#also 'so stop wasting time time lord' has to be some of the best last words in the series

[weedle-testaburger]

the other day i was talking to a friend who doesn't watch much doctor who and they mentioned remembering 'sexy tree lady' and somehow it's only just dawned on me that yeah, jabe was hot

[sky-kiss]

A/N: Blatant Asmodeus propaganda. After betraying Raphael in the HoH to save Baldur's Gate, they steal his corpse back from Meph and entreat Asmodeus. Also. A Dracula gif. To push my agenda.

Raph x GN!Tav: A Pact Struck, A Contract Sealed

Ages have passed, and empires have risen and fallen since a mortal last attempted to bind his Aspect. Asmodeus feels a tickling in the back of his psyche, barely a drag at his near-infinite energy. His awareness fragments and then shifts, searching for the source of the petition. The words come second, the feelings first. 

Desperation. Pain. A soul-deep grief. Physical hurt, too, but it's a stinging afterthought. The Lord of the Nine Hells cocks his head to the side, eyes closed. They are petitioning his avatar. They whisper in the darkness. A chill winter breeze howls around them, bowing the branches of dead trees. How fitting, he thinks, that this little creature should surround itself with such things. They wear death like a shroud. 

He is not in the habit of entertaining such low-hanging fruit…but there is a touch of something in their desperation, a sweetness Asmodeus has not sampled in many years. It amuses him. And he is not above indulging his amusement—the Archdevil motions with his right hand, passing a fraction of his awareness to the Aspect. The darkness of his throne room fades in favor of a moonlit night—the sickly sweet tang of blood colors the air. 

Ah, and there is his petitioner. They sit with their back pressed to an ancient white birch, skin badly frostbitten. Cania's stink lingers across their skin, brimstone and hellfire marrying together. They curl around their prize, clutching a badly mangled figure to their chest. Asmodeus hums, kneeling. Its wings are broken. So many bones shattered. 

"Tell me, child." His voice is low and pleasant in the chill air, a warmth chasing along the baritone. "Do you know whose name you have called? The attention you would court?" 

They nod, grip tightening on their prince. Tears cut through the mess of dirt on their skin. Crying, he thinks, and what a charming little oddity. Who shed tears for a devil? How curious. How delightful. "Lord Asmodeus, Prince of the Darkness. Lord of Lies." 

"Indeed, I am. Pretty titles, aren't they?" 

"I thought…" they catch themselves. Asmodeus notes the tremor in their right hand and the way they struggle to stay upright. His presence is overpowering at the best of times; the wounded little creature is fighting valiantly not to succumb to darkness, mind breaking under the weight of his Aspect's attention.

"My apologies, little one. It has been some since I treated with your kind. Allow me." He reaches out with one clawed hand, tapping his nail to the center of their forehead. The ward will protect them from the worst of it. They blink at him. "Continue, please." 

Their right hand tightens in the corpse's dark hair. "My Lord, I had hoped to make a deal with you. I know…I am beneath your attention…"

"Most are. The benefit of being a god, I suppose. But it has never stopped me in the past." 

Despite themself, they smile. Shuffling, the adventurer turns their burden outwards. Though badly burned, cheekbones shattered, he recognizes the features—so much of the father in the son, an agony to both parties. Mephistopheles' boy stares blankly forward—a hollow shell of himself, a waste of potential.  

It pains the Prince to see so promising a resource wasted. 

"I made a mistake. I…" they swallow. "There was something that had to be done. And it came at a cost. Raphael…” 

"The boy is known to me, child. If I may?" They hesitate. Asmodeus forces his temper down, the air around them heating. He is a god and not in the habit of being denied. But the Hero of Baldur's Gate relents, shifting their burden into his arms. The Lord of the Ninth cups his hand over the pretender-king's mouth, his forehead. Asmodeus shuts his eyes. "Such a waste." 

"Can you help him?"

"Do you doubt me, little one?" They shift back, dropping their eyes at the sharpness of his tone—a warning, barely veiled. "Mephistopheles has devoured that which he gave—the infernal. The mortal soul…is uncontested. Lost somewhere in Avernus. It could be located…for a price."

"Anything." 

Asmodeus chuckles. He is not ignorant of the sudden rush of color in the little creature's cheeks or how the sound makes them avert their eyes. This guise is pleasant, after all, tall and angular and dark. The wind catches in the blackness of his hair, the long strands falling well below his shoulders. "How dearly naive. I've half a mind to take advantage of such generosity." They shiver under the force of his stare, reality undoubtedly going dark around the edges. He hums. "But…the alternative could prove a more pleasurable distraction still." 

The Lord of the Ninth stands, holding out his hand. The hero, Tav, sets their palm in his. He helps them to their feet, settling his other hand on their shoulders. So close, he can feel the weight of their exhaustion and desperation rolling off them, an ambrosia. The depth of their affection for the boy-king. Interesting and useful. Asmodeus touches their cheek. 

"I will treat with you, little one, and more fairly than I ought. Your dear one's potential: a few more centuries, a stern hand, and Raphael might have made a powerful piece on the board. His sire is…" Asmodeus tapped his chin. "Increasingly irrelevant. Immutable and tiresome." 

Tav stares up at him, such a little thing. And there is potential there, too, the ability to warp and mold this boy-king into something suitable to his grand design. He touches their cheek with a claw. "I will give the means to locate Raphael's soul. In retrieving it, you will prove your worth and dedication. I have no use for the faint of heart. Is this clear?" 

"Yes, my Lord." 

"Clever pet, very clever." He smiles, chucking them under the chin. "You bring the boy to my court in Nessus, where he shall be given the means to decide his fate. Is that clear?" 

"Yes."

What an amusing twist of fate. He bends, collecting the Prince's mangled body in his arms. Tav looks ready to protest, to fight for their dear one (and again, how delightful; Asmodeus cannot help but feel charmed), only to remember what precisely stands before them: a god in truth, the Lord of all the Nine Hells. Asmodeus smiles at them, bowing his head. "I shall keep him for you, little one. You have my oath. Collect his soul, and we will meet again." 

He leaves them without another word, a touch of the dramatic, a hint of mystery to whet their palette. Asmodeus inspects the corpse in his arm. 

Sweet Prince, broken and bloodied. 

Asmodeus will make him whole again. 

[my-own-worst-critic-arina]

Prove it.

Gojo satoru x reader

Storyline - Gojo is your brother’s best friend. Things take an interest turn when your parents and brother are away.

Warning - this contains indecent language and smut.

Is it possible to cut your own ears off and still live? 

I mean, it sounds likely. Maybe I should google that right after I murder my brother and his idiot of a best friend.

It’s 1:00am on a Wednesday, and these two fools choose to play Slim Shady by Eminem at the highest possible volume there is on the speaker. How do I know it’s the highest volume? 

That’s because if it got any louder, my eardrums would explode. 

I tried to ignore it. I did everything I could to avoid having to go into my brother's room, not because I was scared of my brother; why would I be? I could always tell my parents when they got back from their trip. I’m my dad’s first daughter, so of course dad would be on my side. After that, I’ll shed some tears, and boom, I’ll have mom on my side. It’s too easy, honestly.

The actual reason I was avoiding going into my brother's room is far more complex. May I introduce to you my brother's best friend, Gojo satoru, also known as the Bain of my existence.

Satoru, or Satan’s son, as I call him, has been my brother's best friend from the time they were born until now, and in my brother's eyes as well as those of my parents and everyone else's, Gojo satoru can do no wrong. 

Which is highly incorrect. Gojo is an arrogant, supercilious, overbearing, bossy prick. I could go on, but for the sake of time, I won't, and the worst part of it all is that I seem to be the only person on the planet who thinks this.

Does that mean I’m wrong and satoru might be a decent human being? 

No, of course not; it just means everyone else is stupid, and I’m the only one who can see through his whole nice guy act. 

There you have it folks, the grand introduction of Satan’s firstborn. 

Suddenly the music stopped, only to start again, this time playing It’s Friday by Rebecca Black.

…..

Oh hell no! 

That’s it, anymore of this, and I will actually cut off my ears regardless of whether I live or not. And with that, I marched my way to my brother's room.

I don’t even bother knocking; I just open the door and walk right in, though I wasn’t expecting that, mostly because my brother always locks his door. That’s a little weird, I thought. As I look around the room, My brother was nowhere in sight, but I did see a very hot-looking body lying on his bed, with headphones on.

You . have. got to. be. fucking. kidding. me.

Without wasting any time, I walked straight up where the demon's head rested on the pillow, and I yanked the headphones off of him. His eyes instantly opened, and he began yelling at me, like a mad man. It was hard to make out what he was saying, but I’m guessing it was something along the lines of “what the fuck is your problem?” and “where did you even come from?” 

After a few minutes, the dork finally realized I couldn’t hear a damn thing he was saying because of the stupid music. 

He jumped off of the bed, walked over to the speaker, and, thank the Lord God, turned it off.

Wow, I never knew silence could feel this good; however, it didn’t last long.

“What are you doing here?” 

“I live here.”

“You know what I mean, don’t be a smartass,"  said the son of Satan as he made his way to me. 

“Better to be a smartass than a dumbass like you,” I said, giving him the death glare, which he of course returned. 

If looks could kill, I would be at least 8 feet under

I finally decided to speak since it looked like he wasn’t going to do anything other than stare at me as if he could just snap my neck any second now.

“Where’s my brother?” I asked 

“Suguru went out with shoko, they won’t be back for tonight. Shoko’s parents are out of town,” he replied.

“So then, why are you here?”

“None of your business,” he replied, as if I were being a pest to him.

“It is when you are blasting music at 1 in the morning on a Wednesday.”

“So what if it’s Wednesday?” 

“I have school tomorrow,” I replied. At this point, I am still fuming, and he isn’t making it better.

“And your point is? When me and your brother were in high school, we partied any day of the week, and you’re tripping over some music? Huh, you really are boring,” he says, looking me dead in the eyes. 

“I’m not “tripping” and I’m not boring,” I replied firmly. Well, as firmly as I could. It’s not easy to focus when his eyes are so distracting. Oh, did I forget to mention satoru happens to be extremely hot? He seems to be God’s favorite for some reason. 

I was so distracted, I almost didn’t hear when he said 

“You are right. you’re just a prude who doesn’t know how to have fun.” 

What did he just say? 

“Excuse me, I’m not a prude, and I know how to have fun more than you do.”  

He starts laughing. The fucker throws his head back and starts laughing as if I just told him the funniest joke ever.

How fucking dare he

I’m not a prude. 

I know how to have fun. 

He’s just an asshole. 

I glare at him, and he finally stops laughing and looks at me.

He then says, “Oh yeah, prove it.” 

Without thinking, I replied, “How?”

He smirks at me, grabbing my hand and sending shivers up my arm as he drags me out of my brother's room and into mine. 

He sits on my bed so that his back rests on the frame. 

“Are you sure you want to prove it?” 

 

I nod my head.

 

“Use your words, sweetheart.” 

 

“Yes” 

 

“Yes what?”

 

“Yes Satoru ”

 

“Good girl, now fucking strip. Do it slowly.

 

I looked at him in shock before I began to slowly undress. I never thought I had a sub-bone in my body, but yet here I was stripping naked in front of my brother's best friend and listening to his every command.

 

I had to admit that it felt good to be told what to do in such a demanding yet incredibly sexy way. 

 

Once I was completely naked, I finally looked up to see him staring at me with lustful eyes. I also noticed the impressive bulge in his pants. But before I got the chance to stare, he spoke. 

 

“Come here and straddle my thigh now.” 

 

I lower my head as I walk to him, then slowly straddle his right thigh. 

 

He grabbed my jaw with one hand, forcing me to look up at him. He placed his other hand on my hip. 

 

“Kiss me,” he said. 

 

I sat up a bit so I could place a soft kiss on his lips. 

 

“What the fuck was that? Kiss me like you mean it, like you want me to fuck you so hard you can’t walk for days,” he said as if I had insulted him. 

 

So I kissed him again, this time I slipped my tongue into his mouth. He tasted like peppermint; it was warm and soothing, but at the same time rough and dominant. 

I felt like I was on cloud 9. I never thought kissing could feel this good. 

 

I could still taste the sweet peppermint flavor on my lips even after he had started trailing butterfly kisses from the top of my neck to my breasts. 

 

“Grind yourself on my thigh.” 

He said as he sucked one of my nipples into his mouth while his hand played with the other. Still keeping a firm hand on my hip, he helped me move myself onto him. 

 

I couldn’t help but moan; it just felt so good.

 

“That’s it, princess. Moan for me. Let me know how desperate you are for me to fill you,” he said in a husky tone. 

 

With that, I moan again. Moving my hips against his jeans felt like heaven. I can only imagine what it would feel like to have his cock buried deep inside me. 

 

I suddenly realized I was naked while he was fully clothed. 

“Aren’t you taking your clothes off?” I ask

 

"Patience, baby, don’t rush. Just relax and let me make you feel good,” he replied as he delivered a spank to my ass. 

 

I moaned at the sensation.

 

“You like that, don’t you, baby? You like when I spank you like a little slut.” 

 

I don’t reply. I’m too caught up in the pleasure of grinding myself onto him.

 

He spanks me again. this time harder 

“Answer me”

 

“Yes! I like it when you spank me.”

 

“That’s my good little slut,” he whispers sweetly in my ear, as if he isn’t degrading me, not that I’m complaining. 

 

I started grinding faster as I felt a tingling feeling of ecstasy, and before I knew it, I was screaming satoru’s name as came on his jeans-covered thigh.

 

“That’s it, baby. Scream my name. Let everyone know who you belong to,” he whispered in my ear as I rested my head on his shoulder and continued to ride out my orgasm. 

 

I kept my head on his shoulder while I tried to stabilize my breathing. 

 

Gojo placed a sweet kiss on my head. 

“Don’t get tired on me now, sweetheart. we’ve only just started,” he said in a soft tone. 

 

“I’m not tired. I was just giving you some time to catch your breath.” 

 

“If you say so, break time up. Take my clothes off,” he says as he gets up from bed and stands beside it. 

 

I slowly hop out of bed and begin to take off his clothes one after the other, all the while keeping eye contact with him. 

 

As I’m about to take off his boxer, he stops me, grabbing me by the neck and kissing me. The kiss is full of pure dominance. After what felt like forever, he finally pulled away, allowing me to catch my breath. Resting his forehead on his mind, he says, “You’re so fucking perfect.” 

 

That makes me smile. “I want to do something for you." I tell him as I place my hands on his chest. 

 

“You don’t have to,” he said firmly. 

 

“I want to,” I replied. 

I kiss his chest and work my way down, leaving hickeys as I go. Before I knew it, I was on my knees, looking up at him.

 

I removed his boxer, freeing his massive cock. I have to say I’m impressed.

He had to be about 10 inches...

 

I placed a soft kiss on the tip, then 

I lick from the base of his cock to the tip, once again placing a kiss on it.

 

“Stop teasing me,” he groaned. 

 

“You can’t make me,” I replied. 

 

“I can’t?“ he mockingly asks as he grabs my hair, pushing my head forward so that I take all of his cock into my mouth. 

 

"Fuck,” he moans. 

 

I started I sucked his cock, bobbing my head up and down while my hand played his balls. I did this until I decided to try something a bit different. 

 

I stroked his dick with my hands as I sucked on his balls. 

  

“Just like that baby, you’re doing so well.” 

 

After a while, I go back to sucking on his dick, this time bobbing my head faster. 

 

I moaned at the taste of his precum on my tongue. 

 

"Aghh, fuck that feels amazing; you’re going to make me cum,” he says in a rough voice. 

 

Satoru uses his hold on my hair to guide me, pushing my head down until I gagged, then letting me up for a split second before pushing me down again. 

 

He moaned my name, pulling my hair back, making me look up at him as he came into my mouth. 

 

"Swallow,” he said, looking into my eyes.

 

all the while. Maintaining eye contact with him, I swallowed his cum.

 

“That’s a good girl. you look so fucking good on your knees for me. I want to taste you,” and with that, he lifted me by my thighs and placed me on the bed. He kissed me passionately before moving downward, placing butterfly kisses from my neck to my hip. He then started to bite and suck the inside of my thighs, all while maintaining eye contact with me. Teasing bastard. 

 

"Please,” I begged. 

 

"No,” he paused, thinking before he said 

“If you want it, you’re going to beg like you need it.” 

 

“Please satoru. Please touch me. I need it so bad, please,” I said, looking at him with teary eyes. 

 

"Hmm, how can I say no to that?” 

He hooks his hands around my thighs, pinning me down onto the bed. 

 

Finally breaking eye contact with me to look down in between my thighs. 

 

“Such a pretty pussy, I haven’t started yet, and look at how fucking wet you are.”

 

He leans in and licks up my slit.

I pushed my hips forward against his face. 

He pinches my clit “bad girl.”

 

“Good girls wait and take what is given to them. you want to be my good girl, don’t you?” He asked as he rubbed my clit.

 

"Yes, satoru” he said, nodding at me before devouring me like a starving caveman. 

 

“Fuck, you taste incredible, baby. you’re going to make me addicted to you.” 

 

When he started sucking my clit automatically, my legs began shaking. I was pretty sure if it weren’t for his hold on them, they would have collapsed. 

 

I started to feel a familiar sensation creeping slowly towards the climax.

I screamed his name as I came on his tongue. 

 

“What a magnificent sound, I just want to hear it again and again and again.” He said this as his eyes slowly trailed from my eyes down to my legs. 

 

“I need to feel you wrap around me,” he said as he moved so that we were in a missionary position. 

His fingers dug into my hips as he held me in place, looking into my eyes as if asking for permission.

 

I nodded my head. 

 

“My girl, you’re so beautiful,” he says. As he rammed into me with one powerful thrust, he moved his hands so that one was pressing down on my lower stomach while the other he used to grab on to my neck, giving it a squeeze every few seconds. 

 

“Come on, rub your clit for me like the dirty little slut you are.” 

 

Follow his orders. I started rubbing my clitoral area, and gosh, it felt amazing. 

 

“Does that feel good, baby?” 

 

I once again nodded, too caught up in pleasure to speak.

 

"Yeah, I fucking bet it does.” 

 

He persists in thrusting in and out of me, making me see stars. 

 

“Fuckkk…… You’re so fucking tight.” 

 

Hearing him moan and whimper in my ear because of how good I felt around him was the hottest thing in the world. 

 

“I’m so close, baby; I want to come with you.”

 

He continued to thrust into me, this time hitting my cervix, causing me to scream out a loud moan as we came together.

 

We just stayed like that, connected together, looking into each other’s eyes. He slowly pulled himself out of me and readjusted us so I was lying on his chest as he moved his fingers up and down my spine. About 15 minutes passed before satoru lifted me up bridal style and walked towards the bathroom, where we took a relaxing shower together. 

I felt like I was in heaven and couldn’t stop admiring him as he took care of me, gently washing me clean and then placing a kiss on my forehead when he was done.

 

After the shower, I put on his t-shirt and a fresh pair of pants while he wore his boxer. Satoru once again lifts me and gently places me on the bed.

He laid his head on my chest and positioned his legs in between mine. Reaching his hands down, he started to massage my thighs. 

 

“You know, I never truly hated you. I just needed to tell myself that because the truth is, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. You were on my mind day and night, yet you seemed to not even care that I existed, so I started to annoy you as a way to get your attention. To be honest, I even bullied you a bit, but I promise you, I never did anything with the intention of hurting you. I would never hurt you. You’re mine; always was and always will be.” 

 

“And what about you? Are you mine?” I asked. The truth is, I had a crush on satoru when I was younger, but I thought he was out of league and would never go for someone like me. It hurt to know that, and when he started to be an arrogant asshole towards me, it just made it so much easier to hate him. 

 

“I’m yours," he said, moving his head so he was now looking up at me. He continued, "y/n/n), you fucking own me. I have loved you for as long as I can remember, and nothing is ever going to change that. Go on a date with me, please. I promise, if you give me a chance, I'll try my hardest and be the best fucking boyfriend there ever was, because that’s how much I love you.

I love you, ( y/n ), with all my heart and soul.” 

 

I smiled as I replied, “I love you too, toru, to the moon and back again, and yes, I will go on a date with you.” 

 

He smiles back at me and then kisses me. This kiss was different; it felt passionate and soothing.

 

Everything about this moment was perfect, and I never wanted it to end. 

Author note: Thank you for reading my honey bunches of oats✨💜

See you in the next post.

[slothquisitor]

What Moves in the Dark: Chapter Eighteen

A post-campaign Baldur’s Gate 3 eldritch horror AU.

Chapter summary: The group returns to Ramazith's Tower to celebrate their victory. Here there be smut. If that's not your cup of tea, I support you. Simply stop reading at the break when it switches to Astarion's POV. <3

Read from the beginning.

Also on AO3.

__________________________________________________________

“We were able to pinpoint where the uvuudaum was because my brother infected himself with tainted blood, there’s another entrance a few blocks away,” Liv replies. She feels as though she’s been repeating herself for the last two hours as she and all of the rest of their companions are questioned relentlessly by members of the Watch and Flaming Fist who have swarmed the Caldwell estate. 

There seems to be some question of jurisdiction, and the murder of Lord Wyllyck is only complicating things. Her brother and Astarion have had the longest and most intense interrogations. Having Investigator Devella able to corroborate much of their story is not nearly as helpful as Liv would have believed. The fact that their group as well as all the uvuudaum’s victims have emerged from a hidden door in a drawing room covered in blood is probably not helping their case for early release. In fairness, she, Gale, and Roland had done their best to prestidigitate the worst of the blood away, but they’re all still a mess. She needs a nap and bath, and she’s tired enough to not be picky about the order. 

“And where was this entrance?” The Fist asks. 

“I already gave that information to your colleague. It’s in the retaining wall behind two houses on Turl Street.” 

The questions continue like that for a while, but finally, the Fist turns on his heel and strides away without another word, and Liv stays in her seat, fighting her exhaustion. Kharis is free too, the Watch member interviewing him has stepped away, so he walks over and sits down. 

“Are you alright?” he asks. He’s dressed for travel, gray cloak still about his shoulders. He’s trimmed his red beard some too. His husband, Wynn will be pleased. 

She’s a little bruised and trying desperately not to think about everything she saw when she closed the portal, but she’s also exhilarated. “Yes, I am. Thank you for showing up. I had gotten worried when I wasn’t hearing from you.”

He sighs, leaning back in the chair as she’s seen him do so many times in the workroom. “That sort of magic doesn’t come easily to me. We didn’t have much information. When I showed up at Candlekeep with the tainted blood in tow, we immediately began analyzing it, but finding anything concrete…we had theories. Nothing helpful. Until your last message.”

“Oh?”

“You talked about a host…how it could all communicate…and then how it took someone. Of all the possibilities we were entertaining, an uvuudaum was the only creature that fit. Your brother got the spell written down, and because you cannot teleport inside Candlekeep we had to run outside the enchantment. Roland and I didn’t want to waste time or magic to tell you that we were on the way.”

She remembers reading about that once. That there is no teleportation near Candlekeep. She wonders how far they had to run, and smiles a bit at the image of her brother and Kharis sprinting away from the library city. “I’m just glad you’re alright and grateful you came to help.”

He nods. “I’m sorry I didn’t go to get help sooner, but it seems like you managed to gather some powerful allies without me.” 

“They all showed up to save Astarion,” she said. “The vampire you kicked out of our shop.”

Kharis laughs. “Yeah, I see that my religious convictions had no effect on your befriending him. But…it seems like it’s a bit more than that, isn’t it?” He doesn’t sound mad, mostly exasperated.

“A bit more than that,” she agrees. “But I think all these people showing up to save him should speak volumes about his character.” 

“I don’t give a fuck what they think, but if you say he’s a good man, that’s enough for me.”

“Really?”

“If this whole saga has taught me anything, it’s that between the two of us, yours is perhaps the better judgment of character and danger and probably everything else too. I’m an old mercenary, Liv. I’ve spent far too much of my life distrusting everyone around me. I opened that shop to do some good, and you reminded me of that,” Kharis says. 

Astarion strides over to them and sighs. “Well, I do believe we have waded through enough of the bureaucratic red tape to finally be allowed to leave.”

“Finally,” Liv replies. 

Astarion glances rather expectantly between her and Kharis, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. Kharis simply stands. “I have a husband to surprise, and I’d very much like to not see you working for at least the next three days.” Then he glances to Astarion. “Can you help me force her to rest?” 

Astarion grins wickedly. “Well, I can certainly keep her from working, but rest isn’t something I can promise.”

She rubs her eyes. “I promise to rest, maybe even sleep for the next three days?”

“Good enough.” And then Kharis picks up his axe leaning by the door and leaves. 

“He didn’t threaten me this time, so I feel like that went well,” Astarion grins. 

“It certainly went a way…well isn’t how I’d describe it,” she says, more amused than annoyed.

He extends a hand to her. “Come on, we’re all going to Ramazith’s Tower.”

She takes his hand. “All of us? My brothers too?”

“It seemed rude not to invite them.”

She sighs. “I suppose I do have to talk to them at some point, don’t I?” 

As they leave the Caldwell Estate, it is nearly dawn in Baldur’s Gate. Their group is loud in the streets. Shadowheart and Veska are telling Jaheira all about the menagerie of animals they have at their cottage, while Minsc boasts to Gale all about his recent adventures with the Guild and helping rebuild the city. Her brothers hang close, but they’re not exactly joining the chatter. She knows she needs to talk to them, to both of them, but she’s not sure what to say. Especially to Percy. 

Astarion has noticed her attention snag on them, and he gives her hand a squeeze. “Go on, far easier to fireball them out here than in the tower.”

He’s not wrong, but she’s hopeful that the conversation won’t go that poorly. She drifts their way, in the chaos earlier, she hadn’t been able to properly catalog the passage of time, of all the ways her brother has changed. Roland looks different, older. His hair is longer than she’s ever seen it and he has the faintest hint of a beard, but there’s a lightness to him she doesn’t remember. Candlekeep has been good to him. He and Percy look rather at ease with each other, and she realizes that he must have known about Percy’s true loyalties. It stings a little, but she’s too tired to be angry about it.  

“You feeling alright?” she asks Percy. Astarion had confirmed that the tainted blood was all gone, but there’s a part of her that worried that it couldn’t be that simple, that even with the uvuudaum banished there might be some lingering effects. 

Percy smirks. “Is that concern I hear?”

“Well, I did kill you,” Liv shrugs. 

Roland looks between them both. “You did what?”

“It was a spell,” Liv explains. 

Roland shakes his head in exasperation. “Oh, and that makes it fine?”

“She had my permission,” Percy replies. 

“We’re certainly not short on drama in this family, are we?”

It’s less awkward than she imagined, talking with them. Though she still feels like she’s still on the outside of something, not quite part of their ease with each other. She glances at Percy. “I owe you an apology.” 

Percy shakes his head. “You don’t. You saw exactly what I wanted you to see. If anyone owes an apology, it’s me.”

 “I’ve been telling him to just go talk to you for the last six months,” Roland says. 

“You two were in contact that much?” She hates the way her voice sounds so small. So Roland would talk to Percy, but not return her letters? 

Roland looks uncomfortable but nods. “Here and there. He contacted when you left home.”

“I was so damn proud of you, I had to tell someone,” Percy says, voice quiet. 

She is so surprised she doesn’t know what to say. He’d been proud of her? For leaving?

“I hadn’t heard from him in years and suddenly there’s his voice in my ear telling me all about you,” Roland says with a smile laced with apology. “I’ve been trying to figure out what to say, how to reach back out to you…and then Kharis shows up at Candlekeep. He sought me out immediately, and said he knew I was there because of you. It seemed like a good enough opening, but I had hoped to show up with answers rather than arriving to chaos…”

And it still hurts, but they’d both shown up when it mattered, and she’s not sure if she’s ever had anyone show up for her like that. Certainly not her own family. And it doesn’t fix the years or the distance or the pain, but maybe this can be a start. “Thank you both, for everything.”

There’s plenty going unsaid between her and Percy, but she thinks Astarion might have been right. He had infected himself, helped with all of this because he wanted to show her that he did care. She’d been wrong, and even though they’re almost strangers to each other, maybe they won’t always be.

Roland straightens his robes and leans down conspiratorially. “So, am I going to be given a proper introduction to all these important people, or will I simply have to guess who they are from the stories?”

She laughs. “You did show up in the heat of battle, I don’t think anyone was very concerned with introductions.”

But she and Percy point everyone out, telling him names and stories. She surprises herself by laughing and joking with them. Time is a funny thing, it can feel so very long, and yet so short. Talking with them she is thrust back in time, to one of the good days. Every memory with her siblings isn’t brimming with pain, there were good times too. She just wishes Brelia was here to see this moment. 

Ramazith’s tower rises before them, the tallest levels catching the first rays of sunlight peeking over Dusthawk Hill. Their group hurries inside as if they are all as sensitive to the sun as Astarion is.  

Rolan, Cal, and Lia are still gathered in the large sitting area. Lia looks like she had dozed off at some point, while Cal and Rolan seemed to be playing a game of lanceboard to keep themselves awake. 

“Astarion!” All three siblings are on their feet and hurrying over to him. 

“I’m so glad you’re safe!” Lia says around a yawn. 

Cal pat his arm. “We kept telling her you’d be fine.”

Astarion keeps his chin up, his tone nonchalant. “Oh come now, I’m always fine. Takes a hells of a lot more than that to keep me down.” And he’s playing it off, but it’s clear he’s touched in the same way he was when he realized his friends had come to rescue him. He might never say it, but she’s pretty sure that the siblings catch the undercurrent of gratitude anyway. 

Rolan brings out drinks and food and everyone in the group collapses somewhere in the sitting area. There is a sort of practiced air to it. All of these people are used to fighting together, used to the aftermath, and in this, there is a sort of ritual. A push and a pull, a checking in on everyone without actually asking how anyone is. It’s fascinating to watch from the relative safety of the sidelines while Gale and Astarion fill the siblings in on the events of the evening.  

Eventually, Veska makes her way over, rather tentatively. “Mind if I join you?” 

“Not at all.” 

“Couldn’t help but notice that…uh…things with your brother were a little strained earlier?” Veska says, keeping her voice low enough not to be overheard. Percy and Roland are talking with Jaheira and Minsc, so there’s little chance of that, but she appreciates her discretion. 

“Bit of an understatement,” Liv replies. 

“So I’d gathered. I…wanted to apologize if I made it worse, but honestly, I owe Percy a great deal.”

“So I’d gathered,” Liv echoes with a laugh. “Don’t worry, I’m not upset with you…there’s just a lot of painful family history we all need to work through. I think we’re making some headway there.”

“I know a little about that,” Veska says raising her glass in solidarity. “Did you know I have a sister?”

“Oh shit.” Liv has known Veska’s family her whole life, but if there’s one thing she’s familiar with, it is the ability of the wealthy and powerful to bury those things they would rather have everyone forget. 

“I haven’t seen her in a long time, and there’s a lot about her I thought was true and wasn’t. Shitty parents tend to twist things…I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but if I had the opportunity to see my sister again, there’s a lot I’d want to say. Your brothers are here. They showed up for you.”

“They did.” And it means more than she can say. “I’m sure when you see your sister again you’ll get the chance to say everything you’ve wanted to.”

“It’s been a very long time, but hey, we’re both disowned now, so at least we’ll have that in common.” Veska has always been sunny in her disposition, and though they’ve never been close, Liv can see that there’s a confidence and a brightness about her now. 

Liv offers her a smile. “It’s not the worst club in the world to be in.”

“I did want to tell you that your leaving gave me the courage to go too.”

Josie had said something to that effect, but Liv hadn’t quite believed it to be true. And it’s hard to believe now. “Really?”

“You’re Liv Fucking Vires. Hard not to be inspired,” Veska says with a wink. 

Liv isn’t sure what to say to that, so instead she turns it back around to Veska. “But you’re happy, away from the city?”

Veska’s gaze wanders to Shadowheart. “I am.” And then with a smile and a gentle squeeze of her hand, she’s gone, meeting Shadowheart at the base of the stairs before they head up to the promised rooms to rest. 

Liv glances around at the celebration that is rapidly winding down. It wasn’t so much a party as it was an excuse to eat everything in sight and retell every aspect of the battle piece by piece. But as the sun rises, the exhaustion has begun to set in. Liv feels it too, it makes her limbs heavy. No part of her wants to make her way back to her apartment, so she stays sitting, hoping for energy to find her. 

Astarion swoops in then fresh off a murmured conversation with Gale who has gone upstairs now as well. He reclines casually against the arm of the couch rather than joining her fully. He bends down to whisper in her ear. “Stay here with me.”

She twists to look at him, to read his intention. She wants to say yes so badly. “You’re sure?”

He smiles. “Very.”

She catches her brothers’ attention before she goes. “I’ll see you both, soon?”

Percy glances out the window, at the cheery morning sun and looks as tired as she feels. “Let’s do dinner tomorrow. Give us all some time to recover.”

Dinner. With her brothers. That’ll be something new. “Sounds great.” And she means it. 

And then she lets Astarion lead her up the stairs and to his room. The magic of the tower still sets her teeth on edge, but it’s not so bad once they’re actually in his room, and it occurs to her that’s probably because the room itself is in a demiplane rather than the actual tower. That certainly explains why there’s no issue with space or unexpected guests here.

 “You know, I had intended to invite you here after the party,” Astarion says. 

“But best-laid plans and all that?” 

He sighs. “Well, we did finally make it, though we are both a mess.” He strides purposefully over to his desk and begins unbuckling his armor. 

She knows that the worst of the blood is gone, but she can still feel it lingering like an oily sheen against her skin. “I wouldn’t mind cleaning up before going to bed.”

“Same. The bathing chamber is through there, you can clean up first,” Astarion says pointing towards a darkened doorway that stands ajar, turning away from her. “Unless…”

She turns and he looks rather unsure, so she prompts him, doing her best to sound utterly neutral. “Unless?”

He meets her gaze full on, the silence stretching taut between them. “The tub is big enough for two…if you wouldn’t mind the company.” He seems to be batting the nervousness away by trying to be smooth, but it’s not really working. Still, it is rather endearing. 

She recognizes it for the show of trust that it is, so she doesn’t tease. Not about this. “I’d like that.” 

She waits while he discards the last of his armor, and then he joins her and together they go into his bathing chamber. It is quite large, and he was right, it does seem that the tub will be big enough for them both. 

“Perks of a wizard tower, I’m told,” he says, touching a rune on the side of the tub that immediately fills it with water.

“Or simply having money,” she replies, having grown up with similar accommodations. 

“And here I thought I might impress you,” he says, coming to stand in front of her. 

“You know that you don’t need to impress me, right? I’m already here, and I don’t have any expectations,” she says. “But I would like to know how much of you I can have right now.”

His eyes widen a bit with the question, before softening as he brings a hand to her shoulder. “I’ve never been with someone like this before…without it leading to more. I’d like to be with you…touch you, but nothing more. Can we simply try that?”

Life has not been kind to Astarion, but still, he reaches for it. Still, he tries. She finds herself perpetually in awe at his commitment to living, to freedom. And she feels rather honored that he feels safe enough to try with her. She cups his cheek and cannot help but smile. “I’m way too tired for anything more than that. I almost cried at the thought of walking home.”

He looks relieved. “Well, glad we’re on the same page then.”

“Have I told you have glad I am you’re okay? I was so worried about you.”

He rests his forehead on hers. “I was worried about me too, and then you came to the rescue like some ethereal knight in shining armor.”

“I heard you liked adventure stories. Though I didn’t quite expect to be living one.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like a few months of relative quiet before the next world-ending threat to solve.”

“Deal.”

His hands skim her waist, clever fingers working at the tie of her shirt, eyes never leaving hers. Each movement is deliberate, slow; she sees the question in his eyes, and she offers him a nod. His hands are cool against her skin, gentle as they trail over her bruised side and shoulder. He doesn’t kiss her as he undresses her, and she wishes she could read his mind, know what he’s thinking. But his crimson gaze is soft, almost full of awe, so she lets him strip her bare, and she doesn’t reach for him. 

“You’re beautiful,” he whispers, eyes roving hungrily over her body. She wants to look at him too, so she reaches slowly for his shirt. He catches her hands, head bowing slightly. “I have some scars…a portion of an infernal contract.”

And before she can say anything in response, he turns his back to her and removes his shirt. She understands now that there is something more vulnerable about showing her this than simply being naked together. Unable to tolerate being at a disadvantage, he has stripped her bare before showing her this, putting them on a more even footing. The scar is circular, jagged and cruel. She steps close, places a hand against it gently; his breath catches, so she leans forward and presses a kiss against the raised skin. She can feel the way his shoulders relax at the contact. 

She steps around him so that she’s in front of him once again, his eyes are wide with trepidation, so she moves slowly as she cups his cheek. He leans into the touch. “We all carry the scars of our past in one way or another. Neither of us are defined by the choices other people made.”

He rests his forehead against hers. “Touch me again.” The words are a plea, laced with uncertainty as if he is unsure if he can trust them. 

Trailing a hand down his neck to his shoulder, she wraps an arm around his lower back and pulls him close. She runs her hands down the smooth expanse of his chest, his skin is soft, smooth as stone. She has always known he is built lithely, all broad shoulders and a graceful waist…but he is also thin…he hasn’t been feeding as often as he ought to. She makes note of it, files it away for later discussion, and keeps running her hands over his skin. He makes a quiet sound as she touches him, and then as if he cannot stop himself his fingers work into her hair, pulling it loose from the bun, the pins dropping to the floor. He presses a kiss against her neck while his fingers tunnel into the hair near her scalp. She shivers at the contact, at the way he smiles against her skin. 

“Get in the tub, I’ll join you in a moment.”

She’s letting him set the pace here, tell her what he wants, so she nods and turns her back to him, sliding into the warm water. She immediately feels better, the warmth sinking into sore muscles and banishing the aches from her bruises. Gently rubbing at her arms, she banishes the blood and sweat from her skin, already feeling cleaner even as she dips her head beneath the water. 

Astarion joins her then, settling in behind her, a soft brush of fingers along her shoulder before handing her a bar of citrus-smelling soap. Liv is sure that there’s some more sensual way of doing all of this, but she’s tired and desperately wants the blood and sweat of the day washed away, and it’s clear Astarion does too, since he goes about scrubbing his own skin clean without delay. 

It is only once they are both finished that he leans back against the side of the tub, and pulls her with him, arms folding on her bare stomach. She melts against him, warm and content. His fingers trace lines down her skin, gentle brushes that feel almost reverent in the sputtering candlelight of the room. 

“This is nice,” he whispers. 

She closes her eyes and leans more fully into him. “It is.”

The backs of his fingers skate slowly up her arm, brushing against her jaw and neck. She turns her head a little, baring her neck. “You can feed; I don’t mind.”

“You’re injured,” he replies indignantly, but it’s half-hearted enough that she knows she won’t have to do much to convince him. 

“I have a few bruises that Shadowheart already tended to. Drink.”

The water splashes a bit as he rearranges them both enough to reach her neck, and she feels the cool press of his lips against her skin. She knows better what to expect now that she’s already done this once. He holds her steady before he bites down, the bright flash of pain fading to numbness quickly. He cradles her rather tenderly as he drinks, and it’s easy to melt into his touch, and soon he pulls away, his tongue laving the excess blood off her skin. She feels a bit light-headed, that’s all. 

“Thank you,” he whispers before leaning back again against the edge of the tub, pulling her with him. They stay there for a long while, she knows she is dozing because she keeps coming to find the candles have burned lower. Astarion must have noticed too because she can feel his body shake with a quiet laugh. “Let’s get you to bed.”

He hands her a towel and one of his shirts as they emerge from the bath, skin wrinkled, but clean. She’s grateful for his shirt since it saves her from trying to figure out what of her clothing is salvageable for sleep. He waits for her to braid her hair, and then leads her by the hand to his bed, where they crawl beneath the covers. 

She settles against the pillows, getting comfortable, and manages to catch a glimpse of Astarion in the darkness watching her, looking a little lost. And this is probably a first for him too. 

“Want to cuddle?” she asks simply, and he nods as he closes the distance. 

He rests his head against her chest, his ear placed just over her heart, their legs tangled together. She runs her fingers through his soft curls until sleep overtakes her. 

***

Astarion wakes long before Liv, but he doesn’t mind. She was clearly exhausted; he doesn’t want to wake her anyway. The quiet is punctuated by her steady breathing, and he is strangely content. She sleeps on her side, facing away from him, so he gently curls up around her, enjoying the closeness, the novelty of being with someone like this.

She shifts a little as he settles behind her but doesn’t wake. Astarion has never been able to be with someone like this or in the way they were together last night. He’s still pleasantly surprised that he had been naked with someone and it hadn’t led to sex. It was just like she had said: no expectations, no pressure. She had asked how much of him she could have, and he had wanted to tell her everything . 

He is rather hopelessly in love with her. He’s pretty sure he’s been in love with her for a while, and he can’t pinpoint the exact moment, but he was finally able to put a name to the feeling last night when she had kissed his scars and told him that he isn’t defined by his past. She’s right, of course, and when she wakes, he’s ready to shake the last of his past away. 

Last night had been a testing of the waters, quite literally. He needed to know how he’d feel that close to her, close to her in that way. He had lain awake alone in the darkness, waiting for any sign of disgust or shame, but all he’d wanted was more with a sort of desperate urgency. He had been snatched, locked away, made a prisoner once again, and now he needs, more than anything, to take something back. He wants to be in control of himself, wholly. He wants to try, to be reminded that he is alive and free. 

But that all can wait until she wakes, and he will quite happily lay here with her until then. Because there is nothing pressing on their time, nowhere they need to be, no problems to solve. It is rather freeing. 

When Liv finally stirs, her hand traces the length of the arm he has banded about her middle, until her fingers can tangle with this. “Morning,” she says, voice deeper with the dregs of sleep still hanging on. 

He laughs. “I’m quite positive it is early evening, actually.”

She twists to face him. “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t have anywhere to be until tomorrow then.”

“For all sorts of reasons,” he says, voice dripping with promise. 

“Oh?” 

Saying it out loud makes it real, gives her the opportunity to ask him about it, and he’d rather show her. So he closes the distance between them, capturing her lips in a kiss that is neither gentle nor careful. He’s surprised her, he can tell by the soft sound she makes when their lips meet. His tongue dips into her mouth, experimentally, he’s never had the occasion to wake up beside someone and then move to other things, and he’s still half convinced she might stop him. But she doesn’t, her tongue meets his, and her hands run across his chest. He reaches for the bare expanse of her leg, all she wears beyond her underwear is his shirt, and there’s something unbelievably sexy about that. He hooks her leg over his, bringing their hips flush together as she arches against him. 

The moan that escapes him as his hardening cock brushes against the warmth of her has nothing to do with performance or seduction, it is compulsory. Desire frantically bolts through him, honest and insistent. He is altogether too aware of everywhere she’s touching him, the way that warmth radiates from her touch like every point of contact is vibrating. He discards his shirt in a fluid movement, eager to feel more of her. 

He nips at her lower lip and rolls her back so that she is below him and he can more easily seek the friction he’s desperately craving. He rolls his hips into hers and swallows down the low, hungry sound that emanates from her as their kiss deepens. His hand slips higher up the smooth skin of her stomach, inching the shirt up and revealing more of her skin to him. 

She turns her head, and he takes the opportunity to kiss down her neck and across her exposed collarbone, but then he feels her push him back, putting distance between them. “Astarion.” His name is laced with a question.

He pulls back enough to see that her green eyes are dark with desire, but her face is pinched with concern. “Is this alright? Is it what you want?” 

Because if it isn’t, he knows that it could all stop here, stop at any time and she would be alright with that. He trusts her, feels safe with her, seen in ways he’s not sure he ever has been. “Yes. I…didn’t want to push things before. I didn’t want you to become another one of my regrets, but I could never regret you. I love you.”

He watches the effect of his declaration, the way her eyes widen in surprise before softening, before she touches his cheek, fingers nearly trembling. “You do?” 

“I love you,” he says again. He’s said these words to people before, but he’s never meant them. And it does feel different to offer them to her, to watch the way she smiles brilliantly at the words. 

“I love you too.” The words are soft, but they hit him with a force that feels as though it could have knocked him clean over. The words seem to course right through him, landing somewhere beneath his sternum, taking up residence there. He feels a light sort of giddiness. He knew she cared, but it is another thing entirely to hear it from her lips. 

He cannot help the smile that spans his own face. “I’d like to try…with you.”

“You mean sex?” 

“Well, we did cure a blood disease and banish a blood monster back to the Far Realm, so it does seem like the natural next step,” he deadpans. 

“Naturally,” she agrees but then grows more serious. “We don’t…”

He cuts her off. “I know. I want to.”

“I do too,” she admits. “Though, do we need to worry about contraception?” Oh, he’s not used to fielding this question, it was never much of a concern before. 

“Thankfully, no. Vampire spawn can’t reproduce. We have nothing to worry about in that regard, though…perhaps it would be good to go slowly?” 

“Alright, what do you like?”

The question is asked playfully, with a smile, a gentle means of feeling him out, and he wishes he could play along, that it could ever be that simple. Instinct tells him to make a suggestive joke, to tell her to do whatever she likes, but he knows that’s not what this is. Honest, vulnerable, all of his armor stripped away, that is the only way this can work for him. 

“I don’t know what I like,” he whispers. What he wanted or enjoyed hadn’t really mattered. He had tried once to use his conquests the same way they used him, but finding pleasure in someone fated to die felt rather cruel even by his standards, and it was never as enjoyable as he hoped. It was an exercise in futility to care about what he wanted or liked anyway, so he’d simply stopped paying attention. And now he has no idea what feels good or doesn’t. He watches the words hit, watches her process the invariably sad admission. 

He expects a deferment, that somehow he has managed to cut this off before it can really begin, but she simply pulls him closer. “Well, it’s a good thing I enjoy research then, isn’t it?”

She kisses him then, it’s different from before, not careful exactly, but watchful almost. And he wants nothing more than to get lost in her, so he does. She is everywhere, warm, inviting, perfect. He can’t seem to touch enough of her, and the feeling seems mutual, he keeps pressing himself into her touch, looking for more. She shifts her weight, urging him onto his back, and he complies. She sits up over him, tosses her long, dark hair over her shoulder, and puts distance between them he doesn’t want. He indicates as much by catching her hand, trying to pull her back into him, but she rebuffs him by nipping at his knuckles.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get there if you want,” she says. “Take these off?” she gestures at his pants but doesn’t reach for him.

“If I do that, you’ll be overdressed.”

“Are you trying to negotiate?” 

He fluffs the pillow below him and settles in, indicating that he could wait all day. “Sure.”

“Together then?” she says, toying with the hem of the shirt. He nods and begins removing his pants as she discards the shirt, revealing the untracked expanse of her skin. She is so buttoned up most of the time, he had expected that she might be shy about her body, but she’s not. He had hardly gotten to look his fill when they’d bathed together, so he takes his time now. There’s a slight flush across her chest that dips down to the tops of her lovely, round breasts. There’s still some bruising across her shoulder and ribs, but it’s mottled and fading instead of the brilliant purple it had been last night. 

She leans in and catches his hand, bringing it to rest with hers on the jut of his hip bone. “Show me how to touch you.” 

Every thought eddies out of his head, everything except her, her touch. He can feel all of her attention on him, eyes watchful as her other hand finds his. He thinks he might die if she doesn’t begin touching him soon, so he covers her hands with hers and begins moving them across his skin. He shivers at the dual sensation of both their hands against his skin, moving slowly, drawing out the intoxicating torture of soft touches before finally leading her hands down his chest and stomach, guiding her to the hard jut of his cock. Her hand follows without hesitation, wraps around him boldly and he sees stars. 

He’s dimly aware that his hands have fallen to his sides, of the way they clench at the sheets and the way his lungs have emptied of air. She pumps him, slowly, torturously, and he leans into the pleasure of it. He opens his eyes, unsure when he closed them, and she is there, cataloging his every reaction, every movement with those clever green eyes of hers. Like with anything else, Liv is careful with this, intentional. He feels stripped utterly bare, down to all his broken parts, but she looks at him like he is whole, and maybe just now, he is. Their eyes meet, and he can see the satisfaction in her gaze, and then she leans down and kisses his hipbone, a clear question in her eyes. 

He doesn’t trust himself for words, so he simply nods. She kisses further in, moves her hand enough to run her tongue along the length of him before taking him into her mouth. He can’t help but touch her then, his fingers in her hair, feather-light. He doesn’t need to guide or push her, he instead needs an anchor. He is unmoored, undone by her. His whole body seems to tense and relax at intervals as pleasure takes him, and a ragged sound escapes his throat. It feels so good that it is almost too good. He cups her cheek, slowing her very good work. “No more,” he manages, the words strained. 

With some effort, he coaxes her up his body. She kisses his jaw before looking into his eyes. “Still with me?”

Because he had told her once that sometimes during the act he was anywhere but here. But he wants nothing more than to be present here and now. “I’m with you. Now come here.” 

He flips them in one quick movement that puts her beneath him. He pins her down with a fierce, hungry kiss against her smiling mouth. Skin against skin, there is nothing keeping him from the warmth of her. Their thighs tangle together, and he can feel her racing pulse. She is so vibrant, so very alive.

His fingers tangle with hers, and he pulls back just enough to whisper, “Show me how to touch you.” 

He swallows down her answering laughter, but her hand leads his to the swell of her breast. He follows her lead happily, swiping a thumb across her nipple, feeling the way it hardens under his ministrations. She is breathless, chest heaving even as she guides his hand down beneath her underwear and into the tangle of dark curls between her thighs. She arches into him as he dips his fingers inside of her. She’s already wet and waiting. He swallows down her low moan, biting her lower lip and then working his way down her neck, across her collarbone while his fingers work in and out of her and his thumb circles her clitoris. 

There’s a flush to her cheeks and her hips move against his hand, seeking further friction even as he feels her inner walls tightening. He hooks his fingers ruthlessly, pressing in deeper, and watches as the orgasm takes her. She’s beautiful like this, head thrown back in pleasure, chest heaving, his name on her lips. 

There’s a feeling in his chest, a tightness that’s torn between drawing this out, making it last as long as possible, and a bone-deep need for more, more, more. He captures her lips in a kiss that’s just this side of punishing and eases her underwear down her legs. There’s nothing between them now, and he marvels at how easily they fit against each other, her warmth seeping into his skin, spreading through him. “I want you. I want this, all of it. Can we…?”

She cradles his face in her hands, fingers gentle as they sweep across his cheekbones. “Yes.” 

It is so easy then to shift his hips and slowly press into her. Her thighs wrap around his waist as if she cannot get close enough. He begins to move, languidly at first, enjoying the feel of being inside her. But the more he moves with her, the more he feels as though his heart is splitting at the seams as if his own rib cage might open up and his heart leap out to her. She might be below him, but he is wholly at her mercy. 

Her hands run along his back, fingernails scraping carefully against his shoulder blades. Waves of sensation roar through him, and the sound of her breathing is in his ears as she unravels beneath him. He picks up his pace, feeling the thundering of her heartbeat as if it is echoing in his own chest. There is the slightest compulsion to perform, to tell her how good she feels, to whisper any of the meaningless things he’s used to, but instead, he simply says her name, like it is a prayer, an anchor keeping him here.

She comes around him with a sigh, and he presses his face into her neck, worrying his teeth against soft flesh as his own release builds within him. He lets go of the careful control he has held to, to the rhythm he’d established, simply seeking his own pleasure now. She holds him like he’s precious, and it is easy then to follow her over pleasure’s glimmering edge.

Her fingers are in his hair, gently raising his head enough to look at her, boneless as he is. “I love you,” she says breathlessly. 

Is this what it feels like, to be with someone wholly? It feels almost too big to hold, he thinks his eyes might be burning from the profound relief of it all. “I love you too.”

“You’re still with me?” she asks.

He kisses her again, amazed that he can, that he wants to, that somehow he hasn’t gotten his fill, that he doesn’t feel hollowed out. “Always.”

[canirove]

The Princess & the Football Player | Chapter 21

Author’s note: This chapter was inspired by a conversation I had with an anon months ago about taking spicy photos with Declan. So anon, if you still are around, thank you! And if you read my stories, this is for you 😁

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"Ok, you've got this, Eleanor" I say before taking a deep breath and checking myself in the mirror one last time before I leave the room.

After arriving at Declan's house and spending some time watching tv, it was time to get ready for dinner. It was time to put on the birthday dress.

I'm wearing almost no make up, and unlike when I was 18, my hair is up. The dress shows my shoulders, and Declan is always leaving kisses on them, even when they are covered. He also likes kissing my neck, so I'm hoping Roberta and Sophie are right, and seeing me like this will drive him crazy.

"Dec, are you ready?" I call from the corridor, trying to stay hidden not ruin the surprise.

"Ready and waiting for you!" he says from the living room.

"Ok. Here we go" I whisper to myself before walking in. "Happy early Christmas."

"Happy... holy mother of baby Jesus" Declan says when he sees me, his blue eyes wider than ever. "That's... You... Bloody hell, Eleanor."

"Do you like it?" I say, doing a slow twirl so he can see everything.

"I fucking love it. Is it... Is it the original one?"

"Sadly no, it isn't. My mum gave it away, but I found this one in Paris when the girls and I went to watch you play with England."

"Holy shit. It is... It is even better than I remembered. You look fucking stunning, Eleanor. Like... Wow."

"Then do you like your Christmas present?" I giggle.

"Best Christmas present ever. 100%."

"There is more, tho" I say, taking a step closer to him, his eyes still going up and down my body.

"More?" he gulps.

"Remember what you told me after visiting your youth club?"

"Oh... Oh!"

"Oh indeed" I giggle again. 

"Should we skip dinner and go to my games room? I'm really hungry, but not of food" he says, smiling and looking at me in a way that sets my whole body on fire.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, but" I say, stopping him just as he is about to lift me in the air and carry me upstairs. "I actually am hungry of food. I've been so nervous about today, about you liking the dress, that I've barely eaten."

"Yes, of course" he says. "Let's eat. We'll need the energy for what we will be doing later. Especially you, because dear Lord, Eleanor. You can't imagine all the things I want to do with you. To you."

"Am I driving you crazy?" I ask with a teasing smile.

"You are driving me insane."

"Then let's eat and don't waste our time."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━          

"Dec... Declan... Declan, wait a minute!" I giggle.

"If I wait a minute, I'm fucking you against that wall. Why did I choose to put my games room on the last floor of a house with a million stairs?"

"Maybe because you never thought about fucking someone on your pool table?" 

"Yeah... It's definitely that. Next time any of the boys are around, I'll ask them to help me move it downstairs."

"Good. But now I need to pick something from my suitcase."

"Now? Really?"

"Yup. It's part of your present."

"Ok" he sighs. 

"Wait for me upstairs, I promise I'll be quick" I say, kissing his cheek before running towards the room where I got ready.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━          

"How are we?" I ask when I walk into Declan's games room.

"Fucking hell, Eleanor."

"What?" I chuckle.

"Have I told you that you look bloody stunning tonight?"

"A few times, yes" I laugh.

"What are you hiding there?" he asks.

"Has Mason told you anything about what he and Roberta do when they aren't together?"

"Why does that matter now?"

"Answer me."

"They… facetime?" he shrugs.

"Yes, they do. And when they are in the mood to do what we want to do right now, but the other isn't available…"

"They... Wait. You know about the Polaroids?"

"Against my will, but I do, yes. That's why Roberta gifted me this" I say, showing him the camera I was hiding behind my back.

"No way" Declan laughs.

"She said that it will be a way to make our spicy night a bit spicier."

"It will definitely make it spicier. But are you sure you want to do it? If we lose one of those photos..."

"We won't. You have a barbecue outside, don't you?"

"I do, yes."

"Then we will burn them there tomorrow morning. Maybe take advantage of it and make ourselves some nice lunch."

"Ok. Should we start? I know I will never forget how gorgeous you look tonight, but a photo won't harm anyone" he says with a cheeky smile.

"There you go" I say, giving him the camera. "Do you want me to pose or something?"

"Show me what you've got" he says, making me laugh and taking the photo at that same moment. "Perfect."

"That's it?"

"Yep. I don't need anything else."

"Then it is my turn" I say, taking the camera. "Pose for me, Declan Rice. Look at me as if you are staring into my soul."

"That'll be easy" he replies, doing exactly what I've asked: staring into my soul and making me feel hotter than I already was. "We are keeping these."

"We definitely are" I say. "Now what?"

"Well... I promised you I was going to take that dress off you and then fuck you on the pool table. So that's what I'm going to do." 

"Nothing else? What about... Fucking me against the pool table?" I ask, biting my lower lip.

"When I said fuck you on the table, I wasn't thinking about doing just one thing" he says, closing most of the space between us. "I was thinking about eating you out while you are lying on it completely naked, probably finger you too" he whispers, his hand slowly moving up and down my arm, making me feel goosebumps everywhere. Among other things. "Then I was thinking about fucking you while you still lay there. And, of course, I was also thinking about fucking you against it. That's what you wanted that day at the youth club, isn't it?"

"It is, yes" I whisper.

"Should we start with that? If we leave it for last, your knees may already be too weak and give up" he smirks.

"But are you sure you are gonna be able to do all that?" I ask with a mischievous smile.

"And more. Because I'm gonna fuck you, take photos of it, and once we are done here, I'm taking you to my room and make love to you until neither of us can take it anymore."

"I still don't believe you can do all that."

"Then I'll have to show you" he says before kissing me. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━          

"Good morning, your Royal Highness."

"Good morning, Declan Rice" I yawn.

"Did you sleep well? I heard you snoring."

"No, you didn't! I don't... Ouch!"

"Are you ok? What is it?"

"Moving hurts" I complain. "Everything hurts. It's like I just ran a marathon."

"What we did last night was a bit of a marathon, yes" he chuckles.

"Best marathon of my life. And best day of my life too."

"Really?" he asks, caressing my cheek.

"Really. I did not only get properly railed like Sophie would say..."

"Railed?" Declan laughs.

"Yes, railed. I got that, but I also got asked to be the girlfriend of the most amazing man I have ever met."

"The most amazing man you've ever met, uh?" he smirks.

"Indeed. He gifted me this" I say, slowly lifting my arm to show him the bracelet.

"That's a lovely gift" he says, holding my forearm while his thumb moves over the thin bracelet.

"It is. Though do you know what I liked the most about yesterday?"

"I don't, no."

"That he told me that he loves me."

"Because that's how he feels" Declan says, moving his fingers to interlace them with mine, taking our hands to his chest. To his heart. "I love you, Eleanor."

"I love you too, Dec... Ouch" I complain again when I move to kiss him.

"We need to do something about that soreness" he chuckles.

"We do, yes" I say, trying to laugh. But even that hurts.

"What if I run you a nice warm bath, uh? Would you like that?"

"With bubbles?"

"With bubbles. All the bubbles the lady wants."

"So I can sing that I'm forever blowing bubbles?"

"Yes, you can sing that" Declan laughs.

"Great" I smile. "And breakfast also sounds like a wonderful idea."

"Then I'll run you that bath, and while you are relaxing those beautiful muscles of yours in it and singing, I'll make you breakfast."

"You are boyfriend goals, Declan Rice" I giggle.

"Thank you very much, your Royal Highness" he says, kissing my forehead before leaving the bed, making me complain once again because one, I had to move and that hurts, and two, because I don't want him to leave my side. Not now, not ever. 

[6ad6ro]

i don't understand how people can talk about "cruel game design", but then use dark souls as an example of something that somehow isn't cruel? like recently i've been seeing "lies of p/lords of the fallen/etc too unfair, needs to be more like souls". as if souls wasn't literally the prime example of cruel game design, and the "soulslikes" genre itself named after the souls games.

i know the term i used to hear, but has been thankfully dropped, was "hard but fair". which has never described any soulslike ever (including the easiest/best souls, elden ring). but people are still describing souls as "fair", just using different words.

areas filled with ridiculous amounts of enemies you're supposed to somehow overcome all at once. massive healthbars on bosses, but they can oneshot you. multi-stage bosses that waste your time, only for the last stage to oneshot you in the first few seconds. game design specifically crafted to sap a player of progress, as if losing time having to retry wasn't punishment enough, and make each death more stressful and enraging than any other game. gotcha mechanics and traps around every corner. built-in trolling mechanics where scum players invade your world just to bully you, but staying offline locks you out of tons of content. lack of pausing just to add THAT much more artificial stress to an already insanely stressful, unfair game. these are the foundations of souls games. like the creator himself literally brings up that he is designing "hardship".

there have always been brutally hard, unfair games. and there wasn't anything wrong with that, some people really enjoy those kinds of things . but souls was the first time i ever experienced such a widespread and ridiculous contradiction in the gaming world. that the unfair game that was designed to be unfair wasn't actually unfair, and that anyone claiming it was unfair is actually just "bad at games tm". something so blatantly incorrect, but needlessly so. it's an idea that just pisses me off because it is so objectively and obviously wrong.

if you are one of the people who claims that soulslikes are "fair"... not only are you likely a tryhard, a masochistic, or just lying because you're afraid of people calling you "bad at games" (as if that ever mattered)? but you're also actually stupid. even for a gamer, you're the dumbest person around. and devs are now constantly catering to this massive sea of idiots, which drags the hobby down for everyone. but ultimately, i'm just so sick of being surrounded by these morons. it's a hard game. stop lying. stop being stupid.

[blighted-elf]

Had some time to finish Wrath of the Righteous in between clients and thought I’d give my Opinions, like I did for Kingmaker, but this time, with much kinder things to say!

May as well start off with the bad because there are so few:

- I preferred the map travel in the first game. They shortened the time it takes to get exhausted for no good reason omg. - The character backgrounds are quite literally useless as far as dialogue goes. Didn’t get to talk about being an Acolyte once, and only got to talk about being a Pharasma worshiper three times (incidentally, NOT when you actually meet her?). Such a wasted opportunity. Games like PoE incorporate backgrounds much more successfully imo.

Now for the good/great:

- Finally a game that lets you play as Anything-But-Lawful-Good successfully? A fantasy game that doesn’t try to force you to be the hero? Fuck yes. I had a great time being Chaotic Neutral - Chaotic Evil. There’s so many games where doing that will result in all your companions leaving you, being locked out of quests and any decent endings. But not this one!

- The story and antagonists were truly great. Getting banished to the Abyss the second you get some footing? Stressful but fun. The overall pacing was much better than in Kingmaker too. Areelu was so similar to my Commander (power hungry knowledge seeking creatures of chaos, let’s go), despite me not researching anything about her prior to the character creation. I almost considered saving her, but when she spoke about defying Pharasma, I had to stay in character. So, my commander sacrificed her but only out of duty, not necessarily out of personal want.

- The Mythic paths made the Commander feel very personalised. Trickster was a bit memey at some points, but generally a bit of fun. Like, I turned a powerful demon lord into a mirror instead of fighting her. Then slept with Socothbenoth, after pledging allegiance to his enemy... in front of all my companions and a bunch of other demon lords. Also, I still have each member of the council’s soul in a cauldron because I didn’t use it then skipped town, which may be the biggest prank of all. - The companions. Good god, I fell in love with so many of them. Woljif, my beloved rogue tiefling template. Arueshalae, the literal succubus, who just... stops being a demon as soon as Desna/the Commander shows her love and support (or you can make her evil again). Opposingly, Camellia, my “irredeemably evil” bestie, gets even worse when you show her love and support and I genuinely loved that because it’s such a rarity in this genre. And just... the entire Daeran romance. The hold that this fictional man currently has over me 😭 Like, I originally wanted to go for Arue but Count Sass started flirting while insulting me and my Commander was like ohh I’m going to ruin his life in the best way. Confession time part 1... Accidentally got the bad ending for Sosiel, but he married some guy and lived happily ever after still? He was just mourning his brother? Sorry to a fellow cleric. I’ll do better next playthrough and pay closer attention. Confession time part 2... I loved Wenduag but killed her in her last quest because In Character, and regretted it for the rest of the game. Definitely going to keep her alive next time. Soz Wendy.

But yeah, I highly recommend this game and desperately need multiple story DLCs to come out soon!

[almaqead]

"Whistlers and Clappers." From Surah Al Anfal, "The Spoils."

Ramadan Day 25

The Quran is the only religious document attempts to synthesize a variety of social, religious, and legal paradigms into one scripture. As the name implies Quran al Kareem lifts the most ideal spiritual thinking at the time in order to put an end to all the bloody conflict caused by differences in between.

In the following passages Muhammad says why we should try to do this as well:

8:27-35:

O believers! Do not betray Allah and the Messenger, nor betray your trusts knowingly.

And know that your wealth and your children are only a test and that with Allah is a great reward.

O believers! If you are mindful of Allah, He will grant you a decisive authority, absolve you of your sins, and forgive you. And Allah is the Lord of infinite bounty.

And ˹remember, O  Prophet,˺ when the disbelievers conspired to capture, kill, or exile you. They planned, but Allah also planned. And Allah is the best of planners.

Whenever Our revelations are recited to them, they challenge ˹you˺, “We have already heard ˹the recitation˺. If we wanted, we could have easily produced something similar. This ˹Quran˺ is nothing but ancient fables!”

And ˹remember˺ when they prayed, “O Allah! If this is indeed the truth from You, then rain down stones upon us from the sky or overcome us with a painful punishment.”

But Allah would never punish them while you ˹O Prophet˺ were in their midst. Nor would He ever punish them if they prayed for forgiveness.

And why should Allah not punish them while they hinder pilgrims from the Sacred Mosque, claiming to be its rightful guardians? None has the right to guardianship except those mindful ˹of Allah˺, but most pagans do not know.

Their prayer at the Sacred House was nothing but whistling and clapping. So taste the punishment for your disbelief.

Commentary:

The Quran is not outspoken as to what is supposed to happen as a result of its course of study. We know Muhammad prayed to Allah that mankind would wake up and acknowledge His mastery of the worlds instead of listening to cabbages, but that never happened during his lifetime.

No matter how we do this or by what means, the goal of religion is as Muhammad said, the same: the transformation of this place into a Sacred Mosque. Anyone who says otherwise is not a real prophet or pilgrim of God.

The Values in Gematria for verse 34 explains: The Number is 9348, טג‎דח‎ "The hammer."

And verse 35: The Number is 6700, and zepes zepes "time is like a fire that consumes itself."

The culmination of any creative activity ends with a final blow. The finishing blow for Masjid, the end of all fear and violence in the world will not happen if a cabbage, a person who converts others to their faith just to clone themselves is leading the way. So at some point, the banging away has to stop, the fire has to go out, and Masjid has to begin before it is too late. And it is always too late...

The Rab says the only way to avoid losing or wasting time with hammers and fires is to put reality back the way it is supposed to be and keep it that way. After this, a condition called Shabbat, history will never recount a time mankind did not obey God or follow the Quran, and God's authority will at last be sacrosanct.

This is the objective of the religion and the reason we were given the Holy Season are the same- to convince us to finish the Masjid.

[scribeforchrist-blog]

We Won’t Slip & Fall

Verse of the day

========================

+ Psalm 55:22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”

=========================

** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN AFFIRMATION **

I AM AT PEACE

GOD IS MY ANCHOR

I AM FILLED WITH JOY

I AM RESTING IN HIM

********************************

Thoughts

=======================

It’s said to be 31% of adults have anxiety, and women are twice as likely to have it than men; the best way they say to treat anxiety is to go to a therapist or to a psychologist; they also, if you can’t afford one. Try relaxation and meditation; they even say deep breathing should help; last but not least, working out is said to help release stress on the muscles and heart.

I can honestly say I tried all of these. I went to therapy for a year, took medication for two years, and worked out for a very long time, and none of them helped because once I got through working out and talking to my psychiatrist and therapist, nothing helped; my psychiatrist said to see a counselor, so I sat there crying for about an hour about the pain I didn’t think was still there, I was prescribed medication took it three times a day and most of the time I felt out of it, but when I finally just relax and gave it all to God I honestly felt better.

See in Philippians 4:6-7 it says this “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Don’t worry about anything it says; instead, pray; prayer is our biggest weapon, and some of us find it a waste of time, but when I stop worrying and I just start telling God what is happening, even though he knows I made him my counselor I made him my strength I made him my comfort I found peace, it says tell God what you need and thank him for what he’s done, we don’t have to wait to praise him we can praise him right now! And when we do this, the word said we would experience PEACE; it says here HIS peace will guard our HEART AND MIND, as we live in Christ.

It says here as long as we are living in Christ, his peace will follow us, but we can’t live how we want and expect God’s peace to be there; as I was praying this afternoon, the Holy Spirit said to me teach my people about how important it is to give their worries to me and that when they give them to me. They have to have faith in me that I will comfort them, but they must leave their worries with me!

They must ignore what the enemy says to them, and they must see that as they pray in the spirit realm, chains or loose bondages are broken, but when they stop praying, and they lose faith in me, they create an atmosphere of bondage and worry, because the enemy wants them to worry, he wants them to fear, but I want them to see me and only me for peace.

“Psalm 55:22 Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”

This verse is telling us to give your burdens, your worries, and your everything to God, and he will take care of us; we won’t fall or slip when we are living a righteous and godly life, and we don’t have to fear the things of this life, storms can come, bills will come, situations will be there arguments and disagreements, but when we depend on God he will stand with us through everything, he will take care of everything !! But we must walk a righteous life, a holy life.

God knows our life is going to have things in to frustrate us, but he doesn’t want us to feel we are dealing with it alone because we aren’t! We are never alone, people of God; the enemy can make us feel we have no one in our corner, but we do; God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving ,when we place our lives in his hands! We have nothing to fear because he will always ensure we are well taken care of, Daniel got thrown into a furnace with fire and a lion's den, but each time Daniel was taken care of, he didn’t have to worry because God took care of him!

** Today, that’s what God wants to do with us; he wants us to know we don’t have to fear, we don’t have to worry, and we don’t have to get so upset that we can’t focus; he’s saying to us today focus on me, and I will give you peace, he said to give it all to me, and I will give your rest! Rest is something we all sometimes need because our body gets so tired of being on edge and being worked up, but when we leave everything in God's hands, he will speak peace over us, break chains and bondage that tries to take us over because we are his! Today believe in Him because he wants to speak peace to you! ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

========================

Prayer

========================

Heavenly Father, thank you for life, health, and strength; thank you for giving us of everything; forgive us if we said anything or did wrong; lord, help us to stay near you, and to give you every our worries, lord we want to cast our worries on you, but we are scared, please remove fear from us! Please remove any doubt or chaos from our lives. Lord, we thank you for always looking out for us and always providing; lord, we desire to grow in you; help us to grow in you every day, help us to have the strength to say no to sin and yes to you! Help us to be compassionate to our fellow man, and help us to get up every day to fight a good fight against the enemy in Jesus' Name, Amen

========================

Reference

========================

+ Psalm 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

+Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

+Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

========================

Further reading

=========================

Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29

Luke 6:13-38

Psalm 67:1-7

Proverbs 11:27

[the-firebird69]

Watch "Every Death Star and Starkiller Base Firing Scene, But Every Time it Fires, Anakin Says it's Working" on YouTube

And Vader is tired of it my son is tired we didn't daughter then we are it's horrible to see in here more like versus more lock and I'm just getting rid of each other so Lord Vader has a solution and it's disgusting and it's gross and some morelok they're starting to see it, how we are is a buffer between him and Tommy have and leave event safety for them we don't get hit and they see it and they might be running off into vortices.

But it is Trump who fires first on alderon. That's a rebel area and Leia has a different theory. That's true is the best lose some people but not many when they read and take stuff and they just sit there and they don't use it on them and they go use it on their brother able. vader says it's a waste of time. Trump doesn't understand it but they go ahead and hit alderon together. And it is before Kessel yes. It will happen momentarily. And yes he's the one who hit Sherry and Darth Vader and they're in the death Star of his. Vander leaves with her a ship and close to his death star and begins prepping to hit another site and it is Kessel. It's a big base most of its underground and you see him hit the top part of it just gigantic it's a huge concrete structure it's full of armaments and soldiers who are rebels. The death Star will hit shortly and both of them are blamed and by bja and BG a lot of people blame them and attack on the death Star and begins shortly after and it's partially destroyed. In the eastern hemisphere have destroyed most bases his big ones are last and the idiots have gone in there and gathered there the Western hemisphere they haven't gotten here yet but last night Mac was hitting there bases, and he's doing it for survival because the max are having a war with the morlock and they don't want to lose Intel long time you have to them. And have them squander it and ruin it and ruin whatever there is down there. And it's on now his mack sees it.. he is attacking and was attacking bases but now he's attacking a ton of them. And as the sun goes up he's going west so far out of the 300 decent size bases which would be 5x5 or bigger he said 100 5x5 and as he moves across he'll be hitting all of them he says all the bases have to go that's a lot it is clearing up the rest of the others and he'll be hitting shortly and moving and it's a big ones in amongst when he's sitting and he will hit all of them tonight or this morning he says it's starting to move fast as everybody they're running out of darkness and they're hitting very fast and small stuff too tons of small stuff. The millennium falcon is used to hit the first death star and tarkin is actually playing Han Solo and you see him in the movie playing him, and he sent his the second one and is him again this doesn't make sense but they are losing control of them at this point and to mack. This is happening overseas at the using the duster of Houston hemisphere and The fleets are shared and between a few groups and their clones of talking leave the area before they hit and also Stan and Biden. Is it something that's going on and Max has no more time for these people he says things going after the big time heavily and they are trying to defend themselves that's right in him and he is attacking them and attacking them too.

And beginning momuntarily that the rebels start lunching attacks on stand in his clones on Biden and clones and Trump and clones and large attacks, that provokes the three to start hitting other bases and they start hitting it's like three out of 10 there's a large ones and they continue

Thor Freya

It's a huge death March and that's what the morlocks say and that's what they're doing

Hera Zues

For some reason we can't stop them and it's because it doesn't really harm us igthe morlock leave

Thor Freya for Olympus really yes we speak it mostly

[yandere-romanticaa]

Can we get some head canons of Itto, Ayato, Childe and Scar with thier darling and watching some random person hit on them infront of them?

♡Arataki Itto.♡

He is such a CHILD, I can't even with him!! Literally anyone could be competition for him, even if he does boast that he is the best of the best. He's so loud and obnoxious, he's all up in the other person's face as he tells them off right in the middle of the street. He manages to attract so many stares that you honestly just feel like bolting, it's not like Itto won't find you later anyway...

However, Itto is a needy boy and he needs to know that you are watching him all day, every day, even if it's something as trivial as this. When it comes to you though, nothing is trivial, he really does go above and beyond in trying to humiliate this person without a second thought, not realizing that he himself looks like the biggest clown ever. He ends up dragging you by the arm, he's huffing the entire way but once you are alone expect him to be needy.

♡Kamisato Ayato.♡

He's used to seeing people do stupid things for even stupider reasons and Ayato isn't really all too shocked to see that someone is flirting with you. He almost takes pride in it, knowing that the people want something they can't have. He throws a few snarky comments to the intruders way but neither one of you misses that look in his eye, that gleam that makes your legs shake from the pure fear he manages to strike into you. You try so hard to tell the person to go away and to leave you alone, that you aren't worth it and they might just listen to you.

If they don't, well ...

It's their funeral.

Ayato just... holds you throught the entire ordeal, refusing to let the petty feeling of jealousy consume him but he can't fight it off no matter how hard he tries. He knows that many thieves are greedy and aim to steal all the most beautiful gems in the world but if anyone were to even lay a finger on his own they might just be forced to say goodbye to their entire arm.

♡Childe.♡

Since he's a cocky and competitive bastard, he sees this as a challenge. He wants to prove to both himself and to you that he is indeed the strongest and that he is more than worthy of your time and love. Even if you try to persuade him to stop it's no good, you just end up rilling him up even more.

Childe is a master at pushing other people's buttons so the person might just accept his challenge to a duel. Nothing too crazy, just simple hand to hand combat, it's more like a brawl than a duel really. Like with most things though, he doesn't waste time and heads straight to business, making sure to really get his point across by socking the other person square across the jaw, most likely breaking it. He's not aiming to kill, not yet anyway, but his more possessive side starts to creep out as he yells at the person at how stupid they are and that they should have thought better then to flirt with you. You are his, his, his, his, he's never giving you up, never, ever.

This is just another casualty to him.

♡Scaramouce.♡

The person that hits on his s/o either has a death wish or genuinely does not know who he is, which could be plausible but it's still not an excuse. It could end either with an absolute bloodbath or he would let the poor sucker off with a warning, it depends on his mood. Although, I have a feeling he's prefer the last option though simply because it's gives him a power trip, scaring someone into submission like that.

May or may not be the type to watch from the shadows, but he's also keeping an eye on you as well. He wants to see your reactions and response, he wants to see you put your foot down and say that you belong to the one and only Lord Scaramouche. Do that and he will be so good to you, it's almost unreal actually. In my opinion Scaramouche isn't actually as sadistic as some others may think he is but that doesn't stop him from having a mean streak. Teasing you is a big past time of his, y'know?

He does have a soft spot for you though. He can't hurt you too much...

But if someone hits on his darling right in front of him, there's a solid chance that person will run screaming into the hills in less than five seconds, leaving a nice little dust cloud behind them to boot. Oh how pathetic, they even wetted themselves. No matter, he will continue to enjoy his day with his darling regardless of this little incident.

He does end up giving a few bruises on accident though, he's just holding you so tightly. You can't run away, both of you know that, but he... He just needs this, okay?

[obeymeoasis]

Demon Bros React: MC Defends Them From Nasty Remarks

Warnings: Explicit language, MC being mildly violent (throwing/kicking things).

Lucifer

Lucifer had just finished some paperwork for Diavolo and was on his way to R.A.D to deliver it.

In the hallway he could hear two demons talking and laughing. As he got closer he heard them say "Lucifer" and instinctively ducked into a nearby alcove.

"Lucifer's such an asshole." "I know, right? He acts like he's so much better than the rest of us when really, he just has a huge stick up his ass. It's no wonder he doesn't have any friends. Even his own brothers don't like him!" "He'll probably spend the rest of his life being Diavolo’s little bitch."

He would be lying if the comments didn't make him angry. But it was far from the worst thing he had heard about himself and would definitely not be the last time someone spoke ill of him.

With a weary sigh, Lucifer turned toward the south entrance where he could walk in order to avoid the demons. He could have strode past and glared at them menacingly. He could have made them grovel on their knees. But he was honestly exhausted and looked forward to this day being over as soon as possible. Plus, it would reflect poorly on Lord Diavolo if he started a fight with some lesser demons over this.

Suddenly, the chatter of the demons was interrupted by a loud thumping sound followed by the sound of one of the demons screeching in pain.

Lucifer quickly turned around to see- Oh no. You were standing in front of the demons, rage clear on your face. The demon who had yelled in pain was crouched on the ground holding his bruised shoulder. A History of the Devildom textbook was open on the ground, pages crumpled.

Did you... did you just throw a textbook at a demon?

Before he could even move, he heard your angry voice. "Listen here you fuckers. How dare you talk about Lucifer like that. He's one of the kindest, most intelligent, most thoughtful beings I've ever met. And you have no right to speak of him like that! I love him!"

Lucifer's heart burst at your declaration, his cheeks warming in pleasure. The two demons however, who had been gaping at you in shock, were now beginning to look murderous. The injured one stood up and slowly inched toward you, a vicious grin on his face. "Oh, is that so? And what the hell is a weak human like you going to do about it?"

You opened your mouth to speak but before you could say anything, Lucifer picked you up and threw you over his shoulder. "Love, I appreciate how you stood up for me. There's not many people who have done so for me before. But any more would cause trouble. And also, please don't throw textbooks at others, no matter how much you think they deserve it."

With a smug smile on his face, Lucifer began to walk toward the dorms. You, however, were struggling to turn your head around, still yelling and pointing angrily at the demons. "This isn't over! Sleep with your eyes wide open! You'll be hearing from my lawyer!"

He really did love you.

Mammon

Mammon was at the casino on a Monday night. It was lively as always, crowds of people playing group games and others drinking and mingling.

But for some reason, Mammon felt like being alone. He was in one of the more quiet corners, playing the slot machines.

He honestly should have been back at the dorms doing his homework. He was here because he felt like he had to, but his heart wasn't really in it. Mammon thought about packing it up early and texting you to see if you wanted to hang out.

The sudden sound of glass shattering broke through his thoughts. There was some sort of commotion going on and Mammon could hear angry yelling and cursing, some kind of argument.

Like many of the other customers, Mammon drifted toward the noise wanting to see what had happened. His heart sank when he saw you in the middle of the crowd, still in your R.A.D uniform, arguing with an older demon who Mammon recognized as a regular. They had played some games together before that always ended in angry accusations. The remains of a drinking glass lay shattered on the floor.

Mammon quickly rushed to your side. "MC, what the hell are you doing here?! What happened?" Up close he could see how livid you looked, you were trembling with fury.

The older demon opened his mouth while gesturing at his ruined clothes. "This bitch threw a drink at me! I should have them arrested! Do you know how much this tuxedo costs?" Ignoring him, you turned to face Mammon.

"Mams, Lucifer told me to check up on you and you weren't answering my calls. So I decided to come in person to make sure you were okay. But then I heard this asshole saying terrible things about you to his friends, calling you a liar and a cheater and all kinds of horrible names that you're not!"

Mammon was shocked to see you were struggling to fight off your tears, your lower lip quivering. "I know how caring and genuine and loving you are and I couldn't stand by while he said those things about you! None of it’s true!"

Overcome with emotion Mammon embraced you fiercely, shielding you from the other demon. "Oh, babe. Ya really are a special one.” Mammon gently stroked your hair and whispered in your ear. “I don't care about what he said, but thanks for sticking up for me. I love ya so much."

"Now let's make a run for it so that demon doesn't kill us."

Leviathan

Levi was slowly getting used to being in a relationship with you in public. At first, interactions were limited to the privacy of his room: cuddling and watching movies, gaming together, reading manga together. But now he looked forward to waiting for you after classes and walking home with you while holding hands.

His face got really red and he had a hard time making eye contact with you but still, he thought it was an improvement.

Right now he was waiting for you outside your classroom, scrolling through his D.D.D to kill time. Suddenly, he heard someone call your name.

“MC, you’re dating Levi right?” At the sound of his name he peeked in the window to see you cornered by three demons. He saw you nod. 

The demons began to barrage you with questions. “Why are you with a loser like that? Doesn’t he like never leave his room?” “He’s honestly the ugliest out of his family. I don’t believe that Levi and Asmo are related.” “You don’t actually find him attractive, do you?” “Are you with him ‘cause he’s like the easiest to control?” 

Each word felt like someone was piercing his heart. These were all things that he had thought or wondered himself, days when the darkness seemed to win over his mind. But to have them spoken out loud, especially in front of you, it was unbearable. It was as if his lowest and most shameful thoughts were being justified.

He was afraid to hear what your answers would be. Biting his lower lip, Levi turned to head home by himself but flinched at the loud sound of something slamming into the wall. He peeked inside the window again and saw you standing there, furious, your hands clenched into fists. You had apparently kicked one of the desks into the wall, black scuff marks clearly visible against the white paint.

“Alright, listen here you despicable fucks because I’m only going to say this once. My relationship with Levi is private, meaning all of your questions can be answered with ‘none of your damn business’. But since you’ve gone out of your way to waste my time, I’ll let you know this: Leviathan is more beautiful, inside and out, than any of you will ever be in your entire miserable lives. I honestly don’t think you deserve to breathe the same air as him and I hope Levi summons Lotan to devour the three of you."

Levi’s jaw was on the floor. He had never heard you speak that way. He had never had someone defend him so fiercely. His thoughts were interrupted by the classroom door suddenly slamming open as you walked out."

“Oh Levi, tell me you didn’t hear anything just now.” Your eyes were wide and you looked at him nervously.

Levi grabbed your hand and held it tight between two of his own. “I did, but it’s alright. Thanks for what you said.”

“Anything for my Lord of Shadows.”

Satan

Satan was heading to the library, your usual after-school spot. Some days you two spent hours there doing homework, reading, or just chatting quietly about your day before heading to dinner.

As he approached the table he saw you sitting down with a stranger seated opposite you. Leaning closer he was relieved to see it was a classmate you were friendly with, someone he knew you hung out with occasionally.

Satan was about to say hello when he stopped at the mention of his name. "MC, are you sure it's wise to be this involved with Satan?"

He quickly ducked behind a nearby bookshelf. Satan usually wasn't one to eavesdrop like this but the question concerned him.

"MC, I'm asking you for your sake. Satan is dangerous. He's violent and cruel. There are rumors about him beating up other demons and doing horrible things to them. What if he tries to hurt you too?"

Satan flinched. Sure his wrath had led him to do some destructive things before, but it was never without reason. Is this how you saw him as well? His thoughts began to spiral. What if you grew scared of him? Of his wrath? What if you flinched at his touch? That would hurt more than any of the rumors that swirled about him. 

Satan saw you take a deep breath before speaking. "Well, I appreciate you talking to me about this. I know you meant the best and were just thinking about me. But I promise you, you have nothing to be worried about. Satan would never hurt me."

He saw your friend shake their head, exasperated. "But you don't know that! What if one day he can't control himself and has an outburst or something?"

You replied carefully. "Satan is gentle. Incredibly so. He always treats me with nothing but respect and kindness. And Satan's not some kind of monster. He knows how to control himself and his powers. I love him. I really do. And until he decides to stop loving me, I want to be by his side."

He saw your friend huff irritably and get up to walk away. "Suit yourself, MC. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Satan took this as his cue to walk over. Your eyes brightened at the sight of him and you started to ask him about his day, acting as if nothing had happened. Satan played along for a bit, but then reached across the table for your hand and began playing with your fingers.

His hand was shaking. "I'll never stop loving you, you know. For as long as I live you're the only one for me. I love you, MC."

Asmodeus

Asmo was thrilled when you said you wanted to go dancing with him because he was usually the one pestering you to do things. He was having so much fun with you tonight, twirling you around on the dance floor and marveling how beautiful you looked under the shimmering lights of the club.

He was beginning to feel a bit hot, however, and excused himself to the bathroom, making sure you were safe on of the couches with a bottle of water in your hand.

Asmo had just finished touching up his makeup and adjusting his outfit when he heard two demons near the entrance of the bathroom gossiping loudly about him.

“Did you see what he was wearing tonight? He might as well have come naked instead of wearing those scraps of fabric he thinks counts as an outfit.” “My friend slept with Asmo once. She said he’s super easy, he’s willing to pretty much sleep with anyone.” “I bet him and that human won’t last another week. Once he’s done with them he’ll trash ‘em and move on to the next one, like he always does.”

Being the Avatar of Lust meant that Asmo had heard these kinds of comments before, whispered in the hallways at R.A.D or the dark hallways of nightclubs. It never really got easier listening to them though, and he realized he was biting down hard on his lower lip, his nails digging into his palm. 

Asmo contemplated what to do. He didn’t want to keep you waiting by yourself outside but he also didn’t want to run into the demons talking about him. Their comments affected him more than he thought they would. Maybe it was because you were involved. He wouldn’t do that to you. You knew that right? He would never treat you like a plaything.

Taking a deep breath and steeling his nerves Asmo schooled his face into an expression of careless indifference. He took a step outside, ready to greet his "fans", but was surprised to see that you had gotten there first.

And what a sight you were. Despite being much shorter than the two demons, it seemed you were the least bit intimidated. Your glare was ice cold as you gestured wildly at the two of them, and moving closer Asmo realized you were screaming.

"How fucking dare you say such vile things? You don't know the first thing about Asmo. You're really going to shame someone for what they wear?! For what they do in the privacy of their bedroom?!"

You pointed angrily at the demons, who seemed too stunned to move or say anything. "People like you make me fucking sick. You're despicable! Talking as if you're so high and mighty when all you do is judge others! How dare you? You cowards!"

Asmo could see you were getting more and more enraged and your hands were beginning to tremble. He leapt forward to stand between you and the demons and put his hands gently on your shoulders. Once he saw that you were okay, he gave you a passionate kiss, his mouth hot and needy against yours.

You kissed him back for a moment but moved away to hiss, "Karens, Asmo! Karens in the fucking Devildom, who would have thought?!"

"I know, darling. Let's head home. We can have a nice, relaxing bubble bath together."

Beelzebub

Beel was looking through the menu, deciding between a couple of his favorite dishes. It was your one year anniversary and despite his insistent protests, you had remained firm in your decision to pay for that night’s meal. Ever since you and Beel began dating, he pretty much always paid for your meals together because of how much he ate. But tonight, you wanted to be the one to treat him for once.

Beel knew you had secretly been saving up Grimm and he’d feel so guilty if you spent it all on him. Which was why he was trying to decide between a couple of different things, when normally he would have ordered everything on the page.

“Babe, please order whatever you want. I can practically see the thoughts turning in your head. I told you that I wanted to pay for tonight and I’m going to keep that promise. I want this to be a special night for us, so don’t worry about it.” Before he could protest, you called the waiter over.

Beel sighed and knew there was no changing your mind on this. You were incredibly stubborn when you wanted to be. He rattled off his usual order as the waiter frantically scribbled down notes, struggling to keep up. Once finished, Beel handed over the menus and smiled at how cute you looked, a mixture of pride and smugness on your face.

But your expression soon turned sour as you heard the conversation from a couple sitting a few tables over. Their voices were intentionally loud and they kept sneaking glances at your table as if to watch your reactions.

“Oh my lord, honey did you see how much food that guy just ordered? What an absolute pig!” “I saw, darling. I honestly pity his date right now, they must be soooo embarrassed.” “Is there anyone who wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen in public with such a selfish glutton?”

Beel’s heart felt like it had sunk. Embarrassed? Was MC embarrassed to be seen with him? Panicking, Beel thought back to all of the dates he’d had with MC so far. He realized that they ate out a good majority of the time they hung out, with Beel eating his normal enormous portions each time. Oh no, what had he done?

Head bowed, Beel slowly looked up at you, afraid to see what kind of expression you were making. But to his surprise, you didn’t look embarrassed or ashamed at all. You looked like you were going to murder someone.

He watched as you cleared your throat and then began speaking even more loudly than the couple had been. “OH BEEL, MY HANDSOME, KIND, LOVING, STRONG, SEXY, TALENTED BOYFRIEND. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! YOU’RE HONESTLY SO AMAZING AND ONE OF THE QUALITIES I LOVE ABOUT YOU MOST IS THAT YOU’RE NOT A JUDGMENTAL ASSHOLE WHO MAKES RUDE INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS TO STRANGERS ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE NONE OF THEIR DAMN BUSINESS!” 

Beel felt his lips inch into a smile and he flushed with amusement and happiness. But you weren’t finished just yet. “EXCUSE ME WAITER?” 

Your waiter practically ran to the table and looked between you two nervously, then at the couple glaring daggers in your direction. “COULD YOU PLEASE BRING US ANOTHER MENU? MY BOYFRIEND WASN’T FINISHED WITH ORDERING WHAT HE WANTS. OH BEEL, I LOVE HOW MUCH YOU EAT. HOW COULD SOMEONE BE EMBARRASSED OF A WONDERFUL GUY LIKE YOU?”

Beel took the menu and began listing some more foods at random, not really paying attention. He was too busy thinking about how much he loved you, how nobody aside from Belphie had ever stood up for him like that, had protected him like that. His cheeks felt like they were about to split from how much he was smiling.

When the waiter finally left, looking frazzled, Beel made his way over to your side of the table. He knelt down and nuzzled into your neck before giving you a tender kiss on your forehead. “MC, you’re amazing.”

Belphegor

Belphie had to admit, the gardens were a pretty nice place for a nap. Earlier in the day you had practically dragged him outside claiming that you were bored of sleeping in his room. As if that was even possible.

At first he was pretty annoyed that you were making him get up and move around. But the newly washed picnic blanket, the cool breeze rustling through the trees, and the light smell of flowers in the air all contributed to a very nice environment for a nap.

Belphie rested his head on your lap, already feeling his eyelids growing heavier. Your fingers gently combed through his hair, lightly scratching against his scalp, and he practically purred.

He guessed he had been asleep for about ten minutes when he awoke to the sound of your voice and something prodding against his knee.

Irritated at the disturbance, Belphie looked up to see two R.A.D students he recognized for always causing trouble. He looked over to see you scowling and guessed you had been telling them to leave so they wouldn't wake him up.

One of the students leered down, blocking out the light, and used the tip of his foot to poke Belphie's knee again. "Well the two of you make an odd fucking pair, huh?” He sneered, “Personally, I don’t date people who have MURDERED me in the past but what do I know? Love works in all kinds of mysterious ways.” You flinched as if someone had slapped you and Belphie growled, his hands curling into fists.

The other student leaned down to clap Belphie on the shoulder. “I gotta admit I didn’t know you had it in you, chief! I always thought you were...” He gave Belphie a once-over before adding “Well, everyone thinks you’re a bit fucking useless, eh? But I’m glad to see you’re capable of something.”

Belphie opened his mouth to reply venomously but was interrupted by the most horrifying sound coming from your mouth. It sounded like a combination of wailing and screeching as fat tears rolled down your cheeks. It was difficult to hear what exactly you were saying because of how hard you were crying, but Belphie could make out “How could you say that?!” and “Leave him alone!” among the screams. 

The two students had their hands over their ears, their faces twisted into grimaces of pain. One shouted, “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Worried, Belphie put a hand on your shoulder in an attempt to calm you down but you shrugged it off, continuing to cry and wail. Pretty soon other students began gathering around you, whispering amongst themselves and looking to see what all the noise and commotion was about. It was difficult to ignore you when you kept yelling things like “You’re horrible! Horrible! Leave us alone!” 

The two instigators looked at each other for a brief moment before deciding to run off, not wanting to get involved any further. And as soon as they left, it was like a switch had been turned off. You stopped crying and screaming immediately. If he hadn’t been there from the beginning, Belphie never would have guessed that you had been crying. Your face was perfectly calm and you sat relaxed with your hands folded, the picture of innocence.

“Belphie, don’t worry about what those two idiots said. We’ve talked about it enough and we’ve both worked it out, haven’t we? And you’re not useless. You know how much I love you and care about you. You mean so much to me.” 

Belphie leaned over to take your hand in his trembling one. He reached down to brush a stray leaf out of your hair before whispering, “MC, you’re fucking terrifying sometimes. I love you.”

[dreamkidddream]

Those Doll!anon fics were really amazing! I really wanna do something like it if you don’t mind. Could I maybe get a Yorkie!MC? Like, a really short, really friendly MC until they feel like they or one of the brothers/undateables are being threatened or insulted, then they try to pick a fight they’d obviously lose? I’m just laughing at the mental imagine of this short, unthreatening human yelling at and trying to square up against a demon lol.

Awww tysm!! 💙I missed writing for Obey Me (and we also hit 666 followers at this point 😈💜) and since this was so interesting I decided that I’m gonna do the Undateables first and then do the brothers cause I feel like I don’t show them enough love 😔 reader is gender neutral!

The Undateables with Yorkie!MC

Diavolo

He is LOVING your energy

Your happiness is so contagious, it just adds onto his already cheery demeanor. He honestly feels his cheeks hurting from smiling even more when you’re around (and he doesn’t even care!)

He’s gonna buy Lucifer so much Demonus as a thank you for picking you for the exchange program. Seriously, you’re PERFECT (for him)

As the President of Student Council and future King, he loves seeing you interact with the other students, and he’s glad that they’re reacting positive to you. At least some of them do

Now, no one is to foolish (or powerful) enough to threaten Diavolo or do anything to you that can bring you harm. They can try, but they won’t be getting the results that they hope for

But he can’t help it but find it amusing when you try to “defend his honor” when someone bad mouths him. He makes sure to not let it show (gotta be professional after all) but he does tease you about it later. You’re so small and seeing you just yelling square up to this demon is hilarious. He has no idea what geometry has to do with this, but he’s learned some new slang thanks to you!

He’s finally found someone who’ll go along with his antics and more. Whereas other people may complain about him wanting to do fun activities that seem basic, you just flash a big smile, grab his hand and tell him to lead the way

(You even made matching friendship bracelets and he refuses to take it off, ever)

You really make him happy MC. He doesn’t remember the last time he’s ever felt this lighthearted, and he doesn’t feel the sense of loneliness that he felt himself getting used too

Also Lucifer gets twice the headache now, but the Demonus helps it go away (temporarily)

Barbatos

Ah, so another Luke, except older and that you take your threats of violence very serious, if what he sees (both in the present and the future) holds true (which it does)

You’re still harmless in his eyes though

Your friendly personality makes it easy for you to be forgiven for a lot of things…even if your actions make him give you the side eye at times

Despite how energetic you are (which is something that he’ll never grow tired of) your presence has a relaxing effect on him. Even if he has to warn you sometimes to be careful with the way that you bounce around so much, especially when he’s in the kitchen

He unfortunately can’t be by your side as he is Lord Diavolo’s butler, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t keep watch on you, even without the use of his powers

With how outgoing you are, you’re bound to attract trouble, in which you do at a constant rate. What was comical however, is that it seemed like the trouble you attracted was on his behalf

“MC, what seems to be the issue here?”

“BARB! You won’t believe this! This jerk has the nerve to call you stuck up- well I can show you stuck up! After I stick my foot up your- Huh? Hey, why am I the one being dragged away?! W- count yourself lucky that Barb is saving you right now demon! But this isn’t over- MPH!”

“I hate to spoil you before our tea party, but you were already late and I have been meaning to have you try my new recipe that I’ve been working on…”

You were too busy trying to savor the delicious flavor to focus on what just happen, which was his plan all along. You get to try more of his delicious treats and he gets to enjoy your touch and company. Crisis averted!

He’s crafty enough to have plans to evade you “fighting” and you haven’t caught on yet (or maybe you did and just feign ignorance? Either way works for him)

It doesn’t bother him what people say about him, he doesn’t care in the slightest (and they’re not bold enough to say it to his face). What he cares about is making sure that you keep your carefree energy, and that he keeps to see you with your radiating smile on your face

Simeon

You remind him so much of Luke. Are you sure you’re not from the Celestial Realm too?

Don’t worry he’s only teasing you (kinda) but you do have just as much energy if not MORE than Luke

And you don’t mind helping him either, no matter how “silly” his requests may be

“You’re doing great Si! See, you didn’t even need my help!”

“MC, I couldn’t have gotten to this point without you. My pictures are still coming out a little blurry, but that could be because you wouldn’t stand still- but it does add special kind of charm to them…”

He’s keeping them btw

He was shook when he saw you go off the first time, like he really wasn’t expecting it (Solomon did try to warn him, he was laughing but he did try to warn him)

“Don’t think just because he’s an angel means I’m bout to act like one! I will end you!”

MC please don’t make this demon “catch these hands” violence isn’t necessary

He doesn’t know what that means but he’s scared that he’s gonna find out if he doesn’t hold you back

He has reprimanded you each time when you try to fight others. He knows that demons see him as weak and talk behind his back, but he chooses to ignore them, to turn the other cheek. But just because he does, doesn’t mean that you do, and he sees that now

Simeon really doesn’t want you to fight, and it’s not even because it’s against his nature (it’s part of the reason, just not the whole reason). Fighting leads to injury, and injury leads to distress, and that’s the last thing that he wants to happen to you. And he’s not going to let anything happen to you!

He truly believes it’s a waste of time and energy, and you could find better things to do. For example, by spending time with him!

Simeon may not be your guardian angel officially, but he’s your guardian angel. Always

Has definitely written a character based on you

Luke

Is immediately upset that you don’t stay in Purgatory Hall with him, and even more upset that you don’t live in the Celestial Realm

You’re like the best older sibling he’s never had! And you don’t treat him like a baby either!

Or he’s just admiring you too much to notice

You never hesitate to help him with anything; baking, homework, pretty much anything and everything. He may try to make it seem like you need his assistance, but we all know it’s the other way around (with the exception of Luke himself)

We all know that Luke gets teased by the brothers and even his roommates sometimes (looking at you Solomon), but it’s just harmless teasing (for the most part). It’s when he hears what the other students say about him that gets to him- he tries to show that it doesn’t bother him and he tries to stand up for himself but- their words really hurt him

And no one hurts Luke and gets away with it

You already get onto the brothers for their teasing when it starts to bother him, and now the brothers have to jump in to stop you from trying to rip this demon horns’ off

You can’t really reach them and they’re pretty sure you won’t do any damage, but they rather not take the chance of you getting hurt

It’s not the first or last time that you do this either, and it just makes him feel horrible. He’s the angel here, the one that’s suppose to protect you, not the other way around!

You help him out so much, either without defending him you do so much for him already. How can he ever repay you? He feels like whatever he does won’t be enough…WAIT- he figured out what he can do!

He can get stronger and protect you! He can go to Beel so that you don’t have to fight for him anymore, or maybe have Solomon make some potions that’s like demon repellent but only for those jerks. If those mean demons see how serious and strong he is, then they’re bound to leave you guys alone! Maybe he can show you some tricks too once he’s done. He has to hurry up and tell you the plan then, you guys can’t wait any longer!

Their words do hurt, but so does seeing you putting yourself in harms way to protect him. You can’t do all the protecting MC, he needs to watch out for you too, no if ands or buts about it!

You and Luke are the duo we never knew we needed

Solomon

Ah, it’s about time he found a human as interesting and adorable as you. Where having you been hiding all his lifetime?!

He has wayyyy more fun teasing you than Luke. Your pout just makes things x100 better and cuter

Congrats on becoming his new victim MC

Another one to find you very amusing when you try to fight and won’t stop you either

He will dead serious be recording you trying to fight on his DDD. He’ll make sure that it doesn’t escalate but who is he to stop such entertainment?

He has become tempted to cast a superhuman strength spell on you, and he ends up doing it “on accident” (which has happened more than once)

Lucifer has done the “I’m watching you” thing to him every time he has lmao

But no seriously, he won’t let you get hurt; he won’t even let the chance arise. He’s already pulling you away before you can get yourself worked up fully, dragging you to the library or his room to test some new spells (one that he tempts you can use on these demons). It’s enough to get your attention back on him

You’re a daily source of his amusement and someone that he wants MC, but that doesn’t mean he can afford his favorite human getting hurt on his watch!

He’s no stranger to the gossip about him, nor is he clueless. It’s just all talk anyway, he doesn’t care and neither should you. But it is touching to know that you care this much about him and how he feels…

But he doesn’t want you to do this for him. He’s a powerful sorcerer, he can easily solve this without breaking a sweat if he wanted to, but he doesn’t deem it worthy to even waste a drop of potions on. But since you’re so concerned, maybe a quick kiss would make him feel better?

He thought you were a little gullible, but that’s not the case. You just have a very open and bright personality, one that he finds himself getting attached to more and more as each day passes

If he’s not careful, he might get more enamored with you than he already is-

[holy-prophet-man]

kate’s muck up matinee notes!!

i am so sorry this is such a mess of a post but here is a collection of all the cool and fun things i noticed on the last performance of the covid cast of the west end mormons!!!!! the goofiness was amped up x1000 and i saw SO MUCH!!! i’m really sorry again i’ve never been very good at explaining things but i tried my best :S

THE AIRPORT SCENE!!

kevin price (played by stephen rolley) had a toblerone. it was passed around between everyone, but he was wielding a toblerone.

jed hoyle, playing who i presume is kevin’s sister, took a selfie on-stage with his phone with all of kevin’s family. i would kill to see that photo and i’m 60% sure i was in the background of one of them

VILLAGER STUFF

myles hart playing the doctor was fucking crazy. every scene he was caressing a different woman. it was totally on purpose too. he would be holding one woman gently as if she was his wife one scene, and the next would be kissing another on the forehead it was wild.

in the time passing between hasa diga eebowai and the conversation between naba, price and cunningham (where they all finish dancing and run off stage) he GRABBED one of the girls by the back and air-fucked her. really quite the sight you should have been there.

in man up, when darth vader comes on stage, he wasn’t wearing the vader mask!! it was akmed just chilling unmasked it was very funny

georgia (one of the people who were leaving) in the scene where the general enters the village, was being held by one of the girls (i cannot remember for the life of me who) with a death grip she could not escape from. she was being held hostage and she was CLEARLY trying to break free but couldn’t it was very funny

JOSEPH SMITH AMERICAN MOSES

the mission president was having his face caressed so gently by jesus’ wiener it was such a surreal experience to watch

at the very end of the performance they THREW THE SHIT FABRIC AT THE FRONT ROW. THEY GOT SHIT ON IT WAS WILD (the conductor ended up grabbing it and stuffing it down below him though haha)

SHIPPY STUFF

at the end of the musical where they scare away the general and nabulungi and arnold apologise to one another, instead of just hugging for a second like they normally do, arnold shoved his face in the crook of nabus neck (can only imagine there was a kiss in there too) for quite some time… good lord

not sure if it’s something rolley does as price since it was my first performance of his, but he grabbed mckinley’s neck and pulled him a little close when he got the idea to go to the mission president which was definitely something

OH and arnold also grabbed nabulungi’s neck in their little section in i am africa , and considering i’ve seen that man perform about 15 times before believe me when i say he has NEVER done that (same goes for that little neck thing at the end too)

Uh oh there was a fuck up

steven webb as mckinley broke character. you could probably take this as a mcpriceley thing because of the context.

basically in the scene where kevin storms in covered in blood, he storms out of the building shouting: “i’m not wasting the most important two years of my life!!” . then arnold tries to run after him, but is stopped by mckinley shouting: “elder cunningham! do you also want to break rule number 23!?” buuuut for some reason he slipped up and ended up shouting “elder price!!” at cunningham instead.

he didn’t try to style it out or anything, he shook his head and totally froze up but the audience had noticed the mistake and everyone just cheered him instead lolol. but as a result of that arnold skipped his “this is like a matrix logic trick!” line and just left without saying anything.. it was really cute he just laughed about it and everyone cheered :)) he clearly had price on his mind

ANYWAY THE SHOW WAS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL TO WATCH. At the end in tomorrow is a latter day when the mormons have their little song and dance and the villagers are stood behind them, everyone was hugging each-other and it was just so nice. they were all smiling the whole show long, and they were even laughing at some serious / quiet bits . it was very obvious they were enjoying themselves and it made me very very happy :]]

if you were at the show then pplleease tell me if i got anything wrong or you saw something i didn’t :] i was at a weird angle so probably missed some stuff!!

and thank you @chaoticunorigionalstranger for telling me that a muck up matinee is a thing i am forever in your debt

[fanficimagery]

Talking to the Dead

Imagine your sister calling in a favor, only to find out said favor is for the vampire sheriff of Louisiana.

Words: 6.3K Author's Note: I am not Bill's biggest fan, nor am I Eric/Sookie's biggest fan either. That said, this takes place AFTER all damn drama with King Bill. Eric still runs Fangtasia alongside Pam and Sookie still works under Sam at Merlotte's. They're friends. That's it.

Eric sits behind his desk, the bottom half of his face covered in blood as Pam files her nails. She had been going through Fangtasia's books when she realized the money wasn't adding up and that some of their product was missing. So when Tara brought forward those responsible in making sure Fangtasia was up to date with their taxes and everything, Eric called in a favor from Sookie to get a read on them. Only Eric lost his temper and killed the two men, leaving thousands of his money stashed somewhere only the dead knew of now.

The office door opens and Sookie stumbles inside, still in her Merlotte's uniform. She takes one look at Eric and sighs. "Did you have to kill them? I just wasted a trip out here, Eric Northman."

"How tragic," he deadpans. "You wasted about five dollars in gas, meanwhile I'm still out of thousands, Miss Stackhouse."

"Don't you take that tone with me, Mister!"

Pam snorts. "Shame your little fae powers don't allow you to speak to the dead," she drawls. "That would really come in handy right about now." Sookie opens her mouth to defend her still untrained powers, only to pause and snap her mouth shut. Immediately that catches both vampires' attention and Pam leans forward, interest piqued. "Have you been holding out on us, Tinkerbell?"

"No." Sookie scoffs, suddenly overcome with wariness. "But I, uh, I might know someone who-"

"No." Eric cuts her off. "No witches."

"She's not a witch," Sookie says. "Y/N is, um, she's my sister."

Eric freezes before he leans forward in his chair. "There's a third Stackhouse? How come we never learned of this?"

Sookie sighs and drops onto the couch. She shrugs. "Y/N's powers manifested a lot earlier than mine did and they.. well it drove her crazy. She was in and out of the hospital, and the death of our parents didn't do her any favors. She started rebelling at seventeen and drank herself into oblivion. Constantly."

Pam hums. "Sounds like my kind of girl."

Sookie frowns at her before looking back at Eric. "She's actually due for a visit tomorrow. I'll bring her by."

"How are you so sure she'll do this for us? If I recall correctly, you did not come peacefully," Eric muses.

Sookie rolls her eyes. "Y/N is a free spirit. If I hadn't told you she was my sister, you wouldn't have known we were twins."

"Twins?" Eric seems to perk up, eyes lighting up, and this time it's Pam's turn to roll her eyes.

Sookie scoffs. "Don't be gross. We'll be by after my shift tomorrow."

Finding an Uber into Bon Temps after the sun had set was almost impossible, but fortunately you found someone who was willing to make the trip. You knew Louisiana had become a vampire hotspot, but you didn't know people had found traveling in the state quite so fearsome.

You don't have much on you, with the exception of a small suitcase holding a few change of clothes, so you opt to be dropped off at Merlotte's rather than your childhood home. And upon exiting the car after making sure your payment went through, you grab your suitcase by the handle and walk towards the entrance. A few whispers attempt to reach out to you, but you shake off the echoes of death and march on.

There's only a handful of locals inside Merlotte's, but the no-good nosy folk still all stop to see who's entering their local establishment. Inside, the whispers get louder, but you reign in your control and shake your head clear. What the hell happened here that there are so many echoes?

"Do my eyes deceive me or is that my favorite Stackhouse?"

You're already grinning as you find the source of the comment, grin widening as Sam's familiar handsome self makes his way towards you. "Come on, Sam. We all know who your favorite Stackhouse really is?"

He laughs as he opens his arms for a hug and you drop your suitcase to step into his embrace. "Jason's bragging again, isn't he?"

You huff a laugh and pinch his side, the two of you not speaking of all the years he spent pining after your sister. "So where is my twin?" You ask as you pull back and roll your eyes when Sam readily picks up your suitcase.

You follow him to the bar as he says, "She's taking a call in the back. Want me to let her know you're here?"

"Nah, but can you put in an order for me? I miss Lafayette's burgers."

"Sure thing, chère. What do you want?"

"Cheeseburger with everything, cut the onions. Extra ketchup. Fries. And whatever beer you have on tap."

Sam chuckles as he's already pouring your beer. "So the usual." You grin as he slides your glass across the bar. "I'll be back."

Taking a seat on the stool there at the bar, you grab your glass and sip at the ice cold beer. It feels so good sliding down your throat that the sip turns into a gulp, and before you know it half the glass is gone. Needing a breath, you set the glass down and inhale deeply. As you exhale, you burp, and then take a moment to stretch in your seat while glancing around. A few people are still staring and murmuring far too low to their companions for you to hear, so instead you raise an eyebrow at them- challenging them to say their opinion out loud. None of them do and you scoff an amused laugh before drinking the rest of your beer.

Sam reappears. "Long flight?" He takes your glass and refills it.

"Flight was fine. It's the people of Bon Temps who annoy the shit out of me." Sam frowns, but you shrug off his concern as he quickly glances around at those in his establishment. You're well aware of what everyone thinks of you and Sookie thanks to Sookie's abilities, and you're grateful you didn't quite get the same ability as her. If you had to hear every living being's thoughts on top of the dead's, you'd have permanently committed yourself long ago.

"Well I talked to your sister in the back. She said she'll be right out."

"That's fine." Accepting your second glass of beer, you smile gratefully at Sam before taking another drink.

"Girl, I knows you ain't tryin' to eat my food without saying hello."

You turn on your stool, one knee crossed over the other as you beam at the cook. "Lafayette!" He approaches with your plated cheeseburger and a basket of fries, setting them in front of you before pulling you into a hug. "I wouldn't have left without saying hello. I just wanted my food first."

"'Course you did," he muses. "How long you here for, little Stackhouse?"

"Um, I'm kind of between jobs at the moment," you sheepishly admit. You quickly grab a fry and pop it into your mouth. "I'll probably stick around until I can find something or Sookie kicks me out."

Lafayette swats you with his dish towel. "You know damn well Sook won't kick you out. That sister of yours misses you lots. She's been talkin' nonstop about your visit."

"If you need a job, chère, I'll be happy to give you one."

You pop another fry into your mouth, grinning over at Sam. "Lord knows you can barely handle one Stackhouse, Sam. No way in hell you can two- three if Jason is around as much as I'm assuming." Sam opens his mouth to retort, but a shriek cuts him off. It's Sookie and she barrels right into your side. "Jesus Sook," you laugh. "Warn a girl."

As you and Sookie quickly catch up (she's all for you staying as long as you need), more patrons enter Merlotte's and Lafayette's forced back into the kitchen. Jason and his best friend Hoyt walk in, so you walk over to join them as Sookie gets back to work also.

Jason is glad Sookie won't be in the house all on her own since he has his own place and Hoyt is just glad to see all the Stackhouses together once again. You finish your cheeseburger and fries there at the table with them, along with three glasses of beer and two shots courtesy of your brother who wanted to properly celebrate your homecoming.

Jason and Hoyt leave, you waving them off when they asked if you wanted a ride home. Sookie's shift is just about over and you remember her asking if you could wait for her because she wanted to take you someplace. So when Sookie comes out from the back to collect you from the bar, you're slightly swaying on your stool as you grin at her.

"Are you drunk?" She incredulously asks. "Y/N, I need you level headed."

"Ooohhh," you coo and reach out to bop her on the nose. "And just what do I need to be level headed for, sis?"

"Can you walk?" She asks instead. You laugh and nod, hopping off the stool and giving yourself a moment to make sure the room isn't tilting. She sighs. "That's good enough for me. Come on. A friend of mine needs a favor." She walks behind the bar to collect your suitcase and a bottle of water from the small refrigerator under the bar. "Bye, Sam! See you later!" She then calls out as she leads you down a hall. You hear Sam's muffled reply from one door in particular and then Sookie's leading you out the back exit and towards her car.

Outside she opens the passenger door to her small yellow Honda Civic that looks newer than the last time you saw it, and tosses your suitcase in the backseat. She pushes you down onto the passenger seat and holds the water bottle out to you. "Drink."

You take the bottle without a word, twist off the cap, and start to guzzle the water as she shuts the door and walks around the car to the driver's side door. You only get half of it down before needing to breathe. "What.. am I.. guzzling water for?" You ask in between breaths.

As Sookie starts up her car, she casts a wary glance your way before looking back to where she's driving. "Shreveport. We're going to Fangtasia. The owner of the bar needs you to listen to some echoes."

"Fangstasia?" Your brow furrows as you try to wrack your brain about why that sounds so familiar. A moment later, however, the answer comes to you and you groan. "First off, I can overlook the vampire bar. What I can't overlook is that of all people to tell our secret to, you chose vampires. Vampires! Do you know we're like crack to them?"

"I'm sorry, okay! I got involved with them a while back, which is a mistake that I can admit now, but Eric actually tried helping me in his own way. Somewhat. We've become friends."

"Sookie." You groan again. Your sister pouts and you decide to keep quiet, sipping on your water and wishing it were something stronger. "So what does this Eric know about me listening to echoes?"

"Nothing really," she says. "I know how you like your privacy, so last night was the first time I mentioned that I even had a sister." You grin, not hurt at all by her not mentioning you to others. "I just said that you could listen in on the dead. They don't know about anything else."

"Good. I like to keep 'em on their toes." Sookie snorts at your all too amused expression. "And besides, I learned a new trick! I can't wait to test it out."

Your sister glances between you and the road, her smile faltering. "Are you- are you sure you're okay to do this? I know how it can get when you're not truly focused."

"We're on the road." You giggle. "No turning around now."

This time it's Sookie's turn to groan. "I knew I should have asked beforehand. Now the night's gonna end with one of us pinned to a wall."

"Oooh. Kinky."

The rest of the drive is painfully quiet, with the exception of some gospel music station Sookie has playing on low. You're humming a completely different song under your breath, right arm hanging out the window and letting the humid air rush over the skin of your arm. Thankfully the drive isn't too long and Sookie is soon pulling into the parking lot with a building partially decorated with neon red lights. The outside of Fangtasia is not what you expected, but seeing the line of both human and vampires in their scantily clad outfits makes you excited to see what's going on inside.

You're practically bouncing in your seat as Sookie parks and she can't help but grin at your apparent excitement. "Get it all out now," she says. "You won't be smilin' the closer you get to the buildin'. Not while you're half drunk."

"Shut up and let's go!"

Sookie fondly rolls her eyes and the two of you simultaneously pull down the sun visors to check yourselves in the small mirrors provided. Happy with your reflections, the two of you climb out of the vehicle. As your sister comes around to your side, you hook your arm through hers and the two of you head for the building.

Instead of heading straight to the back of line, Sookie leads you directly to Fangtasia's bouncer and ignores the grumbled displeasures of those waiting in line to get in. It takes you a few seconds to recognize the dark skinned female checking ID's, but when she turns to greet Sookie and her eyes widen upon seeing you, you grin. "What's cookin', good lookin'?"

"Oh Lord," Tara muses. "Eric's gonna murder the both of y'all."

Sookie huffs and she holds you back as you attempt to poke at Tara's abdomen. "Who put him in a bad mood now?"

Tara shrugs as she swats your hand away. "It's Eric. He's always in a bad mood unless he's balls deep in some fang-banger."

Your sister ew's and you grin, clearly impressed, until Sookie elbows you. Tara just chuckles and gestures inside. "Go on in. You know where to find him. See you later, Y/N."

"Lookin' forward to it." Sookie drags you inside and the second you step foot in the darkened hallway, you sway on your feet as pressure builds up in your head. "Wait, wait, wait." You step aside to lean against the wall, shaking your head clear and trying to build up mental walls. When you catch a glimpse of your sister, you see her smiling sadly at you and are grateful she doesn't gloat about being right. "This is why I don't hang around vampires much," you murmur. "So much death."

"Sorry. I know I should have asked beforehand, but I didn't want to give you a chance to say no. Eric's annoying when he doesn't get what he wants."

"Yeah, yeah." You wave her off, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Once you feel a bite more settled, you push off the wall and meet your sister's gaze. "Okay. I'm ready."

Entering the main part of the club you can't help but look around in wide-eyed wonder. While most would think you were awe, you actually weren't and instead bit back the comment about how ridiculously cliché the establishment is. Everything is in blacks and reds, vampires in leather or electrical tape are dancing on poles, and the humans reek of desperation.

"Huh. No one's on the throne," Sookie muses.

You glance towards a raised platform, eyes lighting up at the sight of two actual thrones. Sookie's grip on your arm, however, stops you from attempting to go up there. "At least buy me a drink before we meet Mr. Scary Vampire." You pout.

"Nope." She starts marching away from the bar and towards a back hallway. "You're drunk enough already. You can have one at home when we're done here."

"Boo. You're no fun."

Sookie stops right outside a black door and impatiently knocks. You grin at her already huffy attitude and then walk in behind her as soon as someone permits entrance. The office is very plain, with the exception of a blood red couch off to the side and the two vampires behind the desk, and you frown as Sookie guides you towards a black leather chair and pushes you down into it.

"So this is the mysterious Stackhouse." The blonde male drawls.

You drag your gaze from your sister to the vampire in question and sit a little straighter in your seat as a lazy smile stretches across your lips. "And you're the mysterious vampire I've only heard about an hour ago." You then look at your sister. "Please tell me you banged this one."

There are simultaneous snorts from behind the desk and Sookie exhales roughly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Eric. Pam, this is my sister Y/N. She might be a little drunk."

"Just a little," you muse, giggling.

"Well at least we know who the fun Stackhouse is."

You perk up again, putting one finger on the tip of your nose and pointing at Pam who's smirking at you with the other hand. "And don't you forget it."

"As amusing as this is," Eric drawls again, "I need a favor. Are you capable of doing what your sister claims you can do?"

"I wouldn't be here if I couldn't." You smirk. The smirk falters however as you feel a chill slide across the back of your neck. You still and slowly glance over your shoulder, whispers you hadn't been listening to earlier getting louder. You wince and turn back around, strengthening your shields. A moment passes before you clear your throat and say, "But I have two conditions before I start."

Eric and Pam had been watching you closely, intrigued the second Sookie held up her hand to stall their questions when they noticed you zone out and stare at the corner of the room. "Money is no issue," Eric then says.

"Pft. I don't want money."

"Y/N!" Sookie reprimands. "You're in between jobs. Take the money."

Without looking at your sister, you wave your hand at your sister to get her to shut up. You know you've done your job when she swats your hand so you continue speaking to Eric. "First condition, no biting! I don't care how delicious I smell. No gnawing on the tiny little gremlin."

Pam's lips stretch into a wide smile whereas Eric's lips faintly twitch. "And the second?"

"I get free drinks from the bar whenever I'm here."

"Deal."

"Yes!"

"You're such an idiot," Sookie mutters.

You look to your sister, bouncing in your seat in excitement. "Joke's on Dracula. I'm gonna be in Bon Temps for the foreseeable future. That's a lot of free drinks for me. Suck it, Pixie."

"Oohh. I like this mouth breather. Can we please keep her?"

You meet Pam's gaze and wink. "As beautiful as you are, sweet stuff, you are so not my type."

Her left eyebrow raises as she's still clearly amused. "Because I'm a vampire?"

"Nah. Because you're female," you say. "I can appreciate a hot as fuck lady when I see one, but I still prefer cock."

"Okay!" Sookie nearly shouts as she stands up. Eric beams at your drunken blunt attitude. "We're here so Y/N can find out where your money is and we're way off topic. Can we please get on with it so I can get her home?"

You snort. "Prude." Sookie slaps the back of your arm and you squeal, slapping her arm back. You glare at her until her lips twitch and then you're back to giggling, looking back toward the vampires. "So let's do it. Do you have anything of the dead guy I'm supposed to be listening for? It'll make it easier to listen in on him."

Pam shrugs. "His blood is still in the dungeon. Will that work?"

"Gross, but yeah. Lead the way."

As soon as you stand, the voices amp up and you sway at the sudden onslaught of voices. You grit your teeth and tune them out, nodding at Eric who had stilled to keep an eye on you. He gestures to follow after Pam and you do, Sookie and Eric following behind you. Pam makes a beeline for the stage of thrones, but before you can follow there's a hand gripping your wrist and leading you towards a door behind the bar.

You're led down into a dimly lit dungeon behind Eric and you can't help the next words that leave your mouth. "It's always such a let down when the dungeon is actually a dungeon and not a sex dungeon."

Eric turns around to stare at you with a leering gaze and Sookie groans. "Been in a lot of dungeons?"

"Not really." You shrug and walk towards the back of the room where there are metal poles sticking up from the concrete floor. Chains hang from each of them and you shiver as your fingers run over them, the metallic rattling immediately tuning you in to the whispers. Subtly shaking your head, you look towards Sookie. "You know the drill."

She nods, pulling small orange styrofoam plugs from her pocket. "If it looks like you're struggling, plug my ears. Or get out."

"Bingo." You grin at your sister before looking at Eric. "If it gets bad, I expect you to vamp speed her little butt outta here."

"And how would I know what bad looks like?"

"Oh you'll know," Sookie mutters.

Grinning one last time at Sookie and Eric, you turn back towards where Eric obviously chains up those who end up on his bad side. So touching the chains again, you let the rattling and whispers overcome your senses.

"..dangerous. Need to leave."

"..bad place. I just want to go home."

"Stupid fuckin' vampers."

The room turns hazy and silhouettes walk to and from around the basement. You stare at them, letting the voices come and go until you find the one you're looking for.

"..so screwed. Never should have done it." Your gaze zeroes in on the silhouette, watching it pace back and forth. "It was just a little money. Pocket change."

"Never gonna find it. Calm down. We're already dead."

You listen a bit more to their whining, hoping for anything useful when a loud dry sob pierces the air. You wince and whirl around to spot the source of noise.

"Did she- can she hear us?"

"If she can then she can tell that goddamn vamper where his stuff is." You whirl back around, gasping at the too close silhouette. "Hello." A chill rushes through you and your too tense muscles seem to relax as a haze takes over your mind.

"Y/N? You good?" Sookie asks. She warily glances around, she and Eric both noticing the atmosphere in the room thickening.

"Hm?" Your eyes blink rapidly as if clearing your vision. "Yeah. All good," you hear yourself saying.

"Well what did you find out?" Eric asks.

You feel your head turning left and right as if taking in your surroundings before you turn around and walk towards the wall where more chains are hanging. Eric growls at being ignored and Sookie quietly assures him that this is normal. Reaching for a chain, you feel your hand gliding along one chain and picking it up, caressing a metal stake at the end of it.

"Y/N," Sookie cautiously calls out. "What are you doing?"

Getting a good grasp on the stake in one hand, you turn around and smile at Eric- a chilling smile that immediately sets Sookie on edge and lets even Eric know that something is off. "Fuck your money. You're never gonna get it, you dead piece of shit."

"Y/N, don't!" Sookie screams as your arm suddenly thrusts the stake towards the side of your neck, only to stop mere centimeters from the intended target.

Sookie gasps and Eric raises an eyebrow in surprise. "Are her eyes supposed to completely white over?"

"Well she did mention learning a new trick." Sookie nervously shifts beside Eric and they watch you slowly come back to yourself, expression hardening.

Eyes completely white, you stare straight ahead as you lower your hand without any resistance from the spirits. "You dead fucks try that shit again and I will obliterate your fuckin' souls, and mark every soul in your goddamn family. Do I make myself clear?" You seethe. The dungeon gets chilly before the tension seems to suddenly dwindle. The whispers amp up before completely dying out and you stand a little taller. "Good. Now where is the money?"

Eric and Sookie patiently watch Y/N as she lazily glances back and forth before the white recedes from her eyes. Her shoulders sag and she meets Eric's gaze. "That Rafael guy had a building he was renovating over on.. over on.." she trails off, brow furrowing as she tries to collect her thoughts.

"I know of it," Eric says.

She sighs. "Well the money's in the wall on the second floor. Happy demolishing."

Then like a puppet with its strings cut, Y/N collapses right before their very eyes.

          - - - - - - - - - -

A pounding at your temples is what wakes you and you groan as your eyes flutter open. You're apparently still at Fangtasia, back in Eric's plain office and laying on the most uncomfortable couch you've ever laid on.

"You're awake. Good."

You begrudgingly sit up, wincing as the throbbing persists. Glancing around, you frown as you notice you and Eric are the only two in the room. "Where's my sister?"

"Miss Stackhouse couldn't bother a mere hour in my presence so she went out front to pester Tara."

"You two exes or something?"

Not even close. "No. I admit I pursued her once, but it was only to satiate my curiosity about why she smelled so divine." Bill fuckin' Compton was also a cock block of epic proportions.

You snort. "Cock block. Who is Bill and why did he cock block you from Sookie?" Eric stills and he goes quiet. You frown at him and then between one blink and the next, Eric is kneeling in front of you.

Can you hear me?

"Um, yes?" You say. A moment passes and then you realize your slip-up. You groan. "Okay, so yeah. I can't read the minds of humans, but apparently I can read the minds of vampires. It only happens when I'm at my most vulnerable and being slightly possessed makes me vulnerable."

Eric slowly smirks. "Well aren't you my new favorite Stackhouse."

You fall back against the back of the couch, groaning. "Whatever. I don't have the energy to argue with you. Just please don't tell Sookie. She gets all huffy when I can do something she can't."

Another blink and Eric is sitting beside you on the couch. "Is there a reason why you can read vampires and she can read everyone else but vampires?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." You shrug. "I eventually came to the conclusion that we're just a part of different courts. She's Light Fae and I'm Dark. She flourishes under the sun and I under the moon. I don't really know."

"Have you tried getting answers from other Fae?"

"Yeah, no. I met a member of the Fae court and that's a hard pass. Those fairy fucks can keep their imposter foods. I like this realm just fine, thank you very much."

Eric's lips twitch. "If the vampires find out about your powers, they're going to fight to put their claim on you."

"Is that your not so subtle way in trying to convince me that I should ask you for protection?"

"I'm the sheriff of this area, sweetheart. You won't be able to find anyone better suited for the job."

You huff a quiet laugh. "Keep your fangs to yourself, sweetheart. I can take care of myself."

We'll see about that.

Settling in at what was always known as Gran's house, you almost take Sam up on his offer to become a waitress or bartender at Merlotte's. But then a day after doing Eric a favor, a check arrives for you- a check worth thousands of dollars- along with an offer from Eric to work every other day at Fangtasia to read the vampires coming and going from his area.

You didn't get back to him right away, instead choosing to just keep to yourself for a bit and re-familiarize yourself with the town. And then just when you think you have a lid on things, a constant buzzing makes a home just at the back of your skull.

For days Eric tries reaching you through texts and calls, but you just don't have the patience to deal with him. The buzzing is non-stop, the echoes of the dead sound as if they're underwater, and you can't hold a conversation longer than a minute. Sookie seems to understand that you can't be around people, so she leaves you be for the most part.

Your sister is currently at work so you have the house all to yourself. You haven't been able to clear your head and the buzzing is only getting louder and louder. You're nearing your breaking point, so when there's a knock at the front door you try to ignore it.

The knocking persists so you reluctantly roll out of bed, frowning as you march downstairs and towards the front door. Through the screen door you can see Eric standing there. You scowl at him, he grins, and when you push open the door he's immediately leaning against the door jamb. "You've been ignoring me."

You sigh and cross your arms over your chest. "I haven't been feeling well. Something's.. off."

That causes his faint grin to drop. "Is it something serious?"

"I'm not sure. I just- it feels like something bad is on the way."

"Well in that case.." Eric straightens up and stares down at you. "You're going to invite me in so I can protect you-" you scoff, "-or have primal passionate sex with you. You pick."

Though your mind is on overdrive, you can't help but faintly grin at the tall vampire. "I'll take a raincheck on the sex, but if you still want to come in, then come in."

Eric smirks as he crosses the threshold of the house and you shake your head at him before turning around and leading him to the living room. You take a seat in the corner of the couch, curling up with a pillow in your lap, and Eric sits on the middle seat to be as close to you as possible. "How long have you been feeling like this?"

"Few days now," you tell him. "There's this.. buzz. It's constant and it just keeps getting louder and louder."

"And the voices?"

"Muffled. No matter how much I concentrate, I can't hear them clearly. It's like they're trying to tell me something, but I can't tune in to the right station. It's annoying." Eric hums in thought and you attempt to change the subject. "So what brings you down here to Bon Temps? Surely my first impression wasn't that memorable."

He smirks as his arm rests along the top of the backrest of the couch, his fingers tugging on a few pieces of your hair. "It's rare for someone to amuse me these days. And you weren't what I was expecting Sookie's twin to be."

"Between the two of us, Sookie got all the perkiness. I, uh, I got stuck with all the doom and gloom." Eric quirks an eyebrow at you and you chuckle, wincing a moment later as an lingering echo screeches in your ear. Your attention is immediately drawn towards the kitchen where you see a silhouette walk by and the buzzing amps up.

Without uttering a word, you get up and follow it.

Eric watches as Y/N laughs one moment and then in the next second her expression is completely blank and attention elsewhere. Normally he'd be offended, but after learning what he could from Sookie he knows to never bring Y/N out of a trance. So in order to protect this little fae that just continues to become more and more interesting, Eric gets up and follows Y/N through the kitchen and out the back door.

He keeps several feet between himself and Y/N, his curiosity piqued as he notices her stop in the middle of the field behind her home. She glances back and forth as if searching for something, slowly turning in a circle. She winces and stumbles back, eyes wide and heart pumping furiously. Whatever's going on, Eric's instincts suddenly kick in and he doesn't like it. He doesn't like the look of fear on Y/N's face.

One sudden stumble sends Y/N to her knees, hands clamping around her ears.

"No, no, no," you mumble. The buzzing is extremely loud now, voices are screaming but you're still unable to make out what they're saying. Rocking back and forth, you glance around and your heart sinks as you watch Eric standing there across from you. "Go. Get away. I can't-"

"What's wrong? I can help you."

You shake your head. "You can't. You need to go. Get away from me. Please."

Eric watches you and you whimper when you see his resolve strengthen. He's not going anywhere. Clenching your eyes shut against the onslaught of noise, you slam your hands down on the ground in front of you and your fingers dig into the earth. Your breaths come faster and faster, and when you can't take it anymore your eyes fly open as you open your mouth and scream.

Your scream drowns out the buzz, the voices become clearer and it's only there alongside your scream do you understand them. You don't know how long you scream for, but when you stop your throat feels raw.

"What was that?" Eric asks.

"Sookie."

He's immediately kneeling before you, fingers under your chin to tilt your face upward. "What did you say?"

"My sister. She's not- she's not safe."

"She's at work under the ever watchful eye of the shifter."

"She is. Until she walks out back to take out the trash," you say. "Please," you beg. "Just.. just go check on her."

Eric continues to hold your gaze for a moment longer before he gives you a terse nod and then stands tall. Your eyes follow him as she lifts off into the air and it's like a weight is lifted off your chest. You sob in relief, curling in on yourself with your face in your hands.

"..inside.. safer.."

The hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your cries immediately cease. Sniffling, you sit back up and glance around the field you're in. Hearing the chirping insects and the ruffling of tree limbs puts you at unease, so you climb to your feet and hurriedly make your way back towards the house. You don't breathe until you're inside, behind closed doors, but even then you're still a little tense and wondering if your sister is okay.

The minutes tick on by as you pace back and forth in the kitchen, and you yelp when you turn around and Eric is standing right there. You raise a fist in order to punch him, but stop halfway there and instead poke his chest as you push him back a step. "Don't do that."

He smirks. "Sookie is fine. A couple of human junkies needed some money for their next fix. The sheriff is on the way to take care of the issue."

"Thank you." You sigh. As you move aside to take a seat at the table, you glance back at Eric and see a blood trail falling from his ear. Your eyes widen and you rush towards him, uncaring about boundaries when one hand lands on his chest and the other grasping his chin to turn his face sideways. "Your ear! I told you to leave before I screamed. Why didn't you listen?" You let go of his chin and then shove him a step back as you go back to pacing.

Eric chuckles. "You've been keeping secrets. You're not just Fae, are you?"

You shrug. "I'm not really sure what I am. I only found out I was part Fae because you guys told Sookie she was. The mind reading is from Fae abilities, but the screaming-"

"The wailing is a whole different breed."

You stop pacing and face him once more. "There's only one creature that wails," you say, "but I gave up on digging into our family history a long time ago."

"You truly are a rare breed, Miss Stackhouse. Half fae, half banshee. The vampires are going to be in a tizzy over you."

You groan. "A problem is inevitable until I agree to a claim, isn't it?"

"Aren't you a smart cookie."

You scowl at Eric then, holding his gaze until you sigh. "If I say yes to a claim, can I have your word that you won't take advantage?" He smiles then and though this vampire is ridiculously good looking, you rather not be someone's pet. But alas, you know he's right. "If the offer for a job at Fangtasia is still open, I'll take it. I don't plan to leave Bon Temps anytime soon and I'm going to need the cash."

"Sweetheart, if you agree to be mine I'll give you all the cash you could want."

Your nose wrinkles. "I'm so gonna regret this." There's a faint click! as Eric's fangs appear, his eyes darkening as he readily bites into his wrist. "Don't tell my sister."

Drink up, little one. We're going to have some fun.

[alltheworldsinmyhead]

ON FEYSAND’S PLOTLINE IN ACOSF

              !!!!MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE ACOSF!!!!

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Let’s be honest for a while, okay?

ACOCF had potential to be SJM’s best book, if not for any other reason then because of the sheer idea of it. Coming-of-age, healing story of the most complex and polarizing character she has ever created set in the time of peace, away from the familiar setting (according to the later changed concept which still remains in the snippet at the end of ACOFAS), development of her arguably most feisty and angsty love story... It could be her absolute trumph. Even with the change to stick to Velaris instead of exploring the Illyrian culture of the Mountains and with the added conflict of the Mortal Queens and Koshei, it still could work quite well. 

It didn’t. For many, many reasons, but the most important one, in my opinion, being the feysand pregnancy plot. 

Nothing about this plotline made sense. Not a single thing. From start to finish, it was an absolute disaster from the character-writing POV, from the narration POV, from every single context of it. It broke the rules of real-life logic, it broke the rules of this fantasy world setting and it completely exposed that Rhysand, while not a bad guy, is a pretty terrible partner, even worse ruler and an absolutely terrible contender for the High King title. 

Let’s break this whole mess down (and expect this post to be mammoth-sized. it’s not my fault, though, write to SJM if you have any complains):

1) Feyre, 21, decides to get pregnant, even though less than a year earlier, she expresses the delight with not being forced to bear children to her new mate and told him herself she wants to wait a while and enjoy her life with him. Feyre decides she wants a baby though and Rhysand goes along with it, even though he is aware how young Feyre is and how hard her life has been up until this point. He wants a baby too much to have an honest discussion with Feyre about it, to stop and wonder what is the reason for her sudden change of heart, to reassure her that they have a lot of time ahead of them and don’t need to rush. No. She mades a sudden decision to have a baby after A YEAR OF MARRIAGE and not much more of being turned fae, JUST AFTER having her whole world put upside down, having received a completely new title and responsibilities, surviving the wat and being mated. Great. 

2) Feyre decides to get pregnant and Rhys goes along with it less than a year after the end of the bloody war. It is politically a delicate time, everyone is still not sure how the balance will shift, some countries don;t want to sign the peace treaty, etc. There are a lot of enemies and a lot of turmoil remaining. But sure. Let’s have a baby. Perfect time to add yet another target, another weakness that can be use by the Mortal Queens, Beron or whatever else with malicious intent towards the Night Court. 

2) Feyre gets pregnant after approximately a year of trying. I know healthy people of reproductive age for whom it takes ages more than this. Fae’s pregnancies are rare af and precious and happen once in a blue moon, but ofc SJM broke the world’s rules for her darling Feyre. And again, for Kallas and Vivianne who are also expecting the baby, even though it has been a maximum of 3 years since they’ve mated. 3 years is also not a particularly long time to try to have a baby for those who have issues with their reproductive systems like Fae women. Thank you, next. 

3) Rhys has unprotected sex with Feyre in her Illyrian form when she conceives, even though he knows full well having a winged baby would kill her. He does it anyway, for shits and giggles apparently. They probably have sex in the sky above Velaris, for all we know. 

4) The baby has wings. Now, the whole explanation with Illyrian wings being bony (bc they resemble bat wings) and Seraphin ones being more flexible (bc they resemble bird ones) is so insanely stupid that it takes around 3 seconds to wikipedia this shit and find out it’s exactly the opposite. But okay, the baby has wings and Feyre will die while giving birth, along with the baby. Madja forbids Feyre from turning into an Illyrian to carry the pregnancy because it MIGHT hurt the baby. Now, remember, Feyre conceived while in Illyrian form and then turned into High Fae. The baby survived it just fine. The baby MIGHT be hurt by Feyre turning .... but it will FOR SURE die if she stays High Fae and Feyre will too. Idk about you, but I would take the risk of MIGHT instead of FOR SURE. Especially when she is already in labour and dying. Cauldron or Nesta or idk who alters Feyre’s pelvis after the baby is cut out of her for no apparent reason but to allow feysand to make exactly the same mistakes later on. How convinient. And Nesta also alters her own pelvis bc god forbid she won’t be able give Cassian babies like the little useful mate she is now. She should’ve probably done it with Elain too, just in case she decides to fuck Az in the future, because fuck consequences and fuck the stakes in the story that make the readers actually CARE about characters bc they know the author may actually kill them and not save their life every fucking time.  

5) I don’t even want to comment on the fact Rhys hid the true danger of this pregnancy for Feyre and their family went along with it. It is absolutely disgusting. And Nesta telling her and that being condemned as the act of the ultimate cruelty which is a final straw to break her self-loathing back.... is abhorrent. It made my sick, actually, phisically sick. There is no justification for it. No at all. And the fact that they did not even consider abortion sends a message that I really don’t want to think too much about it. Feyre was 2 months along when they learned the baby is winged. 2 months. 8 weeks. It wasn’t a baby yet, let’s be honest. They could’ve at least discussed it. She - oh my god, I cannot believe SJM wrote it this way, I’m gonna be sick. 

6) For the entirety of Feyre’s pregnancy, they have no plan to really help her. Labour plan? Haven’t heard if it.  They have money and power and access to the healers of the whole land. And did not figure out how to stop her from bleeding out after a fucking C-section. THIS WORLD HAS MAGIC AND THEY COULDN’T STOP HER FROM BLEEDING OUT AFTER A FUCKING C-SECTION. Didn’t even ask Thesan, the High Lord of Healing, to be present. Cassian had guts hanging out of his stomach and survived. Az was fucking slashed apart in Hybern and survived. But yeah, Feyre was on a brink of death after a C-section. Great, Sarah. Keep it up. Let’s force the thought into young girls’ heads that labour is the most lethal thing ever, why not. 

7) Also, for the entirety of Feyre’s pregnancy, Rhys keeps quiet about this idiotic bargain. He, as far as we know, doesn’t make any plans for the moment when him and Feyre and possibly their baby are dead. If they died and baby survived.. who would take care of it? Does Rhys have a conversation with his family about it? NAH. Doesn’t write any sort of plan how to keep the Court going, doesn’t inform even the closest of his co-workers how they should proceed to act after he’s gone and his and Feyre’s power go to god-knows-who. Their deaths would mean a sure chaos for the weakend and fragile Prythian and the Night Court especially and yet nor Rhys nor Feyre make any sort of preparations for it. Rhys doesn’t tell his brothers or Mor or HIS SECOND IN COMMAND they will all soon have to somehow manage without him. He was about to just leave them to their own devices and told them in the last. possible. moment. 

And this man - this man is, according to Amren, the best candidate to handle the whole country? To unite it? This fool who makes idiotic bargains, who thinks first about his cock and his own selfish desires and considers his subjects and his responsibilities as a High Lord last and least important of all? Who has so much trust in his wife, in his High Lady, the mother of his son that he doesn’t tell her she will almost surely die on a birthing bed because it MAY UPSET HER? 

This plotline was the straw that broke my back. ACOTAR, at it’s heart has always been a ya fantasy with added ‘spice’ and I was willing to bend my critical-thinking skills in many cases and forget and forgive many smaller idiotic issues in this series. But this? It is not idiotic. It is massive and stupid to the point when it becomes insulting to the reader. It was a plot straight out of a bad fanfic, not something that should be in a published book written by someone who writes for a living. You could even argue that Twilight has handled this toxic trope better.  I have wasted my money on this book and thinking about it will always be painful for me. So yeah.

ACOSF could be great. Ended up quite pathetic.