedmen’s deaths. Additionally, Dany had an indirect role in Hazzea’s death because Drogon was allowed to roam freely and she had no way to train him or her brothers. All these problems culminate in Dany agreeing with a peace deal that, as already explained here, was inherently unjust for prioritizing the slavers over the freedmen. Dany had to learn that, as much as she wants peace and to plant trees, there are situations in which she can’t be merciful because violence really is the only way to achieve justice for the disenfranchised. (On the flip side, that’s one of the reasons why I’m critical of the theory that Dany accidentally burns King’s Landing. When she was merciful, as I just listed, great tragedies occurred (which is fine, it was a realistic exploration of what happens when you abolish slavery and try to do good). When she used fire and blood, great tragedies will occur too? Even though she would be acting just like the Starks or any other feudal lord by fighting for her birthright? The theory narratively punishes Dany in a way that it doesn't do with the Starks, which is why it's no wonder that it was created by someone with Stark/Stannis biases. Additionally, it validates the common belief that Dany is only meant to be a wartime queen, even though she’s already showed that she’s a good peacetime ruler.)

Second, is dying the only way to pay for one’s mistakes (considering that only Robb and Jon are listed as examples of characters who did)? I don’t think so. Consider Sansa. Didn’t she pay for the mistake of going to Cersei to tell her of Ned’s plan? I would say she did. I would say the author agrees - “Sansa was the least sympathetic of the Starks in the first book; she has become more sympathetic, partly because she comes to accept responsibility for her part in her father's death”. Similarly, Dany had to accept her indirect responsibility for the tragedies that I just listed (Hazzea, forgive me; No marriage would ever bring them back to life, but if a husband could help end the slaughter, then she owed it to her dead to marry.; “I should’ve gone to Astapor. [...] I am the queen. It was my place to know.”; “What kind of mother has no milk to feed her children?”). I would argue that Dany and Sansa both paid for her mistakes, which were acknowledged, made them suffer and influenced their character developments. But the essayist needs to say that Dany didn’t pay for them (or that she had an easy rise to power) to help to paint her as a Shakespearean tragic hero.

6) Now that the essayist’s five requirements have all been questioned, I would also like to mention positive prophecies and speculations related to Dany that are never brought up in this essay.

First, Dany is AA/PTWP/SWMTW. That was heavily foreshadowed (read more about it here) and built up to and, if it doesn’t happen, it frankly would be bad writing. After all, haven’t readers praised GRRM for the foreshadowing of Ned’s death (e.g., a stag having killed the mother direwolf in the beginning of AGOT)? Haven’t readers praised GRRM for the foreshadowing of the Red Wedding (which we see from Tyrion’s to Theon’s to Dany’s chapters)? And yet, the essayist thinks that Dany’s death will cause “the forces [to] become more even, making victory less sure, or the Others surpass the side of the living in strength” and that “the White Walkers gain Drogon, becoming one-on-one but with the White Walkers having the larger dragon.”

Second, Dany and Bran both have dreams in AGOT leading up to their magical awakening. Bran needs to fly to escape from the “cold” of the darkness below, while Dany needs to run from the “icy breath behind”. Both of these dreams culminate with Bran and Dany learning to fly and accepting their magical destinies, which will be important in the War for the Dawn. And yet, the essayist thinks that “by understanding that the concept of warmth is tied to companionship, we can understand that the cold, “icy breath” must represent the opposite: loneliness” to justify Dany’s demise. Instead, it's clear (especially considering the parallels with Bran) that "icy breath" is an allusion to the Others. But they can't acknowledge that Dany will have a crucial role in the War for the Dawn, otherwise their entire speculation falls apart.

Third, Quaithe was presented as the third of the three Qartheen envoys (after Pyat Pree and Xaro) that came to find Dany in Vaes Tolorro, which heavily implies that she breaks the norm and is the one person that Dany can trust. And yet, the essayist takes for granted that Quaithe’s “narrative connection to betrayal is already established”.

Fourth, Dany might as well be the prophesied betrayer, not the one who’s betrayed by three people (after all, she’s already been betrayed by more than three people - Jorah, Mirri, Pyat Pree, Xaro, Brown Ben, the person that gave her the poisoned locusts, etc). It would fit with the pattern of Dany being an active participant in the prophecies rather than a passive one (e.g. Dany is AA/PTWP, not the one who gives birth to the AA/PTWP or the one who dies as a sacrifice to AA/PTWP) even though, at first, the readership is expected to think otherwise. And yet, the essayist takes for granted that Dany will be betrayed because otherwise their entire speculation falls apart.

Fifth, Dany is foreshadowed to have a positive relationship with Jon because “the blue flower” from the “wall of ice” filled the air with “sweetness”. And yet, the essayist needs to say that Dany "[will push] Jon away [...] from fear of betrayal and hurt” and from worries that he might be a “usurper” (nevermind that they are mischaracterizing Dany as someone overfocused on retaking the Iron Throne and who closes herself off due to prophecies, none of which are not true, as I already showed above) because otherwise their entire speculation falls apart.

7) Finally, I would also like to ask: what’s the point of giving Dany a storyline like this? Not only because it would be unearned due to the double standards and the changes that would have to occur in her characterization, but also because Dany has a special place in the narrative. She is 1) one of the two women (along with Asha) claiming power in her own right and the only one that we actually got to see rule, 2) one of three Chosen Ones (along with Bran and Jon) and the only female one, 3) one of two POV revolutionaries (along with Jon) and the only female one (and the one whose storyline arguably has the most political messages since she’s fighting against human slavery), 4) one of two POV female rulers (along with Cersei) and the only one who’s been depicted as competent (because she subverts the Good Princess Evil Queen dichotomy), 5) one of two Targaryen conquerors (three, if Young Griff does indeed take Westeros) and the only female one - “Aegon the Conqueror with teats”, 6) the only major mother who isn’t sure to be doomed and/or hasn’t gone mad, 7) one of two Targaryen queens regnant (along with Rhaenyra) and the only remaining Targaryen woman who gets to have power after a long line of Targaryen women - Rhaenyra herself, but also Rhaena, Aerea, Rhaella, Daenerys (Alysanne’s daughter), Rhaenys the Queen Who Never Was, Baela, Rhaena of Pentos, Daena - who were disempowered. GRRM already has a terrible history with female leaders in particular. If he causes the downfall of another one (especially one who is also one of the five main protagonists) for such unearned reasons like the ones that the essayist laid out, there would also be sexist implications. It would make the only she-king that we saw wielding power onpage overly defined by violence and destruction in a way kings don't have to be depending on their actions, it makes the only competent POV female ruler look incompetent in comparison to the other POV male rulers and it makes her conquest a disaster while the other male Targaryen conqueror (two, if Young Griff takes Westeros) gets to succeed. And yet, death by childbirth is the only speculation that the essayist calls out as problematic (“death by childbirth is a uniquely biologically female phenomenon and would be punishing Daenerys for her sexuality”).

8) What I find insidious about essays like this one is that they pretend to be unbiased (I do not argue for the death of Daenerys as a judgement on her ethical/moral goodness as a character nor of the world she inhabits. I argue it on the strength of her characterization and story, that she should be able to encompass such intensity and greatness as to be considered as complex as all these other single-name headliners in literature.) even though they really aren't. To recap, the essayist portrays Dany as someone with "violent" impulses even though she's a merciful person in general, accepts the peace deal with the slavers as valid even though it prioritizes the slavers' privileges over the lives of marginalized people, only talks about the negative connotations of fire, downplays Dany's compassion and sense of justice, argues that Dany is losing her ability to trust others even though she isn't, says that Dany is negatively affected by promises of greatness even though she isn't, argues that Dany had an easy rise to power and didn't pay for her mistakes even though she did, paints Dany's campaign to take the Iron Throne in a negative light without doing the same with the Starks having dominance over the North and ignores Dany's foreshadowing as AA/PTWP, as well as her special place in the narrative. So it’s not that Dany stans are unable to accept Dany’s mistakes and flaws, it’s that people who dislike her can’t understand her characterization or acknowledge the double standards against her or accept her particular place in the story. At the end of the day, an essay like this one is no better than jonsa metas mindlessly hating on Dany because, just like them, as @semperty and @niniane17 made clear, it also creates speculations with the intent of making Dany self-destruct and become irrelevant to pave the way for their preferred characters. The only difference is that it's more successful at appearing "neutral" to someone who doesn't remember what happened in the books very well, especially because Dany has become a polarizing character for a variety of reasons and it's easy to buy into the Appeal to Moderation fallacy.

Also, as I said before, the fact that these Twitter 'neutrals' all misunderstand Dany's characterization, downplay her struggles and judge her by different standards actually makes me somewhat hopeful that she's getting a better ending, because how can their speculations come true if they don't know Dany at all? But then, it's hard to trust GRRM.

[angryschnauzer]

Blackwater Lake - Chapter 3

Summary: There’s a little town high in the mountains where everyone has a secret, and every family has something that makes them unique. In Blackwater Lake those that are outcast by nature come together.

Characters/Pairing:  August Walker x OFC Freya (Forest Nymph) Original Female Character is described as white/pale, short and of small build, hazel eyes, long dark hair.

Warnings (for this chapter); Talk of past abusive relationships, on the run, alcohol consumption, Daddy Kink, DD/LG, Pet names, fingering, oral sex (male receiving), unprotected sex, hyperspermia, cum play, cum feeding, unplanned pregnancy, pregnancy test.

Previous Parts: 

Werewolf!Sy: Moonlight on the Sand  Castle Under The Stars. Werewolf!Sy, Vampire!Walter: Chapter 1 Vampire Walter: Chapter 2

This will be a series of stand alone stories/2 parters, which will revolve around the residents of the town, with some recurring characters. The ‘reader’ for each story will be a ‘new’ reader, so its not the same woman being with all the male characters.

I do not run a tag list, but please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications. You’ll then get an alert every time i post something new.

Blackwater Lake - Chapter 3

The blood slowly trickled across the board and off the table, coating the floor before running into the drain. August raised the heavy cleaver, and with one thunderous swipe severed the femur clean in two. The cleaver made a metallic clang that echoed around the stark tile lined room, and wiping his hands on his apron he lifted the product of his work and inspected his efforts closely. A smile spread over his lips as he looked up;

“There we go Mrs Mackenzie, a nice juicy bone for your dog”

The old woman smiled, her purple tinted grey hair in tight curls that barely moved as she nodded;

“Oh yes, that’ll be perfect! My Clarence will love it!”

At that very moment Clarence started yapping outside where he was tied to the specials chalkboard that sat on the sidewalk outside Walkers Meats, 10lbs of teeth, fur and anger wrapped into the body of a small West Highland Terrier;

“I’m sure he will. I’ll wrap it up for you and Freya will finish ringing up your order for you. We’ll get it delivered this afternoon…”

August walked around the counter and set the wrapped bone into the box, nodding to his assistant to finish up the order. She knew that the bone would be free of charge, but that Mrs Mackenzie would insist on tipping and sliding her $10 which August was more than happy for Freya to keep. The slight girl turned and a tiny smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, before she quietly nodded and continued with her duties.

Returning to the butchery area August glanced up and caught sight of his reflection in the painted mirror, the design obscuring the scarring on the side of his face, giving him that moment of relief from those memories of a past long ago, a life he had left behind when he had sought out quiet solitude in the peaceful mountain town of Blackwater Lake. People minded their own business there and didn’t ask questions. If you had a skill that could help others you were welcomed into the community. How August got into the meat business is a story for another day, but as his gaze travelled across the mirror to where Freya was measuring out the wild herb mixes into small mason jars he smiled and remembered instead how she came into his life.

-

Pulling the sign in from the sidewalk August was exhausted. Running a business completely on his own had seemed like a good idea when he’d started, he enjoyed his own company and he distrusted anyone else to do the job to a standard he would approve of. What he hadn’t counted on was the residents of this sleepy little town not only accepting him, but joyous that he was there and wanting to talk endlessly every time they visited his store. Although he was always polite and did his best to end conversations quickly, after eight hours of it he had jaw ache and knew he would need to work well into the night on the new sides of beef that had been delivered that morning if he were to have any stock to sell the next day. He glanced longingly at the small sign that sat propped up in the window; ‘Help Needed - Enquire Within’, yet he hadn’t had any takers in the month the sign had been up. 

The icy winter wind curled at his neck, sending a shiver down his spine as he let out a sigh, heaving the heavy sign into the building so it didn’t blow away in the night as a icy squall blew in from the mountains. As the door slammed shut behind him it echoed a knock around the store, but when it came again he turned and let out a far from masculine yelp; the face of a pale young woman stared back at him like a ghoul in the darkness. Clearing his throat and smoothing down his blue and white striped apron, he approached the door and opened it;

“May I help you Miss?”

She nodded down to the sign;

“Do you still need someone?”

Her teeth were chattering, and it was hardly surprising as she was barely dressed for the weather, the knitted cardigan doing little to ward off the cold wind. August opened the door to allow her to enter, looking down at the top of her head as she slunk past him.

“Let me get a pot of coffee on, you must be freezing”

As he disappeared into the back office he set the pot of coffee on to heat before grabbing an old jacket that was hanging on the back of the door, returning to where his visitor stood in the store a few moments later, handing her the jacket;

“Its cold in here, we can’t have the heat on because of the meat”

Nodding she took the jacket, her teeth still chattering;

“T-t-thanks… its still warmer than outside”

He handed her a mug of steaming coffee;

“Sorry, i don’t have any creamer or sugar…” She wrapped her delicate fingers around the mug using it more for heat than sustenance as he leant back against the counter on the other side of the store; “So… you’re wanting a job? What experience have you got? You worked in retail?”

She shook her head and muttered a quiet no, keeping her eyes averted from him as she spoke;

“But i will try anything… just looking for a new start”

“Are you running from something?” A gentle nod of her head and the way she clutched the mug tighter told August it was a someone not a something; “Look, if you’re willing to learn, work hard and pay attention, i’ll give you a trial. I’ve gotta level with you, you’re the only person who’s shown any interest in the sign, and i’m getting desperate, so if you want you can start tomorrow”

Her head snapped up and for the first time he saw her eyes, deep hazel peering out from behind long strands of dark brown hair;

“Really?”

“Yes. Really” he stated in a matter of fact way; “I’ll need to get your address and details for the wages…”

“Oh… i’m not… i’ve not got anywhere. I guess i’ll find a cheap motel…”

August paused;

“Kid, there’s no motel in town… at least not this time of year. But i might have a solution for you”

Her eyes widened in fear and August realised whatever she was running from had done more damage than she showed;

“No no, not that” he assured her; “There’s a small apartment above the shop - two in fact, i’ve got one and the other i’ve never rented out, never got round to it… its small but completely self contained, your own entrance and everything, completely secure”

Once a few forms had been filled out August had gotten the girl settled in the small studio apartment. He’d shown her how the fold out bed worked, explained that the hot water fed off the furnace for the whole building so she could use as much as she wanted. A couple of minutes after he’d left her in the apartment he knocked at her door, surprised to hear the locks sliding across at first, but then realising she needed to feel safe. When she peered around the door she almost looked surprised to see him there, as if it would be anyone else;

“Umm yeah?”

August handed her a box of things he’d scavenged from his own kitchen;

“Here’s just a few things to see you through the night… I haven’t been grocery shopping in a while, but the bread was in the freezer and it’ll defrost pretty quickly if you put it in the toaster”

He handed the box to Freya, surprised at how smooth but also small her hands were as she took it from him as they brushed against his own. She nodded and smiled;

“Thank you Mr Walker”

“Night. See you bright and early tomorrow morning” 

-

The next morning August woke to an insistent knocking on his door. Grumbling to himself he pulled on his robe and stalked across his small apartment, pulling the door open with a thunderous look on his face, ready to give whatever maniac that was knocking on his door at 5am a piece of his mind;

“WHAT THE… oh… hi…”

Freya was standing on his doormat, a look of shock on her face;

“Hi… i’m ready to start”

“To… start?”

“Work. You said bright and early”

August ran his palm over his face;

“I… When i said…” he let out a long slow breath; “I meant 8am”

“Oh.”

That was a long day, but by lunchtime Freya had mastered the cash desk and had already started to come out of her shell, the locals more than welcoming for the tiny girl with the woodland eyes, and with her help August was able to catch up on his work.

Over the following month her input had helped August expand his products, suggesting a range of seasonings in reusable jars, where if the customer returned the mason jar they’d get a discount off the next one they purchased. He discovered she had this unfathomable knowledge of herbs and plants, but also had this connection with nature he couldn’t quite understand. He’d sometimes catch her staring out of the window at the trees blowing in the wind, as if listening to their songs that were beyond his own ears.

One thing was for sure, there was a sense of magic to her and August thanked the stars above that she walked into his store on that cold winter night.

-

Back in the present August was busy cleaning the cutting table as Freya busied herself with her jars - it was her own little enterprise now and one she was absolutely proud of. He could see that she kept glancing outside, gnawing on her lip;

“Freya, everything ok?”

“Yes Mr Walker. I was just thinking, the next batch wild garlic is ready to be picked, if i collect some this afternoon i can have more chimichurri mixed ready for tomorrow, and that’s when the beef delivery is coming in”

August let out a chuckle;

“How many times do I have to say to call me August…” he met her gaze with a smile; “And yes, that sounds like a brilliant idea. The store’s quiet and i’ll be doing deliveries in a while, so sure, go exploring”

“Thank you Mr Walker”

August rolled his eyes and let out a laugh, watching as she hung up her apron and grabbed her foraging basket, skipping out of the door and towards the creek that fed into the lake a couple of miles away.

-

Three hours later August was driving back along the gravel road that led into town, having made his deliveries. The spring air was damp but warm, rain threatening to spill but the clouds unwilling to release their bounty just yet. Rounding the bend he looked out over the soft marshland, the grass knee high already and he saw a familiar figure stepping through the green undergrowth. With a smile he pulled his SUV to a stop at the side of the road, stepping out of the vehicle he leaned against the door as he watched Freya as she slowly made her way through the field, before she stopped as her attention moved to the treeline. Following her gaze he watched as a bear emerged from the woods and his heart sank. The native wildlife would be coming out of hibernation, and would be grumpy and hungry. He went to shout but a sudden rush of wind silenced his voice, watching as she held her arm out and the grass flattened in front of her as if a wind devil had made its way through. Glancing back to the bear it had stopped in its tracks but was still staring at her, but then started to circle around on the spot before settling down as if for a nap.

August anxiously watched, knowing if Freya ran she could make it to the car as long as the bear was weak, but he didn’t want to risk that it hadn’t had a belly full of salmon yet, so he quickly reached into the vehicle and pulled his unregistered handgun from beneath his seat. Back at the side of the road he raised the firearm at the bear, glancing at Freya who had now spotted him waiting for her. She started to quicken her pace through the grasses, eventually breaking into a run as she neared the embankment of the road. August glanced to where the bear had been and let out a yell as he saw it was starting to approach them;

“Freya, RUN!”

Doing as he instructed she broke into a sprint, her legs carrying her through the grass and up the embankment. Flinging his door open he motioned for her to dive in, her basket being launched into the passenger footwell as she tumbled across the centre console and into the passenger seat, August launching himself into the driver's seat and gunning the engine as he slammed the door shut, the urgent crunch of tyres on loose gravel dulling the sound of the grizzly’s roar as it had caught up, but was now rapidly disappearing into the distance of the rear view mirror.

August only slowed down as he reached the urban centre of Blackwater Lake, Freya’s breathing having finally levelled out as she turned to him;

“So… there’s bears here?”

He slowed the vehicle and pulled to a stop in a parking lot before turning to her;

“Yes. And moose and cougars and mountain lions… hell sometimes I even hear howls in the night so there’s probably something wolfy up in those mountains too… We need to get you better prepared for nature” August paused; “And what was that thing you did with your hand? That made the grass flatten and the bear sit down…”

Freya shrugged;

“I’m not sure… it's just this thing i’ve always been able to do, calm animals down”

“Huh. Didn’t seem to work this time…”

She glanced at him, her eyes wide;

“I think that was because you were there…”

August let out a laugh, before sitting back in his seat;

“Okay, point taken. I need a drink. We’re at Big-G’s, I'll buy you dinner…”

-

August regretted his decision. He hadn’t factored in how slight Freya was in comparison to her ability to consume alcohol, so three drinks later where all he’d had was lite beer, Freya was completely wasted. The giveaway was when she’d fallen asleep on his shoulder whilst he’d been talking to Geralt - the bar owner - and she’d started to drool on his shirt. Geralt had told him to ‘get his girl home’ with a wry laugh, telling August his meal was on the house. Something had stopped August from correcting the ashen haired man, looking down at the imp of the girl leaning on him. 

He’d managed to carry her to his car fairly easily but the journey up the steps at their building had been more of a challenge. He’d managed to get her to wrap her arms around his shoulders, but had been surprised when she’d also wrapped her legs around his waist. Although it meant he could use one arm to hold her up, the feel of her warm body clinging to his sent a rush of heat through his stomach straight to his groin, he was just thankful she was so out of it she didn’t notice the tent in his pants. 

As he juggled his keys he found the spare for her apartment but then thought better of it, unsure how she was when she’d had alcohol, and instead opened his own apartment. Crossing the almost dark room he reached the couch and slowly lowered her down to the cushions, her whimpers of loss as he started to pull away making him pause;

“Mmmm Daddy, you’re so warm…” 

Holding her still a low rumble slowly bubbled through his throat when she nuzzled against his neck;

“Daddy smells so good…” and she pressed a kiss to the stubble on his chin.

August knew she was drunk, probably didn’t even realise it was him, after all who would want someone as broken and scarred as he was, but for that briefest of moment’s he relished her touch and what was going on in her tequila addled mind. He couldn’t help himself and pressed the briefest of kiss to her cheek;

“Time to sleep now little Kitten” he muttered before reluctantly uncoupling himself from her grasp, pulling a blanket over her as she dozed on his couch. Raking his hand down his face he let out a sigh, before grabbing a glass of water and setting it onto the coffee table in front of her. A scribbled note on the back of a flyer explained that she was drunk and he wasn’t sure if she would need his help, and he didn’t want to invade her privacy of her own apartment.

Having poured himself a generous glass of vodka, August withdrew to his own bedroom, silently closing the door before stripping for bed. It was an early night but without the TV to entertain him and no desire to get lost in a book, he settled on top of the covers in just his underwear, sipping at the ice cold liquor as he willed the swelling of his loins to subside. However every time he tried to clear his mind, all he could imagine was Freya. The thought of her small body beneath his, their bodies sweaty and writhing as one. Finally with a curse he gave in to his desires, pulling his underwear down and taking his hard length into his hand, pumping dry to increase the friction as his mind descended further into taboo territory. He imagined it was her hand, calling him Daddy as she asked if she was doing it right, that her perfect lips would duck down and take his bulbous tip into her mouth, her tongue lapping at his slit as her hazel eyes would stare back up at him, wide with innocence. With a strangled cry he came in violent spurts, covering his hand and stomach in ropes of his cum, thoughts of the delicate woman in his lounge lapping at his spent seed prolonging his orgasm until he was aching and empty. With a curse he looked down at the mess he’d made, realising he needed to clean himself up.

-

The quiet click of his front door woke August the next morning, pushing himself up off the pillow as he heard small footsteps down the outside of the building and the quiet beep of his car being unlocked. Wondering what the hell was happening he leapt out of bed and peered out of the window, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw a dishevelled Freya gathering the wild garlic that had been scattered around his inside of his vehicle the day before.

A few minutes later the thud of his keys falling onto his doormat where she’d posted them through the letterbox sounded through his apartment, and when he went to collect them he found a small note with them;

‘Mr Walker, thank you for your help, I hope I didn't make a fool of myself last night. Your car stinks of garlic now, i’m going to walk up the creek and collect some herbs that will help reduce the odour, Freya x’

-

An hour later when she hadn’t returned, August set off towards the creek through the pleasant woodland, the sunlight leaving dappled patches of gold on the forest floor. Coming to the wide bend in the creek where the water was shallow, he saw the swing over the water that someone had put there years ago, mismatched ropes and a wooden seat, and how someone had now woven wildflowers into the ropes, and as he glanced upstream he saw Freya knee deep in the water, a butterfly dancing on her hand.

Something overcame him and he pulled off his boots and socks, rolling up his pants as he stepped out into the water and sat on the swing, silently watching as she charmed nature beyond a simple human’s comprehension, having control of the elements like a forest nymph. August had seen a lot of unusual things in the time he’d lived in Blackwater Lake, he knew those that had something a little special about them gravitated towards the sleepy little mountain town, so as he watched Freya make her way upstream towards him he realised there was magic in the air. Small water spouts rose from the water as she took each step, as if chasing after her touch as she stepped from rock to rock submerged under the water. 

As she approached the shallow bend in the creek she finally looked up and saw August, a smile spreading over her lips;

“Hi”

“Hi”

“Its so pretty here, isn’t it?” she asked wistfully

“Beautiful from where i’m sitting”

She approached where he sat, stopped at arms reach, a hint of blush warming her cheeks;

“I’m sorry if I was inappropriate last night… thank you for taking care of me, i’m not a big drinker”

“You weren’t inappropriate…” he reassured her; “But it's been a while since a beautiful woman called me Daddy… since before… since before i was broken...”

Her gaze moved to the scar on the side of his face, and without a word she stepped forward and pressed her hand to the spidery scarring. In that moment August felt the magic in her touch, prickling at his skin before she nimbly climbed onto his lap, her legs wrapping around his waist and she lowered her lips to his, softly brushing against his as she spoke;

“You’re not broken, no more than I am…”

The kiss was soft and slow, and as her tongue started to gently tease at the seam of his lips she eased her weight completely onto his lap, her core pressing to his, the heat of their growing lust growing like an ember between them. 

Her small tongue licked into his mouth, tasting him as she pressed her body flush to his chest, small whimpers coming from her as his hands splayed over her back and pulled her firmly down onto his growing arousal. When the need for oxygen finally took precedence August’s lips traced a path of kisses down her jaw and neck, her fingers winding through his dark curls as her head fell back to give him better access to the pale expanse of her collarbone;

“Oh Daddy…”

“That’s it my little one, i’m going to treat you so well, my little Kitten…” August’s mustache brushed against her heated skin as he spoke, the gentle sway of the swing letting their bodies move against each other.

Just at that moment an ominous creak sounded above them, drawing their attention up into the tree’s canopy, just in time to see the rope that held the swing up snap, plunging them down into the shallow creekwater below.

With shouts and screams the moment of passion was lost, taken over by the shock of the water hitting their heated skin. August helped Freya up, her dress plastered to her skin in much the same way his shirt was, soaked head to toe he shook the water from his hair;

“Home?”

“Yes Daddy” Freya purred, pulling into his touch as he wrapped an arm around her to help her out of the water.

-

Pushing in the door to his apartment, clothes were being pulled from each other's bodies even as the door was still ajar. As he pulled his shirt off, Freya’s hands were curling into the hair on his chest, an almost feral growl bubbling from her lips as she ran her hands down to his stomach and rested on the buckle of his belt. Catching her hands in his he held them gently, only speaking when she looked up and met his gaze;

“Kitten, I want to be sure you want this… You’re in total control here, you set the boundaries, you say when you need to stop. But if you do want this, i’ll be your Daddy and take care of you like a Princess”

Freya voice shook as she spoke;

“I want this… my last… he wanted to be my Daddy but didn’t treat me right. He took more than I could give…”

August lifted her small hands to his mouth, kissing each fingertip with such great care and tenderness her heart almost melted before she finally spoke again;

“We should really check for leeches”

“WHAT?!”

Freya had never seen anyone strip their clothing off quite as fast as August just had. For a big man - and a pretty tough one at that - the mere thought of little blood suckers had him stripping completely naked in a matter of seconds, Freya pulling her dress off a little slower until she stood in just her simple underwear. August was still patting himself down, turning to look at his behind;

“Am I ok?”

Freya couldn’t help herself, stepping forwards and taking two handfuls of August’s pert asscheeks, giving them a squeeze before running her palms over the perfectly rounded globes of his buttocks;

“More than ok”

In the following moments August carried her to his small bathroom, turning the shower on before he stepped under the warm jets of water, pulling her with him so he could soap her down. The scent of sandalwood of his soap as he carefully washed every inch of her body was overwhelming, taking care of her to wash any last traces of creek water from her body. He paused as he reached the apex of her thighs, waiting for her agreement which she quickly nodded for him to continue, his large hand sliding between her legs and caressing her lips. His skilled fingers soon sought out her pearl, teasing it gently from its hood before he slid a finger into her waiting heat, a cry falling from her lips which he quickly swallowed with a kiss. His work calloused hands quickly drove her to an orgasm - a first of many - and as she came she called his name, like a prayer on her lips. 

Shutting the water off, August carefully lifted her out of the bath, wrapping a large towel around her before scooping her into his arms and carrying her to his bed. On the messy covers her hair clung to her skin, before he carefully lifted the long tendrils from her chest and was able to take in the sight of her petite naked body laying fresh and prone on his bed. Her hand reached out for him, pulling him close;

“Daddy, I want to feel you…”

August smiled;

“Will you be a good girl for me Kitten? Do you think you can take me? You’re awfully small, and I'm pretty big…”

She sat up, pressing a hand to his chest;

“Can I try? Can I go on top?”

Nodding August lay on the bed, propped up against the pillows, lifting her petite frame on top of him. He watched with pleasure as she wriggled down the bed, her hands gripping his thighs as she settled between his legs. Wrapping her small hands around his generous length she looked up at him as she started to give small licks to his hot flesh, her fingers struggling to encircle his meaty girth. Opening her mouth she took a good three inches between her lips straight away, a litany of curses falling from August’s lips as he felt the hot wet heat of her mouth engulf him. It was better than he could ever had imagined, and he had to grip at the bedsheets to stop himself from cumming at that very moment. Steadying his breathing he let out a low sigh before he reluctantly pulled her off, a trail of spittle hanging between his dick and her mouth;

“But Daddy, I want to taste your cum…”

“I know Kitten, but it's going to be a lot the first time, and I want to see your cunt dripping with me, knowing your tight little pussy is going to overflow with the amount I'm going to pump into you. Now be a good girl and see what you can do, let's make it fit…”

Straddling his thick thighs she positioned herself over his hard shaft, her hand holding him steady as she swiped him through her folds to douse his gnarled girth with her juices, before settling with the tip at her entrance. August ran his hands up and down her arms, comforting her and hoping to get her to relax. He was a patient man but the feel of her soaked flesh pressing against his crown was becoming a struggle not to grab her hips and pull her down until he was balls deep in one swift thrust.

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Freya slowly lowered herself onto August’s shaft, going at a pace she could cope with, but the strain of holding back caused perspiration to bead on August’s forehead;

“Doing so well Kitten… I know its a lot, but you can do it… you’re so fucking tight…. Fuck…”

Taking a deep breath Freya finally let herself fall the rest of the way, feeling him part her silken walls until she was settled on his lap. Tears fell from her eyes, tiny diamonds adorning her cheeks at the overwhelming sense of fullness she was experiencing. Seeing these August kissed them away, his praises made her swell with pride as he admitted to her he was struggling not to cum from just the feeling of her tight walls engulfing him. He pushed a hand between their bodies, resting his palm on her stomach;

“Put your hand here… you’re so tiny I can feel myself deep inside you, your little tummy blown out with my dick…”

His thumb crept down and grazed at her pearl, making her cry out before yearning for more. With his ministrations she was soon relaxed enough to start to ride him, her nimble thighs bouncing on his meaty counterparts, feeling the slick push and pull as he filled her whilst she drove them towards their peak. 

Unsurprisingly Freya came first, the overwhelming pleasure that was coursing through her body was all too much to hold back, and she came with a silent scream, her body gripping August so tight it set him off, pushing in so deep he was sure his dick had kissed her cervix, before flooding her with endless ropes of his thick seed, soothing her inner core with his milky gift. Wrapping his arms around her he pulled her to his chest, holding her tight as the floods of emotions surged through her, stroking her back tenderly.

Eventually he carefully lifted her onto the bed, peppering her bare skin with bristly kisses, before parting her thighs and leaning back to admire his handiwork, a thick sheen of white covering her swollen petals. With a single finger he carefully swiped through his mess, before holding it to her mouth;

“Taste Kitten… taste our passion…”

Holding onto his wrist she sucked the digit into her mouth, her tongue tasting their combined essence. When his finger finally dropped from her lips his gaze fell down and hers followed, her eyes going wide when she saw he was hard and ready for more. Laying back she hooked her hands behind her knees and spread herself open for him;

“Daddy, will you fill me up again, please?”

Positioning himself at her cum soaked hole August smiled, a dark hint of lust glinting in his eyes;

“It would be my pleasure Kitten”

-

Three weeks later

Freya chewed nervously on her lip, having circled the isles of the drug store too many times to count now, waiting for a time when there was no-one near what she needed. Finally it was the right moment and she slunk into the isle, grabbing the thin rectangular box before stepping back and bumping into someone, her item tumbling to the floor as a third set of feet appeared;

“Freya! Mrs Syverson! Good Morning!”

It was Sue from the coffee shop, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere just as Mrs Syverson had backed away from the opposite shelf to keep little baby Luna from grabbing the glass bottles of antacid medicine. Mrs Syverson immediately clocked what Freya had been holding;

“Oh Freya, could you just reach those things for me? I can’t reach down with Luna here…”

With shaking hands Freya handed the bag of cotton wool balls and the pregnancy test to the woman only a couple of years her senior, who in turn smiled at Sue as she laughed;

“Sy’s always keeping me on my toes… in more ways than one” She winked before tugging on Freya’s arm; “Sweetie, I need to place an order for a big cookout we have coming up for Sy’s birthday…”

Steering her away from town gossip Sue, Mrs Syverson lowered her voice;

“I’ll meet you outside sweetie, don’t worry about it, i saw you circling the shop”

A few minutes later Mrs Syverson appeared at the door, two drugstore bags in her hand before handing one to Freya;

“My advice, tell August now, do the test together”

“Are you sure? Do you think he’ll be angry?”

“Angry? Hell no, i think it’ll be what he wants, and no matter what the result he’s always had puppy dog eyes for you, we could all tell from the moment you walked into his life”

Peering into the bag Freya saw there was also a bag of Hershey’s kisses;

“You’ll need the sugar, to calm your nerves afterwards”

“Thanks Mrs S… i appreciate it”

“No problem Freya… and i’ll see you tomorrow, i really do need to place that order, but get today over and done with first”

That afternoon Freya and August took the test, then feasted on kisses of every kind.

[doublerainebow]

Artist Resources (Part 1?)

This is basically just going to be a bunch of resources I have found to be useful. I can’t say that I’ve used all of them, but I’m sure they’re all worth checking out.

I’m also gonna try to put a detailed description for most of the links so you have a better idea of what you’re getting. I apologize in advance if some of them are redundant lol

(I put “Part 1″ if in the case I make another one)

~Links to Tutorials, Tips, Resources, etc~

Another Resource List -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Apparently, the post isn’t mobile-friendly, so it’s suggested to view this on Tumblr browser. Has a bunch of other links. I’ve checked out a few of them (mainly the copyright stuff lol), and it seems that some of the links may be a bit outdated. Still, it doesn’t hurt to check out the links.

Arms and Legs -- Leads to another Tumblr post. A handy tutorial on elbow and knee placement.

Art & Game Dev -- This leads to my personal playlist of a bunch of YouTube videos. Has a bunch of tutorials and interesting videos that I’ve collected over the course of a few years lol.

Blamblot -- A website that contains resources and tutorials on comic lettering. This is primarily in reference to western comics, but it doesn’t help to take a looksie.

Commission Calculator -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Helps artists to stop selling themselves short.

Comparing Heights (hikaku-sitatter) -- A height comparer for centimeters.

Comparing Heights -- A height comparer for feet and inches.

Mouth Shapes and Lip-Syncing -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Useful for... drawing mouth shapes.

Reference Angle -- Useful for when you’re trying to map out a face from an odd angle.

Soft Proofing for Printing -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Helps when you’re trying to make prints of your artwork.

Textures -- A website full of different and mostly free textures. While this website is made for 3D texturing, it can also be useful for 2D drawings. Signing up gives you 15 free credits everyday, and you can use those credits to download some textures for free.

The Models Resource -- A website of models ripped from a wide array of games.

The Spriters Resource -- A website of sprites ripped from a wide array of games.

The Textures Resource -- A websites of textures ripped from a wide array of games. 

~Links to Stock Images~

Please check out whatever policies they may have for their images before using them!

(not sure if any of them are active anymore as I followed some of these accounts a long time ago when I used to be more active on Deviant Art lol)

adorkastock (formerly senshistock)

anatoref -- Leads to another Tumblr post. Has a bunch of hand photo references

charligal-stock

HumanAnatomy4Artist -- Does contain nudity

null-entity

PhelanDavion

RobynRose

~Links to Other Artists~

Akihito Yoshitomi -- Yoshitomi is a mangaka who has tutorials on manga making. He also has an insightful series in which he drafts and draws a 30-page manga in 18 days. Remember that every artist works differently and his process may be different from another’s.

Drawfee -- Drawfee is an improv drawing show of four artists: Nathan Yaffe, Jacob Andrews, Julia Lepetit, and Karina Farek. While they don’t have tutorials in a sense, their videos explain the different processes they go through as they draw. They also occasionally provide tips, tricks, and resources in their videos. They do have another channel and a Twitch channel where they host drawing classes in addition to other fun shenanigans.

EtheringtonBrothers -- Has a bunch of useful and eye-catching tutorials called “How to Think When You Draw”.

Mark Crilley -- Mark is a comic artist, specializing in manga, who has a bunch of tutorials about anatomy, perspective, comic making, and other things.

Miyuli -- Miyuli is an artist who posts tutorials on their Twitter. Their tutorials range from anatomy to clothing to other things. They even have a few books of art tips. Currently (as of the time of posting this), their 2018 version is free for download, so I highly recommend you download that. Some tips may be outdated, but they should still be helpful.

Whyt Manga (Twitter/YouTube) -- Odunze is a comic artist, specializing in manga, that has a bunch of tutorials on manga making and drawing characters of color.

~Links to Free Programs~

Blender -- A free 3D program if you’re into 3D modeling and such. I also personally haven’t used Blender (I use Maya lol), but I know it’s a respectable program.

Krita -- A free painting program if you can’t afford Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint. I personally haven’t used Krita, but I have recommended it to a few friends and they have positive reviews about it.

Paint Tool SAI -- Okay, this one isn’t free, but it’s a significantly cheaper painting program where you don’t have to pay a subscription. It’s 5,500JPY (~50 USD). I’m not sure how well it still works on modern computers (the last update was 2016), but I still use it here and there because I love the pen tool feature it has, and it still works like a charm for me.

~General Tips From Raine~

Raine admits that she’s guilty of not following her own advice, but Raine hopes that the tips that she does know will be beneficial to someone who will follow them. She’s also going to keep all her tips under the cut so as to not make this post a huge wall of text (even though it technically already is lol)

Also, if you have some resources, tutorials, tips yourself, please feel free to send them to me and maybe I’ll make a part 2 to this post!

ALWAYS LOOK FOR REFERENCE. This should really go without saying. You can’t draw from life if you refuse to observe life itself.

If you can’t find the exact thing you need, MAKE YOUR OWN REFERENCE. Time and time again, I can’t find something exactly that I need. So instead, what I do is that I take pictures of my own reference. Sometimes I even grab a friend and take pictures of them doing whatever it is I need.

Have a mirror handy when you’re drawing. Sometimes what you need is actually right there in front of you.

Having trouble drawing something? Do some studies. Take the time to understand what it is you’re drawing. I can’t remember the exact story, but I heard that the people who were working on Tarzan were having a hard time drawing his hands. So, what they did was spend a few hours looking at hands to try and understand how they work.

IT’S OKAY TO STUDY THE ART OF OTHER ARTISTS. Just as we look to the old masters as a reference, it’s definitely okay to look at modern-day artists for reference. Just don’t go copying exactly everything that they do, or worse, trace what they do. Just don’t do it... at all.

Not every line needs to be realized. The viewer of your work will automatically connect the dots.

DO NOT TRASH YOUR OLD DRAWINGS. Please, never ever do this. Your old drawings have value to them, even if they look terrible to you. Old drawings may hold ideas for things you could do for the future. They also serve as a way to see how far you’ve come as an artist.

GETTING BETTER AT DRAWING TAKES TIME AND EFFORT. You’re not gonna get better overnight. It’ll take months, or even years, to feel like you’re a competent artist, and even then, you’ll still have room for improvement.

DON’T LOOK DOWN ON YOURSELF IF YOU’RE TAKING A LONG TIME TO GET BETTER. It’ll be better for your mental health in the long run.

Alternatively, DON'T LOOK DOWN ON OTHER ARTISTS EITHER, ESPECIALLY TO MAKE YOURSELF FEEL BETTER. You know the struggles it took for you to get where you are, so don’t go putting down other people when you’ve been in their shoes once.

KEEP DRAWING. If you’re not making an effort to get better, then you’re not going to be better. I get that it’s hard to find the inspiration to draw (I’m very guilty of this), but just keep trying. It doesn’t have to be big or spectacular. You don’t even have to post it if you’re the type who likes to post their art stuff.

Try to find references from real-life. It’ll help you better understand form, lighting, shadows, etc., especially if you’re going for a more realistic kind of art style. Otherwise, finding reference from things like cartoons, anime, comics, etc. are just as good.

Try new things. Try new art mediums. Try a different art style. Switch up the way you do things. Maybe you’ll hate it, maybe you’ll like it. Who knows if you don’t try.

Watch time-lapses (or speed draws/speed paints) of other artists!

Pinterest and Google are your friends if you need tutorials or references or whatever.

If you’re offering commissions, DO NOT WORK UNDER YOUR LOCAL MINIMUM WAGE. You are literally devaluing the work you actually put into a piece.

I like to think I’m an aficionado of Photoshop, so feel free to ask me questions on how to achieve something! I’ve used Photoshop for about 11 years now and know my way around the program. On another note, I do recommend setting custom keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop because the default shortcuts are terrible (in my opinion), and because having custom shortcuts increases the speed of your workflow.

Because I’ve been seeing this a lot lately in Twitter, you’re never too old to start in art. Art is just one of those things that anyone can pick up at any age because the only thing you really need to get good in art is time, diligence, and patience.

Try not to post hi-res images of your artwork to prevent art stealers from selling your artwork in high resolution.

Always, always, always add your signature and watermark on your artwork. I like to add my signatures and watermarks in places that’ll be hard to erase or crop out. I’ve also seen people add their signatures and watermarks in creative ways (ex. on a character’s shirt). You need to protect your work in an era where people will just blatantly steal it and make profit off your work.

Tag List

@reality-is-often-disappointing

[sergeantsporks]

I Won’t Let Go (or Run Away)

Gen, General Audiences

Nari won’t fight Skrael alone. Douxie won’t let it happen.

Based on this post by @archies-litterbox . I have never watched Pacific Rim and don’t know what drift compatibility is, but the idea of Douxie co-piloting Nari’s titan Vibes With Me.

@alovesongshewrote

Ao3

“No. You have a titan.”

Nari’s eyes started to glow, and her titan rumbled up.

She looked so… ethereal. And terrifying. And… a little bit sad. A titan fighting for them, a titan fighting against them—either way, she was alone.

So when Claire opened the shadow portal for them to get off the titan, Douxie didn’t go through it.

“Hey, c’mon! I can’t keep this open, I’ll need all of my magic for the titan’s portal.”

Douxie shook his head. “I’m not going to leave her alone again. I promised I would protect her.”

“Douxie,” Nari murmured, “You cannot share this with me. It is my burden.”

Douxie took Nari’s hand once more. “No more running, Nari. This is my fight, too. You are my fight.”

The world lit up, and he was huge, he was powerful, he could crush forests with his steps and destroy anyone who got in his way. Douxie let out an exhilarated laugh, lifting one arm and watching it crack stone with the force it came down with. He was unstoppable, he had the power of raw, untamed magic at his disposal and he was a god!

Nari’s hand in his anchored him to himself, reminded him who he was. Douxie. Punk-Rocker. Customer Service Expert. A master wizard. Certainly not a god.

Claire’s shadow portal surrounded them, transferring them to a forest. Nari leaned forward, and Douxie followed her lead. The titan ran forward at full tilt towards Skrael.

What if…

Douxie used his magic to light his regular hand on fire.

The titan fist he swung towards Skrael’s titan was wreathed in blue flame.

Skrael howled, whirling around to face them. “What—Impossible! You cannot pilot a titan!”

“Not alone!” Douxie responded.

Nari’s hand squeezed his, and she brought their other fist careening towards Skrael. The ice titan dodged, but barely.

“You cannot contain such power,” the ice demigod taunted, “It will consume you, and spit you out!”

“I won’t let it!” Nari howled. Vines shot out, reaching towards Skrael. With a thought from Douxie, they glowed blue and sent off a sleeping spell that made Skrael’s titan sway on its feet. Another punch from Douxie’s fiery fist sent the ice titan reeling.

Maybe Skrael was right about this consuming him—the scale of magic it took for the whole titan hand to light was exhausting, and Douxie could feel himself starting to fail.

A blow from Skrael sent them skidding to the side, and Douxie’s hand slipped out of Nari’s, instantly severing his connection to the titan. He fell, tumbling off of the titan towards the distant ground.

Falling.

Again.

“Douxie!”

Nari lunged out of her titan’s control sphere, holding onto a vine with one hand and grasping Douxie’s hand with the other. A vine snaked out, lashing their wrists together.

“Don’t leave me,” Nari begged.

Douxie gave her hand a squeeze. “No more running,” he murmured weakly, “I’ve got this—I can do it.”

The vine in Nari’s other hand retracted back into the titan, pulling the two of them up. They resumed control just in time to scramble out of the way as Skrael charged towards them. They whirled around, and Douxie lit his hand on fire, ignoring the wave of dizziness that swept over him. They slammed the fiery fist into Skrael again, knocking him back into the mountain. Nari’s vines stretched out again, and again Douxie set off another sleeping spell. Almost—there—

And then, all at once, there was blinding, horrible pain in his side, a freezing, stabbing sensation that seemed to freeze the blood in Douxie’s veins. He and Nari screamed in unison, their voices blending together into a harmony of agony.

Through the blizzard of pain, Douxie saw Nari raise their hand and stab Skrael back.

And then they were falling away, still connected by the vine at their wrists.

And by their hands, clutching each other.

Xxx

Claire screamed as the titan fell, running forward, stumbling over rocks and roots, but making her way to the fallen titan. Skrael was gone, reduced to dust, and she staggered over the pilot’s area of the earth titan. Douxie and Nari were still there, a barely-conscious Nari cradling a passed-out Douxie in her lap, their hands still linked and a vine wrapped around their wrists. Ice was spreading up their bodies from their sides, and their breaths were visible, little clouds in what was otherwise warm air. Claire skidded down next to them, checking Douxie for a pulse. It was there, but barely—and it was getting slower.

“Nari, you have to let go!” Claire begged, “You have to let him go—he’s dying!”

Nari shivered violently. “D-dy—”

The vine slowly retracted, and she started to pull her hand out of his.

Douxie’s hand clenched harder, and his eyes opened just a fraction. “N-no m-more r-r-running,” he chattered.

Claire felt Jim’s hand on her shoulder, but she was more focused on the wizard in front of her. “Douxie, please—”

“Sh-sharing the curse,” he murmured, his eyes unfocused, glowing slightly. Pulses of blue magic were rippling over his skin and spreading to Nari, slowing the ice down, only for a second, but each pulse prevented the ice from killing him just a moment longer. “S-stronger to-together. Camelot.”

“I can’t get you there, Douxie, I’m spent, that titan portal took too much—please, Douxie, I can’t lose you!”

He reached out with one hand and brushed Claire’s face. “Magic i-is emo-emotion. Use—use your fear. It—it doesn’t control you—you c-cont-trol it.”

Claire gripped his hand. “Come on,” she howled at the air, “I’m not going to lose him! ONE! MORE! PORTAL!”

It flickered, small, unstable. Shadows pressed at the corners of Claire’s vision, whispering and tugging at her soul, and she pushed them away.

“YOU! OBEY! ME!” she screamed, and the portal opened, swallowing them up and dropping them on the floor of Arthur’s throne room.

Xxx

Douxie staggered to his feet, pulling Nari along with him. He stumbled to the table with the gems in it, overshooting and spilling to the floor.

“Hngh—no—"

Blackness pressed at the corners of his vision—he was using so much magic, had used too much to fight Skrael and now it was all he could do to keep Nari and himself alive—but he summoned his staff, using it to haul himself up. “The gems,” he gasped, “They—” He scrabbled for one, prying at it with his fingers, but he was shivering so hard he couldn’t get a good grip. “Claire! Grab that yellow one!”

Claire pulled out a pocket knife and pulled it out. Douxie grabbed it, hobbling to Merlin’s study.

“What’s going on?!” Claire demanded.

“It’s—the gem—different gems hold—power—”

“Like the triumvirate stones?”

“Yeah—this one—fire—” Douxie grabbed a hammer, and handed a chisel to Nari. “Right—right there.” She held the chisel in place, and he slammed the hammer down on the gem.

Too hard, too hard, Merlin’s voice chided in his head, to shape a gemstone, you must be gentle, but firm.

But he didn’t have time to be gentle—he hit the gemstone again, and a surge of power flooded out, filling his veins with fire. It joined his own magic, and he and Nari floated up.

“Nari, now!”

He didn’t know how he knew she could save them—he just knew, the titan bond still joining them. He just felt it, deep in his soul, that their magics combined could stop the spread of Skrael’s curse.

Nari was chanting something in a language he didn’t know—or maybe he just couldn’t figure it out because everything was getting fuzzy, and now Nari’s magic was the only thing keeping him up. Her magic pulled on his own, and the power of the gemstone. They were surrounded by a maelstrom of flowers and vines made of dancing blue flames.

And then they were collapsing to the floor. He still felt cold, but the deadly ice no longer crept through him.

Nari pressed her forehead to his. “Share the curse, share the burden,” she murmured, “Thank you, Douxie.” She got up. “Bellroc still remains, and they will remake the world in fire. My task is not finished yet.”

Douxie grasped for her hand. “No!” he protested weakly, “We barely managed to defeat Skrael—you can’t—”

She giggled, holding out a hand. A flower made of ice formed. “I survived. I have assumed Skrael’s powers. I think—I think it will be enough. Not as good as you and I, but… enough. You cannot accompany me this time, Douxie. Stay here and rest. You are not a demigod—even together, piloting the titan cost you too much power. You cannot fight in this shape.”

Her face kept flickering in and out of focus, but Douxie clutched her hand as tightly as he could. “You can’t go—I have to go with you!”

Nari held up their linked wrists. The vine dissolved into green and blue magic, making a glowing, connecting thread that faded out of sight. “You do not have to be close to be with me, Douxie. We are linked like the moon and the tides—even separated by the expanse of space, they still know each other, are still affected by each other. You will be with me. Now rest.”

She tapped his forehead with one finger, and the world went black.

Xxx

“Shhhhhh, Steve, be quieter, you’ll wake him up!”

“He’s been asleep for ages, just wake him up already!”

“We told you, piloting the titan took a lot out of him. Regular wizards just aren’t built for it, and besides, he used a lot of magic in the fight—let him sleep.”

Douxie yawned, stretching. “Morning,” he mumbled. Everything was sore—and his whole body felt weak—but fuzzbuckets, he hadn’t gotten this much rest in, well, ever.

He tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over him, and he lay back down.

His friends all crowded around his bed. Jim was clutching Excalibur in his hands, and Douxie gestured to it. “Hey! You did it!”

Jim nodded, beaming. “We weren’t sure we could do it—I figured out what the ninth configuration was, but we needed you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah! And we were thinking ‘well, that’s it then, unless Claire teleports his unconscious body over here’ and then this—this glowing blue ball of light appeared, and it split into eight pieces and hit each of us, and then we… I don’t know, it just felt sort of… comforting? And hopeful? And then the eight of us were able to pull out Excalibur. I think… maybe you unconsciously sent out some magic?”

Claire gave him a warm smile. “You knew when we needed you. And you pulled through.”

A bolt of panic shot over Douxie, and he sat upright, ignoring the fatigue. “Nari! Where’s Nari?!”

“She’s fine,” Jim promised, “She was amazing—she fought Bellroc’s titan and got it down so we could face Bellroc, and then Toby used the anti-magic ray, and we… we finished the fight. Together.” He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “Even with their titan out, Bellroc put up a heck of a fight—it took all of us to finally take them down.”

“And—where’s Toby?”

“He’s okay, too. A few broken bones—he got pinned under rubble from the titan. But Nari got out of her titan and to him in enough time to save him. Guess what?! She found Strickler, too! He fell from the explosion and went under the ice! It froze him and sent him into a kind of hibernation, but she pulled him out. She’s resting now. Two titan fights in a row plus healing Toby and finding Strickler really took it out of her.”

“She grew a whole garden in the courtyard,” Aja breathed, “It’s beautiful—I wonder if she could make one for me back on Akaridion 5?”

“But after she wakes up, she’s going to use her empathy magic to find coordinates for Archie,” Krel volunteered, “And then we’ll just wormhole in!”

“And… the Chronosphere?”

Blinky gave a short nod. “In Camelot’s vault. Saving it for a rainy day. We saw the ninth configuration in it, and Claire managed to see and prevent Bellroc from stabbing Jim, so I suppose it served its purpose. Meddling with the powers of time is a dangerous endeavor.

Douxie nodded. “I know that one for sure.”

The powers of time moved on their own, in one direction. Forward. They managed to open a wormhole to the Hong Kong trollmarket, so Archie and Charlemagne could come and go as they pleased. Mrs. Lake became Mrs. Strickler-Lake. Jim refused to change his name.

Douxie still felt stabbing icicles in the night sometimes, waking him up from the pain.

Winter always filled him with dread.

And he almost always felt cold.

But Nari would always come—every time he started feeling just a little too frozen, every time he jolted up in the night, she was there.

And other times, he could sense her feeling the same, and he would be there for her. They shared the same curse, the same chill in their bones.

But they also shared the same fire. The same determination.

And that was enough.

[duran-duran-less-official]

Everything Everywhere All At Once: An Explainer

I've seen a lot of people say that you absolutely MUST go and watch That Michelle Yeoh Film, but they all seem to say it defies explanation, you just have to see it for yourself.

This post contains some spoilers, but it is for those people who consider "it defies explanation" an unsatisfactory explanation.

Please understand that it DOES indeed work very hard to defy explanation, so this will take a while.

By the way, if you are in any way sensitive to rapidly flashing lights, this movie is not for you. It only happens once but it's a very noticeable and long lasting once.

Dimensional mechanics:

Disclaimer: A retrospective analysis of Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch indicates that most of the movie never actually happened, and was the product of a vivid imagination or a split personality trying to process trauma. It is entirely possible that the dimension hopping in this film is equally as metaphorical, for processing the stresses of everyday life. But if you want to understand what you're watching, we need to treat the dimensions as though they are real.

This is one of those films that subscribes to the idea that every decision you make, every path you take in life, creates an alternate dimension with a different version of you. To take an actual example from the film, if you had only rejected your high school crush, you might have met someone who taught you, and uncovered your prodigious talent for, kung-fu. The film revolves around the One Michelle Yeoh, out of every possible Michelle Yeoh who ever existed, who made absolutely the wrong decision at every turn and thus became not particularly good or successful at anything.

However! One supremely successful Michelle Yeoh in another dimension discovered a way to tap into your alternate reality selves, and it works like this:

You are wearing a special dimension hopping earpiece. You have pathways you can explore - those decision points I mentioned earlier - and the most closely related ones to your current life are more or less mapped out for you by the technology. However, every decision you made to get to the life you have right now had a certain probability of happening or not happening, right? So, in an alternate universe you're a master of kung-fu or couple's dancing or nunchucks, right? And with infinite possibilities, the probabilities of becoming that are very small. If you then do something that's exactly as improbable as the decisions you made to get to the version of you where you're a kung fu master, you can establish a connection to that version of yourself with your earpiece, and then you can choose to inhabit that life (at the risk of getting lost in it), OR you can bring back a part of that other self into the dimension you currently inhabit, i.e. become a kung-fu master in THIS universe too.

This should hopefully explain why the movie is filled with people doing weird and gross things, then abruptly displaying the skill sets necessary to kick enviable amounts of butt.

But they go further with it. I noted a distinct resemblance to Neo from The Matrix in Michelle Yeoh's character when watching it, and honestly that comparison holds up. Michelle Yeoh discovers all sorts of alternate universes she can tap into that her more experienced dimension hopping pals never even considered. How far back in the decision-making trees can you go? Can you tap into alternate universes caused by the decisions and successes of your ancestors? Prehistoric ancestors even? (I will warn you that you absolutely can, and the results are gross.)

With me so far? I hope so.

What is this all in aid of?

Once you're up to date on dimensional mechanics you might be saying, okay, watching Michelle Yeoh tap into alternate universes where she kicks loads of butt sounds cool, but what is the film actually ABOUT? Thematically, what does it all MEAN?

This is why I led with the disclaimer. It's all a metaphor. The protagonist is the Michelle Yeoh who did everything wrong, who tried so hard and never succeeded at anything and runs a failing laundromat downtown, because she is the only Michelle Yeoh who matters. The only Michelle Yeoh who is real.

The film is about the stresses of everyday life, in ways that are at times painfully relatable, and I've heard especially so to Chinese audiences.

It is a lament for unfulfilled potential. Reminiscing upon losses, decisions never made, decisions taken in haste which ultimately led to regret.

It is about breaking the shackles of self-imposed constraints you've convinced yourself are necessary to function in everyday life, but really just hold you back from your full potential.

Most of all, it is about accepting people as they are. It is very telling that out of the theoretically infinite possibilities and paths taken in her life, there is no universe in which she is accepts her daughter as a lesbian.

These themes are surprisingly carefully woven throughout the epic, bizarre, and at times horrific martial arts fighting that comprises much of the movie. And it is a stressful movie. You can feel the stress of literally and metaphorically trying to juggle so many parts of your life at once, because it is so real that it hurts. The tax agent is a recurring villain because, in our heart of hearts, we have all met a bureaucrat that we wanted an excuse to roundhouse kick.

In a movie about unlimited potential, there are so many ideas crammed into this movie that if I listed them all even out of context it might ruin the experience of seeing them for the first time.

Go watch it.