#I feel like that had a huge impact on me in ways I still haven't figured out lol

[sysig]

Someone’s looking out for you ♥ (Patreon)

[moonybadger]

Been trying to watch Adventure Time finally since I loved Fionna and Cake so much and man. I can really tell why I didn't get into it back in high school lol

[twizzie-lairs]

My Darling, My Honey

Alastor X Fem!Reader (Part 12)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 |

Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

Part 12:

It felt like hours went by, and it looked like your suspicion was correct- as indicated by the deepening red of the skies of Hell, compared to the pale pinkish hue it was when Alastor teleported the two of you up here.

The entire time, Alastor hardly said even a single word- a rare occurrence, knowing his occupation and personal love of hearing himself talk. If anyone ever knew that Alastor just purely listened attentively to you for hours, they'd probably think you're lying.

You told him about how your parents and in-laws treated you like a bargaining chip for their own businesses and social standing to prosper- then for everyone to turn their backs on you as soon as you were married off. You were treated like a circus animal in a cage.

Even after that, he didn't say a word. He just rubbed his thumb across your hands as reassurance before you continued.

When you told him about how your ex-husband used and abused you, but then paraded you around as the trophy wife like nothing was wrong, all Alastor did was tighten his grip on your hands.

As you explain in full detail the emotional and physical distress it all caused you and the impact that meeting Alastor had on your life, which then spurred the meticulously planned murder of your then-husband, you could swear you feel his hands trembling ever so slightly.

Many more tears had fallen from your eyes during this whole process, your throat sore from talking so much at one time.

Then, you looked up at Alastor.

He looked at you with nothing but love and the most gentle smile you had ever seen.

Without saying a word, he stood up and walked over to you, helping you stand up. Then he gave you a warm embrace. You gasped in response. It was very rare for either of you to initiate much physical touch, but it was even less common coming from Alastor.

Not letting this opportunity go by, you wrap your arms around him.

Alastor pulls back from the embrace slowly to gently caress your face and says, "And here I thought I couldn't possibly love you even more, my dear. You're just as perfect to me as the day I first laid eyes on you..."

A chuckle escapes your lips as you lean into his touch.

"My vows still hold true, you know. As I put that ring on your finger that night you left me too early, I said to you...' 'In life and in death, I am forever yours, as you are forever mine. I love you, dear.' with only the moon and stars as my witness."

A huge smile spreads across your face, "Oh Al, honey... Looks like you were right after all, in life and in death, I'm yours". You say as you pull him into a kiss, that he happily obliges to indulge you in.

"My dear, I think we will have to have a proper exchanging of vows soon- one that isn't interrupted by a certain someone- banging on the DOOR!"

You hardly even noticed the muffled yells and banging noises that were present at door that then disappeared with a yelp as Alastor whipped around to unlock and open the door.

"Why Vaggie, to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from you all the way up here?" He answered the door with a low growl to his voice.

"Alastor! You just up and kidnapped our guest and haven't returned for HOURS! You can't just do that! Especially when you were threatening their life!"

"Ahahaha! Funny thing! Yes, yes I can!"

"Why you... ALAST-"

"Hey, hey! Vaggie, don't worry. I'm okay, we're okay." You quickly shoved yourself between the two of them as you felt the tensions rising.

" (y/n)! What did he do to you?? What's going on here???"

You sheepishly smile as you slink back to Alastor's side and link your arm through his, "Just uh.. reuniting?"

Vaggie took a step back and raised an eyebrow while asking, "Hold on now, what did you just say?"

Alastor clears his throat, "Ahem, why I do believe I owe you and Charlie an apology of sorts! Perhaps a 'thank you' as well for saving the love of my life, my soon-to-be fiancée from when we were still alive!"

"Excuse me- WHAT???"

-> Part 13

Tag List:

@mysticwitchcraftco @lil-bexie @lonely-burger @cherry-cola-100 @angelxx7 @mariaclarade-la-cruz1 @avitute @justhellacesome @mcrtrashfan @spookysisters @galaxywing-has-adhd @ggyalruu @trashbin-nie @fudosl @night-shadowblood-writes2 @memospacexx @yuraaahs @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf @ghostdoodlen @moschinski @cannibalcoyote @missam @reader3 @yourworstgf @justaproudslytherpuff @milkspong3 @xdolls-crownx @1potato2rulethemall @1rxsemary1 @xxcrispxx @zardward @robin-the-enby @mylenapony11 @silvermoondarksky @bootylimpics @amarokofficial @euphoricaphrodite @blueyobsessedgirly @need-a-therapist @knifukiller @huayan @hwrimonsjer @no1sillybilly @kimmikreates @icarus-has-falllen @watchinthestarz @lady-lik3r @yunxi-11085 @luzzbuzz @tsukilover11 @plntmxrss @houmi @demoarah @papas-ghoulette @trashbin-nie @d-darlingyourbleeding @hallothankmas

[mrsdesade]

I can fly, you can't

Pairing: Homelander x fem!super (I used my OC name here) TW: fighting, teasing, mention of sxx abuse, Homelander being an asshole as usual playing with your fears Timeline: The Boys S1 Words count: 3,2k Note: this is the first long one-shot fic I wrote please be kind and enjoy the drama, English isn't even my native language so I'm trying my best to write correctly! Summary: Homelander following you after a meeting, after forcing you the night before to be his perfect girlfriend for the media (and in your bed), you hated all of this and you hoped to have a moment of peace for you, but after a fight he discovered what your biggest phobia is.

Leaving the meeting room feels like a huge weight lifted off your shoulders. It's like you can finally breathe again and think clearly without Homelander around. You feel like you're finally free from the burden of having to act like his girlfriend in public, at least for a little while. You exit the elevator and step outside on the rooftop of the Vought Tower, and then take a deep breath of fresh air and try to calm yourself down.

You take a few steps to the edge of the building, looking down on the city and trying to clear your mind. But your fear of vertigo kicked in and you're forced to step back immediately.

You heard the little sound of the elevator coming up, someone is coming after you. You can only guess who it is, especially considering how everyone else in the building is in that meeting. It's probably your nightmare of your days and nights, Homelander.

He steps out of the elevator and immediately notices your tense expression and the way you step back.

"What's wrong Ophera? Running away from an official meeting isn't really from you." he asks mockingly, his tone very smug and his smirk wide.

His footsteps echoing in the silence. As he got closer to you, you could feel his presence, and your heart sank with each step he took. You knew you had to stay calm, but the fear of vertigo and the presence of Homelander made that very difficult for you.

"I was bored. The topic doesn't concern me so I left with an excuse." you lied, slowly coming back to the elevator direction, standing safety far from the edge of the building. You've a secret to hide.

"Bored? It's rather unusual behaviour for you. There's something you're hiding and I want to know what it is..." he can see that you're trying to stay calm, but he can sense there's something wrong. He notices your movements towards the elevator direction and he steps closer to you, his gaze fixed on you.

"I'm perfectly fine. I assure you." you continued to maintain your fake calm behaviour, trying your best to don't look at the edges of the skyscraper.

"I'm not stupid. I can see through your deception. You think I haven't noticed your uneasiness? And I've been watching closely since this morning. You are acting strange, you're hiding something.'' he suddenly steps closer to you, his hand grabbing your chin and lifting it up towards him, his eyes locking onto yours. His gaze turns intense and calculating as he speaks to you.

You push him back with both of your hands, making him leaning back a few centimeters from you. You've to keep your secret or he may use it against you "I'm mad at you for what happened last night. Am I allowed to be angry or not?"

"Angry? Oh, so now you're angry at me for what happened last night?" He says, his voice filled with a mixture of arrogance and aggression. "Did I hurt your pretty little feelings?"

"I've no feelings for you, you hurt my body, you forced me. It was horrible." you pointed your finger at him and taking some step closer, for someone maybe you may be intimidating but for sure not for him.

Homelander's expression falters for a moment, your words seemed to have a genuine impact on him, especially when you accused him of hurting you and forcing you. "Oh, forced you? You have no idea what it means to be forced. You're still alive and healthy, aren't you? How much did it hurt anyway?" he lets out a scoff, like he's dismissing your words.

You felt for a second like your feelings and actions are nothing to him, everything you say is invaluable by his own way to see stuff. You became unable to control yourself and you can't stop from attack him out of frustration. You punched him on his pretty cheek.

Your punch didn't even make him fall back a single step, he looked at you with a fierce gaze and just laughed at you, like he found your action incredibly hilarious. "Ah, that's definitely a strong punch right there. You're gonna need more than that to hurt me girl. But I must say, I'm entertained by your attempt."

"I've just started, asshole." you answered immediately with a serious and challenging expression, starting to attack him again. In the back of your mind you know you can't really hurt him, but you need to let out all of your rage and frustration.

"For real, you're cute when you're trying to be strong. It's adorable, like a little Chihuahua attacking a Rottweiler. But I gotta give it to you for trying." He comments as you start punching and kicking at him with all your might.

You felt even more rage coming up inside your body. You move your hands in little circles movements and decide to use your powers. You can't hurt him, we'll see.

"Don't you dare calling me dog." your powers allow you to manipulate metals, so you lift two metal plates that were abandoned on the rooftop and throw them in his direction, fast, sharp and very heavy.

"Oh, so you're gonna use your powers against me now, huh?" He says with a confident tone, almost seeming like he's not taking your attempts seriously.

"That's cute." Despite his smug attitude, Homelander manages to dodge the flying metal plates with ease. He dodges them without breaking a sweat, and looks back at you with his usual smirk.

The plates fell of the skyscraper and probably are gonna hurt someone on the city, but you don't care at the moment. Your following attack was immediate, you managed to control some metal cords from the elevator and use them as sharp whip against him. You didn't notice as well that in this action, you broke the elevator, you already don't know that but you're stuck on the rooftop with him now.

He can fly, and you don't.

As you use the broken elevator cable as a whip, he manages to dodge it again. "Do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to kill you right now?"

"Attack me then, fight me Homelander!" you shouted in his direction, challenge him and then continuing using the cables, even doing a little scratch on him can make you satisfied, but seems quite impossible for now.

"You want a fight? Alright then. Let's see how long you last." He suddenly flies at you at a high speed. With a swift move, he lunges at you, he grabs your neck, his grip is tight and powerful.

You don't even have time to react, in just a single movement you appear defeated. It's hard to breath now. Your hands closed on his wrist that he's holding you so tightly "That's easy for you, but you've not...win...yet..."

That blonde monster scoffs at your comment. "Not winning? I have you in a chokehold and you're struggling to breathe. How can you say I haven't won yet?"

"Maybe I should squeeze tighter..." he adds, increasing the pressure on your neck. He smirks, looking at you with a certain degree of arrogance. You can feel his thumb pressing harder on your throat and his fingers squeezing it tighter, making it hard to breathe.

The words die in your throat, but you don't give up, you try to lift a metal pipe using your powers, you stretch out your hand in that direction and the object flies at an impressive speed towards him.

"Oh really? Trying to attack me again? Didn't we settle this already? I have you by the throat, you're literally in my hands." he says, his grip on your throat tightening even more, but he manages to catch the pipe you threw at him with one hand.

You stare at the metal tube in his hand snapping like a branch of wood, he could do the same to your neck.

"You really can't stop struggling, hmm? You're just going to exhaust yourself baby. How about you just give up already?"

''I'm not the type of woman who gives up easily...'' you feel the oxygen lacking, the pressure on your neck is increasing and you no longer breathing at all.

"I appreciate your determination... but I guess you'll just have to suffer a little more to learn the lesson." he tightened his grip on your neck even more, choking you and making it harder and harder to breathe.

you're about to respond, but you can only cough from the lack of air. When suddenly you feel Homelander lift himself off the ground without letting you go, reminding you that he can fly and you can't. As your feet no longer touch the ground, you feel the fear of heights overwhelming you and your fear of vertigo kicks in.

"How does it feel to be completely at my mercy? To be helpless and powerless, at the mercy of someone who can do whatever they want with you? It must be quite an experience, hmm?" he says with a taunting smile, watching you with a look of amusement.

As you feel yourself being lifted off the ground, your heart skips a beat and your panic sets in, now you're in mid-air, with your feet dangling.

''Put me down...! Immediately!'' as he rises you are forced by your fear to cling to his shoulders, and his grip on your neck becomes lighter, he wants to give you the impression of falling into the void.

"Excuse me, are you afraid of heights? I guess being up here is really shaking your confidence, isn't it? Trust me, I'd hate to drop you."

From your expression it's clear that you are afraid of great heights, and that the vertigo is terrifying you, your secret is now fully exposed and he knows it. He should never have found out.

Homelander notices instantly how you're responding to being high above the ground and that your secret is now out. A sense of superiority and satisfaction washes over him, he finally has a weakness of yours he can use against you. "Wow, look at your expression. You're absolutely terrified. Kinda pathetic. And all this fear because of an innocent little height? You really need to work on that."

You feel him completely release his grip on your neck and you risk falling, he's forcing you to clinging to him for safety with both hands and find yourself face to face with him.

''Please, please please please! Don't...!'' you continue to look down as he moves outside the perimeter of the skyscraper, leaving only the view of the city below you.

"Oh, now you're begging for mercy, huh? It's cute to see the mighty Ophera tremble in fear. But don't worry, I won't drop you… yet."

''Hold me up for goodness sake, or I swear to God when I get down from here I'll kill you!'' you give in to the obviousness of having to beg him for help. Your ramblings are dictated by fear and anxiety, you are facing your greatest fear in the worst way, and seeing him laugh at you only makes you more nervous.

''Look at you, begging me so desperately. It's hilarious. But I guess I have some mercy in me, so sure, why not." he says with a mocking tone, wrapping his arms tightly around you, making it seem like a tender hug but in reality he's just trapping you.

"Is that better? Don’t you feel lucky to have your hero protecting you?" he adds, continuing his taunting.

You breathe a sigh of relief when you feel his arms supporting you and some of the fear vanishes, but you still remain on alert, expecting some nasty prank from him. Then you hold on more tightly and rest your head on his shoulder, exhausted.

''I despise you Homelander...''

"Ah, you know I'm not surprised. But I have to say, you look adorable when you're frightened and clutching onto me. Maybe next time I should throw you off the roof and catch you before you hit the ground? Just to really see you panic." he teases you mockingly as he holds you close in a loving terrifying embrace.

You feel too frightened and exhausted to respond, so you just stay there, your head resting on his shoulder. But the thought of what he just told you made you shiver, because you know that if he could, he really would.

"Cat got your tongue? What's the matter, can't use that pretty little voice of yours to express your detest for me anymore?' he tauntingly whispers in your ear while one of his hands remains holding you, and the other starts brushing gently through your hair, in a seemingly affectionate gesture.

''Bring me back to the ground...'' you beg him once again, feeling miserable for the hundredth time in a few days, in every situation with him, you always come out defeated.

"Come on now, I thought you were enjoying this little flying adventure? Just look at the beautiful view, you should appreciate the scenery." still speaking mockingly as he slowly starts to descend towards the rooftop, he lands softly on the ground.

''The answer is no.'' your legs start to tremble as soon as you hit the ground, your heart is beating fast and even your hands are still shaking from the scare from just before, imagining yourself falling was terrible.

"Wow, that was quite a performance. You really made quite a show of yourself up there, clutching onto me like your lifeline. I wonder what the fans would say if they saw the mighty Ophera frightened to death by a little bit of height."

''You call that a little height? We were at least thirty meters from the ground!'' you scream at him, still exhausted and frustrated by what happened, you approach him again and point the finger at him, your tone continually oscillates between fear and stupid courage.

"Thirty meters, yeah that's no big deal."

Then he walks towards you, taking one step with each word, a mocking smile still painted on his face. "I think I really need to teach you to face your fears. Maybe I can be your flying instructor and help you conquer your precious vertigo, would you like that?"

''Shut up, you must not tell anyone about this, not to Ashley, not to the Seven, not to the media, not to anyone.'' this time your voice is firmer, almost authoritative, you know what your career depends on, and you can't risk being fired from Vought.

"Relax, your secret is safe with me." he rolls his eyes at your demand, clearly not taking it seriously. His tone is bored, feigning disinterest.

"It's not like I want to tell everyone how easy it is to make you scream, in different situation." he adds with a smirk, as if the idea of keeping this secret amuses him more than bothers him.

''We're not all perfect like you, you know?'' you are as always shocked by his audacity, and you have to take a deep breath so as not to insult him once again, it's really difficult to tolerate.

Homelander grins and rolls his eyes in response to your sarcasm. He starts walking around you, circling you like a predator observing its prey.

"True, not everyone can be like me. But don't feel bad, it's quite amusing to see how quickly you crumbles. Maybe one day you'll reach my level of perfection, but I doubt it." he responds mockingly, his tone dripping with sarcasm as well.

''I don't want to reach your level, I just want to be left with my feet firmly on the ground.'' your response is calm but attentive, you follow him with your gaze as he walks around you, the cold air at the top of the skyscraper moves your messy hair from the fear of just before. Then a question arises spontaneously from you.

''You weren't serious before when you talked about pushing me off the skyscraper, were you?''

''Didn't you hear the sarcasm in my tone? Of course I was serious, it would be hilarious to see your face when you plummets down, screaming your lungs out. I mean, imagine the thrill of feeling the wind in your hair, the adrenaline running through your body..." his words dripping with mocking sarcasm that turns into a dark smile.

''Yeah…that would be terrifying for me.'' you take a step back still eye locked on him, while insecurity makes room in you, you don't know whether to trust him or not.

"Aww, don't be scared now. I know you secretly loved being up there with me, all dizzy and clinging onto me."

''Don't talk nonsense...'' but while you try to leave that situation your eye falls on the elevator, it is broken due to your previous fight, another fear grips your insides, how will you now get down from there?

Homelander notices your gaze shift towards the broken elevator, and he laughs again, clearly enjoying the situation. "Oops, looks like the elevator's busted. Well, guess you're stuck up here with me for a while longer...unless you decide to fly with me, we would get off a lot faster than waiting for the Vought techs, it will take a few hours to fix it.''

''I'd rather die than fly with you again.''

He smiles at your defiant response, clearly enjoying the game. "Hmm, let's see. A long day with me up here, or a thrilling flight with the world's greatest hero. Your choice." says tauntingly, standing before you with his hands on his hips.

''Believe me, it would be terrifying either way.'' you sigh deeply, looking for a solution, as your phone continues to ring, Ashley wants to warn you that the repairs will take a long time. After all, they are fixing an elevator for a hundred-story building, it's not something simple.

"Ah, seems like you're running out of options, aren't you? But don't worry, I'm feeling generous today. I'll take you down.''

''Ah-ah, of course. And what do you want in return for this so kind and heartwarming favour?''

Homelander smiles mockingly at your words, but you notice a hint of genuine curiosity in his eyes. "Well, since you asked so kindly, I want a picture of the great Ophera, in my arms as I carry her back to the ground safely. The tabloids will love it, and more importantly, you need me to get down there. So how about this?''

You raise your eyebrows in surprise, expecting some other much more indecent request (but clearly you would have received those later, once the sun went down). And for once when his request was acceptable, you nodded.

''But I warn you, Homefuckinglander, try to make some jokes while we are suspended in the air and the journalists will have to talk about your murder and not one of your heroic rescues.''

He chuckles at your threat, clearly amused but also a bit turned on by your feisty attitude.

"Don't worry, baby. I'll be on my best behavior. After all, we wouldn't want the media to know about my little sadistic tendencies, now would we?" he extends his arms, inviting you to step into his embrace.

Slowly, you approach him, until you're back in his arms, held up like a ridiculous freaking princess, the media and fans will love it, but you'll hate it to the core.

"Remember, eyes on me, and don't forget to smile. This picture is going to be legendary. Ready for another ride?"

______

And we're done! It was so much fun writing this, hope you enjoyed as much I did! Kisses <3

[f-t-e]

I started watching SUPERNATURAL in November 2020. I know, I know. My partner and I had been isolating alone since March. The timing felt right. I went though a wild amount of upheaval and trauma over the next year and SPN was there for me through it all. It was THE show at THE time and it kept me afloat when I needed it the most. Since November 2021 I've written just about 110,000 words of SPN fanfic, a number that seems unbelievable to me, and that too has been a real blessing to my creative life, no matter what haters say. (why didn't I write my own novels in that time? Because I have a hobby, Karen, and I love it.) And I've read about 500000x that much fanfic, which has been the biggest blessing of all. (ETA: oh right, if you want to read my fic, you can find my stuff here, I wrote a fic where Dean reads books. Lots of books.)

I know I'm a nobody in this fandom but I thought on this, our #DestielDay, I would submit my own humble rec list. I've curated this very deliberately: every fic here has just about 4000 hits or less (most under 3000) and all were published in 2020 or after. So, sort of a rec list for some lesser known and newer fics, something you maybe haven't stumbled on yet. Especially thank you to @jewishcharliebradbury, her rec lists gave me a place to start back in the day and I have tried to model the depth and quality they brought to their lists. I tried to link to everyone's tumblr, but if I missed one, let me know.

Most of all, thank you to everyone who has EVER created something for this fandom, from 2005 to 2023. I am so thankful and, honestly, honored to be among your number. You're not supposed to be cringe and say a show saved your life...but SUPERNATURAL saved me, it really did. See y'all when the movie/reboot drops, to quote Ryan Gosling in The Notebook: IT WASN'T OVER, IT STILL ISN'T OVER. And I'm glad.

-----

Finale Fix-It & S15 and Beyond

What The Moon Was Saying by Amiril (@runawaymarbles)

This is hands-down one of the coolest “Dean Rescues Cas from the Empty” fics I have ever read and the concept is brilliantly structured to mirror the literal and metaphorical things Dean needs to give up and let go to get free. Every scenario is very satisfying and they make sense, is there any better feeling? Dean is very open in this, but in a believable way that still has edges. And, oh, the reunion is so good. Plus all the family stuff. Just excellent, exactly what you want in a fic like this: lovely, well-written, smart, fulfilling, all the pieces clicking, the show but better.

Awake and Annoying by skycruise

I love the use and passage of time in this one, it has some real impact, and I love the way Dean gets into the Empty (so smart, fits just right) and what I REALLY love in this one is the way it lets Dean be really clear-eyed and honest about his relationship with Sam, both the strengths and the weaknesses. And the last line, very clever and moving inverse of one of fandom’s favorite things. 

Living the life you chose by allthismusic

THEEEEE post finale Sam Winchester-Outsider-POV this fandom needs. Sam is absolutely awesome in this, the most believable, loving, realistic mix of “I knew all along” and “I had no idea” versions of Sam, landing somewhere I think that’s really true and in character. It fills in and develops so many gaps and silences in what the show let Sam know in the absolute best way. Best Brother Sam is a weakness of mine and he really shines here, there for Dean in the best ways but also coming into his own, I love it so very much. (this author also has a very great 2022 Big Bang fic, hugely recommend that one too.)

your ear to the wound that whispers by EmandFandems (@lazarusemma)

Who doesn’t love a HANDPRINT FIC?!? And boy this is such a good one. It follows Dean and his thoughts on the handprint from the first touch all the way to fixing the finale and it simply buzzes with longing and desire, tenderness and rawness. It’s great insight in lot of ways into Dean’s journey. It’s short but fulfilling and oh that very perfect last line. (this author also has a lot of great Jupernatural content.)  

Somewhere Off in the Dark by magickastiel 

Another awesome fic that traces Dean’s shifting/growing feelings for Cas from when he shows up in his hotel rooms to a HEA fix it after canon. Dean, again, is handled so deftly in this one, his confusion and sorrow at all the times Cas is slipping away from him all the way through the things he won’t let himself know. He feels really true in this one, sharp and tender in the best Dean ways. Also it has an agonizingly romantic end, you love to end up there.

Pins and Feathers by theskywasblue (@buttherewasnogod)

This author has so many freaking good SPN fics, omg it was almost impossible to pick just one to include on this list. Go treat yourself with their entire list because there’s so much good stuff there! But this one, oh I am a sucker for a finale fix-it that lets Dean be this tender. While I LOVE fics where he just jumps right into Cas’s arms (and write them lol) I also feel like this is so true to Dean too: that “maybe I misunderstood, maybe I shouldn’t say anything, maybe he doesn’t still –” And on top of all that, it’s a “they go the beach” fic and it gets the details of it so right, sand in your toes and all. Tender, amazing slow-burn, real, hot, full of heart and longing and everything unspoken and just waiting. Very satisfying!

i loved you first by kalmialatifolia

A set of four short fics that create an entire world of feeling and emotion. These feel like little whispered stories told under the covers, very atmospheric. There’s one very sexy one, a haircutting one (so good) and they’re just intimate. All together a great set and did I mention they’re in the “Cas saves himself” genre which is mmmm an underrated treasure.

no other faith is light enough for this place by anonymous 

A fix-it fic that has a particularly unique and beautiful visual of both how and why Cas comes back. The mechanics behind it are fairly standard but the way this author creates the visual of it, the sheer emotion and force behind it and how it happens, it really stood out to me and stuck with me. It’s Dean being brave enough to really feel and the way that just blossoms – lovely, aching, full-tilt wonderful.

 no proof, one touch by TakeThisWaltz (@watchinghimrakeleaves)

One thing I absolutely cannot get enough of is fic where Cas is hiding out from Dean in heaven. It just hits. And the only thing better is Dean chasing him down and the WAY he does it in this fic, methodically and – well the method (sobs) it is so endearing and OBVIOUS and gives Dean a chance to shout in all the best ways. This one is just real sweet and kind of goofy and if they have to be in heaven, I want them to still be these same two dorks.

Stay by redbrickrose

This is a post S15x18 from Cas’s POV and I think it’s very true to where he would be in the moment of getting yanked out of the Empty: resigned, hesitant about what he has in front of him, still a little in shock. And then. And then. Sweet and simple and Dean gets a chance to say, say, say it. This author has a good post series AU and a lovely little spate of S15 codas, all good. And then wrote this in real-time in the week after 15x18 Despair and right before 15x19 Inherit the Earth aired (could you just sob over the possibilities?!) and then hasn’t wrote anything since and that’s a shame but, like, yeah I get it.

like a one-two punch by Muir_Wolf (@muirmarie)

Don’t you love a short fic that feels like it’s a whole novel? This goes AU after 14x20 Moriah but it is a truly delightful twist on how Chuck could’ve reacted there and it makes Dean sharp as a knife, which is one really resonant image woven through this fic. Great imagery here and so many clever solutions for the lazy plotting of S15, including simply one of my all-time favorites in any fic ever solutions to Cas’s deal (genius) and getting rid of Chuck. Brilliant like a puzzle box yet still full of so much fucking joy.

maybe i like pleasure pain by tothewillofthepeople (@kvothes)

The fact that this was written in October 2023 and is so agonizingly good fills my heart with joy and tells me Destiel will never die lol. Cas, in particular, is great in this – he’s having a hard time adjusting to being in a body and with all the fuzz of the world. I love fics where Cas struggles with coming back from the Empty and this uses a really unique approach to it: Cas facing sensory overload and not knowing how to feel but wanting it all. Lovely, hot, Dean is just right in this too.

Earlier Canon (pre S15)

Proverbs 13:12 by starlingcas (@angelcasendgame)

Many might say I am biased because Renu has beta’ed everything I have written in the SPN fandom and they can read my brain and make everything I write better. But it’s not just that. Renu has done something beautiful and delicate in this fic, which is about Dean and Cas getting trapped in a net together (forced proximity trope, yes please) and weaves a web of its own; pulling you in just as they are pulled together. This is set mostly in early S14 (before fixing the finale in the most heart-healing way) and captures that feeling so well. There’s so much that’s unsaid between them yet still conveyed and Renu absolutely nails that, along with the tender longing that was always there. This is a fic to relish.

you may tire of me (as our december sun is setting) by deludedfantasy

You know how the show just sometimes is like “uh so anyway uh then Cas…uh…left.” and it just doesn’t make one lick of sense? FINALLY FINALLY a fic where Dean says “I’ll go with you,” and then goes because he actually would do that. This is a post Tombstone fic so it is exactly where/when he WOULD go and it is tender and hesitant and aching in just all the ways it would be between the two of them at this time. It’s about needing to keep someone in sight, it’s about having another chance to say something so important, it’s slow and soft and just right for the characters in this place. I could read this one about 100 times.

the anatomy of flightless birds by cowlovely (@dollhousemary)

This fic is basically the way you feel when you get all cozy and snug underneath your favorite blanket. This is a domestic-life-in-the Bunker S9 fic where everyone behaves like they are in character and not just like they have to get Cas off screen because the writers panicked. You’ll just want to curl up in this fic and savor it the way you wrap your fingers around a hot beverage on a very cold day, there’s no better way to describe it.

virtue by JenTheSweetie

I think I’ve read this about 100 times and it still gets me everytime? It’s a five things fic about Dean and Cas hooking up and it’s all you’ve ever wished for. This is set in an amorphous S8 and it is not just agonizingly hot but also romantic and very funny. It feels really in character! Sam is hilarious, Dean is clueless but bowled over and letting himself be swept up, Cas is delighting in every second and smarter than he lets on and it ALL feels fated and lovely and sexy and just splendid. (this author only has 3 SPN fics but they are all so good and if you try sometimes, well you just might find is an absolutely brilliant deconstruction of Dean learning the differences between “needing” and “wanting.”)

Romance at the Motel 6 by shelia_amour 

This fic makes me feel like Stefon from SNL. This fic has everything: Cas and Sam pretending to be married, just the right amount of jealous Dean, Dean randomly pretending to be married to Cas, Dean realizing maybe this isn’t so fake after all, motel vibes, Cas in Dean’s clothes, Cas getting bee slippers. If you are not sold on this already, we are very different people. So good, aches just right. (set in a kind of “whenever” of canon, but I like to put it somewhere in S8.)

que sera sera by Purple_Starflower (@hauntedpearl)

The epitome of how fanfic unfolds for us all the things that COULD happen. You can’t PROVE to me Dean and Cas never snuck off to snuggle and feed Dean’s touch-starvation early in S13. I had to check when I finished because I just couldn’t believe this fic was under 4000 words because it feels so full of touch, longing, the things unspoken, and all the ways Dean was reaching, reaching, reaching. The best kind of ache, and everything by this author is lovely. 

the hard edge that you’re settling for by lesspopped (@trekkiedean)

This is some S10 Demon!Dean that made my stomach hurt and my heart ache and I absolutely loved it and I absolutely hated it and it all felt so REAL with who Demon!Dean was and could have been. There’s a TW for mildly dubious consent in this, but to me, Cas was so agonizingly true to who he was/where he was at this point in canon too. This fic is gloriously, claustrophobically intimate. I say unbearable because as a reader you know that this closeness, this intimacy, is what Dean wants/craves/deserves but can only give himself as a demon and the author does an exquisite job at getting all that across. Hurts so good! 

four of swords by sundryvillians (eurythmix) (@perenial)

Can the world ever have enough post 12x12 fic? The answer is, of course, no. Dean and Cas bake bread and in the soft space of creating something with their own hands, get so close to the words Cas said. It’s about healing and anger and making something just because you are so tired of everything breaking. If that alone isn’t enough to convince you, let me also throw in this is another one of those “possible off-screen moments in canon” that gives them something honest and tender and raw and it feels so very possible. 

Fifteen Prayers From the Faithless by koyas_cat

Short, achy, that sweet sting. A set of prayers for Cas from the beginning to the end, full of all the things Dean doesn’t let himself say outloud and just reflecting the changes in their connection over alllll the years. So good.

[candlewaxandp0lar0ids]

Hi all, so, basically I've been having a lot of thoughts and feelings about the state of fanfiction these days. Specifically, I've been thinking about the relationship and interactions between writers and their readers within the fandom (talking about my fandoms in particular, but I know that similar things seem to be happening across the board). I know that authors have been talking about how they've been getting less and less comments and feedback in general on their work. I haven't said much about it because I don't want to appear ungrateful to the people who take the time to leave detailed feedback — I'm incredibly grateful to them and they've played a huge part in keeping me going for this long. If you've left a comment on any of my works and see this and wonder if you haven't done enough, trust me, you have.

Still, if I'm being honest, the amount of silent readers is starting to take its toll on me. It's gotten to the point where when I write something, if it's a decently long piece (let's say over 4k), I'm likely to get less comments on the work than I've put hours into writing it. It sometimes feels like I have to beg for comments and that is not a nice feeling. As an author, it's hard to see that and not think that it says something about the quality of the work you've put out.

I've been trying to think of things that could help, I have a bunch of thoughts that I'll probably try to organize at some point (namely i think a network for writers to have constructive feedback, which doesn’t always mean negative feedback btw, could have a positive impact — feel free to let me know if you’d be interested but also i’ll probably make another poll for that). For now, I wanted to ask: as readers, if you don't leave comments, is it because you're not sure of what to say or how to articulate it? If so, would it help if I made a post detailing things you can tell writers in the comments (other than the classic, but always good 'I loved it')? In general I'd love to know more about why people don't leave comments.

Expect a couple more posts on the subject once I've collected my thoughts and in the meanwhile, here's a poll to let me know if it would help. Reblog to increase visibility/sample size, etc.

[the-modern-typewriter]

Hi! I love your work! do you think you could do one where the shy hero needs a place to stay and finds themselves asking the villain if they can stay at his place?

They used to be friends. The hero wouldn't have considered it if they didn't use to be friends.

It still felt like an exceptionally dumb thing to consider.

They were not friends anymore.

"You're staring," the villain said.

The hero immediately dropped their gaze, and wished they had their mask to cover the rush of heat flooding their face. A minute or so later, their attention had fixed on the villain again - sitting opposite them in the train carriage, because fate hated them both.

(And because the train home was a tiny little local thing that had yet to catch up fully with the modern age.)

The villain watched the scenery blurring in the train window; trees to replace the concrete forests of the capital, scrubby grass. Soon, soon, they would turn a corner and there would be sea.

The hero caught the villain studying them in the reflection of the glass, clearly having noted they were being observed again. The villain raised a brow but didn't bother to turn their head.

The hero swallowed.

It wasn't safe, or it didn't feel safe, to watch the villain even through the distance of a reflection. The villain was not Medusa. Their threat did not diminish simply because it wasn't tackled head-on.

"So you're staying at your family house?" the hero asked.

"As I've done every year since we've known each other." The villain's voice was as dry as cracking skin, and the hero winced.

They fidgeted on their chair. They toyed with the zip on their rucksack. Obviously, obviously, the villain was staying at their home.

The villain's eyes narrowed. They turned their head to examine the hero more closely, and the hero once again hurled their attention elsewhere. It hit the train window like a tragedy of a bird, with one big impact, before it dropped.

"What is it."

The hero bit their lip. "Can I stay with you?"

"Excuse me?" The dryness vanished.

"Your place is huge! I won't be any trouble. I'll like, hide in the loft or something. You won't even see me. I know you probably have guests or-"

"Why aren't you going home?"

"Is that a no?"

"It's a question. I suggest you answer it."

There - the corner, and the sea. It stretched endless, wine-dark in the fading light. The hero set their rucksack on their lap again, squeezing it against their chest.

"[Hero]." The villain's voice softened, just a fraction. "You can stay if you tell me."

Maybe they could find a hotel. There was no way they were finding a hotel room so close to the festival. If they could find and afford a hotel...

"I can't go home."

"Yes, I gathered that by the fact that you're asking me for a favour."

The hero grimaced, shoulders tensing. Their arms tightened around their bag. They jolted when the villain's hand landed, gently, on their knee. Just one light touch.

Their eyes met.

The villain's eyes were not warm, but they weren't hostile either. There was no unkindness. It was a careful neutrality, as much of a shield as the hero's bag, but..

"Theyfoundoutmyjobanddon'twantmetocomehome."

The villain blinked. It took them a second to translate, to replay the words back slowly for themselves, before they went rigid.

"Your job? You mean -" The villain gestured at the hero's face, where the mask would normally sit.

"That thing. Yeah."

"And they don't want you to come home? They...they do realise you're not me, right?"

The hero laughed, catching themselves by surprise as much as the villain. They shook their head. "They actually agree more with you, you'll be delighted to know. Obviously, I haven't told them it's you, but..." They were getting off track. "So I can stay with you?"

The villain stared.

The hero's stomach twisted. Maybe - they didn't want to believe it, but maybe, the deal had just been a ploy for information. They should have lied. They should have come up with some other reason they couldn't go home. Anything but the truth.

"Please," the hero forced out, barely above a rasp. Embarrassment flared up their face again, like an outbreak, or a plague symptom.

The villain seemed to snap back to themselves. They nodded, before they spoke, gaze returning to the window. They continued to sit in that rigid way, expression utterly fixed and....

Angry. They were angry.

"Sorry," the hero said. "I know it's-"

"-You have absolutely nothing to apologise for."

"Oh, yeah. You love my path in life." It blurted out, as dry as the villain's voice had been.

It was the villain's turn to laugh. They shook their head, studying the hero through the train window again.

"I wouldn't kick you out of my house for that. Just kill you. Far more reasonable."

That time, as absurd as it was, they laughed together. And it felt...not like old times, but something new. Something other than heroes and villains and an endless fight.

The train pulled up at the station as the last of the sun sunk beneath the waves. The evening air was crisp, and smelled like salt and home.

The hero's chest ached.

That night, the villain gave them the best guest room in the house.

[mikhailoism]

okay i need outsider pov fics on bathena so badly ,really any time but specific in the beginning of their relationship. like i want the team and grant/carter family initial and growing throughts on their relationship.

like first with the team. they're still kinda getting to know bobby after he's finally told them about his past and is being more open with them, so seeing bobby in a relationship is a whole new side of him (and it being athena just adds to it) they get to see bobby open and vulnerable and happy in a completely different way then they're used, a way they probably never thought they'd see. ( maybe they're something about the relationship that helps bobby be even more open around the team faster and easier than before) I think in the beginning they'd be surprised by the physical affection they have for each other bc both are usually quite guarded, and in Bobby's case keeps his distance but now they have them together always touching in some way greeting each other with kisses and calling each pet names ( like the reaction to hearing bobby call athena baby the first time would be hilarious, I don't think they'd have expected it from bobby)

another pov i badly need is beatrice. i want her thoughts and feelings on the relationship how it progresses. im a little shocked that i haven't found a single fic about bobby calling her in athena begins (unless there is one hidden in the depths and im just stupid pls tell me what it is) I wanna know how that phone call went and more about how it did change his and beatrice's relationship. I think about the Florida arc a lot and the part where bobby defends athena and beatrice gets upset and later he tried to apologize but she simply refutes, like I wanna know more about that. mostly I wanna know how she's sees athena in all this and yes I do kinda want comparisons to emmett and michael, not in any sort of extremely negative way but some sort of feelings on these important relationships in athena's life and how different or similar they are and also how they've impacted athena's life. another moment I think about is beatrice's first ep where one of the things she says to athena she worries the next time her life falls apart that athena won't be able to put it back together, a lot implications and i personally wondered if this partially a vague (not perfect) reference to emmett's death and how athena shut down after and i want more thoughts on it , like we know so little about her life after his death and i want to know more and partially through beatrice would be so interesting ( and to continue it and see michael and the kids and then bobby etc)

the next obvious povs are may and harry like I want to know their thoughts and feelings on first meeting bobby and him becoming part of their lives. i want to see them notice how different and happier athena is, and the small differences between this relationship and the before with michael (preferably not really negative we do love michael) i wanna know how they adjust to a new person in their house after they get married and then learning bobby's quirks ( like what did they think the first time bobby had a huge stress baking session) I wanna know more about their thoughts on athena's job, about her attack, more about may's decision to work at dispatch and the thought process behind it and how she told her parents, more about the events of mayday, more about harry post kidnapping and how he's recovering and how it affects his relationships with athena and michael, i want more first responder responsibility discussions between bobby and may and then for her to also reach to hen and get that bonding moment

soooo yeah outside pov fics you'll always be loved by me

[lukolabrainrot]

Would love to know if everyone else is constantly flip flopping between ok they will absolutely get together to if they haven't by now after a tour like that, they never will and they must have their reasons?! It's driving me insane, I don't know how people have coped since the days of Jade, I'm only a few months in and already need them to sort their shit out!

Like I was fully optimistic the other day thinking it was plausible that Nic was wearing Lukes "drink milk" shirt with the half turned up sleeve (what has my life become!) and she looked so happy and she was posting more again on sm, knowing everyone would over analyse everything so I thought maybe things were taking a turn for the positive!

Now I'm reading the X rumours he's been spotted in some other country and people speculating its Cyrpus with A visiting her family. Could be absolute nonsense but the fact DM rehashed her old podcast about them, it would follow that we will get bombarded with clues now of where they are together from A. If they are on a holiday just the 2 of them, that kind of throws a lot of my theories out the window where I thought he would want to be distancing himself from A now in order to make a go of things with Nic.

But then I remember there has to be something more than friends between N & L or else I think Nic would have come to Lukes defence in a much stronger way after the pap walk given the backlash he got after it. I think if it had been all PR playing into their natural chemistry, Nic wouldn't have let him take the heat on his own as there was two of them in it and it would have been their game plan from the start, even with A being on the scene. Nic is very SM savvy and with their PR teams I'm sure they could have figured something to minimise the impact even though they would both then of got it in the neck for gaslighting everyone, at least it would have been done and everyone would have moved on by now! Instead, they both disappeared from SM and ignored it all because they couldn't refute what everyone saw because they are in love and didn't want to lie!!

So then I'm back to their absolutely has to be more to their story and the cycle just continues everytime something with A or JD crops up and I'm like, what are they all doing!!!

Same anon, same.

It's been quite the 🎢 on this 🚢, BUT I've been feeling more optimistic in general about L/N lately, and I think this is what's been helping me stay positive and level-headed in the midst of all the noise:

I literally don't listen to ANY of the rumors until I have receipts/proof. If I don't have this, then I just consider the rumor to be BS. This has been helping me soooo much! Although, I still spiral every once in a while 😅

I think we had soooo much content of L/N for MONTHS, that I think we all are kind of going through "withdrawals" (for lack of a better word), especially for those of us that are new to the ship, and are therefore hyperanalyzing EVERYTHING related to L and N. I keep reminding myself that it is normal for L/N to not put out a lot of content of each other in the in-between periods of Bridgerton. I also remind myself we have NO idea 100% what's going on with them BTS until we get more public confirmation (which we may or may not get).

Lastly, like you mentioned anon, I feel like if NOTHING had been going on between L/N during the PR tour, they would have publicly shut down the rumors, ESPECIALLY if L was really in a serious relationship with A. However, other than that one story N posted right after Papgate calling L a great "friend", they didn't really solidly come out and clarify that what we saw wasn't more than just PR. Why?? Because it wasn't, and like you mentioned anon, they couldn't refute that. I think a lot of things about them came out publicly that they weren't exactly ready for the public to know, so they TRIED to hide behind their characters on the tour (they didn't do a super good job with that imo, but I think that's because this was a HUGE deal for them and they were HAPPY and having a hard time hiding it 😍). So they had to correct for that, which resulted in a lot of what we saw between L/N/A after the London premiere. I've talked about my thoughts on all this in my "timelines" posts, so please refer to those if you would like to know more of my thoughts on all that. HOWEVER, I think we have gotten QUITE A FEW Easter Eggs the last few days, from N especially, that hint that things are moving in a positive direction with these two 👀 I'll talk about my thoughts on that sometime tonight...

[arcanekai]

All I Want For Christmas Is You

Aether X gn! Reader

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

cn | friends to lovers; reader has a brother; reader and Aether are a bit dense

Word count | 2.5k

an | Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you are spending this season with loved ones! And have a Happy New Year!

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

The city of Monstadt was bustling with life as you walked down the street, humming a popular Christmas tune.  You had just finished buying your brother's Christmas gift and were now doing a bit of window shopping.  The decorations adoring every store reminded you of just what needed to be done before the fated family gathering happening on Christmas day.  You still had to decorate the tree, make cookies, and buy an ugly sweater for the day.  Not to mention, you need to prepare yourself for the onslaught of questions your relatives have for you and your love life.  With a sign, you turn away from the store window and continue your journey down the street.  As you turn the corner, you bump into something very sturdy.  The impact made you stumble back a bit causing your foot to slip on the curb.  Now falling backwards toward the pavement, you flail your arms to try and balance yourself only for someone's hand to grab your wrist and pull you to safety.  

“Are you okay?”

You look up to see golden orbs gazing at you with worry.

“Aether?  What are you doing here?  I thought you were in Sumeru on vacation with Lumine?”

“Ha, I'll answer your question later.  You still haven't answered mine.”  Aether said with a small smile. 

“Oh right, I'm fine,” you say as you rub the back of your neck in embarrassment, “my ankle hurts a little from the initial fall, but nothing life threatening.”

“That's good to hear, but maybe we should go to the hospital just in case.  I can carry you on my back if you'd like?”

“There's no need for that!  It's just a small sprain and I can walk just fine!” You shake your head and wave your hands in front of your face as a way to distract him from seeing the growing blush on your cheeks.  “Besides, you still haven't answered my questions!”

“Alright, fine.”  Aether replies a little defeated.  “Lumine got snowed in at university and is still stuck there.  We canceled our plans and decided to celebrate Christmas separately.  As for why I am here currently, I'm buying presents.” He holds up the bag slightly with a sympathetic smile. 

“You're spending Christmas by yourself?  How about you spend Christmas with me and my family?  I'm sure they wouldn't mind having you around, I mean you’re practically family at this point.”

Aether's eyes sadden at your last statement.  Although he is happy you see him as family, he wished for something more.  Something less familial and more romantic.  Did you really not notice the huge crush he harbors for you?  All those times in high school when he brought you somewhere secluded, just the two of you, only to be interrupted by one of your friends calling you.  Or during college when he was the only one taking care of you when you were sick.  His friends, as well as yours, caught on to his feelings for you and gave him multiple opportunities to confess to you, however, he was a coward.  So, here he is, on the sidewalk of a busy street, talking to his best friend.  Only his best friend, nothing more, nothing less. 

“I mean if that's okay with you and your family.  I don't want to intrude on your family time.”  Aether said shyly. 

“Nonsense!  Besides, having you there means I get to avoid my nosy relatives who are only interested in my non-existent love life.” You say excitedly while nudging Aether's arm with your elbow.  “*gasp* We can have matching sweaters!  Come on, we have to get them now!”  

You grab Aether by the arm and pull him toward the clothing stores, talking his ear off about everything you guys can do together before the day.  Perhaps staying as friends has its benefits. 

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

Standing in the living room was Aether and a very decorated Christmas tree.  As you emerge from your kitchen with a tray of hot chocolate, you see Aether tilt his head to the side before placing another ornament on the tree.  

His hair was in his signature braid and he was wearing the white scarf you had gifted him on his birthday years ago.  It was nice knowing he cherished the gift so much, but it was also concerning with how much he wore it.  Which is why your Christmas present for Aether is a new scarf, white with gold accents, along with some other things and a long overdue love letter.  There were multiple times in high school where you were going to put it in his locker, but the amount of love letters he got from others was disheartening.  During college you had gathered enough courage to ask him out on a date only for it to turn into a group hangout instead.  Just a couple of days earlier, you were planning to leave it in his mailbox while he was on vacation, but that didn't happen.  However, today is different.  Today is the day that you are going to confess.  You steeled yourself the day prior because you were determined to get your feelings across on matter what.  Your brother had hyped you up and supported you all these years, so now was your chance to show the rest of your relatives why you waited so long to get a boyfriend.  Aether was the only one for you and you know that once they met him, they will finally understand. 

As you were giving yourself a pep talk in your head, Aether hears something ringing.  At first he checks his phone, but soon finds the cause of the noise.  Sitting on the couch cushion was your phone, playing your signature ringtone.  Aether could help but smile at the fact that you haven't changed it since high school, but curiosity took over as he looked at the screen. 

William.  Who the heck is William?!  Alright, calm down Aether, this is probably a misunderstanding.  Didn't they say that they have a “non-existent love life”? It's probably not their significant other unlike all those scenarios in movies. Besides, it's not like it's the end of the world if they have other friends they hang out with. 

As Aether was about to tell you your phone was ringing, you quickly put down the tray and rushed to pick it up.  A little too eager for Aether's liking. 

“Hello?  Hey, I haven't heard from you in awhile, what's up?  Oh, okay that's fine with me.  Feel free to drop by anytime.  I should be home.  Alright, okay see you later, bye!”

As Aether stood awkwardly in your living room, trying to pretend he didn't hear anything, it was hard not to imagine this “William” as someone very important to you if you were just letting him come over whenever.  It irked Aether that you weren't saying anything about it either, like it was totally normal to invite someone over without asking your other guest if it was alright.  So, instead of pushing you for information, Aether decided that it would be best to just leave you alone with this “William”.  Seeing that the tree was basically finished, Aether turned to you and gave you a forced smile. 

“Hey, I'm going to head out now if that's alright.  Lumine has been messaging me nonstop and probably wants me to call her.”

Without hearing your response, Aether grabs his coat off the couch, strides to your front door, puts on his boots and leaves. 

“Okay, bye.” You say softly as the door closes, looking down at the two mugs of untouched hot chocolate. 

You place the tray on the coffee table and sit on the couch, elbows resting on your knees while your hands hold up your head.  You let out a somber sigh before leaning back and covering your face with your hands, letting out a groan. 

What happened?

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

A couple of hours later, you opened the door for William.  However, instead of being met with your usual smiling face, he sees you frowning.  Coming inside the house and taking off his coat and boots, William looks at you expectantly. 

“Hey, what's wrong?  Where's Aether?”  

Unable to speak, your bottom lip trembles, and tears start pouring out of your eyes.  Your brother embraces you as you cry into his shirt, thoroughly soaking it. 

“I know you're sad right now, but I need you to tell me what's wrong so I can help you.”

He plants you onto the couch before heading to the TV stand, grabbing the tissue box, and sitting next to you. 

You sniffle your way into telling him the events that lead up to this point and you expect him to be angry.  Instead, you are met with a loud stomach laugh. 

“I know it's wrong for me to be laughing, but you're an idiot sometimes you know that?”

You let out an offended gasp at his comment before he starts to speak again. 

“The reason why Aether left in such a rush wasn't because of Lumine.  It's because he was jealous and heartbroken.  Your action leading up to the phone call is probably what tipped him off at first, making him jealous, while your vague responses to me asking to drop off presents made it seem like you were inviting a significant other over.  The only person you have to blame is your own stupidity for not telling him that it was just me, your brother, coming over for a short period of time.”

You grab one of the pillows sitting on the couch and bury your face in it, letting out a muffled scream. Your brother just pats you back as you wallow in your ignorance. 

“You know that it's not too late to continue with your plan.  All you have to do is tell him the truth.”

You finally lift your head off from the pillow and look at your phone, sitting on the coffee table.  Determination evident in your eyes as you pick up your phone and call Aether, waiting for him to pick up.  

Only for it to go to voicemail. 

You quickly hang up and call again, knowing full well that Aether isn't busy. 

You tried calling him seven times before giving up and throwing your phone down on the couch in frustration.  

Your brother is still present to witness your little outburst of mixed emotions before suggesting a different tactic. 

You put on your winter coat and shove your boots on before grabbing your keys.  You rush out the door yelling thank you to your brother, almost slipping on ice as you sprint down the street toward Aether’s apartment. 

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

Aether feels like an idiot and an asshole after hearing you explain everything.  How William is actually your brother that he has known as Liam for the same amount of years he has known you.  How his overthinking led him to make the wrong decision.  How he thought lying to you would make things seem like nothing was wrong.  He felt terrible.  He ignored your calls because he was sad and yet here you are, in his apartment, out of breath with slightly puffy eyes.  

He made you cry.  Now he felt even worse. 

“I'm sorry for bailing on you.  It wasn't right for me to lie to your face like that because of my mixed emotions at the time.”

“So are we still friends?” You say hopefully.

“Yeah,” He replies with a nod and a smile, “but that's not the complete truth either.”

You tilt your head to the side in confusion. 

“I want to be more than friends…. I like you.”

Your eyes widen at this new information.  

He likes me?  All this time, I was fretting over being rejected when Aether was probably going through the same thing.

Realizing that you still haven't replied to him, you quickly blurt out, 

“I like you too!”

A sigh of relief escapes Aether's lips.

“How about we change our movie night into a date instead.  We could go ice skating, but only if you're interested.”

“I'd love to.” smiling widely as you reply. 

“Oh, one last thing.  You can say no if you're uncomfortable with it, but can I kiss you?”. 

He was using his puppy dog eyes at you.  How could you possibly refuse?  

You give him a nod and he slowly leans his body toward you.  Reaching his hand out to cup your cheek, feeling the warmth of his palm against it as your blush grows.  He starts to inch his face closer to yours until his nose is almost touching yours.  You feel his breath on your skin and can tell he is nervous with how his lips tremble slightly.  Finally, Aether tilts his head, and closes the gap between the two of you. 

His lips are soft against your own and meld perfectly with yours.  You don't separate until you are out of breath, slightly gasping for air, only for you to reconnect your lips with his again.  You feel his other hand travel down to your waist to pull you closer. 

When you two finally separate, Aether gets up from his couch and holds out hand.  You gladly put your hand in his and he pulls you up into his chest, using his other hand on your hip to keep you in place.  He then peppers your cheek with quick kisses in which you giggle at his sudden affection, but don't stop him. 

After getting his fill, he takes you to the door and helps you into your coat and boots like a gentleman.  

He links your hands with his once more and you both head out the door not as friends, but lovers. 

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

Bonus

You were currently cuddled up to Aether on your shared couch while watching some Christmas movies.  Your head was resting on Aether's chest, listening to his rhythmic heartbeat, arms around his waist with a fleece blanket draped over both of your legs.  As you were enjoying Aether's warm embrace, you can't help but remember a fond memory and let out a small chuckle. 

“What are you thinking about that's so funny?” Aether asked with a small smile while poking your forehead.  

“Just thinking about the time when we had that flour fight and how your whole face was covered.  Your expression made you look like you had a pie thrown at you.”

“Haha, very funny.  But let's not forget the fact that you had an egg yolk running down your head.”

“And whose fault is that, hm?”

“You were the one who initiated the fight.  I was just finishing it.” He said with a smug smile.  You give him an unamused look and his face softens, “Time sure does fly, huh.”

“That's because I get to spend everyday with you.” you say while looking up at Aether's face with a loving gaze. 

“That's so cheesy,”  He says with a laugh while rolling his eyes, “but I wouldn't have put it any better myself.”  

Planting a kiss on your forehead, his arm around your waist pulls you closer to him and he intertwines his hand with yours, feeling the ring on your finger.  

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

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

an | Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed your stay here!

[asp1diske-art]

Your technical skill with lineart and shading is amazing in itself, but it's your ability to convey emotion and atmosphere in your work that is trademark to me :) its incredible how you can show through gesture and body language just what these masked, expressionless characters are feeling, and how the environment itself conveys that. Your lurien comics, especially the one that ends in something along the lines of "I return to the kingdom you abandoned" are I think the spark that made Lurien go from Some Guy to Deeply Interesting for me, and your use of color pop and shaky line contributed so much to the feeling in those comics. You are one of the artists whose skill at evoking emotions I aspire to <3

Oh wow, I've been reading and re-reading this for the last 20 minutes this is amazing.

So, emotions!

If there is one thing I'm proud to have accomplished during my time in Hollow Knight, it's the skill of expressing tone. Because here's the thing, facial expressions are just one of the many components of tone. (I even wrote about this in another ask some time ago.) Colors, gestures, camera angle, lighting, paneling, lines and narration - all of these come together to convey the mood of the scene.

Check out these wips from the Watcher and the Watched comic, for example.

You can see that color played a huge role in setting the atmosphere in the comic. It shows that this comic is taking place in the Watcher's Spire, but it also gives a dark, subdued feeling that wouldn't come from idk, a yellow background. The backlight emphasizes the ominous tone of the last page. As does Lurien's pose - coupled with the butler looking up and Lurien looking down, it makes it look like Lurien is looming over his butler (and the reader). All this builds up to deliver Lurien's lines with maximum impact.

So yeah, a lot goes into conveying tone in comics, and I'm very happy to hear that it was recieved well!!

The Lurien, Dreamer comic. It's almost 2 years old now but it's still one of the favorite comics I drew about him. Together with the City of Tears comic, it's the epitome of my interpretation of Lurien. My characterization of Lurien's relationship with the Pale King was quite different from the usual fanon at the time (I don't know how it is now, I haven't gone into the tags in years haha) and I wasn't really sure how people would take it. So I'm glad to hear that it got you interested in Lurien!

It's the one that took the longest too lol. Usually I draw comics in a single setting, but that one took 3 days. Besides Two Ghosts (which was an 18 chapter+@ comic that was over 50p and took about 2 months), no other comic has broken this record. I put in a lot of care into it, and it still holds a special place in my heart.

Honestly half the reason I use messy, sketchy lines is that I suck at drawing clean lines lmao. But I like to think that I've made the best of it and utilized it as an art style. In that comic especially, because the whole thing takes place in the dream realm and I wanted to give a rough, unreal feel to it.

I'd show breakdowns of this one too but the file is so big it keeps crashing lol. (Pro tip - draw your comic pages in separate files. Don't be like me and draw 300dpi 10p comics with 30 layers in each page in a single canvas. It will crash and you will be sad.) But drawing the White Palace was a interesting challenge because I usually draw in highly saturated colors whereas the Palace is, well, white. So I had to work out a way to color this without making everything looking grey, while also making it recognizable as the palace. iirc I used a lot of overlay & burn & dodge layers along with a few difference & subtract layers to give the white a slight yellow tint to stand out from the dark blue. (I'm pretty sure they're the culprits crashing the file.)

Sorry this got long, I really took this as an invitation to ramble about my art hkfsldjkflj

Thank you for all the compliments! It's an honor to hear that my art could be someone's aspiration, and I'm very happy that all my Lurien art got someone else into Lurien. I hope you have a nice day :D

[magicpotatoobsession]

GIVEN | Hiiragi Mix Thoughts Part 1

So I haven't been super active on this blog not because I don't love Given anymore, but any ounce of brain energy dedicated to Given means I have to feel the agony of waiting for the two movies to release. BUT ALAS the time has come because @aarinfantasy is the GOAT thank you thank you thank you~~~ Spoilers and screenshots below the cut 👇👇👇

GENERAL NOTES:

How can Mafuyu be animated even cuter than before? Like I don't even know how but how can he look even more adorable???!!

I love the intentional placement of sound and music in Hiiragi mix, moments of silence are so effective in highlighting tension, awkwardness, release, nervousness. Like even 1 minute into the movie, you hear the boys breathing as Uenoyama is tuning the guitar and Mafuyu is sitting beside him. It's those little details that show the atmosphere between characters perfectly.

I like the balance of Hiiragi/Shizu's storyline and Mafuyama's storyline, it's following the manga closely and shows the complexity and intertwining of their stories. It's a good way to juxtapose the different struggles between the two couples and what they needed from each other to overcome their miscommunication! I think the team took feedback from the Given Movie 1 2020 and OVA broken up into two parts when it should have worked better as one longer movie.

I saw on reddit I think that Hiiragi's VA is still relatively new to the industry but I saw a HUGE improvement in his voice acting in this movie, the range he gave to Hiiragi is amazing!

SCENE REACTIONS

This scene was so funny I CACKLED Uenoyama and Hiiragi with their catty energy I LOVE THEM

2. I fell off my couch at this scene HHAHAHA

While Uenoyama's face is funnier in the manga, something about the animated rocket launch from earth JUST GETS ME HAHHAHA. Ok serious talk though how did I not notice that when Uenoyama got confessed to and when Haruki told him he's about to debut, his brain turns into astronaut footage? I think it's a very smart way to illustrate that for Ue, music = love and one cannot exist without the other.

3. OMG Uenoyama's face HAHAH awww man I know he's bummed as hell at Mafuyu's "I'll think about it later" (to the debut proposal) but his face, Ueki and Itaya's faces send me straight to heaven

You know how Ue feels? Our munchkin cat feels like he just proposed to his lover and his lover said, hmnnn I'll think about it. 😭 Chemical, emotional, physical, psychological damage right here>>>

4. The voice acting here from Hiiragi's VA Fumiya Imai SLAPS SO HARD

It's definitely giving deja vu, similar energy to Uenoyama panicking about Mafuyu, gosh I love Hiiragi and Uenoyama's baby gay panics it's so cute.

5. Kageyama is that you?!

6. The sound design and use of silence in this entire scene....incredible, showstopping, amazing, impactful yes yes yes

7. This scene animating Shizu's flashback to childhood was really well done.

It's interesting that in the movie they didn't speak too much about Shizu being transferred from foster home to foster home, or what he had to do to get by. But also, in the manga, I'm pretty sure that they didn't have this scene of a child Shizu closing his hands over "precious stone" but I think it absolutely elevated my connection to Shizu as a character. It really shows that he believes he has been selfishly holding Hiiragi back and that he has been trapping Hiiragi all this time. It gives so much more context to what he did next which if it wasn't clear already, he tried to push Hiiragi away in order to free Hiiragi from him. 8. HOLY SHIT wow goddamn I would not want to live where Akihiko is living oh my 💀💀💀

Watching this scene animated with the noise of the highway really highlights how bad Akihiko's living conditions are. I flagged this because in the Given Manga sequel 10th mix [SPOILER AHEAD], there is this whole thing of Akiharu's disparity with their living conditions so....this is interesting....just putting it out there.....

I also don't remember this scene in the manga, but I really appreciate it, it shows the contrast of Akiharu in the first Given movie vs. this one and how their love and care for each other has evolved! Very cute! I'll make a part 2 soon!

____

My Given Metas

[photogirl894]

Hey Morgan! I came across this prompt and thought it would fit well with your fics:

“How could you just abandon her like that? She needed you!”

“It was— It was complicated, okay?”

Feel free to use or not to use but I thought you could do something really cool, creative and interesting with it! Feels like a Hunter, Crosshair, or Tech thing to me but thought I'd throw it your way!

Oooh this is an interesting one! Thanks, my friend!! 💜 I'll make this a Tech one since I haven't done anything for him in a while! Let's give our favorite smart Clone some love!

"Barricade"

Pairing: Tech x fem reader

What should've been an easy, calculated explosion to seal in some gundarks behind you and Tech ended up being a huge mistake.

You thought you had made the shot precisely enough that the ceiling would only collapse between you two and the gundarks trailing you, but it did more damage than you anticipated. The whole ceiling had started to come down.

"This is not going as anticipated!" Tech called out as you ran.

You replied, "Tell me something I don't know!"

Right then, you heard a loud crack from directly above you and you could tell that the ceiling was about to give way and Tech, who had gotten ahead of you, was going to be directly impacted by the debris.

"Tech, look out!" you yelled, picking up speed and shoving him forward. Just as you did that, a section of the rocks above you came down and a heavy impact hit you on the back of your head and neck, a sharp pain shooting through you as you collapsed to the ground and everything around you went dark.

Tech, after being pushed, skidded to a halt upon hearing your cry of pain and he shouted your name, running back to you. However, the ceiling continued to cave in and he couldn't get close enough to you before it all came down, separating you two. He moved back a few feet, waving his hand through the cloud of dust that had formed and continued calling out for you. To his concern, there was no reply.

"Oh no," he said aloud with worry. While he was strong, he knew he wouldn't be able to move all of the rocks and debris on his own. He'd have to have the rest of his squad help him. In order to do that, though, he had to get out of the cave and run back to the Marauder because he knew comms would be no good. There was too much atmospheric interference on this planet.

He turned on his heel and ran back in the direction of the cave entrance, overwhelming guilt eating at him inside. He didn't know if you were alive or dead and he hated the thought of leaving you in there alone, but there was no other way. You had saved his life and he was leaving you to an uncertain fate in order to return the favor. He could only hope he could get his brothers and make it back in time.

Minutes later, he spotted light from the outside and made his way out of the cave, now booking it as fast as he could for the Marauder.

"What happened?" Hunter questioned as he saw Tech coming. "And where's (Y/N)?"

Catching his breath, Tech replied, "There was...an unforeseen cave-in. She's...trapped inside."

"And you just left her there?" Wrecker questioned.

Then Echo added, frustrated, "How could you just abandon her like that? She needed you!"

"It was--it was complicated," Tech responded. "The fallen debris separated us and I knew I could not get through the barricade alone. That and I could not comm any of you. I need your help. Her life may be in jeopardy."

"Then we need to hurry," stated Hunter, already breaking into a run.

The Clones all sprinted back to the cave and made their way back to the barricade. Wrecker suggested just blowing the cave-in up, but Hunter said that might too dangerous as the debris could further injure you. Instead, they set to work immediately moving the boulders and stones that were in the way by hand. Tech took out his datapad and did a scan of the area ahead. Your body was still lying motionless on the ground...and to his relief, his scan was still reading signs of life.

"She is alive," he stated aloud to the others.

"She won't be for long unless we get this cleared," said Echo.

A few more minutes went by as the Batch moved the stones as quickly as possible. Before long, they were able to create a big enough hole for Tech to slip through to the other side. He ran over to your unconscious body, knelt by your side and pulled you into his arms.

"All right, Wrecker, I've got her. You may blow the rest of the barricade," he called out.

Seconds later, Wrecker cried out, "Take cover!"

Tech shielded you with his body just as the small explosive went off and the rocks all went flying around him, a few small stones bouncing off his back and helmet. Once he saw the way was clear, he scooped you up carefully into his arms and rejoined his squad. Then all of them returned to their ship to get you proper medical attention.

Your eyes fluttered open, a throbbing pain in your head. Your hand reached up and felt there was a bandage wrapped around your head. The last thing you remember was shoving Tech out of the way of some falling rocks and then...

Tech!

Just as you were about to panic and wonder if he was okay, you turned your head and Tech was already seated at your bedside, his datapad naturally in his hands. However, hearing you stir, his attention was immediately on you.

"Welcome back," he said to you.

"What happened? Are you okay?" you asked him.

Tech's eyebrows rose in confusion. "You are the one with the injury and yet you ask if I am all right?" he questioned.

"Well...yeah," you answered. "I remember pushing you out of the way so you wouldn't get hurt, but then...everything's fuzzy after that. I don't know what happened and I just want to be sure you came out all right."

"I am...unharmed," he told you, still trying to figure out how you could be so concerned for his wellbeing when you were the person who had been hurt. "You should not have done that, however. You were hurt and I should have been the one to protect you," he then said.

You sat up, slightly wincing from the aches in your head. "You had gotten ahead of me, Tech. Even if you wanted to, you wouldn't have been able to stop that cave-in in time."

He released a sigh. "That is a fair point...and indeed, an oversight on my part."

"It's okay," you said. "You're okay and that's all that matters to me."

In that moment, Tech felt the sudden urge to reach up and lay his hand on your cheek, overcome with foreign emotion at seeing how caring you were regarding him. His hand came up, but then hovered hesitantly and he looked away for a moment, contemplating if that was a wise choice. Though, when his eyes returned to you, you were smiling at him and the look in your eyes was telling him it was okay for him to proceed. His gloved hand ever so gently came to your cheek and he laid his palm against your skin, caressing it softly with his thumb.

"Thank you," he said to you.

Leaning into his touch, you replied, "You're welcome, Tech. I would do it all again if I had to."

"I would advise against that," he stated back, eliciting an amused laugh from you.

More Tech fics

Bad Batch Writing Requests

[rapha-reads]

The Church on Ruby Road [spoilers]

First of all: Fifteen is AMAZIIIIIING. I swear I'm going to try and be normal about him, but his energy! His joy! His connection to his feelings, the emotional depth! That moment when he says "I've adopted, I've just discovered that recently", and then his tears when he realises what happened to Ruby, and then how soft and gentle he was with baby Ruby.

I keep remembering Bill's words about Twelve: "With some people you can smell the wind in their clothes." - and that's exactly it with Fifteen. You can feel not only the age, the experience, the heartbreak and trials the Doctor has gone through, but also, and maybe more importantly, the healing, the love, the joy, the endless curiosity about the universe, the limitless desire to always learn and discover new things. Fifteen is the sum of all the previous Doctors, and he's carrying that weight, but he's also something new, something exciting. The trauma is still there, but he's not letting it weigh him down anymore. Even when he has a moment of doubt, when he says "Maybe I'M the bad luck", a previous regeneration would have left - he stayed and let Ruby make her choice. There's growth there.

We definitely are in a new era of Doctor Who. New New Who? New Who 2.0? Modern Who? Do we have a name yet or is still being debated?

Anyway, secondly. Ruby! Aw, she sounds so cool and kind! The mystery around her birth mother is thrilling without taking the precedent over anything else. Either her birth parents aren't that important, though it's Doctor Who - there's always something else, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's a Time Lord kid, or even the Doctor's child themself - or maybe Jenny's child, the Doctor's granddaughter? I'm just wildly theorizing at this point, never mind all of that.

What's interesting is her relationship with her adoptive mother. That scene where Ruby disappears and her mother forgets about her, and the colours themselves literally bleed out, and the joyful, kind, generous woman we've come to know suddenly turns bitter and sad and cold... Man, that scene messed me up. Makes you think about coincidences, about how and when you meet people and you can never know how important they are in your life, because sometimes the influence they have on you are so subtle, so diffuse, it's impossible to see it. Not the first time this happens in Doctor Who, though, time travel does have that impact. Butterflies and all that. But the impact is always the same heart-wrenching feeling.

Third, the language of rope! By which I mean, I was talking with my brother (huge Whovian like me), and he was telling me that he's a bit worried about RTD's decision to go towards fantasy stories. Well, magic is just another language, after all, isn't it? It's just science that we haven't been able to decipher yet. So, fantasy and science-fiction? They go hand in hand, actually. If the TARDIS is a wooden box that's bigger on the inside and can travel through time and space, then sure, why not, goblins exist, they eat baby, they can also move around time, and their science is the science of ropes and wood. Totally plausible in this world. Wouldn't be weirder than that time Ten met Satan in a pit, or Eleven had an ongoing feud with evil snowmen, or Twelve rode on Santa's sleigh, or Thirteen talked to a frog from another universe. That's cool. Love it.

Right. Well. I'm excited for this new series. It's shiny and fresh, it's something else! Moving forward without forgetting the past. And apparently we're going to meet the Beatles? I love historic episodes! And go to some new planets, meet some new aliens, deal once again with holes in the fabric of the universe (not new, but maybe done in a new way?)... This is going to be great. Next episode in Spring, though? At least it's not another full year of wait.

[mrsnancywheeler]

Hello pookie! It's me me again...GIIIIIIIIRL, I don't know what's going on with me but I have an angst idea that would hurt me a lot.

I thought, Finnick will be very traumatized by his things in the capitol, right? And just imagine that one day Finnick had one of those horrible experiences with horrible clients. and even though he tries to hide it, when you try to have sex, he feels uncomfortable.

GOD, THAT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL TOO GUILTY.

hiiii pookie, sorry I haven't responded to your other one let, I'm letting my thoughts cook yk. ❤️❤️❤️

triggers for trafficking related trauma

but yes, yes, yes, finnick doesn't know what it's like to be truly intimate with someone, to be able to enjoy something like that without dissociating, he's had to learn to try and keep himself at least somewhat sane. and so it would be really difficult for him to learn that what he's been used for, isn't what sex has to be about.

it's heartbreaking to think of all the steps he'd have to take to become more and more comfortable with it, but it still is hugely impactful on his relationships. he probably feels so bad whenever he gets uncomfortable, but he's trying so hard not to fall into the same routine of disassociating and he knows he's with someone who respects his boundaries. he hates that it's left him like this, even though it's not his fault.

and yes, it would totally leave you completely guilt ridden because your intentions were never to trigger something in him, you just want to take care of him. just fumbling around trying to find out what he needs, if he needs to be alone, if he needs a shower, anything you can do. and you feeling guilty makes him feel worse which only makes you feel guiltier for him thinking about you when he's struggling. it's just a loop of difficulties because he's going through so much and you both care about the other.

literally though, he deserves to just be sweetly loved in a laying on the beach, making flower crowns, soft hugs kind of way.

[carryoncastiel]

Thinking thoughts about Wyll and his story. Two things I've gathered 1. His character has been completely rewritten in developement. 2. General consesus is that something is missing from his story.

Now, I haven't played early access and I don't feel like going through old content so this is just the conclusion I came to playing the game as is plus little mentions of things I saw in tumblr posts.

So Wyll is 17 when Mizora comes to him and makes him sell his soul to defeat Tiamat's cultists that want to destroy Baldur's Gate. In this fight he gets pretty badly injured on his face, losing his right eye and sustaining noticeable scars.

We can assume he went back to his father right after the fight and Ulder seeing his 17 year old son, his only child, missing an eye and probably still bleeding, does not listen to his explanation at all (if Wyll even gets to say anything) (edit: I forgot: Wyll actually tells you that he couldn't tell his father about his pact and he tried to show him the battlefield but there was nothing left to show. Still...what did he think was the reason Wyll made the pact then?) and just banishes him from the city for daring to make a pact with a devil.

After that the story gets a bit murky. Wyll tells you how he saved a boy from goblins and that gave him the calling to be the blade of the people. Throughout the game he will casually mention heroic fights he had and you and the other characters take it at face value because there's nothing telling you you shouldn't believe him - but it also doesn't really lead anywhere storywise. He just is the Blade of Frontiers and he does heroic deeds.

What kept bothering me in my first playthrough is that Wyll will casually flirt with Lae'zel and Shadowheart at the beginning of your journey. And it feels very random. The natural conclusion would've been (for me at least) for him to very obviously flirt with the player character too but he doesn't really do that. You have to ask about the dancing and you have to convince him to get one kiss. Even if he's drawn back for other reasons it still doesn't add up.

And of course once you start romancing him you find out he gets all giddy and blushy after that one short kiss at the party and he's a pure romantic at heart who wants to do this the proper way like the bards sing about in old ballads and he won't do anything beyond kissing until he literally proposes and you say yes. Also if you don't romance him and Lae'zel mentions being interested in him at the party, then next day she will lament that they spend the night together but he literally just wanted to talk (did I mention I love Wyll a lot).

The other thing is what Mizora says when you rescue her from the mindflayer colony. She tells you about asking Wyll how they met and the way she says it made me assume it would make Wyll look really bad. But then you hear the story about him saving Baldur's Gate from cultists and there's nothing bad that Wyll did here (besides selling his soul which duh).

Idk much about early access Wyll as I've said but I think he was supposed to be a huge liar. So I assume that actually Wyll was supposed to have made the pact out of seflish reasons and/or making the pact had major repercussions for other people. If for example innocent people died as a consequence it would also seem a tiny bit more reasonable for Ulder to not want to listen to Wyll's reasoning (still a shitty father move though). Now, he would've still been a 17 year old, a child essentially, getting tricked by a devil into selling his soul without realising the full impact it would have. But he would also feel incredibly guilty about it and then lie about it being his proudest moment that he never regretted to mask that fact.

Then he would go on to create The Blade of Frontiers, this huge legend that does every heroic deed you can think of. The flirting with every pretty woman he meets then also would make more sense in a "that's just what heroic male characters in stories do" way.

He would still be a good and heroic person at heart but some of it would be an exaggerated persona he created out of the guilt and shame of what happened when he made the pact and also the feeling of abandonment he got from his father banishing him.

I like Wyll as he's written now but I'd be lying if I didn't say he's missing some depth and giving him more flaws than just "he made a deal with a devil (out of completely selfless reasons no less)" would make him a more interesting character.