#and putting rogue front and center

[mattzerella-sticks]

Thinking about the current X-Men serieses, and how they have framed Rogue and Cyclops as the new Xavier and Magneto. And I have to laugh at the beautiful storytelling set-up of -

Xavier's first student, his most loyal soldier, who Xavier most likely considers as a son (more than his own tbh) and who he had hoped would follow in his footsteps, becoming the successor to the role Xavier's best friend took on during one of their many 'splits' as he rails against the system.

The daughter of Magneto's most trusted General, who was a member of the Brotherhood of 'Evil' Mutants, whose power is 'stealing' others' abilities and life force dedicating herself to protecting the world and guiding its people to a future of harmony and understanding while playing within the system.

The narrative symbolism is just 😘

[deepspacenova]

LESS THAN ENEMIES

1100 words || mild hurt/comfort. injured sylus. pre-relationship. minor blood.

Note: trying out something new and joining a fandom instead of obsessing in silence for once. Please accept some Sylus whump as my humblest offering xx

Sylus’ favorite thing is to watch you on the battlefield.

It started with Mephisto, of course. The mechanical corvid kept tabs on so many of Sylus’ subjects of interest that he’d thought nothing of programming the so-called “special” new Hunter’s likeness into its tracking rounds.

When he saw your evol, he became determined to take her. When he saw you bound in front of him, no recognition in your eyes, he became intrigued. But when you put a bullet through his chest point blank, no hesitation, he became captivated. Enraptured. Obsessed.

After the auction — and when Mephisto’s wing maintenance went from biweekly to twice a week — Sylus decided to spare himself the trouble and started going himself.

He doesn’t get too close, can’t get too close, but he’ll never get enough of your ferocity, your determination, your grace when he watches you fight for your people. For your cause.

Even if it’s in direct opposition to his plans.

Actually, his men could stand to learn a thing or two from you. In wit, in strategy, in combat.

The thought almost manages to pull a smile from him.

As much enjoyment as he takes in seeing you dominate the battlefield, to hear you calling out orders to other Hunters, to witness the shimmering waves of your evol, he can’t ignore the tension he feels when he does. The apprehension.

The worry.

Picturing your beautiful body cut down, wounded, bleeding… it isn’t something he likes to think about.

And that’s why Sylus watches the battlefield.

It’s a chaotic dance of guns and swords. Your Hunters and the rogue faction that ceded from Onychinus months ago clashing on the blood-stained streets.

The rest of the neighborhood is dark but calm, filled with the high-pitched buzz of the street lamps on the periphery of N109. If he wasn’t scrutinizing you with such focus, it would’ve felt like he was heading out to join you for one of your midnight meet ups.

You're close to the building that’s casting Sylus into the shadows, your singular focus centered on the four men surrounding you. No other Hunters are nearby.

Sylus watches you weave a web of power around two, freezing them in place, swords locked into a swinging motion. At the same time you turn around and trap a third, his arms getting more frantic the higher you raise your gun, before he drops like a stone to the ground.

You’ll will win this one, Sylus muses, as the men he’d so generously chosen to oust from the organization rather than kill dwindle in numbers. Most of them are being tracked down by other Hunters, those that remain look like they might flee in a desperate attempt at self-preservation like the roaches they are.

Who knew the Hunter’s Association would become his pest control.

Sylus heightens the rush of power in his veins as one of the men takes advantage of your divided focus, shakes himself free of your power’s hold, and stumbles backwards, running toward the alleyway Sylus occupied in hopes of escape.

You recklessly release him without a care, letting him get as far as the curbside. He gasps when he spots Sylus, taking an instinctive shot with what looks like a pilfered Hunter’s gun just as Sylus unleashes his evol, let’s it hum from within him, through his veins to his palms as he snuffs the breath out of the man in front of him, as well as the two next to her.

The bodies topple onto the dirty asphalt in perfect harmony, joining the other vermin she’d taken care of.

An outraged gaze whips toward Sylus. You’d known he was there.

Before he can wonder at what he’d done to give himself away you're already marching toward him. Too irritated to make sure other Hunters aren’t following — they aren’t, Sylus has made sure — when you step in front of him. That magnificent power isn’t quite contained yet, casting a glow around you that makes him want to reach out and…

He crosses his arms in case they make any movements he doesn’t approve of.

“They had information I needed, you overbearing—”

He narrows his eyes, ignoring a twinge in his bicep as he leans it against the building. “They’re your enemies, sweetie. Do you think they would’ve had the same mercy with you?”

“They might’ve,” you bite out. “Now, thanks to you, we’ll never know.”

He hardens his jaw. Your naiveté would get you hurt one day. “Trust me, they weren’t about to help you, they wanted to hurt you. To cut all your little Hunters down and take you with them.” Tendrils of his power wrap around your waist like a vine, yanking you toward him on a gasped breath, and your hands feel like brands on his chest.

“And, kitten?” You purse your lips, looking past his shoulder to ignore him, taking the comfort of that gaze from him. Growling low in his throat, he tilts your chin back up, tracing his thumb over the silky edge of your jaw. “I won’t let anyone do that.”

The frosty glare in your eyes melts, taking the last of your anger with it.

“I won’t either,” you murmurs. Stepping back, you take your face from his grasp. “Alright, let’s get out of here. I don’t need any of the other Hunters catching you.”

Sylus sighs, turning his back to the bodies when lightning pierces through his arm, causing him to cover it up with an annoyed hiss.

“Sylus? Sylus. What’s going on? What’s happened?”

Trying to calm the frantic words that match your frantic hands, he grits out, “I’m fine. Must’ve happened right before I took care of those last three. It’s nothing.”

You're grasping at his fingers to peel them away, revealing a decently sized chunk of flesh removed from his bleeding bicep.

It’s not the most severe wound he’s ever sustained, by far. Still, he’s mildly impressed that a Hunter’s bullet could pack such a punch. He’ll need to look into those.

“It’s not nothing, there’s no way that’s going to heal on its own. You need… stitches or something. I’m taking you to the base.” Wrapping one palm around his arm and the other around his wrist, you steer him by the arm in the opposite direction of Linkon. “And before you say anything, every Hunter goes through field medic training.”

It’s the same tone you use with other Hunters, those you call friends. The sound of determination coated in the steel of care and concern -for him.

You're treating him like he’s… yours.

He ignores the sudden balloon expanding in his chest at the thought. “You know you never need an excuse to put your hands on me, kitten,” he drawls with a smirk, deciding to give himself into it, into her.

And despite the most serious injury he’s had in a while tearing into the space between his missing skin and your palm, all he can feel is a fluttering, healing warmth when your cheeks flush and your pace quickens.

[edenprime]

I keep flip-flopping on whether I like Liara's change in characterization post-ME1. Was she changed exclusively by the devs/writers so that she could be an action girl, which is considered more interesting/sexier? Was it a side-effect of her being put on the "everyone is now an edgelord" train? Or did it actually make sense?

At the present I'm inclined to think it's a mix of the last two. At the start of ME, she says that she's barely an adult by asari standards, that her work isn't taken very seriously due to her young age. We overhear, in ME2, an asari on Illium say that she's 60, so she's finally moved out of her parents' house. I'd say this makes Liara's 106 years around the equivalent of early to mid twenties. She suddenly finds her mother, an extremely well-respected woman in her society, betraying her people and going off with a rogue man who's rallying one of the galaxy's boogeymen to work for him, hunting down and killing innocents, turning them into monsters. Then, when she's gone to hunt her down to stop her, she finds out she's indoctrinated, that she set out to stop Saren, not join him. Benezia finds her mind for a few minutes, tells her she truth of the indoctrination, and attacks her and the person she's falling in love with (her first love, too!) only to die in front of her.

Whether Shepard rejects her or not, it's clear that she's in love with them, that her feelings are still there when the collectors attack the Normandy. And right then, she sees another person important to her, at best a friend and at worst a lover, die in front of her. She finds out there's a race to get their dead body, that it can be given to their murderer, or to a terrorist organization. She chooses, for better or worse, the second, the one who, as she says on ME2, gives her some hope. She admits to Shepard that her feelings got the best of her in that case. After dying for the cause, she sees their reputation be torn to shreds and every discovery they made be buried by politicians.

She loses Feron, another ally, another friend.

So yes, she changes. She's a 23 year old who went from exploring 50 thousand year old dig sites to being in the center of a belic conflict with her mother as an enemy. She sees her love die a horrible death, choking on nothing in front of her.

Of course she becomes obsessive and single-minded. Of course she adopts some of Benezia's worse traits. Of course she hunts down the shadow broker with such ruthlessness. And of course her behavior softens with Shepard - they came back. She's not stupid, I'm sure she knows her gamble, when she gave Shepard's body to Cerberus, was not without its dangers. She knows Shepard could rightfully be mad at her. She knows Shepard could have not come back at all! But she did it all anyway. Regardless of how her behavior can be seen as creepy or morally wrong, I can see where she's coming from, and I don't think she's all that wrong for feeling the way she felt. She stops being the saint she was on the SR1, but she's not an evil witch, and she's definitely not even among the top 5 squad members who needs the most atonement. Or jail time.

[maxwell-grant]

I think it’s interesting, considering how most live-action superhero adaptations kill off the villains after their debut, that both The Batman and The Penguin end with the villains not just living, but set up to return and somehow cause Even Bigger Problems down the line. Is this just because it’s the first Batman film adaptation that’s a capital-F Franchise, so the writers need the villains to stick around long-term, or is something else going on?

Almost entirely comes down to the fact that The Batman was not meant to be Batman's origin story - by Reeves' own admission, it was the origin story of the Rogues Gallery. They got the Cloverfield and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes guy and he did a story about the boots-on-the-ground gritty perspective on larger-than-life terrors emerging from the ruins and failings of human civilization, taking the struggles and wars and laborious processes that others shy away from and putting them front in center. It's just this time, instead of kaijus and parasites attacking and destroying the city, instead of apes emerging as the Mad Max warlords rising from the ashes to fight over the world, we have Batman villains in that role instead.

To me, that was actually the conception - if we weren't going to do a Batman origin story, but we were going to do it in the early years, I thought well, in the comics, the rogues gallery characters often are creating their alter egos in response to the fact that a masked vigilante shows up in Gotham called the Batman.

And so I thought, oh well, what we could do is see all of the rogue's gallery characters in their origins, like Selina Kyle before she's Catwoman, and that we could go into, as we're looking for a suspect, we could go to a nightclub, a nightclub could be the Iceberg Lounge and we could see a pre-kingpin Oz, and we could see, you know, a Riddler who is declaring himself the Riddler sort of because there's a Batman. And so all of that was sort of built into the conception. - Matt Reeves

It's far from the first Batman film adaptation to be a capital-F Franchise, even if that aspect was there - Reeves initially pitched the movie as an HBO series, and throughout production pitched additional show ideas such as an Arkham show or a Gotham PD show, The Penguin being the only one that survived as far as we know. This pulls off an origin from the Rogues Gallery better than every other Batman media ever made, and there's a couple of reasons why it does so and why the villains get to take center stage here:

Part of the difference between the way Nolan tackled realistic Batman, and the way Reeves tackles realistic Batman, is that Nolan needs realism to explain Batman, and Reeves needs realism entirely in the service of making Batman weirder. Pattison Batman is the weirdest Bruce ever put on film almost entirely because he lives in our world while still being Batman in every way that counts - Keaton Bats slept upside down in a cave, but he lived in a Tim Burton world. Adam West Bats is weird, but everybody is like that or even weirder than he is, he is the comedic straightman to everyone else. And where as Nolan needs Batman to be the thing that makes sense, Reeves needs Batman to be the thing that doesn’t make sense.

Nolan wanted weird difficult irreducible villains opposite a logical pragmatically sensible Batman, and Reeves wants exactly the opposite. For Nolan, even besides the Joker who was defined entirely around the lack of a real explanation for him, you have his take on Two-Face, Bane, the Al Ghuls, characters that don't demand that much reasoning or explanation because they can act and exist in ways that defy logic, while Batman's the guy who has to hold the center of logic and reason. Where as here, Pattison Batman is the most interesting and complicated and larger-than-life figure this world is dealing with in much the same way that Ledger Joker was for his movie, and everyone else is in the position of starting out and having to deal with Batman and the paradigm shift he brings - nobody else in the movie is quite the character they were supposed to be, that's something they're all growing into in response to their nightmare city and what this titanic freak in armor represents to them.

Even The Riddler is ultimately explainable, human, reducible to his tantrums and vulnerabilities, even without you knowing in-depth his character and backstory that would be elaborated for Dano's Year One. Even The Penguin - he may be larger-than-life, he may be unexplainable on some level, but we know all too well all of his failings and feelings and life story and all the cracks in his persona that he killed Victor to try and bury. But Batman? Next to everyone else, he is still an anomaly, he is just Like That, even to his own detriment and that of the city, and he learns that he must apply being Like That to something better.

Reeves is not interested in doing "Batman vs [X]" movies, the movies are going to be focused on Batman's arc first and foremost, which means the villains will never really take them over the way they've usually done - this is a world where it's the villains who react to Batman, not the other way around. This frees them from the burden of having to exist in direct relation to how much they can directly menace Batman, and it makes it so that these are characters that can carry their own spin-offs, which is probably a lot easier for WB to work with because these are spin-offs that they don't really have to get Pattison to show up for, but they can construct in ways that don't even need Batman to be physically there. Even after The Penguin, they might not have to do that Smallville/Gotham song-and-dance of teasing a main character who'll never get to be here, there are a lot of other things happening in Reeves' Gotham besides the existence of Batman, even if the existence of Batman has changed all of them. So structurally speaking this series has a ton of room for reocurring villains, and building it has been one of their top priorities. In fact, this ONLY gets to do so because the movie already laid out the entire groundwork for them and how it all ties together.

See, the way Batman stories do the rise of a Rogues Gallery and how it affects the city and therefore Batman always follows a sort of a 7-step program:

Gotham City is ruled by crime, crime that takes away the Waynes (Falcone / Carl Grissom (89) / Falcone backed by the League (Nolan) / the Falcone-Hill-Wayne triumvirate (Telltale) / Gotham S1 and first-half of S2)

Crime begats Batman, who beats Crime

Crime + Batman = Weird Crime (Jack Napier becomes Joker after an encounter with Batman (89) / "we still haven't picked up Crane and those other Arkham inmates btw check out this weird card" (Nolan) / Black Mask and the international assassins + Joker's rise (Arkham) / Children of Arkham (Telltale) / the Indian Hill experiments and patients (Gotham)

Weird Crime Replaces Crime (The Long Halloween / Joker takes over the mob (89) / the mob is so impressed by the pencil trick they give Joker all the money (Nolan) / Joker literally replaces Black Mask in the process of becoming Batman's main enemy (Arkham) / Penguin assassinates Mayor Hill and the Children enter a war with Mayor Dent (Telltale) / Indian Hill breakout and Maniax cult and etc (Gotham)

Weird Crime is a Rogues Gallery now (Penguin and Catwoman and Max Shreck in the sequel (Burton) / Joker and Two-Face become separate problems, Bane + Talia + Crane + Catwoman in the sequel (Nolan) / after Origins a whole asylum full of them (Arkham) / Riddler + The Pact and John becoming Joker proper (Telltale) / Gotham S3 with Tetch and Riddler and the Legion of Horribles

The city is changed by the new paradigm

Batman responds / expands or retracts in response to this change

(4 and 5 don't necessarily always happen one before the other, mind you, frequently you do have a Weird Crime Rogues Gallery before Weird Crime replaces Crime at the head of the table)

And you can apply this to most other Batman stories that don't automatically start and stay at level 5. But where as all of these have to stretch the process across sequels and continuations, The Batman is the first Batman work that gets to do all 7 of them in one row. It gets 1 and 2 done offscreen before the opening act and shown to us how they happened throughout the movie's reveals, 3-4-5-6 comprise the Riddler's plot + the other United Underworld members roped into it, and it ends with 7. Even the Batmanless spin-offs follow the process: The Riddler: Year One covers Eddie's perspective on 1-2 as he enters stage 3 and prepares it for the movie, and The Penguin covers 4-5-6, leaving us waiting for Bruce's response back to stage 7 where The Batman ended.

And up until The Batman, the process behind the creation of a Rogues Gallery had never really been much of a process - comics that go into the transition like Long Halloween/Dark Victory just show the fall of Carmine Falcone -> the freaks waiting in the wings causing it or happening immediately after. Gotham tries to work that escalation gradually and it starts relatively "normal", but it's always dancing around the premise and the central black hole and the building blocks don't have anything to do with each other - the gang wars and Penguin have nothing to do with Bruce investigating a conspiracy, which has little to do with Gordon and Bullock investigating weird serial killers who keep escalating, and then eventually we get that Hugo Strange was building freaks in his basement at the orders of the Court/Ra's the whole time until they all just escape. You can piece together how Batman works that aren't about this transition ultimately touch on most of those 7 stages and have their own version of it as soon as they introduce Gotham City in a pre-Batman/pre-villain state, but the connections are always rather tenuous and not necessarily connected to each other (and it's fine, y'know, not everything in a story always has to come from the same source).

But everything in The Batman follows a long chain of dominos that had to happen for this system to become the way it needs to be for Batman villains to emerge. Everything started in that one night Thomas Waynes saved Carmine Falcone, everything started from that ensuing connection and Thomas' failures leading to a city ruled by mobsters for 20 years and the sheer level of rot and corruption and human misery that creates and justifies the existence of Batman, and thus The Riddler in his example. Everything we get in The Penguin is the result of this paradigm shift and total civic collapse, showing the destruction of Carmine's empire as well as his legacies torched and mutated by Sofia and Oz respectively. Everything is still connected. The United Underworld guys featured in the movie live and dwell in entirely separate spaces and represent entirely different things, and they're still all connected in the same chain of dominoes, which allows them to expand and cover entirely separate narrative real estate while still giving it all cohesion.

The movie never has to specifically establish a system full of supervillains or made for them, it has to establish a system so utterly fucked and dominated by Falcone, so utterly failed by every institution and body of government and system imaginable, that it creates Batman, and the minute Batman arrives and survives long enough to be a third power / a fifth state, people in his wake trying to respond to him or do the same things he does, as a response to the same afflictions he faced and to his example or influence, are the only logical thing. Without needing to literally show the other rogues waiting in the wings, The Batman established an entire world of possibility just by very smartly using the 4 big ones + Carmine and showing why and how this regular American city becomes a place where supervillains bombing city blocks and running for political office can become a facet of daily life. Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and Riddler - positioned as separate from each other as possible to show the ways in which this is, and maybe always has been, spreading fast out of Batman's control.

And now with The Penguin, reinforcing the chokehold of crime in the city in it's old ways as well as the corrupt mutated new ones brought on by our boy, as well as a new Batman Villain (possibly two, if Eve Karlo ever gets her hands on suspicious make-up) arriving from Penguin's side of things so that it's not just Batman who has a Rogues Gallery to deal with, not just Batman who has terrific enemies waiting in the wings for a chance to enact their own forms of justice and revenge, no, that's just what life is like in Gotham now, forever.

[incorrectbatfam]

how would bruce be at the retail jobs?

Previous: Margie | Batfam | Rogues | Justice League | Batkids in training

[clothing store]

Steph: Bruce, you're on menswear. 

Bruce: Yes ma'am. 

Bruce: Need help with anything?

Dick, pulling a shirt off the rack: How does this look? 

Bruce: It's very flattering, chum.

Dick: You think? 'Cause I'm really looking forward to this weekend at Wally's and I wanna impress his folks. 

Bruce: Never mind, it's all wrong. 

———————

[furniture store]

Steph: I'm gonna take inventory. Why don't you help that guy over there?

Bruce: Sure. 

Bruce: You've been looking at that recliner for a long time.

Jason: Yeah, it's pretty nice. 

Bruce: You thinking of buying it?

Jason: Nah, I'll just take my dad's. 

———————

[coffee shop]

Steph: Remember to write their names, especially since it's the morning rush. We don't wanna get the orders mixed up. 

Bruce: Don't worry, I have it all taken care of. 

Tim: One espresso, please. 

Bruce, writing on a cup: You got it. That'll be $3.25.

*5 minutes later*

Bruce: Espresso for Dick– I mean, Jason– I mean, Damian– I mean– oh, you know who you are, get over here. 

———————

[call center] 

Steph: I'm taking a break. Cover for me. 

*phone rings*

Bruce: Wayne Enterprises account support, how can I help you?

Damian: I would like to purchase the Horror and Slasher movie bundle. 

Bruce: Sorry, you have to be at least 18 for that. 

Damian: This is an outrage! Do you know who I am? I am the son of the CEO himself. I demand you put him on the line right now. 

Bruce: As you wish.

Bruce: *spins around in his chair*

Bruce: CEO of Wayne Enterprises here. I'm afraid we can't get that for you. To make up for your troubles, though, I've given you a free trial of our Goodnight Gotham children's bedtime audiobooks. 

———————

[grocery store]

Bruce: That'll be $50.36.

Duke: Shoot, I only brought forty. 

Bruce: Wait, I can give you the friends and family discount. 

Bruce: *swipes his credit card*

Duke: Sweet, thanks!

Bruce: Steph?

Steph: Yeah?

Bruce: Did I just buy my son fifty dollars worth of applesauce? 

———————

[drive-thru]

Cass: Just a water. 

Bruce: Alright, please go to the next window. 

Bruce: *hands her an ice cream cone*

Bruce: You sound like you need this. 

Cass: *smiles*

Steph: How did you—

Bruce: *pulls out his Girl Dad badge*

———————

[restaurant] 

Steph: Here's a menu and your server will be with you shortly. 

Barbara: Thank you. 

Bruce: Good evening. I'll be your server tonight. Have we decided on what we're going with?

Barbara: Yeah, I'll have the chicken. 

Bruce: And would you like a soup or salad with that?

Barbara: Depends. Do you spin the salad in front of me? 

Bruce: Yes. 

Barbara: Then I'll do the soup.

———————

[at home]

Bruce: *face down on his bed*

Steph: Lemme guess, long week? 

Bruce: *grunts* 

Steph: Me too. Hope you don't mind if I take a nap here. 

Steph: *curls up in the blanket*

Bruce: *grunts and pats her head* 

[sorchathered]

As you wish

Summary- Bob, Mickey and their girlfriends go on an adventure to the local renaissance faire, but how can Bob be expected to keep his hands or thoughts to himself when you look like the fairy princess of his wildest dreams?

Pairing- Robert “Bob” Floyd x reader

Warnings- language, drinking, smut, knife play if you squint.

It was probably the hottest day of the summer, but that hadn’t deterred any of you from gearing up in your painstakingly hand crafted costumes and caravanning down the highway to Escondido for the Renaissance festival. Fanboy and his girlfriend and you and your newly minted fiancée Robert Floyd had been playing dnd with a group in Coronado for about 2 years now, that’s how all of you had met. You were putting signs up for the new campaign at the library, and Bob happened upon the prettiest girl he’d ever seen, feet carrying him to the bulletin board before his brain caught up with what he was doing. He’d been shy but charming, and you had enthusiastically convinced him to join your group later in the week to try it out. He’d never played before but he new for sure that Mickey had, so with a little (a lot) of begging and promises to buy his beers at the Hard Deck that weekend, the both of them turned up at the community center in Coronado to join the band of misfits they would soon call a second family.

It had turned out to be the best decision he’d ever made if he was honest, the two of you had gone out for coffee after the first meeting and had been inseparable ever since. Two years later and he would follow you anywhere, you were quite literally like a fairy, full of bright energy, quick witted and downright ethereal with your wide shining eyes and angelic features, he truly didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky. You’d kept your costume a secret all month, carefully curating little bits and pieces and as you crossed the threshold into your bedroom he had the thought to just stay home and ravish you all day. A beautiful green peasant dress was split at the hip, the skirt frilly and flowing down past your knees, with a beautiful laced up corset starting at your waist and pushing your cleavage impossibly high on your chest, he was definitely salivating and couldn’t seem to snap out of his trance until you skipped over and tapped his nose. “Hmm? What? I’m sorry baby, what did you say?” He wasn’t subtle at all and you giggled as you leaned into him to pepper kisses along his cheeks and slotting yourself between his thighs. “I take it you like what you see my strong, powerful warlock…buuuut I don’t think we have time for what you have in mind so get dressed handsome it’s time to go!” You say with a laugh as you step out of his arms and skitter down the hall with a cackle. Good Lord, he was going to lose his mind watching you all day, as he heaved himself off the bed he heard you holler down the hallway, “oh and baby just wait until you see my wings!” He groaned again at the thought and trudged to the bathroom to take an ice cold shower, grumbling about his temptress fairy princess and how he’d rather stay home.

You couldn’t have had a better time if you tried, somehow you and Mickey’s girlfriend Lana had convinced the boys to dress up as well, and you both had to admit there was something to be said about watching them walk around in billowy shirts looking like they’d just stepped out of a Tolkien novel. The boys were having the time of their lives, drinking ale from giant wooden tankards and consuming their weight in turkey legs, while the two of you girls bought glittery potion bottles and crystal necklaces from the local vendors. Finally heading home as the sun went down you peeked through the rear view at the drunken rogue and warlock passed out in your backseat and giggled, you just hoped Bob would be alert enough for what you had planned for the evening when you got home.

After safely depositing Lana and Mickey at home, your knight in shining armor clambered into the front seat, bright eyes full of mirth as he looked you over, his fingers had been itching to loosen your corset strings all day and if he was honest he was a little hard at the thought of letting you ride him with nothing but your fairy wings on. You fortunately were on the same page, impatiently ushering him through the doorway and down the hall as you groped at him and sucked on his tongue, you’d always wanted to role play as your characters but had been too scared to ask, but now looking at Bob’s flushed cheeks as he toyed with the laces of your corset you knew he was absolutely into this.

“Can I help you handsome? See something you like?” You said as you turned in his arms, looking up at him through your lashes and rubbing your body all over his. “Fu- I- I see a lot of things that I like my lady, think you should show me what’s hiding under this gown, can’t be too careful can I? Fairies are known for their trickery.” He says as he leans in to suck a mark behind your ear and begins unlacing your corset, tantalizingly slow as he continues to nibble at your neck and collarbone, nimble fingers untangling the laces and smoothing over exposed skin as your dress begins to loosen and slip from your frame. “I don’t know what you mean sir, we fairies are a peaceful lot, I would be a fool to try and get the upper hand on such a strong, powerful warlock such as you” you say with a cheeky grin, sliding the dagger you’d bought today from your thigh holster and pressing it into his side. “Hmmf, exactly like I said, tricky business dealing with fairies” he huffed out a laugh and raised his hands, letting you lower him to his knees in front of you. You switched to your normal voice as you lifted his chin, stroking the stubble that you always loved him to have on the weekends. “What’s your color baby?” “Green, so so fucking green, You’re a dream come true you know that?” He said as he smoothed calloused palms across the back of your thighs, taking your thumb into his mouth and sucking it, drawing a whimper from you as you nodded furiously at him.

“If you wanted to check me for weapons all you needed to do was ask, but since I have you on your knees, why don’t you put that smart mouth to task on something useful” you said you hooked your leg over his shoulder and pulled him close to your core, as fun as the banter had been you were wound up and needed him to touch you. He ran his nose along your underwear, teasing you with little nips to the side of your thighs and pulled back to look at you again, disappointment crossed your features and he chuckled and pinched your ass from under your skirt. “I think you might want to roll for persuasion sweetheart, I could draw this out a little longer if I’m honest, but I wouldn’t be opposed to you begging for it.” You blinked down at him a little stunned, that cocky son of a bitch, he knew exactly how to play you. “Oh- oh that’s mean. Fine. Give me your dice then, I know you bought new ones today.” He definitely did buy a new set today, and he would be lying if this wasn’t absolutely hilarious to him so he pulled them from his pocket and placed them in your hand, throwing his head back and laughing at the irritated look on your face as you shook the dice and tossed them at his feet. “Ha! D20! You heard me Warlock, put that silver tongue of yours to good use or I’ll cut your throat where you stand.”

You feigned irritation but you’d get what you wanted, you both knew he’d never tell you no anyways, he ran his hands over your thighs again and began to slide your underwear down your legs, letting it dangle off the leg hanging from his shoulder and set to work, licking a stripe through your folds as he looked at you with his piercing blue eyes. Fuck he was always so good at this, eating at you in earnest as you ground against his face and tugged his hair, making out with your cunt and moaning into you like it was the best thing he’d ever tasted. “Oh, oh fuck I’m there just like that” you breathed out and came hard on his tongue, he didn’t stop until you were overstimulated and pushing at him to stop, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and pulling himself up to grope your chest and kiss you. “What do you want my sweet fairy princess? I’m at your service my love.” “Want you to fuck me, need you inside me, claim me.” He was pretty sure you were trying to kill him, it wasn’t even his birthday and you were giving him his wildest dreams, he pulled the rest of your dress and corset off as you clawed at his shirt and pants trying to strip him down to nothing. Finally free of clothes his eyes roamed over you, you were perfect in every way but he still couldn’t get that one thought out of his head so he stepped around you to grab the wings you’d dropped and held them in front of you. “Can’t get it out of my head, what do you think baby? Ride me with the wings on?” He had the gall to look a little sheepish as his cheeks heated up, you’d never get over just how damn cute he was, he could be downright filthy but this is somehow what caused him to get shy on you. You slipped your arms through the holes and shoved him backwards into the bed climbing onto him and sliding his hard cock into you, rocking slowly with him as he sucked on your chest, pulling a nipple into his mouth as you cried out, oh God were you close again already? Shit maybe you two needed to start doing this more often, you felt like you were buzzing with electricity with every thrust, the small thatch of hairs at the base of him grazing your clit deliciously as you came hard for the second time, sending him tumbling over the edge with you as his teeth sank down into the juncture of your neck, painting your walls with his spend.

He made to roll you onto your back but you made him wait, your wings were expensive and you didn’t want him to crush them, so you slid them off and let them hit the floor, rolling him on top of you as you continued to kiss lazily. “Damn this could be a problem” he said with a grin and you looked up at him puzzled, “how am I ever supposed to go to dnd on Fridays with you when all I can think about is you rolling a d20 so I’d eat you out.” You both couldn’t stop your giggles, and when Friday rolled around and your DM suggested Bob roll for persuasion, you couldn’t help but giggle and wink at him, thinking about taking him home and donning your pretty wings for him again and how it should definitely become a regular event.

————————————————————————

Divider by- @strangergraphics

Tagging- @attapullman @mamamaystbr @mamachasesmayhem @bobgasm @roosterforme @withahappyrefrain @floydsglasses @sebsxphia @pinkdaisies9285 @hangmansgbaby @sugarcoated-lame @teacupsandtopgun

[vivalas-vega]

mistletoe / jake 'hangman' seresin x reader

hey hi hello !!! if you couldn't tell by my previous post, it's my favorite time of the year... which means fics to go along with it! this is just the beginning, from now until new years my fics are going to be very centered on the holiday season so if you have any requests pls send them my way! this one is very short, but sweet and fluffy to kick things off :)

mistletoe / jake 'hangman' seresin x reader

add yourself to my taglist

word count: 1.3k

warnings: none really, slight suggestiveness at the end

Frank Sinatra was crooning from the record player on the console to your left… perched next to it was a still-steaming mug of hot chocolate done up a mile high with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick barely poking out of the top. There was glitter from the ornaments dusting the floor and unbeknownst to you, a rogue piece of tinsel woven into your hair as you perfectly placed each bauble on the tree before you. You were so lost in your own Christmassy world humming along to Let It Snow and narrowing your eyes at your work to make sure it was just right that you didn’t even hear the front door open and close, or hear Jake chuckling at you as he snuck up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist.

“I think it’s a little too early for this, darlin’, the Halloween decorations have barely been put away,” he said into your ear as you squeaked in surprise, squirming in his grasp to turn around and hit his chest.

“I know your mama taught you it’s rude to sneak up on people,” you chastised and he just smirked down at you. “Besides, it’s never too early for a bit of Christmas joy.”

“Far be it from me to rob you of your joy,” he said, backing away and holding his hands up in surrender as he looked over the place. You’d had the day off while he was gone at work and you really didn’t waste a second of it. The tree was nearly done, all of the pillows and blankets on the couch had been swapped out for more festive options, and garland was strewn across the mantle. He was always in awe of you and your ability to bring magic to any space… when he’d arrived home from work at the end of August he’d actually been startled by a rather gruesome statue greeting him on the front porch and the fake spiderwebs he’d managed to walk through… you hadn’t accounted for his height when putting it up, only yours. Even throughout the normal periods of the year your home exuded warmth and a little something special that was just you.

“It’s perfect timing, really… I need your help with something,” you said and he looked at you expectantly, eager to oblige whatever request you had for him. He watched as you ruffled through the various shopping bags, and he decided it was probably for the best that he just not look at the bank statements this month, before you produced several bundles of glittery snowflakes and thrust them in his direction. “I wanted to hang these from the ceiling, I thought it might be pretty.”

“I think it will be wonderful, sweetheart,” he said, setting them aside for a moment as he looked you over properly. You were wearing a red slip dress adorned with lace complete with fuzzy reindeer socks on your feet that were in stark contrast to the silk clinging to your body but somehow they made you look all the more sexy to him as he settled his hands on his waist and pulled you in, leaning down to press a kiss to your lips but you leaned back and put a finger on his lips to stop him, giggling at the look of confusion that passed over his features.

“Excuse me, sir… I don’t see any mistletoe, do you?” you asked, looking above you and he let out a sigh at your antics. “I’m a lady and I can’t go around kissing just anybody. There are rules, you know.” 

“I didn’t realize I was just anybody, darlin,” he replied, digging his fingers into your hips and pulling you flush against him but you weren’t having it, you wiggled free from his grasp and turned your back on him, returning to draping tinsel along the branches of the tree and trying to suppress your giggles.

“Find the mistletoe and you’ll get your kiss,” was all you said and he muttered something under his breath that you didn’t quite catch as he began stringing the snowflakes up, taking great care to space them evenly and hang them at varying heights… something he knew to be sure to do after the great debacle of Halloween when he didn’t hang the bats to your standards. He watched you out of the corner of his eye… still humming along to the Christmas record you’d inherited from your mom as you stepped back to admire your work. It really was beautiful, and he wasn’t just biased because you had done it. You had managed to keep it nostalgic without looking tacky, modern without lacking warmth and he couldn’t help but smile at the satisfied look on your face.

You stood on your tiptoes, struggling to reach the top and place the star atop the tree and Jake chuckled as he quickly reached your side and took over for you, fiddling with it until it was straight and you leaned into him as you admired your handiwork, “I’ve always loved Christmas but ever since you came along I can’t seem to get enough of it.” you said, recalling the first Christmas you’d spent together on his family’s farm. You’d been welcomed with such open arms, and experienced a true small-town holiday season for the first time in your life and it solidified that this was without a doubt your favorite time of year.

“I was just thinking the same thing, sweetheart,” he replied, pressing a kiss to your temple before you moved to clear away all the bags and boxes, leaving behind a pristine and festive living room. You leaned against the archway leading to the kitchen, watching as he secured the last snowflake to the ceiling as you made sure to position yourself just right… legs on full display and that mischievous smirk on your face that Jake couldn’t get enough of. It was something you had picked up from him, and he always loved seeing the little ways in which you two would mirror each other. “What are you up to over there?” he asked, eyeing you suspiciously and you shrugged.

“Oh, me?” you replied, “nothing.” You truly looked irresistible to him right now… lace delicately framing the curve of your chest and the tops of your thighs, all done up in red with that sparkle in your eye as you settled all of your focus on him, walking across the room as if being pulled to you by a magnet. 

“Is there a reason you’re glued to this doorway?” he asked, resting his hands on your waist as you allowed your eyes to dart upwards, just for a moment, and that’s when he saw it… the mistletoe. “You little minx,” he teased, leaning closer and your head tilted back instinctively. You had specifically chosen the area the two of you passed through the most often to place the mistletoe and that cheekiness was one of the reasons he’d fallen so head over heels in love with you. He closed the gap and captured your lips in a dizzying kiss, tightening his grip around you when you leaned into him. You moaned softly into his mouth when he deepened the kiss but were left wanting when he pulled away suddenly.

“You know, I am a gentleman… just because there’s mistletoe that doesn’t mean I can-” he’d started, wanting to get back at you for your earlier stunt but you just rolled your eyes as you jumped up, wrapping your legs around him. You never had a second thought jumping into his arms so suddenly, you knew deep in your bones he’d never let you fall.

“Oh shut up and take me to bed,” you said and just like the snowflakes he was more than eager to oblige your request, reconnecting your lips as he maneuvered down the hallway, hands gripping your thighs as you melted into him. 

“Oh my god, Christmas threw up in here too.”

taglist: @callsignspirit @thegodessc @failuretothrivestuff @olliepig @cruelmissdior @underaveragefangirl @grxcieluvr @amatswimming @camilaricci @nolita-fairytale @dempy @pinkpantheris @aviatorobsessed @tiredqueen73 @pono-pura-vida @binnieslove @nik2blog @waklman @abaker74 @halstead-severide-fan @percysaidnever @memeorydotcom @eli2447 @dumb-fawkin-bitch @toobouquet @a-v-a123 (if your name is struck through it means I couldn't tag you - so sorry!)

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

Hi, I'm incredibly desperate for the Music Meister, and I need his idea of a valentine's date night. His S/O is bubbly and whimsical, but also has terrible anxiety so she never really gets up on stage. Perhaps a night on the town where Mr. Rinette puts those powers of his to work to create the perfect valentine's love story?

"The PERFECT date" Music Meister x F!Reader (Valentine's Day Event 2025)

You got it! This ask is for the 2025 Valentine's Day Event.

TW: Mentions of villainous behavior/toxic dynamics, hypnosis

It had taken a lot of planning. To hypnotize that many people all at once, one needed to plot how to do it. How to get certain factors i.e. Batman, out of the way. The scenes, the backdrop, the costuming- This night needed to be perfect.

The very first Valentine's with them together had to be the best Valentine's Day she'd ever experienced. He wasn't exactly experienced. There weren't many of his relationships he could lean back on and consider... real. For so long he looked in from the outside. Then with his powers came less-than-savory actions of forcing people to be in love with him. Even if he'd never crossed certain lines- Well.

This was different. You liked him. Maybe even- oh, the idea of love made his stomach flutter! Yes, yes. This idea was perfect. He'd so politely asked several friends in the rogues gallery to distract the "heroes" that loved to play the role of thorn in his side. He'd told you, his darling, that he'd made reservations for one of the most popular lounge's for dinner. Live band and everything!

Certainly what you had expected was him to take over and lead a song or two, as was his nature. You went to meet him, dressed for the occasion, to find an arbor walkway connecting the door to the inside of the restaurant. As you strode underneath, you noted the arbor had been entwined with climbing blue roses. The vines and flowers gave a sense of wonder, light trickling in through smaller spaces.

At the end was Clarence, nervously holding a bouquet of the same roses to give you. As the roses fell into your hands, he kissed your cheek. No waiters came to you or questioned the table he glided towards. Right in the center- candle in the middle and heart-shaped balloons on either side of it's chairs. It wasn't until he hummed a little tune and a waiter appeared on queue that you realized exactly what had happened.

"Everyone?" You looked about to the other tables, "All of this...?"

"For you." He leaned onto the palms of his hands, staring at you lovingly, "Well. Mostly I told the other tables to simply enjoy themselves. That was it." Low-key enough to not prick Batman's radar while other things were happening, certainly.

While you knew in your heart you shouldn't encourage this kind of thing- There was something so terribly flattering about it. No one was getting hurt, after all. Plus, no one was staring or making a musical number with you in the center... He had tried that once and it had ended in a semi-panic attack with many apologies.

"We'll save the food for after our song." He grinned as he ordered a sweet wine for you both.

"O-our?" You gulped, "I... don't think that's a good idea."

It's then his hands reach over for yours, "I'll be right there. You won't need to look at another soul but me." His thumb caressing your knuckles. Him leaning to kiss them- It was easy for him to guide you to your feet and then to the stage.

The moment you two were on, the lights dimmed in the house. Stage-lights stopped you from seeing anyone beyond the barrier. There was only a microphone in front of you and a band behind. Clarence at your side, still holding your hand. Then the Music Meister sang notes of attention, and told the band to wait for your call.

"Tonight, we will be singing a duet of 'Part of your World' from Disney's 'A little Mermaid.' Here she is, the light of my eyes, to start us off." Clarence wrapped an arm around your shoulder, "Take us away. I'm right here and you don't have to look at anyone else."

Looking at your lover, a hand on his face, you looked into his eyes and sang the first notes. The band started off slow and quiet as you found your pacing and rhythm. You would sing a verse, then Clarence would match you in another. The chorus was a delicious blend of your voices with the Music Meister as master of harmonies.

With him by your side, you felt your confidence grow and your heart brighten surrounded by the music. The final note was yours with your voice echoing across the space. Your eyes closed and you sang your heart out as you gave it your all. By the time your eyes had opened again, the lights in the house had been brought up, revealing a standing ovation. Clarence leaned to kiss you on the lips before applauding you with the rest.

Despite the anxiety of all the people about you, you managed to give a small curtsy, which only increased the roar.

"Thank you, Gotham. You've been a lovely audience-" He murmured into your ear, "I didn't tell them to do that. That... was you." He smiled, holding you to himself for just a moment. You couldn't help but laugh and hug him close.

The rest of the night went smoothly. He explained to you that once he released the spell of everything, the crowd would be none the wiser, even the staff. They'd all remember a pleasant night with a guest singer who enchanted them for the evening. Well. And some supplies missing and a strange loss of funds. But! He'd do it again in a heartbeat.

As the two of you shared their valentine's cake special, Clarence hummed, "Was it good? I mean... The night?"

"Like a dream. This is..." You kicked your legs under the table, careful not to connect with his, "Oh, this was so great. I'm so happy to be with you right now."

His smile was one of relief, taking one last bite of cake, "I was so worried."

"Clarence, I would have been happy no matter what we did." You laughed, "This was magical but... I'm just happy I'm with you."

At that, his face began to visibly flush. Silently he cursed his pale, redheaded genes that made him so easy to read. As pink and red flooded his cheeks and ears, all he could think was how cute she was. Oh, he was going to have to go even bigger next year. Yes, he could start planning immediately-

"Clarence?" You asked.

He refocused, "Yes, my muse?"

"Take me home. The night isn't over just yet, you know." You winked, "I gotta give you my present."

Somehow, the Music Meister has never left a scene of the crime so quickly as he did that night. Batman would find out about the day after. Besides a pool of confused staff members, no one could name the perpetrator of the theft.

His only clue was a walkway of blue roses and news of a mysterious lounge singer.

[addicted-to-dc]

AK!Jason Todd x Catwoman’s protégé! Reader - Just for tonight, Kitty - Pt 2

I really had to squeeze my brain to get this out, but I cannot wait for maybe part 3 👀? I have some ideas revolving around a fic or two for Gotham Knights! Jason. We shall see.

Link to part 1

Content: mind control, violence (obv), toxic af relationship, lovers to enemies to lovers (again)?

----------

It feels like you’re being puppeteered, every movement meticulously controlled by strings and sticks. It almost feels like last Tuesday. You had infiltrated Star Labs to steal some new tech designs, especially when Batman was distracted by Catwoman.

Security is nothing compared to your skill, even if you’re not completely yourself. It takes a bit longer than you’d prefer, but you finally make it to Stagg’s office.

Adjusting your goggles, you scan the area for anything that could spoil your fun. One by one, you check off your mental list until you clear the room. Most rich CEOs usually hide their deepest darkest secrets, not wanting an inkling of them to be discovered. Not Stagg, though, you know his type.

Walking around the room, your eyes scan over the décor. A man like Stagg likes to be reminded of his accomplishments. The publicity photos, front page Gotham Gazette articles, the whole nostalgic works. Everything seems to stroke his ego one way or another, but then you finally see what you’re looking for. At first, it seems like a piece of trash thrown onto a table. No, it’s the focal point, the center of it all.

You scan over the structure before carefully opening it. A flash drive appears, absolutely begging to be taken away from this place. Readying yourself, you snag the drive and place the top back on.  Just as you’re about to head to the door, you hear footsteps approaching. You immediately head for the window, quickly dismantling the alarm as you pry a panel open.

Closing it just in time, you push yourself up against the exterior of the building. Letting out a breath, you move further away from the window and jump. Falling with the rain, you crack your whip and swing off a flagpole. The momentum sends you buildings away from Stagg Enterprises, finally completing what Jason… what the Arkham Knight ordered you to do.

“It’s done.”

Despite the job being done and over with, you still have no control over yourself. Your body keeps moving, heading deeper and deeper into parts of the city you’ve never even seen. Landing softly in an alleyway, your body heads straight towards the end of it. Even your sensors fail to pick anything out of the ordinary. Why has he brought you here?

You hear him land behind you after a few moments. Turning around, you move to hand him the flash drive. The Knight acknowledges it with a head tilt before taking it from you. It disappears in one of his pockets. As soon as his hands are free, he presses a button on his wrist.

You tear your helmet off as soon as your body catches up with your mind. Rage builds into your chest as you lash out at him. He can’t prevent your claws from screeching along his armor until you finally find skin.

“You just come back from the dead and USE ME?!” you scream, grunting as he grabs your arm and twists it behind your back.

You try to lash out with your free arm, but he quickly dodges the attack. Before you know it, your back is against the cold brick wall of the alleyway. One hand holds yours above your head, the other trails across your cheek to wipe away rogue tears.

“They wanted me to kill you, this was the only option,” Jason reveals, using his spare hand to open the front of his mask. “I-I couldn’t do it.”

“Why are you doing this, Jay?” you beg, sick of the mind games that he’s putting you through.

“Batman.” A wave of cold washes over you at his tone, riddled with a hatred you’ve never seen before. “He left me to die, (Y/N), he deserves to die for what he’s done.”

“Jay, he searched for you. We all did, but when we saw him shoot you, we thought you were dead,” you whisper, flinching as he leans closer to your face.

“You did find me, though, in Venezuela,” he growls, leaning closer until his helm digs into your skin. “Do you know how hard it was to let you leave? I couldn’t believe my girl finally found me.”

“What are you going to do now that you have me?” you ask, staring into his cold blue eyes. “Lock me away as you take over Gotham with your buddies?”

His eyes darkened at the suggestion. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

You shake your head, more tears escaping from your eyes, “I lost you, Jay, really lost you. I just got you back and you’re just going to do it all over again.”

He remains silent, unsure how to respond. Jay slowly leans in, his lips ghosting over yours before lightly kissing you. Your resolve shatters quickly, leaning into the kiss and giving in to your desires. You can’t lose him again.

He releases your hands, abandoning them to grasp your waist and yank you closer. The softness of the kiss disappears, desperation forcing the kiss to become feral. Both of you break away to breathe, taking each other in as you recover.

“Can we pretend, just for tonight, Kitty?” Jason asks, his eyes desperately pleading you to agree. “I can’t stop what’s in motion, but I’ll explain everything.”

Fuck it.

“Just for tonight, Birdy.”

[rissararity]

Wrote a little fic inspired by this meme. Art is not mine!

Astarion/Half succubus bard oc. Cat calling, references to SA, comfort, friends to lovers, partners in crime, protective Astarion

Fic masterlist (Link works, Tumblr is bugged)

“Do we have any other takers? Any more bets? How about you, sir? Betting man?” the gorgeous bard beamed while she played a melody to raise anticipation on her lute.

“You know what? Sure.” The man tossed a couple gold into the pot.

The crowd cheered while Astarion gave a close lipped smile, eye fucking a couple of the women in the group.

A few more coins trickled in, clinking against the others.

“Now watch and be amazed as I throw this dagger, up to the second floor, it bounces handle side down off that, that then that,” he pointed to a couple of things, “and into the center of that barrel.” He announced with a flourish, parading around dramatically.

While he distracted the crowd, the bard cast a little spell to ensure he’d succeed. Astarion felt the power and confidence surge as her spell took effect, making a big show out of throwing the dagger.

While it flew through the air, Liv took the opportunity to pick a few pockets then make her way to the front before the trick shot was over.

As the blade hit home, the crowd was a mix of cheers and jeers.

“Aww better luck next time, friends!” She offered a supportive smile that hid the inward smirk she felt.  She validated a few peoples feelings and casually got each of them to walk away.

The bard scooped up the gold while the rogue retrieved the dagger. They smiled at each other for a moment before quickly and discreetly leaving the area.

To an outsider they’d look like lovers exchanging a look. But they knew they were shit eating grins of victory, and they were in fact not lovers, but 200 gold richer.

Each.

As they reached the end of the alley, they waved to Gale, who stood with his arms crossed. “Again? Really?” he glared, falling into step on Liv’s other side.

“Oh relax, you benefit from the spoils too. Most of this ends up going to potions and gifts for you.” The half elf snickered, purposely hip bumping him.

The wizard’s glare softened and he ducked his head. “I suppose that’s true. But if you two get caught, you’re on your own.”

The elves smirked at each other, “Somehow I think we’ll manage.” Astarion turned his ruby gaze to Gale who rolled his own.

The men grew uneasy while the trio walked by a group of men who began to whisper after them, staring at Liv in particular. The vampire could have torn their heads off with his bare hands for the disgusting way they spoke about her.

Gale glared back at them, putting an arm around her shoulders protectively. “Honestly, Liv, we can’t take you anywhere civilized.”

“I’d hardly call this place…much less those meat sacks civilized.” Astarion agreed, now wishing he’d been the one to grab her first.

“I’m not doing anything on purpose.” She muttered, dropping her chin.

“Boo hoo, it must be so hard being effortlessly gorgeous.”  The vampire rolled his eyes.

“When I cant go anywhere alone without being hassled, propositioned or having wives threaten me for stealing their husband’s eyes-“ “And hearts.” Gale added.

“Right. A few of them did say that.” She pouted, “I know I can more than take care of myself but I get so…�� she crossed her arms over her ample chest and shivered with a frown.

The group had noticed fairly early on she seemed fairly oblivious to the leers she got everywhere she went, and that  when she no longer was, the attention made her extremely uncomfortable.

She could flirt her way out of trouble no problem but was easily flustered and nervous if a man just started commenting on her body. It made a pit form in her stomach that stayed until someone else from her party found her.

Even Shadowheart had played the role to make the men think they had no chance.

She sighed, “And Astarion,” he looked at her. “You sound jealous when you say stuff like that. You’re too pretty to be jealous.”

Gale smirked as the vampire’s jaw dropped for a moment, blinking in surprise “I…er..um..you’re absolutely right.” He pushed his hair from his face and shook out his shoulders, “You passed the test.”

Liv rolled her eyes while the wizard shook his head, a small smile on his lips.

Red eyes grew annoyed as he saw this, prompting him to cross his arms and pout, “I’ll meet you back at camp.” He strode of into the masses of people on the street.

The pair laughed, keeping their leisurely pace.

“He adores you,  you know.”  Gale told her once their laughs became little giggles.

Her cheeks grew dark, “No, he would have made a move by now if he did. We’re just good friends.”

He arched an eyebrow, “Is that so?”

She mimicked him, raising her own and dropping her voice, “Yes, that is so.”

The wizard made a face, “You’re too good at that.”

Wind whipped her long blonde hair around while carrying her laugh.  “What can I say? I give a performance like no other.”

Liv yelped as a hand seized her elbow. “I bet you do, babe. Why don’t you come with me and give a private show?”

Her entire body froze as ice set in, eyes wide with fear as her legs stopped moving.

“I’m going to give you one chance to let go of the lady and be on your way.” Gale’s voice dripped with venom in a way she’d only ever heard in situations like this.

The barbarian sized him up then laughed, yanking her arm confidently, causing her to stumble closer. “Fuck off, mate. If you can’t defend your woman, don’t bring her outside.”

They couldnt go throwing magic in the middle of town, the creep knew that.

What he didn’t expect,  was Gale to cast a hold person spell, locking him into place.

He then gently unfurled the man’s fingers from Liv’s arm and put a protective arm around her waist. “You need to learn some manners. Best hope we don’t ever meet in a battlefield.”

The man’s eyes burned with rage as Gale pressed a kiss to the still shocked bard’s temple and led them back into the crowd.

She pressed herself into her companion’s side all the way back to camp, trying to match his breathing the entire way.

No one knew what caused this reaction in her, but they had an idea. None dared broach the subject and figured talk if and when she wanted.

Normally in battle, she was fearless and thoughtful. But when confronted with someone like that barbarian she locked up.

When they returned to camp, Astarion had already thought up a snappy quip-the perfect amount of sting and sass.

Unfortunately,  it died in his throat as soon as he looked over at them. One look and he knew.

Gale was softly rubbing her forearm, reassuring her while he led her to his tent.

The vampire frowned and exchanged a look with the wizard on the way.  He immediately regretted his hasty exit earlier. He noticed pursuers were more easily deterred when she was with more than one man.

Astarion silently crept over to listen, able to hear their magic friend leading her through breathing exercises. When she’d calmed down, Gale finally left the tent to get some dinner.

He was about to stand only for Shadowheart to beat him to it, heading toward Gale’s tent to comfort the half elf.

 Annoyed as he was, he knew for Liv’s sake that only one person could be with her at a time.

Much to his dismay, she stayed for an entire hour and a half.

He started to head over only to stop in his tracks when the tent door moved and Liv emerged, looking tired but otherwise okay other than her red cheeks and the fact that she used a spell to change her appearance to the one she preferred-the one that more clearly showed her half-drow ancestry.

Her skin kept its pink hue but her hair shortened to a pixie cut, blonde at the root morphing into silver tips that sat perfectly in place. Her blue eyes shifted to one bright blue and one silver. A ring sat in her septum above her lips that wore a coat of black paint, matching her winged eyeliner and eyeshadow.

Her pointed ears were dotted with two in her cartilage on both sides, and a silver ring on the lobe. She bore tattoos of solid black up her throat with flame-like tendrils licking at her jaw, a small flame adorning her forhead.

This was who she preferred to be. Who she felt the strongest,  and most confident as. It was also her defense.

The others knew not to be surprised or comment on what she decided to look like that day. The long blonde look was always used for public performances; it had even earned her the title “The Angel” by word of mouth.

Astarion thought she was perfect both ways, but he knew the other men liked The Angel, while Shadowheart and Karlach shared his adoration of who he dubbed the demoness, the little devil, and simply the drow.

She hadn’t noticed him,  and headed for her bedroll by the fire.

Astarion’s chest tightened as he realized he was too late to comfort her. If he hadn’t ditched her this probably wouldn’t have happened. They’d be sitting around the fire while she played her lute and told them legends and stories.

He should have stayed. This was his fault.

He should have stayed.

Jaw clenched,  he thought, I’ll never abandon you again, my angel. You have my word I will remain close at hand.

What he couldn’t see, was her small smile as their tadpoles relayed the message in his voice.

In fact, he'd been so distracted that all his thoughts of guilt and protectiveness were made privy to the blonde.

He didn’t know it, but they grew closer that night without him ever speaking a word.

--

The following morning when they returned to the little town of Hodge to continue their search for information. Gale noticed Liv go out of her way to insure they passed by the same intersection from last night.

It was fairly early and the roads were fairly clear,  blue sky above them.

As they neared it, Gale stepped forward and took her hand. To everyone’s surprise, she turned her blue and silver gaze to Astarion and held her other hand out to him.

Shadowheart pouted as the visibly confused vampire somewhat hesitantly took her hand and walked on her other side.

Liv squeezed both of their hands as they strode down the road like they owned it. When they got to the next street, she pressed a kiss to the back of Astarion’s hand and gave him a grateful look before letting go and repeating the gesture with Gale.

The vampire blinked in surprise as an odd fluttering feeling danced in his stomach, Gale’s cheeks darkened a little as he returned her smile.

He followed her blindly like they were magnetized, eyes wide as he tried to make heads or tails of this feeling.

Her still short hair shined like silver in the sun, contrasting the warm, sunny light from the blonde near her scalp. Even painted with dark makeup, she was breath taking-silver septum ring glinting back at him a top her confident smile.

Especially when she was exuding confidence like she now was, leading them through the streets to their first contact.

Her rapier carefully tucked into her overcoat, lute strapped to her back, she walked through intersection exuding joy once again.

Astarion’s maroon eyes stayed locked on her profile while he continued to remain at her side. Gale went to talk to Karlach, leaving the two side by side leading the group.

The vampire's eyes flicked down to her hand, yearning to hold it again; to feel her soft, dainty hands in his calloused but well manicured ones.

The butterflies in his stomach hadn’t quite settled down yet-he’d heard some young women gossiping recently and learned that’s what it was called.

Though if it meant what they insinuated it did he refused to believe that was what was happening to him.  

He supposed Liv was pretty enough…oh who was he kidding?  They didn’t call her The Angel  for nothing. She was beauty incarnate, in both of her forms. Her movements were naturally elegant and graceful, her acrobatics during battle were unreal.

Everywhere she went an air of lavender and vanilla followed. You couldn’t be in a bad mood when she was around-he would know. He tried.

She was exactly what Cazador would have sent him after.

At that, he looked away from her shamefully. He didn’t deserve to walk beside her, figuratively or literally. His steps slowed so he could merge with the others but this stopped when her hand brushed the back of his – making his breath catch for a moment as sparks shot up his arm.

She caught his eye and winked, a small smile on her soft lips.  “Walk with me, Astar.”

He was about to scold her for the nickname but for some reason from her he didn’t mind it.

“Gale holds your arm through town.” He murmured quietly as they walked.

Her cheeks darkened, “So he does.”

“It’s only fair-rr- I mean….proper.” He collected himself. “It’s only proper that a lady gets escorted.” He raised his chin, keeping his eyes ahead.

“Of course.”

“After all, you tend to get sidetracked and lost.”

“Sounds like me.”

“Hells forbid you see a cat!”

A  little annoyed now, she glared, “Are you gonna do it or what?”

“Of course I am, don’t be stupid!” Came his rushed reply just before he almost aggressively looped arms with her like Gale often did.

Behind them, the entire team silently laughed. Gale crossed his arms over his chest, batting away Shadowheart to pretended to try and loop arms with him. He turned away from her and glared playfully before pushing her into Karlach who caught her then gave her arm a reassuring pat before going back to minding her business.

Astarion glared venomously at any one that looked at them too long, thankfully only a few people due to her still being in little demon form. He felt like her bodyguard, and as such had to be the scary dog that made outsiders keep their distance.

And unlike most bodyguards,  he actually HAD bite.

Meanwhile, Liv was blissfully unaware of the mission he’d given himself, waltzing down the street casually.

When they arrived at their agreed upon meeting place, Liv wanted to go in alone but the entire group was quick to shut that down.

“Just in and out-it’ll be quick. Everyone leaves happy, no big deal.”

Astarion’s lips quirked up in a grin while he held his laughter, little sounds sneaking out. Karlach immediately began to belly laugh, drawing the attention of a few townspeople. Gale sighed and shook his head while the bard looked at him oddly.

“Sweet summer child.” He pressed a patronly kiss to her temple and hugged her cheek to his chest for a moment.

With knit brows, she let him hold her for a moment. “Anyway, any alternative plans then?”

“Well, you aren’t allowed to go anywhere alone so write that down.” The vampire rolled his eyes, missing her little smile.

“Our best bet here is to not arouse suspicion, and to appear as normal as possible to blend in. I think Liv and I should go in together,  since we look the most like the locals." The wizard spoke up.

“Human, you mean?” Shadowheart asked, crossing her arms at the other half-elf.

“And not head to toe in armor. Not exactly common garb in these parts.”

She relented, “Liv and I could go. Two women won’t look odd and I’m sure she has an outfit I can borrow.”

Gale gave a snappy retort, angering the Cleric. They bickered over who was going in with Liv until Karlach  physically turned their heads to show them Astarion had already whisked her away and toward little café, both in all their silver headed glory.

After casting an apologetic look over her shoulder, she spoke “You didn’t ask me to put on the angel.”

He paused, “I’ll never ask you  to change, darling. However you feel best is how I want you.”

She squeezed his arm, smiling up at him while he avoided her gaze.

Luckily everything went according to plan for once and they got another lead.

Before they returned to their team, waiting in the distance in the town square, they decided to slip out the back door  to see if they could make a few extra coins.

Liv put on the angel to aid in the con on her own accord, excitement in her stomach as she and Astarion approached a small group of people already with a game in progress.

---

“Where is she? I need to see her.” Astarion pushed past Shadowheart and headed toward Wyll’s tent.

“She’s going to live. Don’t interrupt her healing session. It’s…private.” She trailed after him, wishing Wyll hadn’t taken some personal time away so he could cast a hold spell.

Ordinarily  Shadowheart was stronger than Astarion, but now he was in a protective rage, eyes blazing like a wildfire as he sought his little devil.

This fueled him to overpower her, tugging free of her grip and delivering a sharp shove that sent her on her ass, blinking in shock.

He entered the bubble of silence cast around Gale’s tent and froze as he recognized the sounds of lust and sex, as well as the all to familiar scents that went along with it.

His blood ran cold as he hid and peaked in. He knew what to expect but was still aghast when he saw Gale on top of Liv.

Liv’s nude body was dotted with scrapes and bruises from their last fight, her head lulled to the side, eyes half open. She didn’t react much to the wizards deliberate, confident thrusts, her breasts bounced in recoil to punctuate each one.

Gale bit his lip, brows knit as he began to speed up. Liv's shallow breaths along with a few gasps softly joined the other sounds.

Astarion felt rage like never before and had the biggest urge to reach straight through Gale’s back and pull out his still beating heart.

But he knew that was a bad idea.

Liv’s head turned to the other side and she accidently met the vampire’s eyes, her own going from half lidded to wide, cheeks ablaze.

Feeling much like a scorned lover,  though not sure why, he silently sneered at her and left.

--

The following morning, the air was tense between the two troublemakers-Astarion and Liv.

Gale hadn’t noticed him, and she hadn’t told him.

She avoided her rogue as much as possible without drawing attention, seeking a distraction.

Otherwise back to her normal self, she pulled her violin from her bag of holding  and began to play an upbeat jig, a smile on her face as she watched Karlach and Wyll prepare breakfast.

Gale and Shadowheart clapped in time with the music, smiling and enjoying the morning.

His eyes narrowed at Gale as he approached, considering how he could catch the wizard’s robe on fire, stopping short to watch the end of the song.

Liv hesitated a bit upon seeing him, but being the professional she is, she didn’t let it hiccup the song. Gale noticed the jovial mood in her eyes dulled, and used his tadpole to connect to the vampire -immediately realizing what had happened.

The bard finished the song with a flourish of her bow then bowed for the applause  that came from everyone that didn’t drink blood.

Gale connected to Liv for a moment to see if she knew, appreciating that she told him the truth and didn’t make him search her memory.

I think it’s time to tell him, Angel. He’s the only one that doesn’t know and he’s clearly upset.

She sighed, I have to, now. We can’t keep going like this.

He gave a short nod, then made an excuse about wanting to show Liv how to feel the weave so they could both go into the woods together.

They were correct in assuming Astarion’s jealousy would have him tailing them.

Once they were away from camp, his body froze mid-step as Gale cast a hold person spell on him.

The pair turned around and headed over to him, ignoring the slew of curse words falling from his fangs.

“What in the hells do you think you’re doing?!” He growled at last.

“We need to talk- and by that I mean you need to listen. We can’t have you attacking Gale or running off before we explain.”

He glared at her, inwardly annoyed that the passing breeze carried over her lavender scent.

“I’m not sure what I saw other than the two of you acting like a couple of randy teenagers.”

Liv crossed her arms, nodding, “That’s exactly why you’re stuck right now.”

Gale’s lip quirked up for a moment at her flat tone before he spoke, “That’s all you saw? Are you absolutely sure there was nothing else of note?”

“Gale, darling, I’m not going to comment on the size of your staff if that’s what you’re fishing for.”

The wizard blinked in shock, blushing,  “No! No that’s not what I meant.”

Standing slightly behind him, Liv giggled, cutting herself off when Astarian glared at her again.

“Think back. Really think-I’ll even help you.” She cast a focus spell on him while he huffed and closed his eyes.

His mind’s eye took him back Gale’s tent, his eyes glued to the scene before him. Liv looked exhausted from their last battle. Her body was scraped and bruised here and there and bags sat under her eyes.

Her baby blues lacked the spark they usually held.

The vampire knit his brows, growling at the other man. “Did you do something to her?”

Gale’s jaw dropped, Liv spoke up and vehemently denied it.

“It’s not like that either. I look right as rain today, right?” she gestured to her face- bright and clear as always.

He nodded.

“You know I’m a half elf, right?”

“Of course. Drow-correct?”

Liv smiled, happy he remembered that given her normal, warm and sunny appearance. “Right. Well…it turns out…the other half wasn’t human.”

“I’m sure you’ve noticed Liv is much more adept at magic than a normal bard…hells I’ve been trying to convince her to let me train her as a spellcaster…”

She rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, the other half…my father…was an incubus. So…I’m half elf half-“

“Succubus.” Astarion sneered, “It all makes sense now. The power you hold over others with the simple toss of your hair.”

They waited to see what he would say next, giving him a moment to think.

“That’s why you look so much better than you did…last night.”

She nodded, “I seem to have an odd mix of traits and abilities. My little demon appearance can’t be washed away by any manor of magic because it’s still real. When I take after my father, I become the angel. But my mother was the drow.”

“It doesn’t trigger my detect magic ability either.” Gale added, “Because of her half succubus nature, every week or so she needs to be…reset, or she gets sickly and weak.”

“That’s why she’s gotten so much stronger since the began traveling together.”

Liv blushed and shuffled her feet, “Look, I’m really not as smooth as I pretend to be-its an act.”

The vampire was quiet for a long while, “So when you say you cant sleep alone-“

The half elf gasped, “Not every night! God’s Astarion I’m not an animal! Gale told you…once a week. I try to hold out for as long as I can though…” she looked down, “I know it’s a big ask. More often than not I just need to cuddle.”

Gale patted her shoulder, a kind smile on his lips. “I assure you it’s no toil for us. I admit it can be difficult when you’re…in rough shape but knowing it’s the best way we can help you-“

“Mmmhm nothing to do with the fact that you get to have sex with her, I’m sure.” The vampire cut him off, winking when he was done.

The wizard’s warm brown eyes widened, cheeks darkening-it was certainly not a chore, but an honor.

Liv quirked an eyebrow at him, stifling a laugh and trying to force the corner of her mouth down.

Astarion relaxed as he watched her reaction to this. His jealousy faded as he realized for Gale, and hopefully Wyll, this was a friends with benefits situation, not a romantic relationship.

“Oh do let me go now. I’m listening.”

After a nod from Liv, Gale released the hold spell.

Astarion straightened himself and pushed his hair back, shaking off the stiffness. “The girls were already aware, I’m assuming?”

Liv nodded. “Unfortunately, my succubus healing only seems to kick in with men. I guess I need a…bridge to transfer.”

“You had sex with Shadowheart?”

Gale raised an eyebrow, “You tried to.”

“Well yes, but for a different reason. It’s not the same.”

“If anything, my reason is better than yours.” Liv glared.

He tilted his head, “Is it? Who’s to say? Besides, it only makes sense to gather as many…potential healers as possible and keep one on hand at all times. It was smart of you to try, since the two of you normally pair up when we split.”

Silence for a beat.

"Though I must tell you, I thought we were closer than this, little angel.” He turned to her. “Why was I the only one left unaware of your…condition? Did you not want my…” he gestured to his body, “help.”

Gale turned to her, too, curious.

The bard blushed, keeping her eyes on the ground. “We've always been great friends and I didn’t want to risk making it weird.”

“So you didn’t think it weird to proposition your companions weekly to steal their energy when they orgasm?”

Silence.

“It's really not bad. One sip of a health potion and you're back to rights.” Gale defended her.

“Alright, well,” he approached Liv, who shyly looked up. “This doesn’t change anything between us, darling, not if you don’t want it to.” He tilted her chin with one finger. “But if you decide you do, I assure you I’m more than capable of not treating you any differently if we slept together; dearest friend of mine.”

Her cheeks blazed, lips parting in shock. Gale rolled his eyes and looked away while the two had a moment.

He knew his friendship with Liv was clearly different than whatever it was she had with Astarion, so hearing her admit that hadn’t stung like one might expect. It was no secret the two had more in common, more laughs and a knack for getting in and out of trouble.

Gale, as well as Wyll, knew what this was.

Giving the half elf a wink, Astarion turned around and headed back toward camp.

She didn't ask for his help yet, but he hoped she would.

And when she did he would be whatever she wanted him to be; a simple friend with benefits due to a caring heart and sense of obligation or...maybe...

Well he wasn't sure but he was looking forward to her helping him find that out.

[iloveoutlinesiswear]

MoW Heinrix vs IL Heinrix

I think this really depends on your RT. Like Acadi was never going to put up with being second to anything in Heinrix's life. She's deeply possessive in a rather unhealthy way because she is terrified of losing things. In effect she'd have a death grip on him until even he got tired of it. Eventually, he would have to put his foot down about their dynamics, especially since she effectively abandons her protectorate. And she would get even more controlling. I think they'd end up horribly codependent for a long time before realizing they've both changed each other and not for the better. She'd just get steadily more controlling and manipulative as the relationship soured. In the end, he would leave because he would still never get to be his own person while he was with her.

I think he would still look out for her but he would not get sucked back in with her again. What he does then I can't guess, but Acadi would just keep running from her decisions until she perished.

Karroleen ironically has a lot more of a healthy relationship perspective than Acadi, despite being shy and inexperienced. She is way better at both communicating and more willing to let people be their own people.

However, Heinrix is her first serious relationship, (she is a virgin when she meets him.) But she is also more able to grow and change, and encourage him. I suspect the MoW post would actually be their first real argument, because she would NOT want him to take it. For Heinrix, it is something he would choose to do for her not because of her. It would take a couple of rounds of serious arguing before she really understood that. Plus, she would be concerned he would go over the line to protect her if he got scared enough. She would make it clear he would be free to quit that post anytime.

Eventually though, she would want a family and justifiably demand he quit being her subordinate and formalize their relationship through marriage, with him taking her last name. That would probably lead to another round of serious talks. He would be scared of his child being a psyker, him being an awful parent etc.

Still, having a clear line of succession would still be a value to her despite everything. After all her protectorate is fragile and she wouldn't trust the lower nobility with a two inch piece of string. Plus, the last Rogue Trader succession she participated in was not exactly the smoothest.

It would rough for Heinrix at first, being protected by others, being up front and center all the time with her but I think he'd dive face first into domesticity once he got a real taste of it. Especially since I don't see him taking to idleness ever. He'd be an absolute terror at court though, can you imagine trying to scheme around him?

[dreaming-medium]

Animals Without Direction Descriptions

Hello everyone! I figured a master post on how I see each of the members for Animals Without Direction would be smart this way we're all on the same page.

Each of these aesthetic pictures are a rough description of their outfits. They're not exact by any means. Take each one with a grain of salt. Most of the pictures are a lot fancier/over the top than how I see them.

Bang Chan

Jarl of Miroh

I always picture Chan with his natural curly hair as the Jarl. He's always put together but has a very relaxed air and vibe to him.

If he's ever wearing his armor, it's simple, yet very regal-- he is the ruler of the land after all. But most of the time that we see him, he's in a casual tunic and slacks.

Lee Minho

Jarl's Advisor

I went back and forth on Minho's hair for this fic for a bit. But I settled on his longer brown hair. Specifically his brown hair that hangs in front of his eyes a bit rather than parted in the center.

Minho is always put together in this fic. You will not catch him in casual clothing. He is always in darker armor/fancy tunics. He takes his job as Chan's advisor extremely seriously.

Seo Changbin

Commander

Very much your typical Changbin look for this fic! (I'll take any excuse to post the right pic of Changbin, look at those biceps DAMN.)

I always had this specific armor look in my mind for Changbin; I need this man's biceps out in battle. I can only picture the Skyrim Steel Armor when I write him in this fic, I can't help it. Additionally, I just know he would have beautiful gauntlets on his forearms.

Hwang Hyunjin

Court Mage

Hyunjin's MAMA hair is just SO Elven I cannot get over it. His appearance was the easiest for me to settle on. Look at him in these pictures and tell me he doesn't look like a fire mage.

Hyunjin's always in red mage robes with fancy clothes underneath. Like Minho, he is always put together. There's never a wrinkle to be seen in his clothing. Picture something like this but with a hood as well.

Han Jisung

Court Diplomat

Fluffy brown haired Han Jisung has me in a death grip. I keep leaning back and forth between a darker or lighter brown, so just imagine somewhere in between these two looks for him. In his more relaxed moments, his hair will be on the curlier side.

As the court diplomat, he typically is just in fancy clothes that show off his status. You'll never see Jisung in armor, he doesn't really know how to fight nor does his position require any fighting skill.

Lee Felix

Court Healer

Blond mullet Felix says 'Elven' the same way Hyunjin's MAMA look does. Add the blue contacts on top of that and it's perfect for this story.

Felix's wears restoration school robes during the day and while he's working in the Healing Ward. But when he's not 'working' he's in a casual tunic and trousers like Chan usually is.

Kim Seungmin

Court Rogue/Assassin

Another look I went back and forth on, but I settled here. I thought about it a lot, but typically when I think about him in these scenes, he has his choppy bangs that hang over his eyes.

Now, his rogue armor in my mind does have a lot of embellishments/leather straps/buckles. I know he himself usually goes for plain outfits and clothes, but he's also very practical and knows what he needs when he goes out on jobs. He needs all those pockets and hidden sleeves for items.

Yang Jeongin

Jarl's Squire

Jeongin in the story has that boyish handsomeness to him that you can't quite put into words. He's not a child anymore by any means, he's grown and an official squire to the Jarl but he still has his naïve moments as he's still learning.

Jeongin's usual armor in the training yard is something more casual and easy to move in; something you would see most guards wear. But then, in battle, his armor is definitely something more eye catching and elegant. He has to show off his status among the other soldiers.

[cherrybloosomgirl29]

Wade and Logan Full House AU

Summary: Jubilee’s new family calms her nerves before her first day at the Xavier Institute

A/N: Sorry if this is short I want the first part to introduce the characters and their dynamic.

Here is the AO3 Link

Jubilee stares at herself in the mirror. She carefully arranges her pixie cut so all the pieces lay down perfectly.

She was nervous. She knew how prestigious the Xavier Institute was. She knew she would be surrounded by classmates with awesome powers and much more training and experience than her.

She had only been living with her new foster fathers, Wade and Logan, for a month. The first couple weeks were meant for her to adjust to things after being attacked by sentinels. She was saved by Logan and the rest of the team and brought quickly to the med center where she was helped by Jean Grey and Beast.

Jubilee heads downstairs sliding down the banister to get down fast. In the living room Rogue and Kitty are packing their lunches, Jubilee looks at the other girls slightly nervous. Rogue, is a cool girl with the power to steal others’ powers, energy, and even life with the slightest touch made; and she still manages to carry herself with a southern charm.

“Good Mornin’ Sugah,” Rogue says as Jubilee steps into the room still trying to shake off her nerves. “Look, my first day at the institute was nerve wrackin.’ It’ll be alright you have us hun.”

Jubilee smiles at Rogue, even though she was intimidating Jubilee knew Rogue was looking out for her always.

Suddenly, Wade and Logan come inside from their morning workouts, Laura with them. Because she has the similar powers and abilities to her father, Laura always trained with him during his workout sessions. Although she was the youngest of the four girls, she was the one who intimidated Jubilee the most. With her quick temper, razor sharp adamantium claws, and withering scowl, she was like a smaller scarier Logan in many ways.

Logan approaches Jubilee with the closest he can get to a smile and says “you got everythin’ you need?”

“yea I think so…” she says a bit nervously, what do you bring to mutant school anyway? Would there even be normal classes there? She hopes not, she’d rather be playing video games.

“Hey kid, It’s gonna be alright. It may seem a bit scary but the institute was made to help people like us okay?” Like us. For the first time Jubilee truly realizes she is around people that understand her. She takes a deep breath, Logan’s words reassure her and she knows that at least she won’t be casted out because of her mutant powers.

Wade hands Jubilee her lunch; he picked out a unicorn themed lunch bag for her. “Don’t tell Logan but I put mostly sweats in there,” Wade said.

“Thanks,” Jubilee lets a small smile slide past her nervous demeanor as she takes the bag. Jubilee finishes packing her school bag then lets out a small sigh as she waits at the door for her three foster sisters to finish getting ready for the day. Kitty, Rogue, and Laura walk to the front door at the same time, their differences apparent immediately.

Kitty is wearing jeans, a slightly cropped teal shirt, a high ponytail, and a pendant necklace, she exuded casual coolness.

Rogue, wearing a black crop top, black doc martins, and a black miniskirt looking all the southern goth she is.

Finally Laura walks over wearing her pink sunglasses, sweatpants, and her unicorn shirt (Wade is rubbing off on her).

Jubilee looks at the three girls shocked they were able to get along.

Jubilee is about to head out the door when she feels Logan’s rough hand softly grab her hand. “I’m walkin’ you girls to school, okay? Just for a little while you lot are still young and you're still healin’ from your attack.”

Jubilee nods; her former foster parents never gave her this much care in her entire life. “We are fine Logan, they got me protectin’ them,” Rogue says in her southern belle accent.

“Yeah if your worried about Jubilee she’s got us, plus nobody's ever gonna get past Laura,” Kitty chimes in. Jubilee smiles, she’s never had people she just met be this nice to her before.

Logan smiles “It seems like you girls are already ready to protect your new sister; but I’m gonna walk you lot to school anyway.”

Wade hands Logan his morning coffee, “I’m coming too,” he says smiling at his husband and the girls.

“Just maybe I’ll have a real family this time,” Jubilee thinks before taking Logan’s hand and waking to her first day at the Xavier Institute. Her new family by her side

tags: @logictoinsanity @mxtokko @it-s-tickety-booh @bondilluns @rheedeservedbetter @badassturtle13 @king-kage124 @chika-the-terrible @star-lights-up @leezeokami @roryshitposts @lurplemelon @jp6963 @mavratt @brainrotonpoint @random-fandom-stuff @jen-with-a-pen @amym30 @iamonlypartlymajestic @lendario01 @california-boys-and-sun @lammergier13 @colorfulroadzipperturkey @swaggingblones @ashthebonehead @ghosts-can-draw @incorrectateezforatiny @nanosorcerer

[mayhemscorner]

The Beast Within

Gaara x f!reader

Summary: with the inability to control the sand demon Shukaku, it’s up to Y/N to bring Gaara and the demon back to peace

Warnings: injury, self harm, angst, swearing, topics may be sensitive

With the pressure of my lids bearing down against my eyes in an attempt to shut out the scene in front of me, hoping, praying that it was a horrible dream… the guttural screams of Gaara still pierce my ears and drop to a sickly feeling in my stomach. My hands clench over my ears as the screams die off to a dull ringing noise. I find myself shouting, but I can’t even hear myself anymore, forcing my eyes to witness Gaara worn out and barely conscious as Shukaku begins to take his final form. I’ve never seen the horrid beast first hand, I’ve never wanted to either to be honest. An ambush against the sand that had resulted in a particularly strong rogue summoning the sand demon had blind sided us all. Just as Shukakus tail slams down ahead a strong set of arms wrap around me and pulls me back under the shelter of a building. When I turn I see Temari shouting at me, but I only hear snips of her words over the ringing,” Go…. Run… Shelter… Gaara… Help…Possum…”

I shake my head violently, shaking away the ringing as the rumbling ground takes over the sound in my ear, watching as Temari turns back to me,” Y/N, I said you need to go and find shelter. We need to find a way to get Gaara help before he goes Possum.”

She blocks my view of the scene in front of me as Kankuro swings down from the balcony above us and jabs a finger upwards towards the chaos,” not gonna to happen. We’re too late. We have to find a way to wake him up… quickly.”

Shukaku’s horrendous cackle sends a shiver down my spine as we watch him trample almost dead center through the village.

“We have to reroute civilians, this is going to get very messy if we don’t get them to safety.” Temari huffs out, quickly grunting in frustration,” Kankuro, take the left side, I’ll get the right. Y/N, find Baki… anyone that can help. Send word to the leaf if we have to.”

“Temari, we don’t have time to request help from a village that’s days away. We need to focus on waking Gaara up.” Kankuro lashes out, starting towards Shukaku.

“Civilians first, Kankuro.” Temari seems almost hurt putting the village before her own brother. It was understandable, the last thing any of us want is to lose Gaara.

“I’ll work on waking him up.” I pipe up, dusting the sand from my vest and standing wobbly from hearing loss vertigo. Temari stutters in her steps, shaking her head in worry… maybe even disbelief,” Y/N, it’s too dangerous. You can get hurt or even killed. Going up there is a death wish.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing we’re willing to sacrifice our lives for someone we love.” I muster out, internally panicking at the risk and my legs quickly becoming like rubber at the thought. But it was a risk worth taking if it was for Gaara. To him, I may just be an advisor or a paper pusher, or a Jonin of the sand village that was his neighbor. But Gaara… he was everything. The man who has rebuilt the village in morale and trust. The awkward neighbor who would drop off a cactus that reminded him of me, or even bring extra food Temari made for the night when I’d come back from missions. Even the person who just happened to be outside late at night when going for a stroll to clear my head. He saved me from my own demons. He owed me nothing, yet I feel like I owe him my life.

I take off towards Shukakus tail, seeing it was the best vantage point to get to his head where Gaara lay comatose. My vest is ripped backwards from Kankuro behind me,” are you sure you’re prepared to physically hurt Gaara to save him, or do I have to do it myself?”

“I can do this, Kankuro. Now get off me!” I shout out, tearing his hand from my vest and continuing on. I make it to the base of Shukakus tail, focusing chakra to my feet to climb the erratically moving tail, whipping back and forth in to lower buildings and leaving a path of rubble. A shock of pain spreads through my back as I’m slammed against a porch while gripping tightly at the sand like texture of Shukakus armor.

“What is crawling on me? Do I have pests?!” Shukaku bellows out, slamming his tail down in quick strides and almost knocking me off. I can’t help but shriek as his tail crashes down one last time, sending debris crashing down on top of me. I can only cough air in to my lungs and continue on as the beast becomes severely agitated, leaving no room for thinking as he falls forward in to more houses. When he stands, it seems he’s distracted elsewhere to notice me,” who would’ve thought puppets would be such an inconvenience! I finally have time to shine and you try to take me down with a puppet? You’re ridiculous!” Shukaku lets off a horrifying shriek of pain as I see the glimmer of blue threads weaving crow back and forth as a distraction to lure him away from the village. I can only manage to hold on to the demons lower back as he waddles in to the arid desert sand. I watch as he slams crow to the ground and find Kankuro shaking his head. He mouths a few words to me, but it’s a horrible day to not be able to read lips. I find my foot throbbing and dare to look down at the blossoming purple streaks that peek out from above my sandal. But I still push forward, finally making it to the back of Shukaku’s head.

“You’re a persistant little thing aren’t you? Nobody is home up there, it’s just me twerp.” Shukaku laughs out, tilting his head back.

My good foot slips, sending me sliding backwards a few feet before I can find my grip. My legs dangle above the rough sand below as my one hand holds against whatever it can grab. Wincing out, I thrust my other hand to reach for the serenity of some solid mass beneath it. The first try I slip off, yelping as both hands almost lose traction. The second try is a complete miss, but I finally manage to strike gold on the third. My abdomen burns as I pull my full body weight upwards, finally getting a view of Gaara, dangling loosely almost dead center of Shukakus face. I swing my bad leg over and manage to find my feet steady to walk over to Gaara.

“Gaara, anything I’m about to do to get you to wake up, I’m apologizing for now. This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you… maybe.” I ramble out nervously, watching as Shukaku’s eye focuses on me.

“You’re little for how annoying you are. He’s asleep. Leave him be so I can have my fun already!” Shukaku whines out, similar to the toddlers that play in front of my balcony every evening.

“Listen buddy, you’re making my job a lot harder than it needs to be. You’ve had your fun destroying half our village.” I yell out to his eye, not quite sure where to even look.

“A feisty one. What’s your name pest?” He grumbles out, shaking beneath me as he tries to prevent another fit of laughter.

“Y-Y/N.” I stutter out, confused. His laughter can no longer be contained as he whips his head backwards again, sending me crashing towards Gaara,” Y/N is it? I’m going to have fun killing ya!”

I cling tightly to Gaara’s morbidly lifeless form tilting my head up to confess upon unhearing ears,” Gaara, I’m sorry. I’m not sure what I got myself in to… but I’m going to wake you up if it’s the last thing I do.”

“He can’t hear you! You’re so pathetic it’s almost cute!” Shukaku yells out, twisting his head around to try and shake me loose. He stabilizes quickly as a rush of wind flashes against us. I turn to the direction it came from, seeing Temari’s fan fully open. Wind slices against us harshly, creating small tears in my clothes and even knicks on my face. In the moment of steadiness, I steel down, gripping Gaara’s shoulders to hold him steady. I can only freeze in the moment, seeing the tired rings around his eyes as his hair dangles loosely over them. It was almost serene that in a moment of chaos, he seemed to finally be at peace. I hesitate, quickly deciding to try and slap him awake. Shukaku only laughs at my attempt,” a measly slap won’t do a thing. I like the dedication though little pest!”

He shakes again, trying to reach an arm towards me that’s quickly deflected by another slice of painful wind. I reel back, gripping against Gaara’s sleeve as I send a fist flying to his forehead. I can only wince as bone meets harder bone, a trickle of blood coming from each of us. He only juts forward from the impact, causing my frustration,” come on! Come on, wake up damnit!”

I send fist after fist to different areas, his shoulder, the side of his face and even a cheap shot to his stomach. Nothing had worked. The uneasiness at the thought of using any jutsu works its way to the front of my mind. It had to be last ditch with the risk of burning Gaara, but I was running out of time. I manage to link my arm around Gaara’s to keep hold as Shukaku begins to rumble once again, conjuring balls of flames around us. Quickly unfurling from his arm, I tumble down and roll towards Shukaku’s eye, smacking the back of my head hard against the lower surface of his face as the balls of fire make impact against Gaara and Shukaku’s other eye.

“Now you’ve gone and done it! You’ve pissed me off!- w-what’s happening?” Shukaku bellows, tumbling back and reaching to cover his eye. Swiping my hand against the back of my head, it comes back bloody and my vision hazes. But I’m snapped back to wavering consciousness as a moan sounds faintly from Gaara.

“Gaara, Gaara wake up! Please!” I whimper out, crawling towards him, keeping one hand steady to weakly attempt at healing the back of my head and avoiding any pressure on my fully purple ankle.

“Y/N? … is that you?” Gaara coughs out, eyes still clamped shut and body flailing.

“Y-yeah. It’s me, I’m not going anywhere until you open your eyes, okay?” I yelp out as Shukaku’s hand manages to clip at my feet.

“Y/N, where are you? Are you hurt?” He breathes out, eyes beginning to flutter open and wander around.

“I-I’m fine. Just look forward and try to find Temari. Don’t focus on me, damnit!” I shriek in pain as Shukaku shakes once again, angered at seeing Gaara regain consciousness. I meet Gaara’s frightened gaze upon seeing me, my breath hitches at the pain constricting his face,” Y/N-“ he tries grasping at my now outstretched arm, disoriented by another assault of wind from Temari. Shukaku bows forward as she finishes the previous injury to his eye. My own eyes grow in horror, stretching out to try and grasp Gaara’s outstretched hand as my body slides forwards. Our fingers brush before I feel any solid ground beneath me disappear.

“Y/N!” Gaara shouts, becoming fully aware at this point as I look up, plummeting the long distance to the ground quickly. As I close my eyes in acceptance, a strong force tackles in to me from the side, laying me down gently as Kankuro’s voice wavers in and out,” I guess you really were prepared, huh?”

That’s the last I remember before waking with a dry throat and aching body. My eyes slowly adjust to the pulsing white lights signaling I was in the hospital.

“Take it easy killer. We don’t need you almost killing yourself again.” Kankuro huffs out from the doorway. I look over to see him posted against the frame, watching inside and out of the room like it was his duty to guard me instead of visiting.

“Kankuro! Gaara, we need to get ba-“ I begin, abruptly cut off by Kankuro’s sigh of annoyance,” you knocked yourself silly for a few days after trying to play hero. It’s over. He’s alive.”

“Alive doesn’t mean he isn’t hurt. Why are you being so bitter?” I spit out, staring back to the ceiling.

“Bitter? We could’ve lost both of you. You should’ve let me do it. Now look at you, it’s pathetic.” Kankuro growls back. I chuckle slightly, feeling the pain wrack against my ribs,” you’re mad because you couldn’t be the hero? I’m sorry but the village would miss me a lot less than they would miss you.”

Kankuro exhales heavily, sitting next to the bed to whisper harshly,“It’s not the village I care about missing you. The village is important, don’t get me wrong. But the thing that separates you and me… even Temari. My family comes before this village. It could burn to the ground for all I care if it means my family, and the ones they love… Live. It’s not about being a hero. It never was.”

“Good news, Gaara is alive. And so are you and Temari. You look to be in perfect health, so stop being so damn angry over something we can’t change. I’m just an advisor, Kankuro. If anything I mean more to the Kazekage than Gaara as a person.” I whisper back to him, wondering at this point why we were even whispering in a room that contained only us. I continue on after turning away,” sometimes love is a one sided story, Kankuro. You wouldn’t know that. If I can’t love them personally, I can at least sacrifice myself for the ones I love. I’d rather die heroically, than be known as someone who was head over heels about someone they meant nothing to. Now get out of here. I’m sick of your attitude.”

“Y/N, I’m sorry. I-“ Kankuro begins. A tear trickles down my cheek to my pillow and I stifle the silent sob,” Please leave Kankuro.”

“Am I… interrupting anything?” Gaara pipes up sheepishly after brushing clumsily against the open door.

“I was just leaving. She fell back asleep.” Kankuro huffs out. I can hear him stand and a clamp against clothing, I’m guessing patting Gaara on his way out. Thin plastic ruffles against the bedside table as Gaara sighs and sits down on the edge of the bed,” it’s not a cactus, but flowers. I heard you like camellias. That’s what Temari told me anyway. A million of the finest flowers couldn’t express my gratitude for you Y/N. I once thought it was pointless to talk to others while sleeping, but I find this comforting. I left a note in the flowers for you… so you know they were from me. Temari left you flowers too.”

I listen, frozen as Gaara spills out jumbled words. He sounded nervous even. But I didn’t dare move. After Kankuro, I wasn’t in the mood to face anyone with a tear stricken face. But Gaara continues on,” Kankuro can be abrasive, i hope he didn’t force you back to sleep with his harsh words. I seen him cry for the first time since we were children the night of the incident. He was worried for me… worried I was about to lose someone outside of our family that I loved without being able to confess. I feel like I just did, in a way… but you aren’t awake thankfully. Otherwise this would be really awkward.”

He finally trails off, and I can feel his weight shift. I quickly close my eyes as he leans down towards my face before he backs away bashfully,” that would be rude. I could never take advantage of my desires while you lay unconscious. I would want us both to remember the feeling of something as simple as a forehead kiss.”

He sits straight again, deciding to raise my IV riddled hand to kiss that instead,” thank you, Y/N. Truly.”

I Hope he doesn’t look back to my face as it quickly heats from my neck up at the intimate touch. My eyes decide to flicker against the adrenaline of my racing heart regardless, fluttering open to gaze upon his paler than normal face like a deer caught in light in the dead of night. He drops my hand anxiously and stands quickly, brushing his disheveled jacket back to tidiness and coughing,” Y/N- I-“

“Gaara… I would like nothing more to experience something as simple as a forehead kiss with you.” I giggle out weakly. He shuffles forward awkwardly, bending down tightly and internally fighting with himself before finally placing a ghostly soft kiss against the middle of my forehead. My hand catches his jaw before he can move away, causing him to freeze yet again as I sit up,” I nearly died saving you… I think I might deserve a real kiss for that at the least.”

I meant it as a joke, but he slowly leans in, brushing a gentle hand through my hair as my hand travels smoothly against his jawline, settling below his ear to cradle his head. We take it slow, looking in to his wandering orbs and down to his rose tinted cheeks. Finally landing on his slightly puckered lips that wait nervously. I bite my lip and nod as encouragement for us both. His kiss is soft, barely touching until I lean further in. His other hand finds its way around my waist to steady himself. I’m sure he hasn’t taken a breath and force myself to pull away. Gaara stares blankly at me, eyes wide open and cheeks becoming an even more furious shade of red. I see his chest rise and fall before he swoops back in, coming back for an even deeper kiss.

“Y/N, i brought you some flowers, I’m sorry I was rud- I’m gonna go.” Kankuro coughs out awkwardly, dropping yet another bouquet of flowers in the doorway and sprinting down the hall screaming for Temari. Gaara pulls away and sheepishly stands to place the bouquet Kankuro had dropped at my side,” I should go after him. I’ll be here tonight when you’re discharged to make sure you safely return home… I saved what I could.”

The memory of Shukaku’s tail plummeting across the row of houses that included mine pops back in my head. I distract myself and look over to the bedside table. A glass vase sits with vibrant sunflowers and a little paper placard

You survived. ~ Temari

short and sweet, the way we always conversed. I look down at Kankuro’s recklessly picked Iris’s

I trespassed to get these for you. I’m sorry I’m mean sometimes ~ your second favorite

He was possibly my third favorite after this mess, but he still held a place in my heart with his effort. Lastly, my eyes focus in on the largest bouquet. Full of stark white, vibrant pink and deep red camellias. I search for the placard, but find a folded note deep inside the petals in the center. I unfold it slowly and hold my breath.

To the ones we get can’t yet admit our personal feelings towards, we cherish them in flowers and small gestures such as a night time stroll. Your strong will and heart overshadows the most beautiful flowers in these lands. Any flower you pass here on out, is a symbol of my dedication and undying love I hold for you. ~Gaara

My heart skips a beat, and a tear drops down my cheek. I wipe it away as a stupid grin plasters itself across my face. The most troubled man I’ve met, happens to also be the most poetic.

Hours pass, filled with long unblinking moments of staring at the wall and struggling to put on clothes until finally a soft knock announces Gaara,” if you’re ready, I’d like to walk you home.”

I nod with a toothy grin, attempting to stand. The cast around my foot causes me to fall forward as Gaara catches me effortlessly. He lets out a soft chuckle and scoops me up from behind my legs,” I suppose I’ll be the one doing the walking.”

“I can manage.” I wince out as he adjusts me closer to his body,” I can’t miss our nighttime walk. It’s been lonely without you.”

“I’ll go wherever you take me.” I yawn, quickly tiring and looping an arm around his neck to curl in to him. He places one last kiss against the crown of my head and turns to walk out,” I’ll gladly lead you to whatever your heart desires.”

I smile and let the tiredness take over with the calming motions of his steady walk. This man could lead me to insanity, and I’d still cross over any obstacle to follow him.

[tikosblogg]

HIDDEN HEARTS//PT 2.

Summary: love triangle? you grew up with folio, you are best friends. Both in very successful bands. folio tries to ignore his hidden feelings for you, especially when the one and only Noah Sebastian steals your heart.

Warnings: angst, lil make out sesh, nothing crazy.

A/N: welp I had ALOT of time on my hands today, SO here is part two! I’m so excited for this story, part three will more than likely be out tomorrow afternoon LOL. ALSO thank you all so much for the love and support you’re sending my way! It means the absolute world to me.❤️

I woke up the next morning, with a pep in my step. I am so excited about today. This song is fucking sick, and I can’t believe I get to sing it for the band. I walked to the closet picking out a hoodie and some sweats, throwing them on. Nick texted me that they were on their way 15 minutes ago. I have to make time today to sit and talk to him. I need to figure out what is going on. I didn’t bother fixing my hair, or putting on makeup, since I was going to get it done there anyways. I grabbed my belongings and walked out waiting for the guys to pull up.

Five minutes later, a black suv came pulling into the driveway. Jolly rolls his window down “get in loser, we’re going to shoot a music video.” He smiles at me, opening the door from the inside for me. I threw my head back with a laugh, at the mean girls reference. “Here you can sit next to Noah so he can talk your ear off about his anime show.” Jolly laughs moving to the third row of seats.

I slide in next to Noah, with a small smile. “We can change seats if you want, lungs” Nick suggests from the front passenger seat. “Oh it’s okay really, thanks nick.” I patted his shoulder, as he gave me a small nod turning back around as Ruffilo pulled out of the driveway. “You like anime?” Noah leans in and whispers, I let out a giggle nodding my head yes.

We pulled up to the set, a lot of cameras and people swarmed the area, some fans linger outside the building, waiting for Bad Omens to make an appearance. We pulled around back to a secluded area and made a beeline inside, straight to hair and makeup. The guys walked me to a room that had a whole vanity set up, and racks of clothing.

I said hello to my makeup and hair stylists for the day. They were really sweet women. The hair stylist Jenna, got to me first. She took the straightener to my long blonde hair, straightening it pin straight. She sprayed some texturizing spray, and hair spray to make sure it stayed put. Next Sarah came to do my makeup. It came out flawless. It looked almost eerie?

I’m supposed to be playing a rogue AI. It’s amazing seeing Noah’s vision come to life. I thanked them both, as a guy came in, and lead me to the racks of clothes. He pulled out a sheer white outfit. I took the outfit from him, sliding it on. The white long sleeve turtleneck was soft against my skin. I looked up towards the mirror, my tits clearly visible through the shirt.

I felt my cheeks flush. I’m not really embarrassed of my body, but I’ve never worn anything this sheer. I feel like I might as well be wearing plastic wrap as a shirt. I shook my nerves away, sliding into the bottom half. Thankfully they came with white underwear type bottoms. My most important bits, thankfully being covered. The man I learned who’s name is Jon walked back in, adjusting the outfit.

“Perfect, it looks amazing on you hon.” I smiled, thanking him as he walked me to set. When we entered, all the guys were standing around a big glass box. My eyes widened at how beautiful it looked. It was exactly like I pictured it when I was explaining it to Noah. There was a chair dead in the center of the glass case. The floor was covered in what looked like green moss.

I gasped when I saw the cutest Snow White bunny, sat in the corner of it. My sudden outburst caused all the guys to turn their attention to me. “Damn y/n….you look great!” Nick smiled, as I walked over to them. They all nodded in agreement, as I thanked them. I looked over at Noah, who was frozen still eyes glued to me. I gave him a small smile, getting worried that he hated it.

He cleared his throat, taking a step towards me. “Wow…you uh..you look amazing.” I could see a slight pink tint cover his cheeks, making my confidence shoot through the roof. Did I really just make him blush? Fuck yeah I did. “Thank you Noah.” We did what felt like hundreds of takes. Some in the glass case, and more on a gurney, and even the hallway.

After finishing them, Jon took me back to the dressing room grabbing me another outfit. He quickly shoved it into my arms making his way out of the room. “Change quickly hon, they need you back out there in 5.” He slammed the door behind him, as I stood there dumbfounded. I looked at the “outfit” in my hands, looking like a bunch of leather straps. “What in the hell?”

Well after 5 minutes, I finally got it on. Turning towards the mirror, I froze in horror. I thought the first outfit was bad….I look like I belong in hustlers magazine. This one piece was literally just straps. I twisted around in the mirror, looking at myself from every angle.

The bottoms were cut very high, my ass no doubt making its appearance. My tits barely fit into the top. My thoughts were interrupted when the dressing room door swung open. “Hey is everything-.” Noah walked in, pausing when he saw me. All of sudden I felt completely bare. I could feel my cheeks getting hot.

“Oh um yeah, sorry…couldn’t figure the uh…the straps out.” I stammered, awkwardly gesturing to my outfit. He said nothing, as he quietly shut the door behind him. I let out a half hearted chuckle, as he slowly stalked over to me. I could feel my heart pounding, the closer he got. He said nothing, stopping just in front of me.

I held my breath waiting for him to say something. We were so close to each other at this point, I could feel the heat emitting from his body. He slowly raised his hand, reaching for the strap at my hip untwisting it to lay properly against my skin. “There. You ready?” His voice was low, and husky. I nodded my head, afraid to even open my mouth, afraid of what would come out. He smiled, and I followed him out of the room back to set.

We finally finished up, at about 12am. All of us were exhausted, and ready for bed. We piled back into the suv, headed back to my place. This time Noah drove, and I sat in the very back with Nick. Noah had the radio playing, while jolly scrolled through his phone in the passenger seat, and Ruffilo was passed out against his window.

“Are you okay Nick? You’ve been acting weird for the past two days…did do I something?” He looked over at me, with his brows furrowed. “Of course not y/n. I’m sorry, I’ve just been a little stressed out is all.” I nodded my head, not really believing it. So I pushed a little further. “What’s got you so stressed?.”

He shook his head, looking down to his lap. “You know I love you right?” I smiled, bumping his shoulder with mine. “Of course, I love you too.” He nodded his head with a weak smile. “All I want is for you to be happy, no matter who it’s with.” I furrowed my brows confused, about to ask what he meant when jolly’s voice broke the silence of the car.

“Thank god, I’m so tired of being in this car.” Everyone agreed, as we all climbed out. “We still have to drive to our place dumbass.” Ruffilo laughed, as we entered my air bnb. They all looked rough. I felt bad for them, they still had a 30 minute drive home. “Why don’t you guys just crash here? There’s plenty of space.” I offered, and they all perked up. “Really? That’d be awesome actually.” Jolly said, slumping onto the couch.

I smiled, kicking my shoes off at the door. “Of course make yourself at home.” I walked back to my room, ridding my clothes and hopping in the shower. When I got out, I walked back to the living room to see jolly, and both nicks already passed out on the couches. I looked around, wondering where Noah was until I saw the sliding glass door to the patio slightly open.

I walked over to it, peering out seeing Noah on one of the couches, scrolling through his phone. “Hey…everything okay?” His head shot up, his lips forming a smile. “Yeah, I just can’t sleep. Too much going on in here.” He tapped the side of his skull, setting his phone down on the little coffee table in front of him. I nodded in understanding, stepping out and shutting the door behind me.

“Want some company?” I asked, standing to the side, waiting for an answer before I just plopped down beside him, not wanting to invade his space. He nodded his head, and patted the spot next to him. I sat down, criss crossing my legs to get comfortable. He was the first to break the silence. We talked for a while, about anything and everything. Just enjoying each others presence.

“You did great today y/n, I know this video is going to be amazing. Your creativity is mind blowing. I loved all your ideas, they really helped bring it all together.” I blushed at his praises, looking down at my lap. “Thank you Noah, you too. I can’t tell you how much I love the song. The visions you have for this whole album are fucking sick.” He laughed, thanking me.

“Did you like the wardrobe choices? Sorry if they were a little much.” He smiled, looking over at me. “I was a little caught off guard honestly, but looking back now I think they were pretty badass. I think I did them justice.” I laughed jokingly, looking over at him, when I didn’t hear him laughing with me. He was staring with a serious expression, making me nervous all over again.

“You looked amazing y/n.” I don’t even know who leaned in first, but before I knew it his lips softly grazed mine. I threw caution to the wind, and leaned the rest of the way in. It started off innocent, our lips just pressed together in a simple kiss. We slightly pulled away, our foreheads still touching. Both our breathing turned heavy, as his hand came up grabbing my cheek and pulling me in for another. This time was faster, and more rushed.

I felt his teeth nip my bottom lip, and I opened up to let his tongue slip inside. He pulled my body closer to him, as our tongues softly played with each other. A soft whimper left my mouth, bringing me back to reality. I jerked away, quickly standing from my seat. “Fuck Noah. I’m so sorry….I shouldn’t of…fuck.” I quickly turned around, headed back inside. “Wait y/n-“

I slid the door closed, and beelined for my room. Fuck! What did I do? This is not a good idea. I like Noah so much, so fucking much but I’m terrified of causing issues in the band. Nick is my best friend, I don’t ever want to jeopardize his career, or any of theirs for that matter. Noah is one of his best friends, It just feels so wrong. My feelings for Noah are so strong, but my love for Nick and our friendship mean more. I have to do what’s right…stay as far away from Noah as possible.

[ramabear]

Can you tell us more about DnD, Obscurial Harry, or the love potion soulmate au?

Because I think those are wonderful ideas.

wip folder ask game!

im gonna tell you about all three because i can. this answer is gonna get a little long.

DnD Harry came about because I was, once again, musing about the spell chain lightning. And I was thinking of situations Harry could have used it in, if he'd known about it. The general outline is that, during the summer after first year, Harry overhears some kids talking about spells and thinks they might also be wizards. He very quickly figures out he's wrong, but they kind of envelope him into their group, teaching him to play and feeding him snacks.

In the actual DnD game he plays a rogue to help round out the party, but he learns "wizard spells" from one of the other players, including chain lightning. It's a sort of gray!Harry AU too, because he starts to think of morality wrt DnD aligments and doesn't really think he needs to fit the Chosen One mold, even subconsciously. here's some excerpts:

Jimmy stood up and on the grid board in the center of the table, he put down four figures along with four horses. Then he put down three winged creatures facing them. “Harpies!” Adam hissed. “Ah Jimmy, not in front of the kid!” “If he hasn’t seen a pair of tits yet then bully for him,” Jimmy said as he put down the last figure. “Besides, harpy tits are good for growing boys,” he winked at Harry and then gestured for him to come closer as he sat down. Nervously, Harry scooted over. He peeked behind the board and saw, to his surprise, just a handful of papers, a notebook and a bunch of dice. So. Many. Dice. “Do you want to play, kid?” Jimmy asked. “Me?” He nodded. “Yeah, you. Want to be a harpy?” “Uh. What do I do?” “Well, harpies like to kill and eat people,” Jimmy said. He reached down beneath the table, pulled out a book and flipped to a page. Then he put it in front of Harry and said, “Here’s their stats. Down here are their attacks. I’ll let you be the black haired Harpy, okay?” He put aside some dice. “You’ll roll these when you attack.” “Hey! Don’t turn him into a mini-DM!” Adam argued. “He’s one of us!” “Well, until he’s got a character sheet, he’s one of mine,” Jimmy said. “You got this, kid?” Harry scrunched up his face. “My name is Harry.” Jimmy grinned, ruffled his hair, and then said, “Yeah, you got this. Now everyone, roll initiative.”

Obscural-Horcrux Harry is a fun one, fun in that it starts with murder and continues to be pretty grim for Harry, though he's young enough that he doesn't quite get it for a while.

The outline i have currently is that he gets put through the muggle child services at first, long enough to settle with a family and start to bond with them, only for someone to step in and remove him from that family and adjust their memories. He doesn't take this well.

i haven't outlined exactly the point he comes across Voldemort, but the jist is that eventually he does, probably at a very low point and/or in the midst of one of his "episodes" and at this point while some people know he's a danger, no one knows how to calm him down, if they even can.

here's an excerpt from that one:

Harry woke up in a starchy bed with pale blue blankets and in a room with pale blue walls. There was a mask on his face that was connected to a tube and a machine that beeped nearby. He moved his arm sluggishly and noticed there was another tube connected to his arm with some tape and that tube was connected to a clear bag on a stand. After a while, a woman poked her head in and then, seeing him awake, she stepped in to talk to him. “Hello,” she said softly, almost in a whisper, “My name is Melinda.” Sluggishly, Harry blinked at her. “H’lo,” he mumbled. His voice sounded strange through the mask, rough and terrible. “I’m the nurse looking after you right now,” Melinda said, “You’re in the hospital.” Harry was surprised. He’d never seen a doctor before no matter how hurt he’d been. How badly must he have been hurt for the Dursleys to bring him here? Some of that surprise must have shown on his face, because Melinda asked, “What do you remember last?” “It was hot,” Harry said. He’d been in his cupboard. He’d been in there for his third day in a row, locked in after his morning of chores because the Dursleys didn’t want him running around outside in the summer afternoon and ruin Dudley’s birthday week. He’d made breakfast and been shoved in to the dark room. It had been hot and stuffy, utterly terrible. He could barely breathe and he was covered in sweat. He’d thought he was going to die in there. He thought that the Dursleys would just keep the door locked and have him rot away. No one would ever know what happened to him. He’d never be buried or anything. His bones would become part of the house, part of the room that was his sanctuary and his nightmare. “Anything else?” Melinda prompted. Harry blinked slowly. “I thought I was gonna die.” An odd expression crossed her face, one of pity, one of sympathy. “You almost did,” she said.

and finally, Revised Love Potion Soulmate AU. that one, as you can probably tell from the title, has gone through several iterations. I had a same age love potion au, but after tinkering with it for a while, it just didn't keep my fancy. and so i kept the age difference and made Tom the minister instead. it's a fun one, with some time jumps at the start showing the moments Tom hears about Harry from the first point they meet (well, see each other in person, they don't 'meet' properly for a while), and the rumors surrounding Harry.

because of Tom's background, he made Amortentia illegal to brew--and not really a spoiler, but Harry (sorted Slytherin and disliked generally by his fellow Slytherins) gets framed for making it in his seventh year and expelled. there's a bunch of other background stuff (implications of harry being born under the effects of a love potion, lily shows up later, etc etc) but as i was working on the outline, it took a funny turn.

See, after Tom realizes that Harry's his soulmate, he discovers there's a whole subculture of muggleborn wizards who just,,, live in the muggle world under their own set of wards to keep them from being noticed. and a lot of the changes that Tom thought he was making in order to keep something like this from happening kind of broke down as they were passed down the chain of the Ministry. when he realizes that they need more aggressive reform, he also realizes he's gotten rather...soft in his approach to change. there's a lack of respect from his people. a lack of fear.

so while it's a love potion au, and a soulmate au, it's also a Lord Voldemort Returns Au. here's an excerpt of their meeting (Tom's just been hit by a car, for context)

He came to on his back, cold concrete beneath him, someone’s warm hands holding his head and neck. He gasped, startled, shocked, panicked. He could taste blood in his mouth and he wheezed with each breath. His chest was in excruciating pain. Vision swimming, Tom looked up and tried to focus. He saw a face above him, saw pink lips moving, dark hair dusted with snow and the most brilliant green eyes in the world. Some other part of his body—his leg, his side, his back?—began to throb unbearably and his vision blurred back into formless darkness. Tom woke again when his body shrieked with pain and he was lifted up briefly. His neck was immobilized with some sort of brace and his body bound with a few straps and covered. He made a confused, garbled sound, attempting to ask what had happened, where was he, what was going on? Green eyes ducked down into his vision again. The face they were attached to became clear. It was a handsome man with an intense, serious expression. A warm hand squeezed his and the man said, “You’re going to be okay. We’re taking you to the hospital and they’ll have a look at you, sir. Can you stay with me? Just blink twice if you can.” Tom blinked twice. The man gave him a blinding smile, “Great job. Incredible."

thank you for playing the wip folder ask game! i now have to rush to get ready for work lol