#I knew I could do it

[slusheeduck]

Fictober 2023 Day 30 - Prompt: "Come with me, hurry." Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

“Shadowheart. Shadowheart.”

Shadowheart tossed and turned in her tent, but finally rolled over to see who was waking her. Oh, Falerin. That…was his name, right? In the rush of getting out of the ship and suddenly being saddled with…six? new people in camp—including that damned githyanki—there hadn’t been much time for proper introductions. She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“What? Is there trouble?”

Falerin gave her an odd little smile, two-toned eyes bright. “No. Just…come with me, hurry.”

She let out a sigh, but got up to her feet and followed him out with a yawn. “You’re really not going to tell me?”

“Use your tadpole if you’re so curious,” Falerin shot back over his shoulder.

Shadowheart shuddered. “No, thank you.”

They paused as they passed Gale’s tent, the wizard on his way out with his telescope under his arm. He brightened as he saw Fal.

“You know what tonight is, then?” he asked, then pointed at him with a knowing smile. “I knew we were kindred spirits, you and I. It should be spectacular.”

“Something spectacular?” From beside Gale’s tent, Karlach—who’d gotten surprisingly comfortable with them since joining the day before, all things considered—poked her head out. “Is something happening?”

“Indeed, the…” Gale glanced at Falerin, and they shared a smile. “It’s been a while since you’ve been out above ground, hasn’t it, Karlach? Let’s keep it a surprise, then.”

“Follow us,” Falerin added, then looked over across camp. “And…maybe bring Wyll. I think he needs this.”

“On it, soldier.” Karlach saluted before going to grab Wyll.

Falerin nodded for Shadowheart and Gale to keep going, only to be met with a spear right at his neck. He stumbled backwards, letting out a sigh of relief at the familiar “T’chk” that accompanied the spear’s retreat.

“I thought we were under attack,” Lae’zel grumbled.

“We’re not, don’t worry,” Falerin assured. “Come with us.”

Lae’zel frowned, then suddenly stood up straight. “We’re launching an attack,” she said, eyes brightening. “So we will catch our enemies unaware in their beds.”

“No, no, we’re not…no attacking,” Falerin assured.

“Oh. How disappointing.”

Shadowheart rolled her eyes. “You would find it that way, wouldn’t you?”

“Gods, not now.” Falerin sent a warning look to Shadowheart, then looked back to Lae’zel. “Leave the spear and come with us.” He gave an awkward little smile. “Safety in numbers, yeah?”

Lae’zel’s eyes narrowed, but she glanced over at Karlach and Wyll as they joined the group. She seemed to weigh her options, then nodded to herself before she set the spear aside. “Very well.”

Falerin grinned, then continued leading the way outside of camp. Just as they reached the edge of the site, a very pale elf stopped in front of them. Astarion went very still, looking every bit like a deer that had been spotted.

“What are…you doing out?” Gale asked, squinting suspiciously at him.

Astarion unstuck himself, and he gave a flouncy toss of his head as he smiled. “I could ask all of you the same question. Clearly I’m not the only one who fancies the thought of a late night stroll.” His eyes landed on Falerin, and he sidled up to him, sliding his arm through the half-drow’s. His arm was very cold, likely due to the chill of the night. “Fal…erin, yes? You simply must tell me what you’re up to, darling. There’s a dastardly little gleam in your eyes that I think I quite like.”

Falerin rolled his eyes with a laugh, pulling his arm away. “It’s not dastardly.” He continued walking out—the canopy of trees above them was thinning, showing the sky above. “She…my, er, my patron, timed things so it’d be a week after she turned me loose. It’s been that long, I think.”

“Well, what’s ‘it’?” Wyll asked.

“It happens the same time every year,” Gale said with a sage nod of his head. “For all our misadventures, I never miss an astrological event.” He tapped his head as he looked over at Lae’zel. “Perfect calendar, all in here.”

“I didn’t realize the ghaik experimented so much on you. They must have found plenty of empty space to fit a whole calendar,” she quipped.

“No, it’s…”

“Gale, she’s taking the piss,” Karlach said.

“I most assuredly am not taking any piss.”

Falerin suddenly shushed everyone. As the group went quiet, he ushered them out from the last of the trees.

The sky was clear, with thousands of stars sparkling down at them. The moon was hidden away, leaving a perfect view as a star streaked across the sky. A soft, collective gasp went through the party, with another following as another star fell.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen this,” Falerin said softly, eyes wide as he watched more streaks of light cross the sky. He settled down on the ground, legs crossed and gaze on the sky.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen actual falling stars,” Karlach said, equally quiet as she settled beside him—she gave off a pleasant warmth against the chill of the night. “Certainly not down in Avernus—gods, how lucky are we?”

“Not sure I would call what we have luck,” Astarion quipped, though his eyes were skyward as well.

“Sure it is. We’re all alive, aren’t we?” she said, shooting him a big grin. “And we get the chance to see this.”

Astarion’s mouth twitched. “Mm. I suppose it’s better than my alternative.”

“It…does make me grateful that things didn’t go worse with Mizora,” Wyll said quietly. He gave a weak little laugh. “When I was younger, I heard stories of wishing on fallen stars. Seemed the only way to make a wish that didn’t blow up in one’s face.”

“Wishes are useless,” Lae’zel said. “Action is what truly matters.” She let out a breath, though, and her tone was softer as she continued, “This is what the Astral Plane looks like. It’s…comforting, in a way. Not close to the true majesty of my people’s home, but…”

“But it makes you a little less homesick, I’d wager,” Gale said gently. He hadn’t set up his telescope, too entranced by the streaks of light in the night sky. “I’d watch this shower every year, back in Waterdeep. It’s a great time for magic, always made me feel even more in-tune with the Weave. But…” He let out a sigh, then eased onto a nearby rock. “Maybe there’s something in just enjoying it this year.”

Shadowheart had stayed quiet through the exchange, but she silently went to kneel beside Falerin. She didn’t say a word to the others, eyes instead fixed overhead. After a long moment of silence, she looked to Falerin.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “For bringing me out to see this. I…I needed this.”

Falerin tore his eyes away from the night sky’s show, and he gave her a smile. “I think we all did,” he said, equally quiet, then looked up overhead. “A nice reminder that there are things worth living for.”

Silence fell over the party, all seven wrapped up in their own thoughts as they watched stars fall through the sky. A multitude of wishes made with every streak of light in the dark. Hope against hope for freedom, for renewal, for glory and redemption…for the chance to make it through one more day in spite of what laid ahead.

And, above all, a strange sort of certainty that, for all the others’ faults, for all their own shortcomings, for all the fear they shared and goals they harbored…being here, staring at falling stars with these people, was exactly where they were meant to be.

For this moment, at least, they were all among friends, sharing in something beautiful. And that was certainly worth living for.

Fictober 2023 Drabble Master Post

[andrigyn]

4k words into mystery smut fic

[arancar-no-6]

FINALLY STARTED UPLOADING AND BEFORE THE TWO YEAR MARK TOO

Edit: if anyone cares, title is no longer accurate. I’ve since renamed it to ‘Till We Burn Up and Become Nothing.

[puzzlekinq]

guys i fixed him

[pearblossommina]

ToG Read-a-Long, Empire of Storms, day 3 and 4

Ch 12

Boring plot chapter, Aelin and Lysandra and Aedion go to the temple

Ch 13

Yay! Rowan x Dorian boat trip!

I’m PUMPED! let’s get to know each other, let’s get tender with each other, let’s become BEST FRIENDS

“Your magic feeds on your energy - feeds on you. The more rested you are, the greater the strength. More important, the greater the control. Your power is both part of you and its own entity. If left to its own devices, it will consume you, wield you like a tool.” I love teacher Rowan. He should become an official magic professor when this is all over, establish a Hogwarts style school for fae and demi fae and humans who wield magic. I think he’d be very good at it.

“Aelin is my heart. I taught her what I knew, and it worked because our magics understood each other deep down - just as our souls did. You are … different. Your magic is something I have rarely encountered. You need someone who grasps it, or at least how to train you in it. But I can teach you control; I can teach you about spiraling down into your power, and taking care of yourself.” Okkkk guess I should just shut up then, Rowan doesn’t want to be a teacher, or at least he’s not confident enough to declare himself a good one. I take back what I said before. Sorry Rowan.

I think it’s so dang cute that he called Aelin his heart.

Sigh.

Poor Dorian.

Ch14

I mean it’s very badass how easily they’re able to take the temple and fight the soldiers, but I’m also growing bored of these miniboss fights and how it kinda feels like. Just a filler episode. Idk how else to put it.

It’s action packed but it feels, like, insubstantial.

Did Aedion say it was once on the table for him to marry Aelin?

The fuck?

and that would make Darrow happy…. Why? What does that gain them, either of them? It’s not marriage into an alliance or for money or power… does it just ensure their children will be pure blooded Ashryvers and have blonde hair and blue eyes?

That’s so icky, Darrow

Ch 15 spooky! Brannon’s ghost, back to warn them about a way to destroy the Wyrdkey! I love how Aedion and Lysandra just snuck up on her.

Now another boss fight, but at least this one is against someone who was already a despicable human and I get to feel glad and satisfied when she chops off his head. The Overseer from Endovier!

Get him, queen!

Slay! Show no mercy, just slice him up and kill him.

"What are collars and rings

compared to a solid heart? A heart of iron and Wyrdstone, to replace the coward's heart beating within."

Oh noooooo

So she can’t kill them?

Woah

It was Erawan the whole time!

Ch16 “And she knew that even if his body hadn't been irreparably broken, there was nothing left inside him to save anyway. Nothing worth saving to begin with.”

Yeah - that’s right! Only save those who deserve it, not slavedrivers and salt mine overseers. Burn in hell, loser. Maybe don’t make your living at the cost of others suffering, if you want to be shown mercy and set free from valg prince possession. Instead, you just get to die - and no one’s gonna feel bad about it!

“I'm surprised you tried to save him first. Given what he did to you at Endovier. My prince could scarcely stand to be inside his mind, it was already so vile. Do you find pleasure in deciding who shall be saved and who is beyond it? So easy, to become a little, burning god."

DIE

It’s none of your business if she wants to be a Queen or a Goddess!

You’ll meet your end, Erawan. Quit with the evil monologue. A goddess will show you no mercy, when your time comes.

The threat laid on Rowan and Dorian seems like empty posturing to me.

I mean, Dorian, maybe, but he’s been there done that, and he is slowly getting stronger. He’ll never let himself be leashed to a valg with a collar ever again. Rowan? Rowan’s a centuries old fae warrior. He’s too powerful and too wild to ever be captured. Erawan has been using humans because they’re easy to subdue. Fuck around with Rowan, and you’ll find out.

That’s just my opinion, but… I don’t think Aelin has anything to be worried about here. Truly.

Ch17

Aw

“Then Manon Blackbeak whirled and brought Wind-Cleaver down upon her grandmother.” YEAH!

Hell yeah!

About time Manon my love!

Ch18 a real shame she didn’t kill her

And now we learn Manon is secretly a queen, Manon’s true family are Corchan. (You were always a queen to me, Manon)

ABRAXOS to the rescue!

This is so exciting AHHH

Ch19

“He opened the door, and by the time her eyes adjusted to the glow of the wrought-iron chandeliers, Lorcan's face had changed. His eyes might never be warm, but a bland smile was on his face, his shoulders relaxed - as if he were slightly inconvenienced by the wait but eager for a good meal.

He almost looked human.”

He’s so irritable. This really is a Shrek and Donkey adventure, lol

“His wife. Gods above.”

A Shrek and Donkey adventure with fake dating

Cuuuute

“Lorcan had seen the worst and best in men for five hundred years.

There was no such thing as a better world - no such thing as a happy end.”

I think I like Lorcan better than Rowan, lol

At least he’s angsty ABOUT something, world weary because he’s 500 and hates his life, instead of just being angsty because he’s in love and doesn’t know how to feel feelings.

I mean. As far as surly handsome fae love interests go. Who knows where SJM is going with this, but if Lorcan is going to be an eligible bachelor, I might just switch my allegiance

Ch20

Speaking of Rowan, lol

Here is another Rowan chapter!

They’re in Skull’s Bay and here to make amends with Captian Rolfe

Ch21”Male” Rowan corrected. “Fae males are not human men.”

TBH I have always hated this aspect of SJM’s writing. The fact that faeries exclusively call themselves males and females doesn’t really set them apart from the human race… some humans identify that way, too. But honestly, anyone who uses “male” and “female” when referring to another person just kinda gives me the creeps. It feels transphobic and dehumanizing. Like, that’s a word I most often associate with animals - like dogs. I’d never call my dog a “woman dog.” She’s female, and since dogs are the most common usage of a word like that in my day to day vocabulary, reading it in a book is like the opposite of sexy to me.

It’s just a personal pet peeve, sorry Rowan, it’s not your fault. You can be “male” if that’s how you identify, I just want you to know I think it’s gross and unsexy.

Anyway.

Looks like the shit has really hit the fan, lol. Rolfe lost all of his crew to the forces of darkness, and somehow, Perrington has abducted Dorian’s little brother and crowned him the new prince and declared himself king. Ouch!

I wish everything had worked out and everything was happy like it was for a minute at the end of the last book. I thought Dorian being king would be a moment of triumph - the feeling of good, fighting back against evil and winning for once. It hasn’t been that at all, so far.

Ch22

Gavriel and Fenrys

Here on Maeve’s orders…

I guess that means we’ll probably see her soon

Ch23

Gavriel knows he has a son, now

I actually think it’s super interesting to act on the vagueness of Maeve’s commands, and join forces with Aelin. It would make Aelin’s court even more badass to be filled with mostly fae and Lysandra

They might not be able to, but I think it would be so cool if they did!

Idk, I guess I’m just getting my hopes up.

Aelin could be like a backwards Maeve, and bond souls with all of them and let them all go free.

Ch24

“Aedion sighed. "Would you have told me what happened last night if I hadn't been there?"

Yeah, girl, you gotta stop doing that

Feeling like you have to face everything alone

This is not an alone-adventure

You need your friends, you need your family, you just need to learn how to rely on people without feeling like it makes you weak.

I really appreciate Aedion and Lysandra for sneaking up on her and for being there. Couple of real ones.

“Find the Lock.

Good thing Skull's Bay was on their way to the Stone Marshes of Eyllwe.”

Oh

That’s probably why Maeve is going there!

Ch25

Manon wakes! She’s free now!

Except shit is still scary.

Ooh, yikes, the Bloodhound!

I hope Abraxos killed her.

Ch26

I’m getting bored again

I think it’s cause I’m reading so many chapters, and all of them have so many things happening, but I’m having a hard time paying attention to the things, even though I know they are important. It just feels like so much; and I’m having trouble reigning in my attention span.

Yo. Can somebody kiss someone soon?

Ch27

Lysandra is the best. Lol

I love this cute little happy scene

Ch28

“Aelin decided she didn't particularly give a shit who was watching and rose up on her toes to brush her mouth against his. It had taken all her wits and abilities to avoid leaving traces of her scent today for him to detect and the shocked delight on his face had been utterly worth it.”

Thank you, Aelin

Bless you

I’ve gone too long without any romance so this tiny little kiss feels like rain in the desert.

I don’t care about Captian Rolfe!

I’m sorry - I just don’t care. If he wants to be a pain in the ass, I say, leave him, and go about this adventure on your own.

“Gavriel didn't smile. Didn't move. Buy

herself time, buy Aedion time…

"You don't get to decide when and where and how you meet him," Aelin said.

"He's my gods-damned son. I think I do.

Aelin shrugged. "You don't even get to decide if you're allowed to call him that."”

did I miss something…? Does she not trust Gavriel? I thought he was a good dude.

Why can’t he be introduced to Aedion? Because he’s enthralled to Maeve? Or? She’s not here… she can lay no claim on him. I feel like now would be a good time to get them to meet each other.

Idk

This was so much content (phew!)

I feel extremely braindead.

[shifterglitter]

.

[hinamie]

unconditionally

[hmura-hmara]

Something about Luke being the spitting image of his father

[skitskatdacat63]

Mark smiling after Oscar said he had to "hang on for dear life."

[marxistcomedy]

the photomatt ban spree is like . rage inducing and horrifying on so many levels but the bleakest to me is how many of these women rely on tumblr to raise funds for survival . left feeling so sick and worried about people i don’t even know because i don’t know what’s going to happen to them now that they’ve been violently cut off from the network of support they have here . glad people are still reblogging aline’s links and will continue to do so myself but im so afraid for her and for every transfem still on here and every transfem that’s already been erased

this is what social murder looks like . we are watching it happen in real time

[floccinaucinihilipilificationa]

[puppyeared]

thanks @chipper-smol for getting me ISAT i will be so irresponsible with the looping

[kindnessoverperfection]

Please, if you can, take a moment to read and share this because I feel like I'm screaming underwater.

NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) stigma is rampant right now, and seems to be getting progressively worse. Everyone is using it as a buzzword in the worst ways possible, spreading misinformation and hatred against a real disorder.

I could go on a long time about how this happened, why it's factually incorrect (and what the disorder actually IS), why it's harmful, and the changes I'd like to see. But to keep this concise, I'll simply link to a few posts under the cut for further reading.

The point of this post is a plea. Please help stop the spread of stigma. Even in mental health communities, even around others with personality disorders, in neurodivergent "safe" spaces, other communities I thought people would be supportive in (e.g. trans support groups, progressive spaces in general), it keeps coming up. So I'm willing to bet that a lot of people on this site need to see this.

Because it's so hard to exist in this world.

My disorder already makes me feel as if I'm worthless and unlovable, like there's something inherently wrong and damaged about me. And it's so much harder to fight that and heal when my daily life consists of:

Laughing and spending time with my friends, doing my utmost best to connect and stay present and focused on them, trying to let my guards down and be real and believe I'm lovable- when suddenly they throw out the word "narcissist" to describe horrible people or someone they hate, or the conversation turns to how evil "people with narcissistic personality disorder" are. (Seriously, you don't know which of your friends might have NPD and feels like shit when you say those things & now knows that you'd hate them if you knew.)

Trying to look up "mental health positivity for people with npd", "mental health positivity cluster bs", only to find a) none of that, and b) more of the same old vile shit that makes me feel terrible about myself.

Having a hard time (which is constant at this point) and trying to look up resources for myself, only to again, find the same stigma. And no resources.

Not having any clue how to help myself, because even the mental health field is spitting so much vitriol at people with DISORDERS (who they're supposed to be helping!) that there's no solid research or therapy programs for people like me.

Losing close friends when they find out, despite us having had a good relationship before, and them KNOWING me and knowing that I'm not like the trending image of pwNPD. Because now they only see me through the lens of stigma and misinformation.

Hearing the same stigma come up literally wherever I go. Clubs. Meetings. Any online space. At the bus stop. At the mall. At a restaurant. At work. Buzzword of the year that everyone loooves loudly throwing around with their friends or over the phone. Feels awesome for me, makes my day so much better/s

I could go on for a long time, but I'm scared no one will read/rb this if it gets too much longer.

So please. Stop using the word "narcissist" as a synonym for "abusive".

Stop bringing up people you hate who you believe to have NPD because of a stigmatizing article full of misinformation whenever someone with actual NPD opens their mouth. (Imagine if people did that with any other disorder! "Hey, I'm autistic." "Oh... my old roommate screamed at me whenever I made noise around him, and didn't understand my needs, which seems like sensory overload and difficulty with social cues. He was definitely autistic. But as long as you're self-aware and always restraining your innate desire to be an abusive asshole, you're okay I guess, maybe." ...See how offensive and ignorant that is?)

Stop preventing healthcare for people with a disorder just because it's trendy to use us as a scapegoat.

If you got this far, thank you for reading, and please share this if you can. Further reading is under the cut.

NPD Criteria, re-written by someone who actually has NPD

Stigma in the DSM

Common perception of the DSM criteria vs how someone may actually experience them (Keep in mind that this is the way I personally experience these symptoms, and that presentation can vary a lot between individuals)

"Idk, the stigma is right though, because I've known a lot of people with NPD who are jerks, so I'm going to continue to support the blockage of treatment for this condition."

(All of these were written by me, because I didn't want to link to other folks' posts without permission, but if you want to add your own links in reblogs or replies please feel free <3)

[aunmenosheteroenespanol]

2.12 Chimney Begins - 2.09 Hen Begins - 2.16 Bobby Begins Again - 7.04 Buck, Bothered and Bewildered

Tommy's family arc

[n-jostcn]

the song of achilles — madeline miller

night shift — stephen king

euripedes — anne carson

circe — madeline miller

a conjuring of light — v.e. schwab

west wind — mary oliver

the song of achilles — madeline miller

the fragile threads of power — v.e. schwab

[da-rulah]

Ghost B.C. - The Olde One - Papaganda Ep. 1