#and it’s more about going back to the beginning and exploring her work through various songs and whatnot

[daydreams-after-dark]

Scientist Chan part 2 of ∞

Read Part 1 here

SMUT WARNING // MDNI ⚠️ scientist!Chan (Chris) x test subject fem!reader (feat. Video call with Minho)

Scientist Chan Masterlist

Scientist Christopher is doing experiments on making pussies come. He has a range of devices that he has been using on his subject each night. In part 1, Chris introduced sexual intercourse into the experiment, which was a success. In this installment, he explores your reaction to various sexual positions, and introduces anal penetration while on a video call with Professor Lee Minho Approx 5 minute read Unhinged level 🤡🤡🤡🤡

CW: master/dom x sub // unprotected vaginal and anal sex // videoing sex // livestream sex to colleague // anal penetration with devices // squirting // faux scientific observations // clitoral stimulation // potential masturbation

“Your pussy takes cock so well no matter what the position.” States Scientist Chris, for the benefit of his voice recorder.

It’s the fourth sexual position he has you in for the night. Starting with missionary on his desk with your legs over his shoulders, then on all fours where his cock seemed to reach even deeper parts of you, followed by you riding him facing him while he laid on the examination bed.

Now he’s got you reverse cowgirl, him sitting on his leather couch, you with a foot planted on the cushions either side of him while he lifts and drops your hips on his cock. You’ve been instructed to hold your vibrator against your clit, and under no circumstances are you allowed to remove it.

“Sir! Can’t…. Can’t take any more… pussy’s sore…” you cry out.

“Shh… I know you can give me one more. There’s… so much cream still leaking out of you.” He pants. “You’re my best test subject, yeah?”

“Mmm hmm… I’m a good girl… I wanna be good.”

“Then one more and I’ll stop.” He pulls you down hard onto his cock, and leans you back so your laying flush against his chest.

“Come for me.” He takes hold of the vibrator and rubs it hard against you while he grinds into your cunt.

You sob as you climax once more. You don’t know this, but one of Chris’ secret goals is to train you to come on demand.

You go limp against him, but he doesn’t let you rest.

“Quick. Up on the examination bed. I must inspect you.” He says, pulling up his trousers and putting his white coat back on.

“Yes. On your back. Open your legs…. Good girl.”

You’re naked, sweaty, still trembling from god knows how many orgasms. You close your eyes, happy to finally rest.

Snap. Snap. Click

You lift your head to see Chris taking photos of your swollen pussy.

“I’m just collecting evidence to show my colleagues.” He states. “Spread your lips for me. That’s it.”

Click. Snap. Click.

“Speaking of colleagues.” He pops his camera down and picks up his phone. “Remember how I told you about Professor Lee Minho?”

You nod.

“He wanted me to video call him and show him what he’ll be working with if he collaborates with me. Can we do that for him?” He asks.

Of course he can. Your Chris’ test subject and you want to help him with any experiment or project.

“Chris. Update me. How did she do tonight?” Professor Lee says through the phone.

“She did well. Her pussy adapted wonderfully to the positions. Although, it became fatigued and overstimulated by the end of it.” Chris gives his update.

“Show me.” Demands the professor, his voice laced with lust.

Chris moves the phone close to your pussy so the professor could see. He sucks in a breath. “Her labia is still engorged. Lovely.” He approves. “Spread her open.”

You use your fingers to spread your lips. “Her lubrication is of a creamy consistency.” The professor notes as Chris focuses on the camera on your hole. “And her clitoris looks agitated. How many orgasms?”

Chan checks his notes. “Six.”

“Is your test subject experienced with anal stimulation?”

Chris chuckles. “Well, friend. My plan was to begin that experiment tonight on our call. If you have time.”

“I’ve nothing on my schedule. It’d be my pleasure to witness this. Plus it’ll give me a good idea of what she can take when I’m visiting.”

Chris puts on his head strap that has a camera attached, and reconfigures his tech so Professor Lee can get a virtual front row seat of what he’s about to do.

He flicks the main lights off, and turns on the bright lamp, directing it on you so your holes are illuminated. Then he brings over a rolled up bag, placing it on his little table next to him, and settles himself on his stool at the end of the bed.

Unrolling the bag, he spreads its contents out carefully. Six anal plugs and vibrators of various sizes, and a bottle of lubrication.

“Let’s get you as comfortable as possible.” He says as he props your legs into straps that hold your knees up and open, essentially folding you in half.

“Fuck! Her little ass… ahem… anus is perfect isn’t it?” Professor Lee observes.

“It is. Ready to begin?” Chris checks in with you.

“Yes, Sir.” You gulp. You’re nervous but terribly excited.

Chris begins by dribbling some lube directly on your hole and onto his index finger. You gasp at the coldness, and then again when his finger presses against you. He uses the palm of one hand to hold you nice and wide while he massages your asshole with the pad of his finger. After a short moment, he reaches over to his little table and selects the smallest vibrating plug.

Neither of the men say a word as he lubricates the device and switches it on.

“Look how she reacts to just the sound of the vibrator.” Observes Professor Lee.

Chris has you so trained up that just the sound of a vibrator has your cunt gushing.

You moan low when it’s placed against your anus.

“Mmm… I think she’s going to like this. Chris. Where did you find such a receptive subject?” Professor Lee muses.

Chris simply chuckles to himself and pushes the tip into your ass, drawing another moan from you.

He slowly stretches you open, building up through his range of plugs, adding lubrication as needed. It feels agonisingly torturous, with his slow and careful ministrations. Your empty cunt clenches around nothing in frustration.

As he withdraws the fourth plug from your ass, the two men watch in awe as it settles back into its natural position.

“It’s a beautiful sight.” Sighs Professor Lee.

“It is.” Chris hums, sliding two fingers into your hole.

“Oh… god… fuck…” you cry as he finger fucks your ass. “Please… please… need to come.” You sob loudly.

“She’s close.” Professor Lee states. “Maybe we should skip the next two devices entirely?”

“Hmm. I feel you may be right.” Chris agrees, pulling his fingers from you and standing up.

“Do it. I need to see.” He says with a strained voice.

You hear Chris unzip his trousers and the squirting of more lube. He pushes his tip of his cock against your opening.

“Relax for me. That’s it… just like that. Let’s show Professor Lee how good you can take cock, yeah?”

The tip slides in with little resistance, but the stretch is much bigger than with the devices.

“Just a little bit at a time, you can take it. Look at you. You’re doing so well.” Chris encourages.

“She looks tight. Is she choking you? Is there much resistance?” Lee demands.

“Fuck. So tight.” He pants and stops still for a moment.

“Please…more… fill me.” You plead. You’re close to having your seventh orgasm of the night.

“She’s extremely aroused, Chris. Note the arousal leaking from her cunt.”

Chris applies more lube to his cock and around your rim. He might like testing your limits, but hurting you might cause you to be less receptive in the future, and that would set his experiments back.

Once he has you well lubricated, he withdraws his cock slightly and then presses himself in until he is three quarters of the way in. He pauses again to let you adjust, and then squeezes in the remainder of his length.

Professor Lee swears under his breath. You sob at how full you feel, your hand clinging to the thin sheet underneath you.

Chris starts to fuck you. Long, languid thrusts. Not too hard. But deep. You reach down to rub your sensitive clit. It’s still swollen from earlier, but you need to touch yourself. The combination of stimulating your clit while Chris fucks your ass has you crying with a desperation you’ve never felt before.

“Look at her taking it in the ass like that! I can’t wait to feel it around my cock.” Lee growls.

“Hear that, babygirl? You gonna let Professor Lee fuck your ass like this when he visits?”

“Y-yes… yes… want him him to have a turn.” You whimper.

“Good. Girl.” He pants and starts to fuck you harder. He grabs one of the unused vibrating plugs and pushes your fingers away so he can apply it to your clit.

You squeeze your eyes tight as you feel yourself about to burst.

“Look at you. Perfect little specimen. Come. Come for your master, little slut.” Professor Lee’s demanding words make you snap and you cry out as you come, squirting all over yourself.

Chris follows, trying his best not to throw his head back so Minho doesn’t miss a second, and coming deep inside your ass.

He stills, catching his breath.

“Female ejaculation. Interesting.” The professor purrs to himself.

Chris eventually pulls out of you and releases your legs, pulls his pants up, then picks up his phone to address the professor. “So Lee. What do you say? Want to work with me on the next phase?”

“Chris. let’s talk about scheduling me in for a visit.”

Taglist is open.

Next time, Professor Lee visits… then in another instalment we meet Dr Kim Seungmin.

@channieandhisgoonsquad @noellllslut @itsseohannbin @weareapackofstrays @kangnina @3rachasdomesticbanana @palindrome969 @xxkissesforchanniexx @chuuchuu1224 @fun-fanfics @wolfennracha @lurking-coconut sorry if you’ve already seen this… my tags broke but hopefully it’s fixed now.

[imagineinside]

Star-Like Encounters (Hugh Jackman x Fem!Reader) Chapter 1

A/N: In between posting chapters for the Wolverine fic I'm working on, I also wanted to pick up something about Hugh Jackman. I want to first preface with the fact that this is not meant to be taken as reality and we need to be respectful of people mentioned, this is purely a work of fiction. With that being said, I hope you enjoy!

Description: You begin your first semester at a prestigious university with a mix of excitement and chaos. After a frantic start involving a late arrival due to your roommate’s Hollywood-related detour, your day takes an unexpected turn when you meet Hugh Jackman, your roommate’s boss, at a movie studio.

Hugh, intrigued by your expertise in physics, invites you to consult on a film project aiming for scientific accuracy. Balancing your new academic responsibilities with a potential Hollywood cameo, you must navigate your dual interests. As you face your own feelings, you discover that the lines between your professional and personal worlds are more intertwined than you imagined.

Currently Applicable Tags: (Future) 18+, Fluff, cocky Hugh Jackman, flirty Hugh Jackman, age gap (55 and 27) more to come.

Running through the hallways of the prestigious university you had dedicated your whole life to working at, you cursed at yourself for running so late. It wasn’t entirely your fault, however. Needing to share a car with your best friend and roommate always had its disadvantages.

And this morning, her boss had decided he needed her assistance out of absolutely nowhere, meaning you had to drop her off at a studio downtown before driving to the university.

Unfortunately, you had no idea who her boss actually was, otherwise you’d go on a rampaging smear campaign as payback for them jeopardizing your career like this. You had asked your best friend various times, with you both sober and drunk at various times, who her boss was. All you had gotten out of her was that “he is a Hollywood hot-shot, and he’s been in some of your favorite movies.” She always said that last part with a mischievous grin on her face.

You bolted into the lecture hall and all 100-some eyes turned to you, including the headmasters in the back. You took only a moment to catch your breath before fixing your appearance, smoothing out your skirt and wiping the sweat from your brow.

“Good morning, everyone,” you called in greeting as you approached your desk, throwing your briefcase on top of it and shrugging off your jacket.

You received a cacophony of “good mornings” back.

“It’s a pleasure to be here at the start of your semester, and I’m excited to guide you through the wonders of astrophysics this semester.” You heard a few groans rupture from the students, but you simply smiled to yourself. You had been that student once upon a time. “We’ll explore the life cycles of stars, the structure of galaxies, and the mysteries of dark matter. Astrophysics can seem daunting, but it’s really about understanding our place in the universe. Embrace your curiosity, ask questions, and don’t worry if things seem complex at first—every great discovery starts with a simple question. I’m here to support you, and together we’ll uncover the fascinating stories written in the stars.” You felt your heart lift up in your chest, you truly had such a fascination with this field of study.

You dared for a moment to lift your eyes and read the approval written in the headmaster's face, a spark lighting in your chest. “Now, let’s start with the Big Bang, shall we?” You smiled once again as you heard hundreds of notebooks being flipped open to the first page.

Nothing like the start of a new semester.

* * *

You drove your beat-up Volvo to the location your roommate had sent you when she texted you earlier that day. As you rolled up to it, your brakes squealing as you came to a stop, you realized it was an entire campus of movie production. There were hundreds of people mulling about on the other side of the protected gate. Some were riding around in golf carts, others sprinting from set-to-set, a whole flurry of movement.

You always had a fascination with Hollywood and the film industry. When you originally started at university yourself, you majored in theater and dance. But… after your first year, for reasons you’d rather forget, you changed to astrophysics.

“There you are!” Your best friend, Ashley, squealed and pulled you into a big hug after you stepped out of the car. “I had the best day today!”

You laughed at the excitement written all over your friend's face, “I’m glad, just don’t make it a habit of making me late to my class.”

Ashley’s smile dropped as she put her hands together in a silent prayer, “I am so sorry about that. I talked to my boss about it and he promised he would be more considerate next time.”

You sighed and crossed your arms, fauxing an upset scoff, “Fine, I suppose I can let it slide this time–”

“That’s good, I don’t need you murdering my best assistant.” A deep voice called out past the front of your car. You knew who that voice belonged to in an instant with that deep, sultry Australian accent. You had all the X-Men movies he was in on DVD and saved to your computer, as well as “The Greatest Showman” and even the series “Faraway Downs”. (You used to have a cutout of him in your room when you were younger but you don’t need to bring that up…)

Your eyes were glued to your best friend who gave you a sheepish grin, as if even she hadn’t been expecting this. You were afraid that if you looked over at him, he would just evaporate into thin air.

“I’m sorry, I should have introduced myself, I’m your friend's boss. You can call me Hugh.” Suddenly he was crossing into your line of sight, a hand held out in front you as a way of greeting.

You snapped yourself out of your trance that only his voice had put you in and went into professional mode, something that was a common necessity in your line of work, “Hugh, nice to meet you. I’m Ashley’s roommate… and oftentimes chauffeur.”

That pulled a laugh from deep inside his chest as he shook your hand. His grip was strong but still gentle so as not to crush your dainty fingers. It was incredibly hard not to notice the way his hand dwarfed yours in size, his palm calloused and rough in comparison to yours.

“I am terribly sorry about today, we got called to set at the last minute to start production for a new movie. It will not happen again.” He assured you.

You gave him a reassuring smile, “No worries, only made me late to my first lecture of my professional career, but not a big deal.” You laced your words with heavy sarcasm as you flashed a look to Ashley, who looked like she was about to combust with embarrassment. Did she really think you were going to embarrass her in front of her boss that much?

“Lecture? Are you a Professor?” Hugh asked as he leaned against the rusted hood of your Volvo.

It took you a moment to respond as you soaked in his large arms crossed over his massive chest. You wish you could be buried in there. Christ, you were acting like a schoolgirl with a crush. You cleared your throat before responding and smoothed out your skirt. You weren’t entirely sure, but you thought Hugh’s eyes followed your brief movement. “Yes, at Stanford in the Physics department. It’s where Ashley and I both studied.”

“Stanford, wow,” he said with a raise of his eyebrows, he seemed genuinely impressed. “You must be quite renowned in the Physics world to have gotten a job there. And… excuse me if this comes off as inappropriate, but you are so young too.”

“Just passionate, Mr. Jackman.” You say with a polite smile.

“I thought I told you to call me Hugh,” he replied with a teasing smirk that lifted one side of his mouth higher than the other. It felt like you were going to combust right there with how fast your heart was racing.

“Anywaaaay,” Ashley jumped in. You had almost completely forgotten she was standing there. “She and I best get going, we still need to make dinner tonight.” She rounded the small car to the passenger side door and threw her bag in the backseat.

“I guess it’s–”

Mr. Jackman cut you off with a quick step forward, “Actually, if you don’t mind me saying, you may be able to help us.”

“Us?” You asked and flicked your gaze towards your friend who looked like her world was ending right there in front of her.

“You see, some aspects of the movie we are working on happens in space. I will refrain from saying anything else since, well–if you’re a fan I don’t want to spoil anything,” he said with a hearty laugh, “But the producers and directors have been fighting about the physics of the movie. They are trying to make it as accurate as possible, I suppose. And well, I am very out of my depth when it comes to anything like this.”

You nodded at him, one hand on the door handle of the Volvo.

“If it’s not too much trouble, would you be willing to join our next meeting to teach them a thing or two about physics?” He asked and took one more step forward, a sparkle in those soft, hazel eyes.

“Well, Mr. Jackman–”

“Hugh.”

“Uh, Hugh,” You went on, “I am very flattered but I just don’t know if I will be the best suited for the job. I am sure you can find others that will be better at this sort of thing.” You said with a nervous laugh. There was no way you would survive getting looped into this movie with Hugh Jackman as a leading character.

Plus, Ashley liked having boundaries between her work and personal life, which you understood. You didn’t want to overstep without talking to her about it first. You don't know what you would do if you lost her friendship because of something like this.

Hugh smacked his lips together and patted the hood of your tiny car. “As a person who enjoys her work because you are passionate, I feel you would be the best suited for this task.” He held up his pointer finger as he reached into his back pocket to pull out an old, leather wallet. “I will give you my business card,” he said, holding up a small piece of white paper, “if you give me yours… Professor.”

You hesitated for a moment, not sure what this would all lead to, before nodding your head and reaching into a side pocket of your briefcase, producing a small manilla rectangle with your information printed on it. “Here you are, Mr. Jackman.”

He didn’t correct you this time as he reached over to retrieve your business card, before placing his own in your open hand. You didn’t want to dwell on the fact that this piece of paper smelled like him, all manly cologne and pinewood…

“I think we will be seeing each other in the future, Professor,” he said with a wink and a wave as he turned around and walked back towards the campus.

And you’d be damned if you didn’t watch his tight butt in those bootcut jeans disappear past the gate. But you didn’t notice him turn back around to get one last look at you as you climbed into your car.

* * *

You and Ashley made dinner without touching the subject of her boss who apparently now wanted to recruit you to help with the project. On one hand, you really wanted to say yes to his proposal. After all, this may be the closest you could ever achieve to the film industry after your change in major. But on the other hand, you knew Ashley took a lot of pride in her work, even as an assistant. She planned to climb the ladder of the entertainment business one rung at a time. After all, she held out throughout the entirety of her theater degree at university, when you just bailed when it got too difficult.

“I can feel you thinking about it,” Ashley said while you sat on the couch together, each with your respective bowls of ice cream and rewatching Gilmore Girls for the third–maybe fourth time?

You groaned and grabbed the remote, pausing your show. “I know… I’m really sorry.”

“Hey,” Ashley said and reached across to place her hand on yours reassuringly. “I know you care about film just as much as I do. Hell, they do need a lot of help with the physics of the movie, and I am definitely no help in that department.” You let out a small chuckle in silent agreement with your friend. As much as you loved her, math was not her strong suit.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright if I say yes? I mean, it’s not like it will be my actual job or anything. I probably won’t even interact with you and Mr. Jackman that much.”

Ashley shook her head, “No, it’ll be completely fine if you take the offer. And you’re right, usually Hugh and I are busy doing other stuff rather than being involved in the technical discussions, or at least I am.”

“So our friendship will still exist?”

It was Ashley’s turn to laugh, “Yes, dummy, our friendship will still exist.”

“Ugh, you’re the best!” You yelped and lunged across the couch for a hug, ice cream be damned.

Later that night, when you were getting ready for bed, your phone lit up with a notification from… an unknown number?

You had to let out a deep breath after his last text let a flurry of butterflies free in your stomach. You tried not to let it get to you so much, he was probably just being nice. Plus, you’ve watched enough of his interviews to know how flirty he can be without really meaning it.

Laying in bed, you opened your phone to Instagram. You snickered at the first photo that popped up on your feed. It was Hugh Jackman dressed in his yellow Wolverine uniform taken from an angle that definitely aged him, but you still found it adorable nonetheless. Without thinking, you pressed the heart button on the bottom left of the picture. After all, you’ve been liking his pictures for years by that point.

After that, you set your phone to “do not disturb”, waiting for the sun to wake you the next day. And when you finally woke to check it, a notification popped up on your phone that had your heart flying around your chest.

[fandomlurker333]

A lot of people are screaming throuple and just writing the porn (which I get! It’s fun!). But reading them come is not enough for me. lol Toxicity is hot until it’s just damaging and sad for everyone. I want real happiness for these three weirdos.

The end of the film was meant to be the very beginning of something. Just the spark of an idea of them coming back to one another. But the real work starts after. 

And I think it would probably be a step-by-step thing. 

I can see Patrick and Art working to draw closer, with that strong foundation of their childhoods to build off of. Obviously having to resolve the hurt that so much time and distance caused them, and both being willing to forgive. But it’s clear at the end of the film that the door is open for that. They grew up together. There’s a real root of knowing that I think could carry them through the toughest parts early on. Their relationship evolving feels possible.

And Tashi and Art’s marriage would find some breathing room and maybe even some renewed delight for having Patrick present and loving on them both. Kinda seeing each other again through his eyes type thing. Remembering they’re more than who they have been to each other for over a decade (both operating in one mode to survive, never quite enough for each other -- not totally fulfilled and not appreciated in their fullness).

I don’t think Patrick and Tashi would be having sex at this point, but I can see like….tennis dates where they bicker. Just them all learning how to be in each other’s space for extended periods of time and enjoy it.

And maybe Art wouldn’t resent Tashi so much for not being able to give him everything (so much has been taken from her — she just doesn’t have all that much left. She’s been doing her best.) and maybe Tashi would feel more at peace seeing them play each other and knowing Art is really loving tennis, not just playing for her. Connecting with them both in that space and finding joy in tennis again, so it’s not just routine and pain and loss for her.

With that healing happening concurrently (with therapists as support, of course), I think they’d get far. And then once those relationships are more secure, once Art and Tashi learn how they relate to each other when he isn’t winning for her (which would be something new. They don’t know what that looks like yet!) then Patrick and Tashi, having learned way more about themselves in relationship and how to communicate, might start working on their side of the triangle lol. 

I could see them all exploring and working out the intimacy over time — not just sex, but intimacy -- what do they each need and how do they need it? And kink too, the various ways they each want/need to give or receive so they all feel truly satisfied.

And of course they’ll be partners co-parenting. All of them.

I can see Tashi finally grieving her injury, the life she lost, and rediscovering her love of tennis, not to win, but for the joy of being on the court. Her sobs the first time she plays again and it’s not competitively, just a little volley, but it’s like she’s finally alive again. Reminding herself she’s a leader in tennis the space still, that she can build success in that world even without Art’s career, but maybe it looks different. I see a healed Tashi learning to enjoy teaching kids. Taking on more protege. And letting Art and Patrick come help at her tennis camps. 

Art retiring like he said he wanted, running the foundation as Tashi steps back. Realizing that he’s actually pretty good at this business thing and going back to school for a Master’s in nonprofit leadership. Meeting new people. Making friends (that aren’t Patrick). Getting invited to a pottery class and seeing he loves to work with his hands. Playing tennis with Patrick on the weekends.

And my heart for stay-at-home dad Patrick. Who always forgets to change over the laundry and leaves his keys everywhere and puts the babies' shoes on the wrong feet. But my god he loves those kids so goddamn much. Patrick learning to cook for the family and getting really good at it like he does anything he hyper-focuses on. Patrick finally having a home with the two people he loves most and figuring out how to create some routine and stability for himself within that container.

The love in that home. Ugh. I think it’s possible! I think they can do it! It just takes work. 

[raayllum]

Rayla as Callum's Deepest Truth - what does that mean? :: Or Truth in S6

Season six of The Dragon Prince talks a lot about truth.

It's a sentiment at least mentioned in almost every episode, and in a show featuring secrets, unreliable narrators, and characters routinely keeping information from or divulging information to one another, it's an accordingly complicated concept for both the characters and the show's broader narrative.

Thereby, we're going to start with the most straight forward associations in the season, beginning with Callum's plot line in 6x06 and the scene itself, and then work backwards through the various other aspects that contribute to both initial and more layered readings of the concept that we can extrapolate from other aspects / relationships the season explores through truth.

Let's begin.

Truth as Light and Love

The first and simplest readings of Rayla as Callum's Truth is that she is Light ("How do I find this light?" / "the one deep truth so bright it can fill the darkness") and Love. This isn't really a stretch, given that seeing and embracing Star Rayla causes a bright light to shine literally in canon, and successfully fill the hole in Callum's spirit with light and purify him of darkness. This also pulls on the most straight forward associations from Rayla and light in prior seasons.

We see this reflected in Janai and Amaya's blessing of the sun at their wedding—a request for "love and light"—and in their discussions with one another in 6x02. Amaya assures her that Janai can still fix what is broken for her people (put a pin that idea of broken + fixing for later) so long as she doesn't try to do it alone. Janai affirms this through her understanding of "The King with 1000 Eyes" story, stating that much like in the tale's pair of lovers, Amaya is also:

While this doesn't necessitate the idea of Truth as being romantic love for an individual, this line is one of the biggest reasons going into 6x06 that I thought maybe Rayla would end up being his Deepest Truth. This is also partially because they refer back to the idea of light and fixing, directly stating that "there is a way to fix it" through the star-light ritual, and we see this idea again with Rayla in 6x09 with Runaan.

Rayla was always set up to be Callum's alternative path in opposition to Aaravos as well (though again, we'll get to that specific path motif more later) through the framing of light. It's unsurprising then that in opposition to both metaphorical and literal darkness

we get Rayla and his love for her being a literal light.

These are the most straight forward, positive sides of Truth that we see, and the ones I think (mostly) that 6x06 plays most overtly, though there are others as well that we'll get to in a second. This is also the most straightforward the series has been about 'darkness = bad' and 'light = good' as well, even if there are always exceptions to every rule (which we'll get to later as well).

Light and love and Rayla can fix what is broken. She can save you. She can restore you. Her, and your love for her, leads you out of the darkness. Mends you. Makes you whole again.

That's some powerful stuff, especially as a basic surface level reading. (For a less than surface level one with this similar theme of broken and fixing, you can read this meta regarding Leola and Rayla.)

With that under our belts, I want to take this basis of "the Truth (Rayla) as love and light" to explore how it leads naturally into the final Rayla and Callum scene of the episode, featuring

Truth as Clarity

We've gone over light, and we'll go over purpose, but for now I want to talk about the idea of truth as clarity. To have clarity is to have a better sense of the reality of things, a founded understanding of a situation or person. The Celestial elves seek clarity through the "true light of the heavens." The clarity Callum receives in realizing and finding that Rayla is his one truth causes him to finally take the next step and begin their relationship fully again by kissing her, and by confessing his love to her.

Clarity is also derived from the basis of knowing, however—"Hold to what you've always known [...] the answer in your heart is clear / I am near, my love is here"—of knowing that is the truth. Of seeing clearly, of seeing someone, truly for who they are and loving them.

RAYLA: Why didn't you tell me? CALLUM: Cause I know you, Rayla. If I'd told you, you would've refused to go, because you never do anything for yourself.

He loves her because he knows her ("That's what makes her a hero. That's what makes her Rayla" / "She's not 'the elf'. She's Rayla") and he knows her because he loves her, because he understands her ("And I understand why you couldn't tell me") through love. His trial and Truth gave him the clarity to express it, and the purpose to do so in many ways. It's also a positive grasp of purpose, since Viren ("I have power, purpose, and I intend to use both of them") and Aaravos ("I chose to live, and my life took on new purpose") become dark, twisted, and self destructive. Loving each other makes Callum and Rayla mutually better, and it's something both are finally able to whole heartedly embrace. To love is simply to know this.

Between this, and Viren's whole assessment that "The path of freedom is the path of truth," what could possibly be bad potentially about Rayla being Callum's one Truth, or the truth in general? Well...

Truth as A Weapon / a Burden

I actually wrote a meta all about this theme in Arc 2 for season 4 and season 5 before S6 called "Knowledge as a Burden" that I recommend reading if you haven't already. However, it's not necessary as this section is about how the Truth or 'Knowledge' can be a burden and a weapon depending on what the truth is, and how the information is presented. And this eventually does make its way back to the more positive outcome of Rayla being Callum's truth, so we'll circle our way back around.

With all that in mind, let's start with the most obvious. In 6x06, "Moment of Truth," both Callum and Viren wrestle with the results of previous actions due to dark magic. In one timeline, Callum learns the truth about the pearl and spirals into self-despair; in the other, ultimately canon timeline, this truth is withheld from him, allowing him to maintain the courage and strength he needs to go through the star-light ritual ceremony. By withholding the truth, he's given clarity, light, and purpose, which we went over in the previous section.

Alternatively, Viren's arc in this episode leans more heavily onto the concept that giving Soren the letter would be shifting a burden to his son.

Are you providing clarity, light, and purpose, or are you shifting a burden to someone who needs all their strength?

Both these plot lines ultimately end in different ways. By sharing the truth, Callum and Rayla reconcile, and by withholding the truth, Viren spares his son more pain, and they don't ultimately reconcile. I'll definitely talk about Viren and Soren's arc together in S6 someday in a proper meta, so I don't want to touch on it too much here, but it is noteworthy because it reaffirms the concept in this season that sometimes, knowing the truth can make things worse, not better, and cause more pain, not less.

We see this in how Callum's dark magic use weighs on him heavily in 6x03, leading to an argument between him and Rayla, and that learning he did dark magic causes Rayla to respond differently to his request to kill him; whereas before she steadfastly refused, here she agrees because she can see the risk and concerns are more prominent. This doesn't of course make their bond better (although it doesn't worsen it, either), but their literal ship does catch on fire and sink when she demands that he sacrifice her, and promises to sacrifice him, so... It's not good, either, even if it's ultimately good that Callum shared it with her for his own sake.

Where we see the Truth most weaponized in the season, however, in moving away from 'the truth as light' is with Aaravos himself.

AARAVOS: Good, good. You've played your part well. Before you perish, would you like a reward, a small mercy perhaps? The mercy of truth. The answer to the mystery that has haunted you for a thousand years. What happened to your beloved mate that disappeared? SOL REGEM: Tell me, betrayer. What became of Aithne Solaire? AARAVOS: I should warn you, sometimes the line between mercy and cruelty can be thin. [...] It was you. You killed her. Go on, breathe deep. I know you can smell the truth from a lie, and this is a deep, dark truth. In your fury, you buried her alive.

This is, of course, a move Aaravos used before ("Arrogant, just like your grandmother. Would you like to know the truth of her fate before you meet yours? I swallowed her") with Khessa back in season three. This is also something he utilizes as a manipulation tactic with others, knowing the importance of withholding the truth until it is beneficial for you to reveal it ("Careful, if you tell the truth you will lose her") and Aaravos' own belief that "[he] never lies" which Claudia reaffirms in 6x01: "Aaravos wasn't lying."

Of course, just because something is true according to him and his worldview or vantage point doesn't mean that it is deeply, objectively true, but that's another matter.

What matters here for the sake of this meta is that the truth isn't always good. The truth can be withheld to protect others (2x03, 6x06), to protect yourself (although sometimes misguided), and to manipulate and control other people (Viren orchestrating the war in S2 and S3, Aaravos routinely, etc). The "mercy of truth" is sometimes not mercy at all, but cruelty, showcased in Aaravos revealing something he knew would devastate and harm an already dying dragon/enemy.

The truth can be cruel. The truth can be deep and dark, too, not just light and lifting burdens. Knowledge can be an terrible burden. The truth can be awful.

So can love.

So can your path.

Truth as a Path (Freedom)

VIREN: Despite all this, I am changed. I woke up feeling free for the first time in a very long time. I know I have led my sweet, brilliant daughter down the wrong path. I have led you by the hand and I have led you by my example. Perhaps now if I walk the path of freedom, you will find your path someday, too. CLAUDIA: What do you mean 'path of freedom'? VIREN: The path of freedom is the path of truth. I must face my truth... in Katolis.

The path motif was something touched on sparingly in the first three seasons, largely in response to actual, literal paths the characters were taking. However, beginning more overtly in season four and bolstered by season five, Arc 2 has steadily turned it into one of the most consistent motifs that runs throughout season six. What is created, then, is a set of binary paths. There is the Path of Freedom—moving away from the Cycle and a narrative of strength, away from trying to replicate or get back to the past and moving towards the future instead, away from Aaravos and dark magic—and the 'wrong, dark' Path of Fate that moves in opposition to it.

This is most directly stated in Viren's final dream with his past self:

PRESENT VIREN: The path of fate is already chosen. Every step I took, I took because I had to. YOUNG VIREN: No. That can't be true. No matter where you are on the path, no matter what you've done before, every step forward is a choice. I am free, and so are you.

reaffirmed in Viren's decision at the end of 5x09:

VIREN: No. I won't do it. I finally see the truth. I find myself here at these horrifying crossroads because I have followed a dark path. And worst of all, I have led my beloved daughter done this path. No more dark magic! Never again! I am done with it — and I am done with you!

and in Callum's conversation with Rayla in 4x07:

CALLUM: What if I'm on a path of darkness? RAYLA: Then take a different path, dummy!

All of this was just some of the set up that has routinely put Rayla and Aaravos in direct opposition of each other for Callum's fate. There are framing things like her and the mirror being two very overt paths stretching out before Callum when she comes back, and Rayla being what pulls his attention away from the mirror, but 4x07 made it in The Text by having her represent and literally remind Callum he always has choices: "No one can control you or make your choices for you" (which is partially pressed on in his assessment in "I didn't have a choice" in 6x03, but again: meta for another day). Rayla always represented freedom (his wings, agency) and light (all previous framing) and she still does so in being his Truth. Rayla is his Light, reminder of his freedom, and brings all those things into being his Truth; it is a beautiful culmination (for now) of Callum's choice to move away from dark magic and Aaravos' control by literally embracing his love for Rayla and all she represents in his life. (And yeah you've probably already noticed the snag here, but I'm gonna get to that in a sec.)

This connection between Truth and Path is affirmed in Terry's talk with Claudia in 6x04, in which they discuss:

CLAUDIA: Maybe I should be walking a different path, too. But Aaravos helped us. He followed through on everything he said he was going to do to save my Dad, and I promised to help free him. So should I quit dark magic? Please, Terry, tell me what to do. TERRY: Claudia, I can't. Only you can see your own deep truth. Only you can decide the path you're going to walk. You won't be alone. [...] But you have to choose the way. What do you need to find your truth?

So on top of being Light and Love, and Rayla being Callum's One Truth equalling the Path of Freedom, Rayla is just Callum's chosen Path. He chooses the Path of light, love, freedom — all good things through the embodiment of her and their relationship, much the way Callum has been her guiding star in pulling her away from her dark and self-destructive paths (going after Viren) and making measured choices (coming back in 4x09, realizing she can't/shouldn't separate Lain and Tiadrin, etc).

Okay great, awesome! Sounds like Callum has done what he needs to do, he's rid himself of the taint of dark magic and Aaravos' control by proxy. His love for Rayla got him through it. She's his path. She's his truth.

What could possibly be wrong with that?

The Truth is Everything

After season four aired, I wrote a meta about how Aaravos (Fate) and Rayla (Freedom) represented Callum's two paths going forward into S5 and beyond. Much of what was in that meta has already been touched on here, given that S6 evolved this dichotomy and this motif in largely the ways I thought it ultimately would.

However, in that past meta, I also posited that these two paths would ultimately not be as separate as they might appear, and would converge. Part of this was because S4 emphasized the importance of not treating dualities as binaries, but in reconciling them ("Now you're back. That's kind of good, and it's kind of bad" / "How can I have that and the life I want with you? [...] Just have two cakes" / "We have to hold pain and love in our hearts at the same time"). Specifically, that Rayla would be what leads Callum into getting closer to Aaravos and playing into his clutches, which 5x08, 6x03—and indeed the upped stakes for dark magic use ("if you ever use it again, the darkness and corruption will overwhelm you") coming off 6x06—feel like natural steps forward.

Because while the light, and Truth, and Rayla, is usually a Good Thing in Callum's life, as Soren points out, it isn't always.

After all, Callum only did dark magic—both times—because of Rayla.

CALLUM: I did one spell. One. I had to, to save my friends. (5x08)

CALLUM: I did it for you! Finnegrin was going to kill you. I didn't have a choice, because... I would do anything for you. (6x03)

His love for Rayla has already been his path to darkness and Aaravos just as much as it's been his path out of darkness to light and freedom away from Aaravos. Aaravos has both dark and light; so does Rayla as a literal Moonshadow elf, and her dual swords, and her juxtaposition of immense mercy and obsessive violence. He is "destined to play into [Aaravos'] hands," with Aaravos' scheme for Callum still clearly ongoing, given that Aaravos is out and the cube is still in play.

They also wouldn't 1) bring up the possession related promise and 2) have Rayla actually agree to it and then 3) have her affirm that Runaan taught her to never break her promises all in the same season if it wasn't going to come back into play, and the only way Aaravos can possess Callum again is if he does dark magic again. (I'll do a separate meta sometime after this regarding how S6 evolves the possession plotline in about every episode Callum and Rayla are mutually in, later, too.)

Just as Rayla was the reason Callum ever did dark magic or successfully got the cube in the first place, she will almost surely, inevitably, be the reason he does dark magic — breaking his promise, and opening up room for her to break her own.

RAYLA: Listen to me. If you ever have to choose between me or the greater good, do the right thing. Make the sacrifice.

Callum will choose Rayla every time, whether that leads to saving or destroying himself.

She is His Path, singular—the path of fate and free will, to light and to darkness, to destruction and salvation. The various dualities in their relationship will all be reconciled and brought to complete fruition.

And that's everything.

[hollyethecurious]

CS AU: Pan Says... (8/?)

Summary: After waking up in a strange room with a naked stranger, Emma and Killian must endure the twisted game their kidnapper insists they play in order to gain provisions and avoid punishments.

A/N: Look at me getting another chapter up within a month of the previous update! I can't tell y'all how much your replies, reblogs, comments, likes, kudos have meant to me.

I have plotted out the remainder of this story and I believe we'll have 2-3 more chapters. It all depends on how wordy I get, lol. The muse has been very generous as of late, so fingers crossed that I can wrap this up before I need to work on my supernatural summer fic in earnest.

Lots of love to @ultraluckycatnd and @kmomof4 for their exceptional beta skills!

Rated E /Also available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list / Curious? Come Ask Me!  

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five / Part Six  / Part Seven

Chapter Prompts: I received a couple of prompts asking for the scenarios I've mentioned in this update. I have glanced over them a bit, though. I hope the prompters won't mind.

Warnings: Mentions of anal sex, edging, mutual masturbation, exhibitionism and voyeurism.

Part Eight

Killian collapsed back onto the bed, thoroughly spent and utterly exhausted. The mattress shook from the way Emma’s legs were quivering, her knees and upper body anchored to the bed with her ass in the air, still presented. The ass he’d just taken as a way of technically complying to Pan’s most recent command without actually doing the thing he knew Pan had meant for him to do.

Pan Says… come inside her this time.

The command had only been issued to Killian; a new twist to this particular round of the game. Instructions were given to only one of them at a time, usually when the other was in the lavatory or still asleep, and no longer delivered audibly. They were not permitted to share what the exact instruction was with each other, and had to therefore trust that their compliance to the other’s words was what Pan required.

The morning after their reunion was when it had all started. He’d come back from relieving himself to find Emma awake and looking slightly confused and distressed.

“Swan? What is it? What happened?”

“I… I can’t tell you,” she said. “He said I’m not supposed to tell you I just have to…”

Killian climbed back into bed and took her hand in his. “It’s alright, love,” he assured her. “Whatever it is he’s told you, you won’t have to go through it alone.”

Her eyes flicked up to his, swirling with contrition and a sense of determination. “I know,” she replied. Pushing against his chest, she forced him to lay back as she began to peel his pajama pants down his legs. “I need you to pay attention, because” she paused, swallowed hard, then wet her lips. “Swan says… everything I’m about to do to you, you will have to reciprocate in kind.”

Those next two days they had licked and kissed and sucked and branded and tongued every inch of each other. Exploring one another’s body with nothing more than their mouths.

The third day of Round Three had them experimenting with various toys and apparatus. He’d been told to edge her all day with the various wands and vibrators as she lay tied up from the four corners of the bed. It had been torture. Reducing her to a whimpering, begging, desperate collection of moans, tears, and sobs when all he wanted to do was alleviate the torment. But he’d dared not. Not after the last time they had disobeyed.

He was certain he would get his comeuppance on day four, especially when they woke to a basket of anal toys, in an assortment of styles and sizes. All Pan had required of them that day, however - delivered through a Swan Says… - was to shower and then fit each other with a plug, presumably to begin the process for more anal play later on.

Knowing they both had to be live wires of pent up sexual frustration by this point, day five had been mutual masturbation day.

“Your Captain says… touch yourself, love,” Killian instructed, stroking his cock as he watched Emma pleasure herself.

They had shared a total of eleven orgasms that day, and had become further acquainted with the various toys and butt plugs Pan insisted not go to waste.

Now, day six, Killian was allowed to penetrate his Swan with something other than his tongue or his fingers or a bit of vibrating silicone, but only under one condition… that he finish inside her.

Pan never said anything about it having to be in her cunt, so he’d taken advantage of the ambiguity by taking her ass instead, since they’d both been stretching and preparing themselves for anal play.

And fuck him if it hadn’t felt amazing - the defiance and the tight, forbidden depths in which he’d just spilled himself. Glancing over at Emma, her face shimmering from a sheen of sweat with an expression of sated and elated ecstasy, he knew she had enjoyed it too… but then of course, she did not know the full reason as to why he’d taken her ass and not her pussy.

She was no longer protected from the threat of an unwanted pregnancy.

“Wow,” Emma exhaled. “That was…”

“Don’t try and move too much,” he told her as he reached over and helped ease her into a more comfortable position. “Just rest. I’ll go get something to clean us up.”

“And some water,” she called out after him.

“Aye. And water,” he responded, as though he needed reminding.

He didn’t.

A week into Round Three and they had already settled into a routine. A week-long marathon of teasing, edging, training, and orgasms. A week of them taking orders from one another, of placing a new form of trust in the other’s hands. A week of them not talking about what had happened in the weeks before, or more to the point… the moments before this round had begun.

Swallowing thickly, he pulled back and softly whispered, “I love you, Emma.” Then captured her lips before she could reply.

“I think that’s enough sharing for one day,” Pan’s curt tone crackled over the speakers, forcing them apart. “In fact, Pan says no more talking until Round Three begins… which shall be first thing tomorrow morning. Sleep well.”

Killian’s jaw tightened as he watched Emma open and then close her mouth with longing and uncertainty swirling in her gaze. Squeezing his hand, she rolled off the bed and padded her way to the lav. Afterward, they both got dressed and curled up next to one another in bed, the silence between them deafening.

In the past week, she had not reciprocated those words and he had not uttered them again. Not because he hadn’t meant them, because he had. He did. He does. He regretted saying it, though. Regretted giving Pan more ammunition to use against them. Regretted having the memory of those words first said here, in this setting, under these circumstances. Regretted putting her on the spot when he knew, even if she felt the same, she couldn’t possibly be ready to say it back to him. And that was okay. He never wanted to push or pressure her, they had enough to contend with from the outside demands of their ‘host’. So, for now, all he wanted was to try and make things as easy for her as he could. To protect her and safeguard her to the best of his ability… even if that meant not talking about it and fucking her in the ass in order to keep her from getting pregnant.

“I have something special planned for you,” Pan said, startling him as they finished their aftercare routine. “But it requires a bit of a field trip.”

Confused, they both looked at one another then towards the door as it opened. Killian took her hand as they stood, placing himself in front of her as he always did when they were instructed to leave their cell.

“Pan says to follow the purple line until it ends, then wait for further instructions.”

The purple line? That was a new one. They’d never been instructed to follow that one before. He knew blue led to the showers, green to the rooftop terrace, and yellow to the room where he’d been injected with supposed poison after disobeying Pan’s rules. Emma had told him that she thought the Lost One had carried her along the red line when she’d been taken after their night of lovemaking, so Killian had deduced (and kept the knowledge to himself) that it had led to the medical procedure room.

Following the purple stripe to its unknown destination, Killian made a mental note of the route and cataloged it alongside the other colors. Of course, there was still an orange and black line. Their destination was also a mystery to him, which made making a mental map of the facility difficult, but he attempted to do so nonetheless.

The path ended in a narrow passageway in front of a pane of darkened glass. A hidden panel behind them slid closed, shutting them inside the dead end. Before either of them could question what was happening, the pane in front of them lit up. It wasn’t just glass. It was a window, looking out onto a circular room with tiers of seats that were shielded by thin, see-through screens, their occupants only noticeable in silhouette.

Emma reached out and banged on the window, trying to get someone’s attention, but her efforts were ignored. When someone did pass by - a woman donning an elaborate mask that hid her identity, but not her vanity - and paused to check her red hair, Killian realized…

“It’s a mirror,” he murmured. “A two-way mirror. They can’t see us.”

“Not yet, anyway.” Pan’s voice echoed through the small room. “Besides… their attention is focused elsewhere at the moment.”

Emma gasped, pulling Killian’s focus to where her wide eyes were trained. In the center, lowest level of the room was a rotating platform, and on that platform were two people engaging in various sex acts whilst the spectators behind the screens watched.

“What the fuck is this?”

“An intimate gathering I host one weekend of each month for like-minded friends. Three days of exhibitionist delights and debauched voyeuristic entertainment. This is the second night.”

He paused as dread rolled through Killian’s stomach. His next words made bile creep up his throat.

“You two will be night three’s entertainment.”

“Fuck that!”

“You can’t be bloody serious!”

“I am serious enough that I’m willing to offer you your reward before you meet the terms of my… request.”

Emma scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “There is nothing you could offer that would make either of us--”

“Not even a chance to reach out to your friends and family so you can inform them that you are not only alive, but also in need of their help?”

They both balked then stared at one another. He couldn’t be serious.

“Why would you let us do that?” Killian inquired.

“Because I require your full compliance so that my guests get the experience they’ve paid for. I am, therefore, prepared to compensate you accordingly.”

“In advance?” Emma clarified. “You’d risk us agreeing and notifying our loved ones of the truth only to back out later?”

Pan’s tone sent a chill up Killian’s spine and he knew Emma had been affected by the hushed warning as well.

“I would advise against such schemes. You do not wish to fathom how far I will go in punishing those who embarrass me in front of my guests.”

“What if we simply refuse all together?” Killian asked, knowing there had to be a penalty of equal weight to the reward being offered.

“Then your association with one another is of no further use to me, and I shall reassign you to partners with whom you might be a bit more agreeable to my requests.”

Emma pressed herself into Killian’s side as he protectively wrapped his arms around her waist. They clung to one another, each of them eyeing the door with the fear that it might open and Lost Ones would be waiting to pry them apart.

“The choice is yours,” Pan said. “I’ll give you some time to consider your options.” The panel slid open, revealing the corridor beyond. “Pan says to return to your room. Further information regarding tomorrow night’s entertainment will be waiting for you.”

~/~

Emma couldn’t stop the tremors coursing through her body. She wasn’t sure how she had made it back to their cell on such shaky legs, and the items awaiting them once they’d returned had done nothing to help alleviate her body’s physical response to the dread and anxiety overwhelming her.

In the center of the room was a table that held an old fashioned, corded phone. It had only three buttons on the dial panel; one labeled Nolan, one labeled Liam, and one labeled Decline. Next to the phone was a binder, and within it were the rules, expectations, and procedures for the night of entertainment she and Killian were meant to supply to Pan and his perverted guests.

A note also accompanied the binder. It read, Pan says to discuss the instructions in full before making your choice. Should you choose to comply, make your calls accordingly. Should you choose to decline, press the appropriate button and my Lost Ones will see to your reassignment.

“Say something,” Killian pleaded. Having read through the binder aloud, he’d tossed it over his shoulder then slumped forward with his head in his hands and his elbows braced against his knees.

“What is there to say?” she said, on the edge of panic. “We can’t refuse him. I can’t… I can’t lose you. I can’t let someone else… I can’t--”

“Hey. Hey, it’s alright,” he soothed, gathering her in his arms and cradling her against his chest. “I know.” His lips brushed the crown of her head and his chest rose and fell from a deep, fortifying breath. “But we have to discuss it. We have to talk it through. I won’t give him any reason to separate us. No loopholes.”

Emma nodded and pulled back so she could stare up into his face. “You’re right. We have to follow his instructions to the letter if we want to avoid penalty or punishment, and as much as I really don’t relish the idea of having to” -she gestured towards the binder- “do that. The idea of being forced apart makes me…”

“Aye. Me, too.” Reaching back he picked up the binder and opened it across his lap. “The good news is… none of the spectators are allowed to touch us or participate physically in any of the acts we perform on one another.”

“Yeah,” Emma groused. “They just get to dictate what acts we perform.”

Pan’s guests essentially got to be him for a night. Each of them would be able to make suggestions and vote on what sort of acts they wanted to see their entertainment perform on one another. Those requests would then be relayed to them through an ear bud or in some other manner.

Requests involving excessive violence or anything that might leave a permanent mark would not be permitted. She and Killian would have their identity obscured through the use of a domino mask and could opt to have an alias used in lieu of their actual names as well. Of course, they both had distinguishing features that could give away their identities, but what were the odds of them ever encountering these people again?

“Do you want to fill out the form first?” Killian asked, referring to the questionnaire Pan had provided, allowing them each to select up to ten items they absolutely would not consent to. “Or we could go over it together, if you’d prefer?”

If she’d prefer? Did it even matter anymore as to what she would prefer?

Emma’s chest tightened and her stomach dropped as the periphery of her vision darkened and blurred spots floated in her vision. A dull ringing began to develop in her ears, strengthening in its tone, pitch, and volume as the pressure in her lungs grew critical and she realized she’d been holding her breath. Rage bubbled up from her stomach and despair stung the corners of her eyes.

This was it, she realized. This was her breaking point. Emma had absolutely had enough.

Launching herself off the bed she stomped to the center of the room and rounded on Killian. “No! I don’t want to go over the questionnaire! I don’t want to discuss everything involved with tomorrow night’s entertainment! I don’t want to do any of this! I want to go home!”

Hysterics overtook her and she crumpled to the floor, but not before Killian wrapped her up in his arms to help break her fall. Clinging to him, she wept into his shoulder, her body practically convulsing from the release of pent up emotions and strain.

“I know, love,” Killian murmured, his voice tight and gravely from his own held back emotions. He continued to comfort her with soft words of nonsense as his hand caressed soothing circles over her back. After several long minutes, she could feel dampness against her hairline and when she pulled back to glance up, she found it was because Killian had started shedding tears of his own.

A few hiccups escaped her as she tried to calm herself. Killian’s hands cupped her face and he brushed away her tears with the pads of his thumbs before pressing his forehead to hers.

“Just you and me, love,” he whispered. “We will face this new degradation as we have all the others. Together.”

Pulling back, he brushed her hair away from her face, carding his fingers through the long strands and gently scratching her scalp in the way he knew she liked. “We will forget about Pan and those who have come to witness our debasement and focus only on one another. Aye?”

“Aye,” she replied in a sorry attempt to mimic his accent, which pulled a small smile from him. Flicking her gaze up to meet his, she said, “I’m sorry. I--”

“You never have to apologize to me, love,” he replied, wrapping her in his arms again and holding her tightly to his chest. “It’s a wonder we’ve both gone this long since our last breaking point.”

Emma laughed mirthlessly. He had a point. This certainly wasn’t the first time one of them had fallen to pieces and thrown a well deserved tantrum, allowing the homesickness, injustice, and despair to spill over from their boiling points. Allowing him to pick her up off the floor, she tried to bury the worry about whether or not it would be the last.

“What would you say,” Killian began, leading them back over to the bed and sitting them on the edge, “to us choosing our false names, our aliases as it were, and proceeding in those personas as a way of distancing ourselves from it?”

“You mean like… pretending this is all happening to someone else?”

“In a way.” Killian took her hand and threaded his fingers between hers. “It might allow us to… dissociate from having to fully experience it ourselves if we think about it happening to… The Captain and… whatever pseudonym you might select for yourself, instead.”

Emma rolled her bottom lips between her teeth and considered the suggestion. It would be like role play. The audience wouldn’t be seeing them, wouldn’t be controlling them, they’d be witnessing two characters crafted to play out a role that was separate from the actors themselves. The thought of that released a bit more of tension she was holding onto and an exhale passed over her lips, carrying her agreement.

“Yes. I like that idea.” Cocking her head to one side, she looked up at him with a teasing smirk and taunted, “The Captain?”

A blush bloomed across his cheeks and tinted the tips of his ears as he reached up to paw at the patch of skin behind his jawline. “Aye. Uh… I thought it might serve as a fitting moniker.”

“Hmmm,” Emma hummed with a coy glint in her eye. “I like it.” Wetting her lips, which almost always centered his focus on her mouth, Emma dipped her gaze then flicked it back up, peering at him from beneath her lashes as she sultrily inquired, “Would the Captain be agreeable to having a naughty Wench at his side for tomorrow’s night entertainment?”

A wicked smile stretched across his lips, and she could see the gleam of relief and pride flicker in his eyes before they turned dark and heated. “Oh, aye,” he replied in a deep timbre that damn near made her toes curl. “I think the Captain would enjoy a naughty Wench’s companionship very much indeed.” Plucking a paper from the binder, he held it out to her and with his Captain’s voice ordered, “Be a good little Wench and fill this out so your Captain knows all the deplorable things he’ll get to do to you.”

“Aye, aye… Captain.”

Part Nine

[rumbelleshowdown]

Moderator note: There will be only one fic posted for Groups G, H, and J. The other person in each of those groups dropped out.

-

Author: Rose Tea

Group: G

Prompts: Goddess. Let us sail astray. Skunk in the garden.

-

Stuff of Legends

Belle opened the massive tome, eyes darting  across the first page.  Whether she’d read this one already the little maid couldn’t recall. But some books get better each time you read them. She couldn’t count the times  she’d poured over Her Handsome Hero; enthralled in the adventures of Alma and Gideon. 

Blowing away a tiny bit of dust, Belle turned the page. To her surprise, she hadn’t read this one. It contained various legends and stories of the gods and how they controlled  every part of the realms.  

Halfway through the first chapter; however,  at the sudden  noise of footsteps entering the library, Belle paused.   Rumplestiltskin said he’d be  back at sundown. 

Then who—

“Am I disturbing you,  Miss Belle? I could go back out to the garden and explore. Only  something is out there. A skunk, I think.” 

Belle sighed.  Peering over the book, she looked into the dark eyes  of the little master. Well, ‘little’ being a relative term, as Baelfire would protest he is now eight years old. 

“No– No.  You aren’t bothering me” She replied,   giving the boy a friendly smile.  “I have been exploring a little myself. “ She gestured around the room.  “There’s enough books in here for a lifetime!” 

The boy  sat down on the floor.  “So what are you reading  now?”  He asked, face lit up in curiosity.    

“Oh? “ Belle showed him the cover.  “It’s some old stories. About the gods and goddesses. “ She  chuckled. “ I don’t think you’d find it interesting, Bae.” 

Bae shook his head.  “Could you read me one?  I like hearing you read, Miss Belle.  And I think Papa likes it as well.” 

Belle swallowed; keeping back the forming blush.  “He- he does?” She asked, quavering. 

Bae nodded.  “He told me last night.” 

Well, Belle thought,  she could at least read one.  

“Let’s see” she muttered, flipping the pages until back at the beginning.  The page showed a simple drawing of a woman in a blue gown.  “This one?”

Yes!”  Bae moved closer to hear every word. 

—----

There are many legends about this world. From  stories of the smallest ant who worked all summer, to the selkies who can change their shape, to the Black Fairy.  But none is more  beautiful than the tale of the man who loved a goddess. 

Long ago, there lived a lonely man.   No one wanted to  be around him.  And no one completely knew why: some say it was something in his eyes or how he moved.  Others said it was his attitude.  How he always acted rude and utterly callous. Either way, no one wished to come  close to him. 

The man had very few things that mattered to him.  Those being  his wife and son. With them, he felt like he had everything he needed. 

But one day, his wife grew unhappy. She wanted to  venture out into the world.  To see new things and meet new people.  

“Let us sail astray” she would beg at least once a day. 

But he’d refuse.  

Until one day,  the man came home to find his wife had done just that.  She’d  headed off into  the night  with no indication she would return and leaving their son  without a mother. 

This made the man bitter. His son was growing fast and would soon not need him anymore.  The thought of losing everything terrified him. He consulted with  sorcerers and found all sorts of magic. He wanted to try anything he could to ease the fear and hurt he felt. 

His son couldn’t bear to see his father in such a state. He wondered if something could be done to help him. 

—--

Belle caught the wide-eyed look on Bae’s face.  “Should I stop?” 

Bae shrugged.  “Keep reading. I want to hear  how it ends. “ 

—-----

He developed a talent over time:   knowing exactly what someone desired the most and how to get it. Even  if it cost their lives.  This consumed him,  making him fall further  and farther into darkness.  So deep it took him over like a huge wave. 

One  day, however,  when the first flushes of springtime came to the land,  the man saw a beautiful woman. Her eyes such a bright shade of blue, they seem to pierce the darkness  for a moment. 

He could sense something special about her and had to find out. So he  took her to his home. 

“You will stay here for the rest of your days” he declared,  “And we shall never be apart.” 

The woman didn’t like this idea at first.  Why would she want to stay with such a disagreeable man?  She hoped and prayed each day  that he’d let her leave. 

That is until  an afternoon in early autumn.  She had gone out to gather fruit for a pie  when all of a sudden, a great bird attacked her and almost carried off his son.  

 A bit later,  she heard sounds coming from outside.  What the woman saw startled her more than the bird.  That this man, who had been so disagreeable to her cared enough to not harm the bird  upon learning it had a nest full of chicks.   In that moment, she knew there must be more to him.  

—----

 “Miss Belle, this man kind of sounds like Papa.” 

Belle bit her lip as realization of what the boy said dawned on her “He does, doesn’t he?” 

—---

Autumn turned to winter.  The trees once bearing fruit now wore a layer of frost.  The house became colder, as did the man. Any time the woman talked to him,  he snapped at her. 

His breaking point came when she inquired as to the fate of his wife.   He’d yelled at her to leave, to never return.   

The woman cried a pool of tears. She  had grown to love the man in spite of everything.  As she turned to leave the house,  the man noticed something not there before.  

A brilliant glow illuminated the woman: brighter than anything he’d ever seen. The man froze. 

What he hadn’t known was the woman was a goddess; one of great beauty and knowledge.  She came  to find someone who loved  her truly  and thought she’d found it. 

As she left, she said these words:  “You have grown so cold to love that  when it comes, you can’t see it .  I loved you.  And I do hope that  one day  you will come to realize you aren’t immune to the concept. “  

—---

Marking her place with her finger,  Belle turned to the little master. “Did—--Did you like it?” 

There came a long pause before Bae answered. “Miss Belle,  if Papa is the man,  does that mean you are the goddess?” 

“I—-I’m don’t think I am.” She stood up, putting away the book. 

“But do you love Papa ?” 

Thoughts raced through Belle’s mind.  How could she answer that truthfully? 

“Do you?”  Bae repeated.  

-

[sitp-recs]

Hi Liv! This might be a bit of an odd ask/sos hehe

My younger brother (huge hp fan - has never read ffs before) recently asked me for fic recs that have canon-divergence/time travel and I'd love to ease him into ffs (without freaking him out forever) but am desperately in need of ideas. He's particular about characterization and would prefer gen fics (tho he says he's open to any pairing if well-written). As someone who reads mostly drarry, I was hoping you or your followers would have some other suggestions. Ik it's v different from your usual recs, so pls don't be pressured to replyy!! Thank you so much 🤗

Hi anon! Not an odd ask at all, I’m excited to see you gently guiding him into Drarry lands 😂 one of my personal favorites in terms of characterization is WWPWCS but that one is quite romantic, so I’m listing below fics that could be a great entry point if you’re looking for Gen, plot-focused fics. I also have a rec list with G and T works and a Drarry for beginners list (although this is quite shippy so maybe something to explore later on!). I hope you find them helpful and pls let me know how the Drarry agenda goes 🌝

Turn From Stone by harryromper (M, 45k)

Harry knows there’s nothing he can do to stop Hermione (war hero, historian, author of the reissued “Hogwarts: A History”) once she sets her mind to something. Even an extremely risky last-ditch effort to restore the ancient castle and lay its newest ghosts to rest. What he wasn’t counting on was her insistence that Draco Malfoy be part of the plan.

Heal Thyself by astolat (T, 47k)

"Are you going for the course?" Lovegood asked. "You have the NEWTs.” “What course?” Draco said, then, “No, don’t be ridiculous,” when he realized she meant the notice pinned up on the board he’d been staring at: Applicants To The Introductory Mediwizard Course For The Coming Term Shall Present Themselves In The Chief Mediwizard’s Office By August 24th.

The Pure and Simple Truth by lettered (G, 65k)

Harry, Draco, and Hermione go to a pub. Harry, Draco, and Pansy go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Pansy, and Hermione go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Hermione and Ron go to a pub. Harry, Draco, Hermione, Ron, and Pansy―you guessed it―go to a pub. I could go on. In fact, I did. Harry, Draco, Hermione, Pansy, Ron, Blaise, Luna, Goyle, Neville, and Theodore Nott go to a pub. In various combinations.

A Young Radical's Guide to Love by blamebrampton (T, 66k)

Memories of the war are still fresh, which is all the excuse Decent People need to do appalling things. In this quietly waged conflict, Draco Malfoy is happy to be on the right side of things for once, and even happier to find he’s not alone.

Timecode by Rasborealis (M, 73k)

Harry Potter has been dead for two years, and Draco would laugh in the face of anyone claiming differently. Well, anyone but Hermione Granger.

Hermione Granger's Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run by waspabi (T, 93k)

'You're a wizard, Harry' is easier to hear from a half-giant when you're eleven, rather than from some kids on a tube platform when you're seventeen and late for work.

The Secret Keeper by fools_errand (M, 225k)

On Halloween 1981, Albus Dumbledore made a decision that would change the course of history, concealing Harry Potter’s survival at the hands of Lord Voldemort underneath a Fidelius Charm. But when Harry comes of age in the Muggle world, Dumbledore realises too late that the fate of the world may depend on a boy who has never held a wand.

Eclipse by Mijan (T, 287k)

Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.

[7grandmel]

Rip of the week: 15/07/2024

D-VA DISCO

Season 4 Episode 1 No Album Release (Read More)

Ripped by Okiwont

It's not all too often that I get the opportunity to talk about truly hated SiIvaGunner jokes on here. After all, there's a reason those memes become hated to begin with, starring in rips that are arguably not very worth celebrating, going against the whole point of this blog. Still, we've had some moments here and there to discuss instances of fanbase outrage: A large chunk of Season 5 was defined by the reactions to Astronaut in the Ocean and Yankin', which was presented as a quite literal battle in Epic Rap Battles of History: Funny vs. Funnier and something I explored further in Snow halocean and Aquarium in the Ocean. There's of course more beyond these - Snow Halation's hate brigade in early Season 1, The Bean, Amuno, Chicken and Chips...but whenever I think of truly despised SiIvaGunner memes, none come to mind more prominently than the D.VA fart. Yes, it's time to finally go there, to find out just what led to D-VA DISCO being made.

If you weren't following SiIvaGunner in the days of Season 4 Episode 1, you may well be confused to what the fuck "D.VA Fart" is even referring to - hell, barring her prominence in more degenerate circles, you may well be confused as to why an Overwatch character of all things would have such a prominent role on the SiIvaGunner channel. Well, as fate would have it, it's in those degenerate circles that we'll need to begin to find the origins of this bizarre meme....hoo boy, okay. While Overwatch was still the hottest game on the planet, a video of a certain cosplayer throwing it back whilst dressed as D.VA began to circulate around the internet, sometime around 2016 or so. It was the sort of video that managed to completely leave its intended adults-only demographic and began being shared around with comedic intent, in large part because of the way it opens - the cosplayer's booming "Nerf THIS!" followed by a resounding clap of the cheeks. One thing led to another, and eventually one user had the brilliant idea of inserting a giant farting sound partway through the video, only elevating its spread in online circles for trolling. It was all a truly bizarre week or three on the internet - a phase that, somehow, Season 1 of SiIvaGunner managed to completely circumvent.

Yet as I've mentioned on posts like Sex - Steve Harvey, a stated goal for Season 4 Episode 1's run was to bring the channel back to that unpredictable, chaotic, borderline incoherent vibe that Season 1 often had, due to the near complete lack of quality control and lack of expectations placed upon the team. And while the season would later become far more prominently defined by the King for Another Day tournament and its buildup with rips like September, we still had a fair share of moments that truly felt like 2016 never left - none better to exemplify this than the bizarre, out of nowhere use of the aforementioned twerking video and its audio. As mentioned prior, SiIvaGunner has a storied history of being in conflict with its audience, one that was turned into a whole story arc with SiIvaGunner: Rebooted specifically about the importance of spreading love instead of hate - yet on the VERY FIRST D.VA fart rip, the dislikes were already reaching astronomical heights, a near 50/50 like-to-dislike ratio. This, obviously, just signaled to the team that their attempt to strike a nerve had worked - and so, the "NERF THIS!" reverberated around the channel for weeks therafter, a ghost haunting the channel with users ready in the comments to warn fellow fans to be wary of the incoming farts.

And, like, there's not really a grander narrative to this in the same way that Astronaut in the Ocean or The Bean had - the team just kept using the D.VA fart video, its audio, D.VA voice clips from Overwatch and various other stock fart sounds in increasingly more bizzare ways throughout August of 2019 just to fuck with us. Their stated goal to deliver something truly unpredictable for the season had been met - yet, perhaps the MOST unpredictable thing that could've happened therafter, was making a D.VA rip into an actual banger. Sure enough, after more than a dozen rips of the gamer girl shitting herself, we were treated to an absolute brain-melting curveball in D-VA DISCO - at once a tribute to the meme's rise in attention over the past month, and to one of the most celebrated and well-renowned YTPMVs of the past decade.

SEN-TRY DISCO by wazgul is one of several thousand pieces of absolutely beloved Team Fortress 2 fan content released during the game's heyday, all the way back in 2013. I'm not a Team Fortress 2 fan myself, granted, but its fanbase's reach across online culture is absolutely undeniable - and I suppose, to one ripper's mind in 2019, this reach was comparable to that of the D.VA Fart's reign in 2016, a parallel made clear through how Overwatch and Team Fortress 2 were so often pitted against one another as team-based multiplayer shooters. And so, with SiIvaGunner's new villain being used, we received D-VA DISCO: Using voice and SFX clips of D.VA from Overwatch itself to recreate SEN-TRY DISCO beat for beat.

It's of course lovely just in concept as a tribute to an olden time of shitposting, sort of sentimental in the same way that I described Maskettaman - Dr. Pavel's Fly​-​So​-​Good as being, but the real strength of the rip comes from just how much YTPMVs have grown in the six years between SEN-TRY DISCO and the rip in question. For being in part made with the intent of poking fun of SiIvaGunner's own audience, the attention to detail throughout D-VA DISCO is fantastic - the soft clicking sounds of D.VA's mech added to the percussion in particular really tie together the various voicelines to the hi-tempo instrumental in the background. Those voiceclips meanwhile, like the initial G-GO-GO-GO's that introduce the melody, feel layered together in such a satisfying way, with a seamless-ness that just didn't appear to be feasible to achieve back when SEN-TRY DISCO was made. The clips just continue to shine from there in implementation, and it all culminates in a rip that's an outright earworm. That, of course, is the case with most YO-KAI DISCO rips, YO-Kai Direction from just last month included - yet no matter what form a rip of the track takes, I'm always subconsciously singing "Go-Go-Go-Go-Go Right-Up-Down!!!" to myself, the gamer girl officially having infiltrated my cranium to a terminal degree.

The rip, of course, all still culminates into the D.VA we all know and hate on the channel - a solid twenty seconds of rendering the song's ending with the Nerf This-fart pitch-shifted to the melody. And so, D.VA Fart runs three for three in unpredictability - appearing out of nowhere to make some of the most hated rips on the entire SiIvaGunner channel, suddenly appearing in a rip as genuinely excellent as D-VA DISCO, only for said rip to rebound back into the intentionally-awful territory in which the meme began at the very last second. It's brilliant, like an insane combination of factors that we'll likely never see done again to the same degree for a SiIvaGunner meme - and it has cemented the rip as an all-time hidden-gem favorite for me in retrospect.

Missus Nerf-This sort of faded away after her reign in Season 4 Episode 1, yet she still makes surprise appearances from time to time - she was a key player in one of Season 5's audio dramas, and sometimes (like, funnily enough, on Big Sus Chocobo) the clip is just deployed at the end of rips as a very funny jumpscare. Never quite leaving as much of a legendary legacy as The Bean, nor attaining as much of a gradual following as The Nutshack or Astronaut in the Ocean...D.VA on SiIvaGunner, the little shithead that she is, seems content in staying as that one meme that everyone just loves to hate. I can't really recall just how, when or why we all became so content in just enjoying rips of a cosplayer ripping a fat one, but it's oddly sweet to see even jokes as loathed as this have some sort of relevancy, being used from time to time even today: Be that in surprising displays of raw quality, or as regular reminders to never try to predict the SiIvaGunner team's next move.

[konig-varorson]

The Added, The Removed, and the Changed: Continuity Alterations of Living World Season 1 Return

So last year ArenaNet brought back "most" of LWS1 in 2022 after about 8 years of demands for it to be made permanent. What many people may not know is that, yes, ArenaNet did change things up. Be they for better or wose. As it got brought up while talking with friends in the GW2 subreddit's discord, I decided to write up what these changes are.

Overall: The Investigative Studies and Records

The most obvious additions to the lore span all five episodes, where each one got an achievement called Investigative Study. These were added lore books, using a UI created in Season 4, exploring backstory of various characters and factions.

Flame and Frost namedropped some Icebrood Saga characters like Crecia and Efram, while also delving into why the dredge and Flame joined Scarlet, for example.

From Clockwork Chaos onward, there were also the Investigative Records achievements, which were audio recordings from Scarlet to delve into her character a bit.

All of this stuff is brand new, and provides new insight on characters - especially Scarlet and her motivations.

Additionally, it is worth noting that when LWS1 first released, it was written from a perspective of "the events happen at any point in the personal story" - so you were not strictly "the Pact Commander". This created some dissonance in the original story for how characters reflected their state at the beginning of the Personal Story instead of the end - most notable being Destiny's Edge, who end the personal story claiming to stick with the Pact until the Elder Dragons are no more (specifically Logan doing so), but then when we meet them in LWS1, they're back with their nations doing their deskwork or what have you. That commitment didn't last long, huh? Well, it made sense if you were a level 10 going through LWS1. But the LWS1R firmly cements LWS1 as post-PS, dubbing you the Commander right off the bat to Braham and Rox, yet didn't change any this. Or explained it.

Flame and Frost

In addition to the above, Flame and Frost got one very peculiar change to it, which is arguably the biggest change in the entire LWS1R: Ottilia.

Ottilia is a norn from Cragstead that Braham had a "bit" of a crush on. In the original release, Ottilia was Braham's firm motivation for... the entire season, really. When the player first gets to ask about Ottilia, this is what Braham says:

Ottilia? Who's Ottilia? Well, she lives in Cragstead, and she's... kind of beautiful. I mean sweet. She's nice. Okay?

But in the re-release, Braham says this instead:

Ottilia? That conversation might require some ale. Ottilia is amazing... She's beautiful, and...not interested. But she helped me work through some angst about my family. My mom. I owe her.

Interestingly, despite 'helping him' cope with his issues with Eir, Braham's attitude towards Eir is still very harsh, unchanged from the original release. In fact, despite Braham "getting over her", Braham still writes cringy poems for her. Why say he’s over her, if he still acts like he’s pining for her and even writes cringy teenage puppy love poetry for her? Curious.

And in addition, there is an entire subplot following the entirety of Season 1 removed because the writers wanted to reduce Braham's puppy love.

First, Ottilia showed up in the bonfire in Hoelbrak at the end of Flame and Frost, though the wiki didn't record this unfortunately.

After, from Secret of Southsun to Cutthroat Politics, Ottilia and Braham had monthly dialogues in Cragstead. At the end, Ottilia leaves Braham for a merchant, and Braham joins Rox in leaving Cragstead. This is his motivation for being involved in the rest of LWS1.

In Clockwork Chaos, we first see him complaining about Ottilia. This complaining returns in his banter with Rox during Escape from Lion's Arch.

All three of those sets of dialogues were removed from LWS1Return. Ottilia is never seen by players now. According to Bobby Stein, the change was to "downplay the "puppy love" angle and tie in more as a support system for his strained relationship with his mother".

(Personal Rant: I do not like this change, as it flattens Braham's character, making him almost entirely just about his relationship to Eir with little else about him. Without him going to Rox as emotional support over the Ottilia breakup, their relationship seems simpler as well, like he's just tagging along just because - he has no reason to be involved with Clockwork Chaos, he's just there. Of course, I admit I am bias as back in the early 2010s I had a similarly bad breakup and Braham's bitter reaction to Ottilia was highly relatable for my late-teens self.)

Lastly, Flame and Frost saw a loss of the Lion's Arch refugee camp - NPCs that were tied to the non-returning Secret of Southsun arc vanishing along with it. Lorewise, this camp still existed, as it still gets referenced, and the events at Southsun still occurred. But the NPCs tied to the heirloom collections got moved to Hoelbrak and Black Citadel refugee camps instead.

Sky Pirates of Tyria

In the original release of Dragon Bash and Sky Pirates of Tyria, there were some protestors who showed up in the Grand Piazza - Merrik, Marren, Broll, and Roardina. These four would be protesting the celebration of Dragon Bash the first week, get questioned by Kiel about the assassination attempt in the second week, and call out for a hunt on the assassins afterwards as a point of concern for their own innocence being in question.

A small piece of worldbuilding that is lacking in LWS1 - more on the first part. The part where there were active protests against Dragon Bash. With the actual Dragon Bash returned celebration in Hoelbrak, we got new protestors about the celebration, but it was more of a highlight in the original patch that wasn't part of the story instances, and thus did not get a place in the LWS1R.

A somewhat weird addition is that at the end they added a line of Magnus talking about Southsun Cove's events as if the Commander wasn't there. But all the old reference tags for dialogue reflecting you having done that content in the original LWS1 releases remain. I guess Magnus is a bit senile.

Clockwork Chaos

In addition to Braham+Rox's dialogue about Ottilia, there is another duo dynamic that was changed a lot in this release. That of Hobo-Tron and Marcello DiGiacomo. While these two do still show up in both the Closing Ceremony instance (redubbed The Queen's Address) and Scarlet's Playhouse, there was an entire dynamic between them in open world which is now MIA, and paints the entire spat of the two which continues on into Lion's Arch to this day.

Additionally, a lot of their dialogue in Scarlet's Playhouse itself was simplified, reducing their banter during your fight with Scarlet. Though it didn't provide much depth, as it was just the two name-blaming the other as being connected with Scarlet.

On an aside, in LWS1Return, during Scarlet's Playhouse you confront a hologram of Scarlet... But in the original, it was Scarlet Briar herself. Odd change.

There's also the change of the Watchknight models, but that discussion has been done to death back when the content released. Here's referencing that can o' wurms.

Tower of Nightmares

Similar to the two above, there are some open world dialogues that did not make the cut for LWS1. Most can be found on the wiki. The most famous of these dialogue, or rather infamous, is Kasmeer telling Marjory at the end of the arc that her dress that she's been wearing the entire time in the Tower was an illusion, and that she was naked all along. With the change in society and media, I can understand the mentality of the changes. But this is also a very curious aspect of Kasmeer's mentality as former nobility - at this point in the story, Kasmeer has not yet entered that "adventurer's mindset", and still favors not tearing a dress over her own safety.

In addition to that infamous dialogue, there is other stuff. Most critical are the prologue and epilogues to the arc. The entire time of the camp being established with Marjory and Kasmeer studying the veil that hid the Tower is MIA, and so is the gathering afterwards in The Dead End.

Aside from the cut content surrounding our dear proto-Dragon's Watch, we also have a lot of Bloomanoo and Penelopee dialogues cut. For those who weren't around in LWS1, these are two quaggans first introduced in ToN, who had cameos in almost every (or every other) episode until they settled down in the rebuilt Lion's Arch at the end of Season 2. They would often show up in a place that would soon to be attacked by Scarlet's or Mordremoth's forces, making them a hilarious harbinger of doom duo.

Also not making it was the quaggans refugees who took refuge in Fort Salma. There wasn't much, but those poor quaggans.

Lastly, did you know that the finale of Tower of Nightmares was also the very first time we met Belinda? She even had dialogue for whether or not you were involved.

Overall, Tower of Nightmares had the most content cut from its return. Mainly, I imagine, because it was worldbuilding fluff and not part of the Golden Path, like Ottilia, the Dragon Bash Protestors, and Hobo-Tron.

Battle for Lion's Arch

Surprisingly, Battle for Lion's Arch was perhaps the most comprehensive and inclusive of all five releases, making the fewest reductions, changes, or additions. To the point that as I write this, I can only think of two points (besides the Assault Knight model change).

First, we have Canach. While he does show up in Fort Marriner, his audio lines and dialogue with Sheriff Siriam were removed. He was also removed from Escape from Lion's Arch instance, though it a minor appearance.

Escape from Lion's Arch is the second point. Due to the reduced area of the zone players could access during that story instance, several events and related dialogues were removed. The two critical pieces were the escorts of the ogres and the racing moas - especially, curiously, the racing moas.

Though the wiki does not have the dialogue (for some reason), it was a plot point that during the escort for the moas, the group woudl be attacked by a giant Toxic Wurm Queen, leading to the follow-up event. Narratively, this wurm queen eats the moas. Tigg even commented on it, blaming the players for the moas' deaths. And in Dragon Bash's return in Hoelbrak, we get a new set of moas, including one named after one of the dead moas.

But in LWS1R, the moas (and other escort NPCs) are there to interact with and they vanish, presumably escaping the city without issue. The moas never die - they survive now.

But the dialogue of their death remains.

[sometimes-love-is-enough]

AAAAAAA ur reading house of leaves??? im buying that next week thats so cool! do u have any book recs? or recs in general shows movies etc

I AM!! I'm several chapters in and super enjoying it, although reading it alone in a tiny hotel room in the middle of nowhere was a Distinct Mistake.

As for recs! I'm going to specifically go for stuff that isn't super mainstream, in the hopes that I'll recommend you something you have never heard of before. Here's some stuff for you!

Podcasts

Dreamboy - one-season podcast from Night Vale Presents, definitely one of their less-known ones. Explicit in places, what I would describe as AO3 M-rated sex scenes. A worn-out musician ends up embroiled in inexplicable events in a small town, and also there's a murderous zebra and fossils that want to fuck. It's a musical cinematic podcast masterpiece, I'll always be sad there's only one season.

Apocrypals - nonfiction. Two non-believers read through the Bible and try not to be jerks about it. If you're interested in theology and apocryphal texts but have no idea where to start, this is such a good place. The hosts are delightful, and have a really nice way of taking you through all the various layers of Biblical scholarly nonsense. Considerable backlog of episodes, but worth listening through from the beginning. Weirdly, there's continuity.

Til Death Do Us Blart - five poor fools watch Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 every Thanksgiving from now until the end of eternity, and report back yearly on their mental state. You may think to yourself 'wow, that doesn't sound like a good time'. It isn't, to the hosts. To anyone listening along, it's fucking hilarious. Nine episodes so far, and it's a single episode per year, so plenty of time to catch up.

Web Series

The Monument Mythos - Several seasons. surreal analogue horror alternate history of America told through a series of videos of varying format. Brilliantly absurd, fucked up, and horrifying by turns (sometimes all at once).

No Evil - ongoing animated series, made mostly by a single person. Please don't immediately wave it off because of the colorful anthropormorphic animals. The mythology is amazing, the animation is sublime, and the music is haunting. The pacing is a bit strange at first, and you may be confused at the way the plot moves, but you have to understand that it's all part of its charm. I think about No Evil way too much.

Dances Moving - you may know Brian David Gilbert from his work at Polygon, and his more recent absurdist Youtube ventures. This is from way before that! It's a fun and gradually heartwrenching musical exploration of a local dance group and what it means to move away from home. Seven short episodes.

ENA - this one is a bit more mainstream, so you may know it already. Who knows what's going on in the world of ENA? Definitely not me. Absurdism at its finest. Bizarre architecture, strange characters, if it's a metaphor I don't know what it's about, but the vibes are immaculate. Three actual episodes of varying length, apparently there's a video game set to come out soon-ish?

An Unauthorized Fan Treatise - serialized story. If you're a fan of internet drama a la Msscribe, you're going to adore it. It's a fiction story about a fictional fandom, and one massively messed up person who decides that two of the lead actors in her favorite show are secretly dating and sets out to prove it with a cited multi-chapter essay. And then it gets wild.

Comics

The Property of Hate - a wonderfully dynamic and colorful webcomic about a young girl getting chosen to become a make-believe world's Hero. Puns and wordplay galore. Absolutely delightful characters and worldbuilding. Ongoing.

Eat the Rich - a young woman goes to meet her boyfriend's extremely rich family, and learns their horrifying secret. Warning: cannibalism. 5 issues, complete.

Beanworld - impossible to describe, but I'll try. An absurdist semiabstract musing on the nature of life and cycles and community, set in a world where the rules are weirdly two-dimensional and you as a reader get weirdly invested in the routines and cycles that the inhabitants follow. And all of the main characters are cute lil bean guys. If you read anything on this list, do this one. (Linked is the only online version I could find, and it's not up-to-date. I own all the omnibuses in print. If you liked what you read here, I recommend tracking them down too.)

Short Stories (in no particular order, and certainly not all my favorites - just the ones I had bookmarked and on hand)

Bride, Knife, Flaming Horse - a young Indian woman looks for marriage in the fantastical, and finds several suitors

Fish (in 13 sections) - an obsessive unpacks a bewildering insult. Just, really fun.

Fandom For Robots - a robot discovers anime, and definitely doesn't have big feelings about it

Informed Consent Logs From The Soul-Swap Clinic - two people decide to swap bodies, for somewhat murky reasons.

The Magician's Apprentice - a young girl learns magic from her mentor. This one's about grooming. But not like that. But also a lot like that. But also it's so much more fucked up than that. (This one is a MEGA favorite, it's by Tamsyn Muir. Who you may recognize as the author of the Locked Tomb series - I'd rec that too here, if it wasn't definitely too mainstream for what I'm going for. Read this. And also read the Locked Tomb.)

The Tale of the Foolish King Who Banished Music - it's a snippet of a longer Doctor Who audio drama, but stands so nicely on its own. Unnerving little fairy tale.

The Spider - 1908 horror story about a man trying to figure out why so many men have spontaneously committed suicide in a specific hotel room. It's basically a TMA statement, in more ways than one.

Video Games

What Did Veronica Dream Of? - strange little rpgmaker puzzle game. Obtuse and weird, and I adore it. I wish I could explain why.

Secret Little Haven - point-and-click about being a trans girl on the internet in 1999. Completely nails the tone it's going for. Period-typical homo- and transphobia.

Linelith - a short (1-hour) puzzle game with no plot and no characters, and yet it contains one of the greatest plot-twists of all time. I'm begging you to play it immediately.

Lingo - puzzle game about linguistics, words, non-Euclidean goemetry, and figuring out an endless series of rules in a constantly expanding world. RIDICULOUSLY clever and good, and I've been playing it almost continuously for the last few months. It's got so much content for such a reasonable price, and the community-made maps add even more content (and are also excellent). If English isn't your first language, you may struggle, but otherwise - grab a bunch of friends and stream it. It's better with friends helping you out, I can guarantee it.

For A Change - a 1999 interactive fiction game about raising the sun in a world where words do not mean what you think they mean. If you're familiar with old text-based games, go ahead and play it - otherwise, you may want to read this transcript of a group of people playing it together instead.

Other Things

Carmilla - the classic 1800s lesbian vampire novella. I read it very recently, and it's extremely good. Absolutely delivers on the lesbian vampire premise in full gory detail, although do be aware that it was written in the context of homophobic fear.

Alberio - very fun light musical about two siren brothers reconnecting under less-than-ideal circumstances.

Mosquitoes - stage play about life and families and physics (theoretical and practical both). Very heavy topics, pulls no punches. The Boson's final monologue always wrecks me.

Ghost Quartet - musical/song cycle/experience about love, death, alcohol, and (of course) ghosts. Lots of cyclical stories and time travel weirdness. All of the songs are incredible.

Yankee and the Foreigners - music group that performs delightful upbeat covers of songs in animal onesies. Their Bare Necessities cover is a favorite of mine.

I'm sure there's lots more things I could rec (not a lot of books or movies here, huh? sorry about that. I immediately forgot everything I've ever read and watched) but these were the things that came to mind when I sat down and wrote this list, so hopefully there's something new and good for you in here!

[authoralexharvey]

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @breath-of-eternity

Who You Are:

Emily || She/her

I'm a writer, mostly of fantasy, but I dabble in other genres.

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Fantasy and sci-fi. Young adult, new adult, and adult.

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

Fantasy, because I like making a world that's completely different from this one.

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

Romance. Maybe it's because I'm aromantic, but it just always seems so silly and I don't get it.

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

Anyone who enjoys reading about a world completely different from the one we live in is my target audience. I'd like to think others would enjoy it, but I'm not good at guessing what people want.

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

I like to focus on rebuilding after the MC has lost, maybe everything, how friendships can save you when nothing else can, the strength of having people on your side, and the struggle to do what is right when a more powerful force is against you.

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

Love at first sight has always bothered me. I always thought love was something built up over time, and that's what makes it strong and great, and I hate it when two people become instantly obsessed with each other and begin ignoring everyone else in their lives, and it's worse when the people don't mind and think it's a good thing.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

I'm working on several different projects. One, a fantasy, I've been working on for about a year, the other, a post-apocalyptic survival story, about half that.

Why do you write? What keeps you writing?

I love losing myself in other worlds. I just feel compelled to keep exploring them.

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

I guess it's been about twenty years, though I dabbled with a few short stories before that, never quite finishing them. Even back then I just loved the idea of making my own world.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

From various things. Television shows, comics, video games, and with a sprinkling from dreams. My fantasy novel I think was a dream (can't quite remember), but also something I came up with while half-asleep after waking up. The post-apocalyptic was definitely a dream, that I then began to plot out while I went for a walk.

What work of yours are you most proud of? Why?

I don't know. I don't think I'm more proud of one than any other.

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

No. I'd definitely like to, but I've never been able to garner any interest.

What part of the publishing process most appeals to you? What part least appeals to you?

Just being able to have my story out there. I want others to read, and hopefully enjoy, what I write.

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

I love creating stories and having characters go through things and figuring out how. What I dislike is writing descriptions. I'm just terrible at it!

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

It depends. It's kind of different each time I start something new. Sometimes I have to have music playing in the background, other times a show, and others complete silence. I don't like being interrupted by other people, though. That's just distracting, and it can take me a bit to refocus on the world I'm creating. A place where I won't be bothered and can switch between various tasks is my ideal setup.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

Less than a year, though I've been on Tumblr longer. I saw someone else who was a writeblr and decided to join in with my work.

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

I don't like picking favorites. That probably seems like a copout, but I've always followed anyone who writes in a genre I like or whose writing I like. I go into tags sometimes, or I pick people others have reblogged.

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

Reading other people's work.

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

More reblogs, I suppose. I'm not really sure how to get more. If I knew, I'd get more of my own!

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

I always try to reblog other's work, and if I have the time, leave some feedback, even if it's only a few words.

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

Stories people post.

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

Stories I've posted.

Finally, anywhere else online we may be able to find you?

My website is here: https://awakeningkoe.wordpress.com/

[gumgumchomp]

Heyyy uh I usually don't write anything nearly this long, but I was feeling inspired. Concept is going into apply to be a free use relief station, but having to do some examinations first.

Following the newly passed Sexual Relief Act, I decided to apply for a position as a station. The act allows the government to hire people to as sexual relief stations for the public for a hefty salary. I've always fantasized about something like this, and to be able to do so in reality is a dream come true. I sit naked in a waiting room with a hundred others. I attempt to read the provided old magazines to distract myself from the growing humiliation building in my chest and flushing my face, but I settle for crossing my arms and sitting with one leg over the other instead. Maybe if I stop staring at the others, they'll stop staring at me too.

It doesn't work, I can still feel their gazes on me, and I can't stop myself from looking up every time a new person walks in and disrobes. Finally, I hear my number called, and quickly rush back past the door, knowing their eyes are fixated on my ass like mine were for the dozens of people who walked into this door before me. Behind the door there stands a woman in a lab coat, discarding an old pair of gloves and putting on a new one.

"Applicant 69?" "Yeah, yeah I'm-" "Follow me."

She leads me into an examination room, a sterile white room with whining lights overhead. There is a desk with a small monitor, an examination table with a paper covering, and various tools and toys all neatly in their place. She instructs me to sit down on the table, and I do so while she grabs a bottle of lube, spreading some over two of her gloved fingers. "Just some tests we need to do to make sure you'll be able to do your duties," she explains, "Spread your legs so we can start." I follow her instructions, feeling the cold air against me. This is quickly replaced with an even colder sensation inside me, her fingers exploring inside me, checking for something. She finds it soon enough, and I let out a soft moan as she presses against my prostate. She writes something down with her other hand on a clipboard.

Soon enough my girlcock spasms, shooting cum onto the paper covering. I pant, trying to catch my breath, but she doesn't stop. Her cold fingers keep massaging me, pleasure coursing through my body. I whimper and whine, another orgasm surging through me, more cum shooting onto the infertile parchment. This repeats over and over, each orgasm compounding onto the last in waves of overstimulation until finally there is nothing coming out of me, just an empty cock uselessly throbbing.

Seemingly satisfied, she pulls her fingers out, writing more on her clipboard. I try to catch a glimpse of what she's writing, but I can hardly focus long enough to read words. I don't get much of a break before she pulls out a long dildo from its resting place, marked with measurements every inch.

She slathers it with lubrication and slowly works it into me. Inch after inch, I can feel it filling me up. My whimpers grow louder the deeper it goes, and I feel yet another empty orgasm. Finally it bottoms out, the base resting against my ass. She nods in approval, presumably notes it on her clipboard, and pulls it back out.

Before I can get my bearings again, it's against my lips. I open them, the dildo that was just in my ass quickly going down my throat. I gag and choke, feeling it bulge out my neck as it descends. Once again the base is resting against me, but she doesn't pull it out. Instead she holds it there, looking at a stopwatch as my air slowly begins to run out. I keep choking on the length, drool running down my mouth. Just before I well and truly run out of air, she rips it out of my throat, noting down the time.

"We'll get back to you with your results later. You may leave now." she says, pulling her gloves off and throwing them into the trash, "But if you ask me, I'd say you passed with flying colors."

[weerd1]

ENT Rewatch Starlog, 25 February, 2024: Episode 3.15 “Harbinger”

Trip is taking what he’s learned from T’Pol’s neuropressure sessions and having his OWN sessions with Corporal Cole of the MACOs. She expresses interest in taking it further, but has also gone to Phlox to mention she’s been having headaches afterward. Phlox informs T’Pol and suggests she try to undo Trip’s missteps with the Corporal. T’Pol gives her very unhappy stoic face.

Meanwhile, Major Hayes of the MACOs has approached Archer about providing combat training to senior Starfleet officers, which Malcolm takes to be an attempt on Hayes’ part to take over ship security. He grudgingly goes along with it, but the sessions prove to be escalating one-upmanship between the Starfleet Lieutenant and the MACO Major. 

While all THAT interpersonal drama is going on, Enterprise discovers an enormous cluster of spatial anomalies equidistant between five spheres.

They pick up a life sign in a small pod just inside the anomaly, and with some dangerous moves manage to retrieve an unknown alien. He claims to have been a prisoner from a different dimension of space who was forced into the pod. Archer begins to think some of those myths about the Sphere Builders returning D’Jamat and his people from “Chosen Realm” discussed might be somewhat true, and this alien may be like a canary in a coal mine to see of the spheres are changing local space to be what those builders need. 

After various shenanigans and awkward discussions between T’Pol, Trip, and Cole, Trip and T’Pol are conducting a neuropressure session where she reveals that Sim—the Trip clone from a few episodes back—told T’Pol that Tucker has feelings for her. After some repartee, T’Pol kisses Trip, and disrobes, and the two have sex.

Meanwhile, Hayes and Reed are in the gym sparing and the testosterone takes over, and it becomes a brawl that spills into the corridor. About that time though, the alien reveals himself able to phase through matter and walks to engineering where he proceeds to reach in and damage the warp core. Fresh from their fight, Malcolm and Hayes manage to tweak the engine to zap him and stop him.

The Alien reveals he was there to stop the NX-01, and when the Xindi destroy Earth, his “people will prevail,” before phasing completely out.

Trip and T’Pol have an awkward coffee together where she says their encounter was basically her just exploring her curiosity about human sexuality, but Trip does think they should continue neuropressure. Archer dresses down Malcolm and Hayes, who seem to have resolved their differences after their own physical session. 

Rare to see a Trek episode that has an A, B, AND C story going on all at once. The parallels between the Trip/T’Pol and Reed/Hayes stories do not however seem coincidental. Yeah, I’m a T&T shipper, though some of T’Pol’s very human jealousy here seems more than a bit forced, I’m not sure the eroticism between those characters was any more dramatic than between Reed and Hayes when they were fighting. Jesus, guys, just kiss already. Archer leaving them in his quarters after his lecture without dismissing them, and neither wanting to leave drives the point that these two are really pretty similar home.

But T&T DOES finally consummate here including a scene that shows about the top third of T’Pol’s bare “bum,” that as I recall was actually edited in some parts of the country; how quaint.  Some of how this all plays out I think does weaken T’Pol’s character a bit, but I guiltily accept it as these two are on my OTP list, so what can I say? 

Meanwhile, there is an age-old Trek foible here that I will never quite understand. What keeps an alien (or flashing back to TNG in the episode “The Next Phase” Geordi and Ro) who is phasing—seemingly uncontrolled as he can’t control his disappearance at the end—from falling through the floor?  Or staying in one point in space while the ship moves around them, since surely gravity and inertia won’t work on them too?  How can he use hands to climb the ladder to get on top of the warp core, but put his hands through the top to reach in a reach havoc? OK- MAYBE in this case he has more control over the process than they indicate so he’s just CHOOSING to have the bottom of his feet only phase for walls and not floors, but…it always makes me shrug. 

Finally, my THANKS to this episode for my all-time favorite Enterprise GIF:

Next Voyage: With the crew sedated, Phlox is home alone in “Doctor’s Orders”!

(Images taken from the main website for @trekcore; I am happy to remove the images if asked.)

[athenianwit]

PROMPT 012 — TIMELINE VARIANTS.

As Atticus enters the cabin that has become all too familiar, he immediately begins to notice differences— it may have looked lived in with books all over the place but things like Oliver’s plants weren’t all over the place nor was Remy’s diploma that Atticus hung up besides his own, and the various gummy packets of gummy snacks from Rio weren’t scattered all over the coffee table. It didn’t feel like were as many people who lived in the massive cabin with him. He did find a few hung photos of him and Romeo, at least the two of them were together in this timeline. He could hear the sound of a dog barking and Olympia came running over to him, eager to reunite with her owner… just as loving and needy as ever. Thank the gods for that. However, the more he explored through the cabin… the more changes Atticus started to notice.

There were more photos around the cabin, of people whose faces he swore he’d never see again— photos of him with his father at what looked like one of his birthdays, another one of the two of them at his graduation….and then one that looked recent. Before he could ponder further, Atticus found more photos but these were Aubrey. They were tucked into the edges of an old mirror, these weren’t photos of a couple in their prime while Atticus was lost in the closet… more like friends who were at some kind of event together, and one of Atticus clinging to her while they were on a rollercoaster. How peculiar, though Atticus felt his phone ring. His service must have finally synced with this timeline and he got a text from Audrey that read ‘Hey, A. I know you’re busy with your camp but your dad wants to make sure you’ll be back by your birthday. Give him a call, he misses you.’ 

Did… did Audrey know he was a godling? And she was in communication with his father? What kind of relationship did he have with them?  Sending a quick text back to her, he said he just got back and needed to work on a few things but he’d text his father back. That was something he’d worry about later, once he knew if he was walking into a nest of vipers.

After a few hours of checking the rooms of the cabin and seeing none of his boyfriends things were there, Atticus was ready to check the most important room of his cabin, the library. The room looked identical, multiple stories high with more books than the libraries back at Oxford. Praying to Athena, Atticus hoped this version of himself was as detailed oriented. Although his journals weren’t where Atticus normally put them in his own world, he found a bookshelf filled with journals that went back years— even farther back his time at camp. How useful.

October 18, 1996

A young Atticus and his father had just arrived to the prestigious dinner that had been thrown in Nathaniel’s honor, with the most affluent and important people of London attending. The shy and meek Atticus hid behind his father’s leg for most of the evening, his favorite book held in his hands to comfort him while he stumbled with his words whenever someone tried to talk to him. Nathaniel found a way to steer the attention from Atticus, to compete with him but to ease his sons nerves. After an hour or so, Nathaniel said Atticus could go hide in a corner as long as it was within Nathaniel’s eyesight. 

“Thank you, daddy,” Atticus gave his father a toothy grin before he ran off to hide from the other guests, getting lost in the world he loved so much. 

Hours later and the two arrived back to their luxurious home, Atticus was tired and had to be carried inside by his father who carried him upstairs to his bedroom. “I’m sorry I couldn’t talk to your friends, daddy…” Atticus said in a low voice, looking down from his father to the book that his fingers were idly playing with. 

“You didn’t do anything to apologize for, Atty.” Nathaniel was crouched down, now at eye level with his son. “No matter what, it’s always going to be the two of us. You’re the most important person in the world to me.” He kissed his son goodnight, flicked the lights off and stood at the doorway. “Love you, son” before leaving him to doze off.

August 18, 2000

“Hey, dad…. Can I ask you a question?” 

It was Atticus’ twelfth birthday and the two of them had left the city for the week, driving down to Hastings so Nathaniel could focus giving Atticus the attention he needed. This had been a tradition for the two of them and something he always looked forward to, Atticus knew his father was an important figure in the medical field but it always warmed his heart when his dad made sure to put him first. 

“Of course, Atty! What do you want to know?” he asked, the two of them were sitting at Atticus’ favorite restaurant and his father was chewing on a steak that had been brought out for him. 

“Who is my mom?” It was a question he’d asked once or twice but every time he did, there was a sadness that seemed to fill his father’s hazel eyes. Something Atticus had picked up from a young age and now tended to avoid, as to not be the reason his father was in pain. “I… I overheard you and gran on the phone this morning.” He wasn’t especially close to the old woman and he’d overheard his father fighting with her over Atticus and his mother, how Nathaniel left a shameful blemish to their family by fathering a bastard child. 

“I…” that sadness returned to his fathers eyes, his face dropped a little. “I’m sorry you heard that. I never wanted you to hear that, Atty.” Their eyes met once more, he reached over to grab his sons hand and squeezed it. “Your gran is… a very mean, old woman. There’s a reason we don’t go see her.” 

“Now, about your mother… I knew this would come up eventually.” Nathaniel chewed his words for a moment or two, which was unlike the otherwise charismatic doctor who had become a beloved figure to anyone who came close enough to him. “She was… aetherial, with the sharpest mind I’ve ever met. We met each other while I was finishing my residency and, well.. I was smitten. We loved each other for several years before she brought you into this world.” A smile started to form around the corners of his mouth as he recalled the memory of Athena. “I miss her, every single day.”

It may not have been much, but it was nice knowing he had some of her in him. 

November 12, 2004

This was something Atticus needed to get off his chest, it was a secret that had been consuming him for far too long. Eventually that web of lies would be too much to maintain and Atticus would be the one who was trapped in it. He paced back and forth in the den, his dad was supposed to be home any minute now and he was mumbling to himself to help process the thoughts that seemed to be racing a thousand miles a minute. When he thought he knew what he was going to say, the front door opened and his father walked in. 

“Atty,” he said with a smile as he shut the door behind him. “Thought I’d give Francesca the night off and got us take out.” Nathaniel picked up food from Atticus’ favorite Chinese place a few blocks away. 

As soon as he saw his father, all that preparation flew out the window and he forgot every single thing he was going to say. “Dad, I’m gay…” Atticus couldn’t control his mouth as the words seemed to force their way out, ripping the band aid off. 

“Okay,” Nathaniel’s expression puzzled Atticus for a moment, he wasn’t upset or surprised… he didn’t seem phased by it. “Was there anything else you wanted me to know?”

“No…” Atticus started, he’d anticipated something more climatic and nerve wracking. This stumped him. “Why aren’t you… reacting to this? I thought you’d be upset.”

“Atty, I’m your father” Nathaniel brought the bags of food into the den, getting dinner ready for the two of them. “I knew about that before you did. It doesn’t matter to me, as long as you’re happy.”

“Oh,” Atticus was caught off guard, his nerves slowly began to ease as he took a seat besides his father. “I just wanted you to know.”

September 21, 2006

The first few weeks of college had come and gone already, everything felt so exciting for Atticus as he started to blossom in his environment. He made friends and even went to a party or two. This was all new to him, he’d spent so much time as a teenager working to get into Oxford and here he was… finally able to experience that youthful joy. He spotted a guy at the library, Jesse— he recognized the back of his head from the Intro to Psychology that the two of them had together and when they finally spoke at the party just a few days ago. 

Deciding to bite the bullet, Atticus approached him and quickly asked. “Hey, do you want to do something tonight?”

“I’d love to.” 

October 31, 2006

It had been a little over a month since Atticus and Jesse started dating, this was his first real dating experience and to say he was falling for Jesse would be an understatement. They were inseparable and spent most of their nights in the others dorm or out and about, Jesse showing Atticus his world. The pair attended some Halloween party one of their friends was throwing but snuck away early when things started to get a little too wild for Atticus, returning back to his dorm. 

Almost immediately Atticus started to kiss Jesse, practically tearing his clothes off as they made their way to the bed. “Are you sure about this?” Jesse asked and all Atticus could do was give a simple nod before tugging their pants off. “I love you.” The first time Atticus had ever said those words to someone.

June 6, 2007

Things with Jesse had been going well, their first year at Oxford had come and gone and he invited Atticus up to meet his family. The drive up there was nerve wracking, Jesse didn’t talk about his family much so Atticus felt like he was walking into the lions den. What if they didn’t like him? All of that worry was for nothing, though. Nora, his step mother, took a liking to Atticus almost instantly and seemed to think Atticus was a perfect fit for Jesse. That was when the first crack started to form. 

“You’re breaking up with me?” Atticus had only been there for a few days now when Jesse finally ripped the band aid off over breakfast. “Why?”

“It’s… I just don’t think we’re a good fit. It’s better that we figure this out now, save us both some heartache.”

“Speak for yourself, Jesse.” Atticus was puzzled, that was until Nora walked past them into the kitchen. “Oh… I get it. Because she likes me?”

“No, I mean… it’s more than-” 

“You don’t have to worry, Dougal.” Atticus got up from his seat, doing everything in his power to not let Jesse see him crying. “You never have to worry about seeing me again.” Before Jesse could interrupt, Atticus was out of the room and upstairs to grab his things as quickly as possible. 

It wasn’t until he was waiting at the airport that Atticus broke down in tears.

November 11, 2011

This was his first date in awhile, Atticus had taken awhile to get over Jesse and although he tried going out with a few others….nothing really stuck so he gave up after awhile. That was until some older man approached him in the library just a few days ago and charmed him with Greek Mythology. 

“You really know how to impress a man.” Sebastian took Atticus to one of the nicest restaurants in town, this wasn’t out of the ordinary for him but certainly not something he did on a regular basis. Especially not since he started college, trying to be more self sufficient than the typical trust fund kid. 

“I’m not someone who holds back,” the man said as he poured Atticus some more wine while they waited for their food. “I see what I want and I take it.”

“I like a man who knows what he wants.”

Sebastian’s hand reached over and grabbed Atticus’, he was one to make the first move. “Does that mean a second date is on the table?”

Atticus couldn’t hold back the smile that was forming on his face, hiding behind his wine glass for a second. “I certainly hope so.”

January 26, 2015

This was the longest relationship Atticus had been in at this point, him and Sebastian were living together in London while Atticus started his work as a doctor and Sebastian was a lawyer. All of their friends thought they were the perfect power couple and they seemed to have everything. At first that seemed to be the case, Sebastian showed Atticus the world and yet… the cracks started to form. He would disappear for days at a time with no explanation and at times, it seemed like his head was elsewhere. Part of Atticus wondered if Sebastian was cheating on him with someone else… but that didn’t feel right. Though he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. 

They were supposed to attend an event for his father, Nathaniel had somehow found yet another cure that would help the world. It was important for not only Nathaniel but Atticus as well, he wanted to support his dad and show the world how much he loved his father. When he told Sebastian about it, he gave a half nod before carrying on with work. 

The night of, he wasn’t there and Atticus couldn’t get a hold of him. ‘Where are you?’ this had to be the sixth text he sent his boyfriend before he finally got an answer. 

‘Sorry, babe. Work swamped me and Susan said I can’t leave till it’s all done. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’

Atticus let out a sigh, he wasn’t surprised by that message… just disappointed. This wasn’t the first time Sebastian blew him off with promises of making it up to him. Promises he could never keep. Simply responding with a ‘K’, he shut his phone off and returned to the party where his father and Ernest were waiting at their table. 

“Everything alright, Atty?” his father saw his face, he already knew what Atticus was going to say. 

“Yeah, Seb said he got swarmed with work. He sends his love and sorry that he can’t make it.”

Ernest remained quiet, those brown eyes looking at Atticus for a moment before whispering in his ear. “You deserve better, you know.”

Atticus knew this was true, he just wasn’t ready to say it out loud. Once he did, then it’d really be over. 

2017-2019

After he broke things off with Sebastian, Atticus threw himself into his work. That was two failed relationships and twice that his heart was broken. At first, Atticus swore off dating entirely but that wouldn’t last forever. If he wasn’t spending time with his dad or Audrey, he would be spending time with Ernest. His closest friend he met while he was in grad school, he’d been there to help Atticus repair his heart. 

It was only inevitable that the two of them started to date, things were good with Ernest… he was honest, straight forward, and never kept things from Atticus. That was until something happened to Ernest, he got a job opportunity out of the country and couldn’t turn it up. Although his heart was broken yet again, at least this time there was closure. 

Arriving at Camp

It was that first week since Atticus accepted the call, although he’d explored a little around the campgrounds… there was so much he didn’t know yet. While he was visiting his mother’s statue, everything seemed to make sense now. The way his father spoke about her, why she was never around, where he got those gray eyes from…. Although he got the closure he had always wanted, it just left him with so many more questions. 

Someone named Gabe found Atticus and after the two struck up a conversation, offering to be his tour guide around and answer any questions he may have had. “Oh, there he is…” Gabe spotted someone in the distance and called him over. “You’ve got to meet him, Atticus.”

As the figure came closer and details became clear, Atticus instantly recognized who it was. Sebastian Vael. “Oh.” his tone had turned sour as his ex boyfriend walked over to them. 

“Never thought I’d see you again.” Sebastian’s voice was cold as ice, eyes narrowing in on Atticus as he spoke. “You going to break our enemies hearts? Hmm?”

“I see you still don’t have a sense of humor.” 

“Do you… do you two know each other?” Gabe realized what this was. “Oh, is this the Atticus that broke your heart? Damn…” he looked over to Atticus. “You really messed him up.”

“That’s one way of looking at it,” Atticus folded his arms, feeling defensive and looking for a way out of here. “Guess this is what you kept from me the entire time.” Atticus turned to leave, looking for where his cabin was. Maybe this was a bad idea after all….

—

Atticus had been trained under Chiron, at first he thought he could be some kind of support who helped people but Atticus wanted to be in the heat of the battle. He wanted to an Athenian warrior, taking after his mother and make her proud. He’d protect the other godlings, take whatever hits came his way and give them the opportunity to make the killing blows. 

“Oh, are you okay?” Oliver asked as soon as the enemy was down, coming over to check on the son of Athena. 

Looking down, he didn’t even realize he was still bleeding. “I’m fine.” he grabbed one of his med kits, pulling out the sewing needle and stitched himself up. This wasn’t where he thought his medical degree would lead him but it was the only path he could now see himself going down.

[hiraeth-witch-11]

Bond to Happen Part 8

Part 8: You Can Trust Me

Warnings: fantastical racism, threatening male behavior, Billy Russo

Word Count: 2600ish

Rose was beginning to get on Billy’s nerves. She’d grown bold and had begun openly flirting with you. He wasn’t sure if you even realized it, but you were certainly reacting to it. You’d blush or smile or say something nice in return and he didn’t like it one bit. None of this would work easily if you were distracted by someone else, he’d have to go with plan B and that would be much messier.

He ground his teeth as he watched you and Rose chatting together in the break room over a coffee, something he’d noticed you drinking more often even though he knew you preferred things with less caffeine. Billy was thinking about how he might be able to interrupt the two of you and put a stop to this without looking like he was jealous because- to be perfectly clear- he was not jealous. You were a means to an end.

As it turns out, his concern was unwarranted as he watched Rose brush a lock of hair off your face causing you to jerk back. It looked like you couldn’t stand her touch. That made things easier. Of course, he still needed to make sure you were comfortable with his touch, even when it was unexpected. That was something he was working on very carefully. But he was certain he could get you to want him, to need him. It was what his kind had been doing for millenia, after all.

******

You are so frustrated that you want to cry. Rose had been being ‘nice’ all week and you thought she was just trying to be your friend until she shared that she was into women. After that, you realized she was flirting with you and you found that you were actually open to it. You’d even started to reciprocate to show your interest. Rose was tall and kind with a wicked grin that often reminded you of Billy. You were attracted to her and you so rarely were in a situation where you felt safe to explore that feeling.

But you’d ruined it.

The two of you had been having coffee while on break and you’d been animatedly telling a story from college when she reached over and pushed a piece of hair back into place. It was a totally normal thing to do, especially considering the tone of your interactions, but the second her fingertips touched your temple, it just felt wrong and your magic recoiled into you like the snapping of a rubber band. You didn’t sense a threat, you didn’t sense anything negative in her aura, but your magic insisted that it wanted nothing to do with her.

So you swiftly apologized, explaining that touch was hit and miss for you and then you made a beeline for your office and closed the door. 

“Gods damn it. They make me this way and then keep me from actually being able to be this way. Makes no fucking sense,” you mutter to yourself angrily, throwing a sharp kick at your bean bag and then allowing yourself to flop onto it, face first.

******

“I’m gonna die alone, Kare,” you declare over the phone as you pace around your apartment. It’s not nearly as sparse as it was when you first moved in. Now decorated with various vining plants and a couple more unique pieces of furniture.

“I’m not going to let that happen, babe,” Karen says supportively over the phone. “You’re a catch, anyone would be lucky to have you. We just have to sort through those people to find someone you are okay getting physical with.”

“Uggghhh,” you groan dramatically. “She is so pretty, Kare, you saw her instagram, and she’s super fun to be around at work. I really liked her!”

“I’m sorry, sweetie. It’s not your fault.”

“My magic is an extension of me, I should be able to control it better, especially around someone harmless who I most definitely wanted to be able to touch me.”

“You mentioned it’s been better around some people, and is practically normal around your close friends. Didn’t you say you’re like weirdly comfortable around Billy?” She offers without judgment.

“You know Russo isn’t an option, Kare,” you sigh.

“I know he’s not ideal-”

“He’s my boss!”

“And he’s a little out of your mental comfort zone, but if your magic is saying go for it then maybe you should consider him,” she offers.

“Besides the whole boss thing, I don’t think he’s interested in me like that.” You rub your hand down your face and lie down on your couch.

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that if I was you,” Karen suggests cryptically.

“What do you know?” 

“I don’t really have any details, but Frank has commented a couple times about how quickly Billy has taken to you, something about him behaving differently around you.”

“That’s not really much to go on, Kare.:

“I’m just saying to keep an open mind.”

“I’ll try.”

It’s hard to sleep that night. When you try to relax your mind and body, all you can think about is the hum of the aura’s below you. You shift your focus upward, something you usually tried to avoid, and tune into Billy’s aura. It helps a little, like having a noise machine on while trying to drown out a busy street. You wonder what it would feel like to sleep wrapped up in the energy, protected from the noise of the world around you. If he was next to you, maybe you’d finally get a good night’s sleep.

You do eventually fall asleep, but your dreams are filled with the bloody tracks of some sort of big cat, the paw larger than your hand and pressing deeply into icy snow. You never truly see it, but you catch glimpses of black fur through the trees and you know it’s watching you.

******

Oakley Harding is not going to harm you, you think to yourself over and over again. It isn’t his fault that he triggers painful memories. He hasn’t done or said anything and your magic hasn’t alerted you to any danger to yourself. You’re safe. You swallow and push down the anxiety that is clawing its way into your lungs.

“How can I help you, Harding?” You ask politely. You aren’t sure why he’s stopped by your office everyday this week. The man doesn’t ever actually need anything, but the visits keep getting longer. The two of you didn’t have much in common personality wise and all you really knew about him was that he was an unpresented member of a shifter family.

“I brought you some coffee, thought you might want a break,” he offers, holding up a hot starbucks drink. You tell yourself once again, that it isn’t his fault you don’t know him well enough to accept a drink from him. The only reason you did it with Russo was because of how thoroughly your magic trusted him. Frank, Foggy, and Matt were the only other men you were comfortable around alone, and even then, you had your bad days.

“That’s sweet of you, Harding. I’m actually still working on mine from this morning, but I’ll accept yours and save it for later,” you say, gesturing to the coffee Russo had brought you.

“Of course, you can never have too much coffee in our line of work,” he jokes, sitting down across from you and setting the coffee onto the small table next to your bean bag.

“How’ve you been liking it here? You’ve been on for a month now, right?”

“Two actually, and I really enjoy my job. It’s simple, but never gets boring,” you reply honestly.

“I bet,” he grins, brown eyes flashing with something you refuse to allow your anxiety to label. “I heard it feels good for witches to use magic, any truth to that?”

Oh dear, you think, surely he doesn’t mean it like that.

“I mean, I can only speak for myself, but often it’s like taking a deep breath after being underwater. Unless I’m tired and then it’s like holding my breath for just a little too long. Either way it’s just kind of normal for me at this point.”

He nods and you release the tension in your shoulders as he seems to accept your answer. 

“You ever use it in your personal life?” 

“If you’re asking if I use it illegally, the answer is no,” you try to laugh, but it comes off a little strained.

“I’m sure you don’t, Blue, you’re too much of a good girl for that, aren’t you?” You think he’s leering at you now, but you’re not sure if that’s the right word. Whatever it is, you don’t like the expression on his face.

“Was there something you wanted to ask me, Harding? I do have some reports I need to get back to.” You really want him to leave, but he hasn’t said anything that you could use to justify your actions if you choose to be impolite.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me tomorrow night? We can get some dinner and then watch a movie at my place. Get to know each other better.” 

“No, thank you, Harding,” you say firmly, but not unkindly. You stop yourself from listing all the reasons or excuses you have. No is a complete sentence, you tell yourself.

“Aw, common sweetheart. It’ll be fun. I’ve seen how you look at me and I feel the same way. You live in the boss’s building, yeah? I can pick you up at 7. How’s that sound?”

Sweetheart feels like some sort of derogatory term as it falls from his lips. 

“Harding, I am not interested in dating you or spending time with you outside work. My answer is no.” Firm, polite, no excuses. You’re doing great, you tell yourself. Karen will be proud when you tell her.

“Playing hard to get isn’t attractive for someone like you, Blue. We’ve had a great time talking these last few days. Why are you changing your tune now?” He’s getting angry, you can tell by the pulse of his misty red aura. 

“I respect you as a coworker, Harding. There is nothing else going on here. I have some work today, so I’d appreciate being alone for the rest of the day.” You stand, hoping he’ll leave. He doesn’t. Instead, he stands and steps into your space, towering above you.

“You think you can do better than me? Hmm? Common, baby, you know you aren’t gonna get a better offer. It’s so easy to report someone for illegal practice these days, I wouldn’t want to do that to you. Come out with me tomorrow. If you don’t have a good time, I won’t bother you again.”

You can feel his breath on you and your fight or flight response is fully triggered. You don’t run or fight this time, you freeze. His right hand is balled into a fist at his side, his left hand is reaching for your face. Your heart is pounding and you can’t decide whether to yell or run or shove him away. Thankfully, someone enters your office unannounced. You can’t see them with Harding blocking your view, but you can feel a soothing aura push past Harding’s.

“Am I interrupting?” Russo asks.

“Only a little,” Harding says, stepping away from you and smiling goodnaturedly at Billy.

“No,” you say at the same time.

“We were just wrapping up anyway. I think Blue and I came to an understanding, isn’t that right, Blue?” 

Billy is glancing between the two of you. You’re sure he knows something is off, but you doubt he’s expecting anything untoward of Harding. 

You don’t respond to Harding’s threat, still half frozen in a tangle of panic. He leaves the room anyway, likely thinking you would do anything to stop him from reporting you. You know he doesn’t actually have any evidence, that he doesn’t actually know anything. But he knows that just a rumor of wrong doing on your part could ruin your life.

“You alright?” Billy asks, closing the door behind Harding. You can breathe easier now that it’s just the two of you.

“Is Frank in?” You ask instead of answering. You know Frank would believe you. You’re not sure about Russo.

“No, he’s on an assignment, won’t be back in til Monday. Why?” Russo leans back against your desk.

“Like won’t be back into the office or won’t be off assignment until Monday?”

“The latter. What’s going on? I could practically hear your heart pounding when I came in and Harding’s been antsy all week,” he asks evenly.

You look at him, assessing. Is it worth risking your job and home over the chance that you can trust him? He's been good to you so far, but Harding has worked here longer.

“You can trust me, Blue. I haven’t let you down yet, have I?

You shake your head, he’s right.

“Harding asked me on a date, wouldn’t take no for an answer, and threatened to report me for illegal magic usage if I didn’t go with him,” you blurt out before you can lose your nerve.

Surprise then anger move over Billy’s face, before it settles into a controlled mask.

“Thank you for trusting me,” he says softly and you nod, unsure of his reaction. He’s angry, his aura is practically vibrating with the emotion, and as practiced as his mask is, you can see it in his eyes. You just aren’t sure who the anger is directed at. 

“I’ll take care of him,” he says. You exhale sharply in surprise.

“You believe me?”

“Of course I do, Blue,” he looks shocked that you would ask that.

“You didn’t even ask me questions, not even if I was sure that’s what I heard. You’re just going to take me at my word?” You have no brain to mouth filter right now.  Billy straightens and looks you right in the eyes.

“I believe you and I will take care of this. You don’t need to worry about Harding, he won’t bother you again. Do you understand?” The last words are almost gentle, if not for the hard look in his eyes.

“I understand. What are you going to do?” You’re curious because the look in his eyes says murder, but surely that isn’t an option.

“Do you trust me?” He asks.

“Yes,” you say, surprising yourself with how quickly you answer now that your anxiety has eased.

“Then let’s just say he will no longer work for Anvil, alright?”

You think he’s lying, you know he must be. The tone, the phrasing, the look still so apparent in his dark brown eyes. Instinctually, you brush your magic around his aura to feel for the truth. Everything you feel tells you he’s being honest, it’s in conflict with your own eyes and ears, but you trust your magic. It’s never been wrong as you’ve kept Matt, Frank, Karen, Foggy, and everyone at Anvil safe. It’s always told you the truth. So you nod and you allow yourself to relax.

“Do you want to go home? I can take you there now.”

“No, I’ll be fine. I’ve got some things to finish up in here,” you say honestly.

Billy looks at the extra cup of coffee on the low lying table. “Is that his?”

“No, he brought it for me. I wasn't going to drink it, I just didn’t want to be rude.”

“I’ll get rid of it. If you need anything, or you change your mind and want to go home, just give me a shout,” he instructs, holding your gaze until you agree.

“Thank you, Billy.” You’re sincere in your thanks and you hope he hears how much meaning those words are trying to convey.

“Don’t thank me, sweetheart. You deserve so much more than this,” he says almost wistfully before leaving your office, quietly closing the door behind him.

You never heard from or saw Harding again. Officially, he was fired and moved out of state. Unofficially… Well, you didn’t let yourself think about that.

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