#bc of the glamor magic

[lockedtowers]

Visuals.

[convexicalcrow]

Guess who finally got around to finishing these pages lmao. XD tbh the watercolour pencils I used to colour the illustrations aren't ... quite the right shade for Vexes, but it is what it is. The photos kind of make them look slightly better tbh.

There's part of me that's not entirely happy with the conclusions this piece comes to, but the best thing about an iterative grimoire like this, for those who have never kept a grimoire or have no idea what grimoires are and what they include, is that there is room to revisit a topic, and I do plan to do something on the masks later, so there will be more expansion on this and on my thinking and how that's changed since I wrote this piece. Which does tell you how long ago I wrote this lol.

Also a note on my approach to this: I'm attempting to emulate Scar and Cub's voices and energy and vibe through these pieces and the style of handwriting I have chosen to use for each of them, rather than do any kind of (weird stalkery tbh) form of copying their actual handwriting. And I think that approach is a good one, because it wouldn't matter how close my handwriting was if their voices didn't sound right. So that's the choice I've made here.

Alsoalso: Scar is the Vex with the tail, bc of how much he said he wanted one in that bit where they were setting up ConCorp in s6, and Cub was like, wtf would you want a tail? So it gives me an easy way to distinguish the two of them in their Vex forms.

The transcript below has been tidied up and spaced out a little more than it is in the book itself, just to make it easier to read and you don't have to have a wall of text to deal with.

Glamors Scar: Honestly I'm not convinced I should be writing in this book but Cub insisted that I had to write about how I do glamors. The problem is, I'm not sure I can explain it! It just happens! I think about what I want, and channel that through Vex magic. But it's not even something I really think about consciously, it just happens!

So much of it is about knowing what you want and who you are dealing with, and then you just project that outwards like you are wearing a mask or a costume. The clothes are just as important as the will and the magic. It's about set dressing! Immersing your target in the world you create in order to make them see your side of things.

Obviously you can do it without that, of course. But you need exceptional confidence and a sense that you will get your way. But it isn't just about that either. you can use glamors for all kinds of reasons. You can look like a wet puppy, or a clueless redstoner, or someone who has no idea what they're doing to disarm threats and make them come on side.

Projecting a face and an energy that you think will get you what you want. Like I said, it's hard to describe how to do it because so much of this is on you. It's about your will and desire and the image you want to project by lacing that with vex magic to make it work.

But the one thing to know is that the magic can only do so much. If you can't sell it, no amount of magic will help. Beware! And use carefully!

Oh! And you make be wondering why I call them glamors! it sounds like such a silly word, but I use it for a reason. These glamors are like masks. They change how people see you, but they don't change how you are at your core.

It's like when I wear the Vex mask. Kinda. It isn't a glamor, but it can be used like one. Do I want to make it clear the ConVex are in town? Then me and Cub wear the masks. They don't always have to transform us into our Vex forms or allow the vex to use our bodies.

Cub: Ehh, I wouldn't say the masks are like your glamors, Scar. Those masks serve quite a different function than you making someone think you're a wet cat. Those Vex masks are us, they aren't some fakery or pretense. The magic's different.

We are Vex at our core, the masks simply allow us to acess different magics, transformations, and powers. Plus, we don't really choose when to wear the masks, the Vex do that. It's just not the same, Scar, is all I'm saying. -- Cub.

Scar: Okay, look, it might be imperfect, but you know what I mean! I did tell you that I am bad at explaining these things! I did warn you! It's very difficult to explain something that I just do instinctively. It just happens, Cub, I can't teach it.

Also the Vex masks are definitely glamors! You can definitely use them that way. We just don't do that because the masks have different uses.

Cub: That is true, yo ucan use them like that. But the fact is we don't use the masks like that. They serve an entirely different purpose to simply being masks or glamors. They're sacred ritual objects that connect us to our power. It's very different!

Scar: OH hey Do you like my Vex drawings? I think they look so cute!

Cub: They're adorable, Scar, yeah!

Scar: I think I really brought out your mischevious face! Yeah!

Cub: For real, though, Scar, think about it. The masks reveal us, not conceal us. They reveal something true about us that most don't see, or want to see. These humanesque bodies? These visions or forms of who we used to be as players? Tht's not who we are anymore. Those are more the masks than the Vex heads are. The vex heads bring us back to our true form as Vexes.

Whereas what your glamors do is mask our true identities, and project something else that suits our needs and desires. It's a mask, nota mirror.

It's why the masks demand that we master them, not the other way around.

Scar: You know what, Cub? They're all masks, and that's about as much as I can be bothered with. I'll leave the deep thinking to you on this one! Goodbye!

[darkpoisonouslove]

A piece of advice, in the form of one-shorts. One day, a story from the second season, another day, from the fifth. That is not line.

It should stop making rewrites that follow the line of the series and that there are written parts that are the same as the series. That's not a rewrite, it's a novelization. And to read something that I already know, I go back to see the series (I take this opportunity to criticize the rewrites in passing, sorry).

It's way too intricate for one-shots to actually work here.

[brucewaynehater101]

I need you to stop me from making another Tim Drake centric fic

I got this random idea that won’t leave me alone

like what if the emotional scars and trauma people have show up physically too most commonly as little cracks on the skin and all of the bats have them

they hide them tho with make up and stuff so people don’t question it except Tim hides them from everyone maybe bc that’s what his parents taught him to do maybe bc he just doesn’t want to burden any of the bats

the bats think that Tim is fine so to them he’s invincible which leads them to treat him as such subconsciously or otherwise especially Bruce

it takes a lot for something to be bad enough that they physically manifest and Tim has A LOT bc everyone thinks he’s invincible

:) it won’t leave me alone help me I beg of you

Hmm.... Let's add on, shall we? This is a very rad idea. You should definitely write a fic about it, but no pressure.

Mind if I explore it? Also, feel free to disregard any part below you don't want/disagree with. This is just brainstorming ^^

Alright. Emotional scars are a physical mark on someone's skin.

Similar to regular scars, they can fade as a person heals.

Some may never disappear, and some only appear for a short time.

What would their color be?

Would they look like actual cracks in a person (so black-ish in color)? Would they be gold or multi-colored (different colors represent different kinds of emotional traumas)?

The level of hurt inflicted is directly proportional to the size (length and width) of the scar.

Perhaps more could be deduced from the general shape (is it jagged? A single line? Branching?)

Not all people have these marks

Most of the population manifests them. There's some prejudice against folk who don't [something something they are heartless, incapable of feelings, not able to be emotionally hurt, cold, detached, etc.], but hiding scars is also common. Therefore, it's harder to discern whether someone is hiding their marks or markless. It's a very fine line, so most people allow a smaller mark to show every once in a while. There's even a few trends to proudly display all marks.

Marks appear at the time of the emotional harm

It may not be apparent at the time due to the location, but the individual being hurt will manifest the mark at the very moment of emotional harm.

Anyways, that's the background stuff. Fun, but let's get into Tim specifically ^^

Tim's parents are part of the few who believe that showing off your scars to anyone, even your loved ones, is both a weakness and a way to guilt-trip people. Therefore, through their archeology studies, they managed to obtain magical objects to prevent the showing of emotional marks. It's similar to glamor.

Tim's object can change forms to suit his needs (so a ring at one moment and an earring the next). This ability prevents the Bats from discovering it.

Janet fakes a very small mark on her hand when she wants to discourage any rumors that's she's incapable of manifesting marks. For Tim, though, his parents wanted him to have rumors of being incapable of forming marks. It served their purpose better for him being the cunning Drake heir.

The deception started from birth, so no one but the Drakes know of Tim's ability to form marks [and the Drake parents never see the marks they leave behind on their child].

The Waynes, long before Tim entered their life, were aware of these rumors. Thus, when Tim demands to become Robin, he doesn't correct their assumptions.

Bruce is a callous fucker to Tim at the start. If Tim can't be hurt emotionally, then Bruce's ill-treatment of him is fine (which is flawed logic. The markless can be emotionally hurt, and they still deserve kindness, dignity, and respect even if they couldn't. Bruce was mentally fucked up, but it doesn't excuse his treatment).

Eventually, Bruce comes to the second realization that Tim should still be treated well even if it doesn't hurt him regardless. The man's behavior is better, but he still has the notion in mind that Tim can't be emotionally hurt. He uses this for missions and to downplay the way his other kids treat Tim (specifically Jason and Damian when they first meet Tim).

Tim gets used to a rotation of insult-names: Robot Robin, heartless, markless (said insultingly), cold-blooded, unfeeling bastard, etc.

He's also subject to a TON of misunderstandings. People are more reluctant to love him due to the belief that he can't love them back. He gets yelled at and told off for "masking/faking his emotions" when he's actually being genuine.

Which adds to his hurt :)

He also has to pretend not to grieve his parents when they die :(

Due to how rare markless are, the Bats don't meet "another" one until after the BruceQuest. When they chat with this person, they realize how many misconceptions they have about them (such as the markless being incapable of feelings. In fact, they accidentally offend that person when they tell the other they don't need to fake their emotions in front of the Bats. Safe to say, the markless individual becomes incensed when they realize how they've been treating their own markless family member).

This would be at least four (probably closer to five) years after Tim first became Robin. The entire family has a meltdown.

Tim, on the other hand, is used to the treatment the Bats have been giving him and becomes incredibly uncomfortable with them trying to care for his feelings and whatnot. It's rocky for a long while as everyone tries to seek forgiveness for something Tim bitterly doesn't hold against them (he is lying to them after all).

Tim rarely, if ever, views his own marks. The last time he checked was when he was having his identity crisis after Robin was taken from him. His entire body, from head to toe, had cracks in it. There was a giant, gaping crack on his back for the metaphorical stab in the back it was.

And we haven't even gotten to when the Bats figure out Tim was never markless :)

[katebishopshands]

Can you do Kate Bishop and reader getting back from a long day of missions and get all cozy together then take starts teasing and it leads to the bedroom. Thank you <3

Teehee I like this one :)

I made reader a magic user because I never see the dynamic in any Kate fics :))

I <3 in universe Kate so much

(Tags: thigh riding, tit groping, slight nipple play, strapping, strap ons, Kate and reader are quite literally the defintion of switches, Kate bishops strap is purple and sparkly bc I said so, showering together ( non sexual, it’s actually really cute))

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆ ･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･

Call it what you want ✨

Kate Bishop/Reader

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆ ･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･

Your whole body ached. You weren’t even sure how your feet were able to hold the weight of your body up as you stood waiting for Kate to open the door.

You’re sure the two of you looked ridiculous. Still in your hero suits, covered in cuts and bruises, probably smelling a little funky as well.

Thats one thing they don’t mention when you become anAvenger, it only looks glamorous when you’re receiving hero’s medals and keys to the city, attending charity events in gowns you could realistically never own. They don’t mention that you have to lug all your things back to your girlfriend’s dingy apartment and wait for her to unlock the door.

Kate’s fumbling with the keys, the gloves she wore to protect her fingers from her bow strings getting in the way. You give a slightly annoyed sigh as you gently take the keys from her hands being able to quickly find the correct key and unlock the door.

“Thanks!” Kate smiles at you. You returned her smile with a tired one of your own as you step through the door. You prop the door open for Kate with the arm closest, Kate hums appreciatively and ducks under your arm. You can’t help but snort at her a little as she gives you a kiss on the cheek while she passes you. She could’ve gone around you, but wanted to add a little flair and go underneath your arm. Sometimes what went on in her mind just flabbergasted you.

Lucky raises his head from his bed in the living room, giving you both a happy dog smile. You assume he can sense the fatigue coming off of the both of you because he stays put, resting his head back on his paws politely.

“Christ, that was rough” you say as you rub the back of your neck attempting to loosen some of the tight muscles there. Kate groans, dropping her bow and quiver. A few arrows skid across the kitchen floor, bow clattering on the checkered ground.

“Tell me about it, I don’t think I’ve even been nearly blown up that much in my whole life”

You look at your girlfriend’s form as she begins to unclip the utility belt that held all or trick arrowheads around her waist. She’s slightly covered in dust, it coats her usually pink cheeks in a fine layer. Parts of her suit are singed, a few scrapes cover her nose and chin. Somehow,despite everything, she still looks good.

Kate drops the utility belt on the floor next to her quiver and bow. She throws her head back, nose to the sky and gives a giant groan. You roll your eyes.

“I swear, if Sam would’ve just listened to my plan the whole thing would’ve gone way more smooth” she looks at you with watery blue eyes. You pout a little at her.

“Easy there Hawkeye,” you walk over to her, cradling her face in one of your hands. Kate leans her head into you and reciprocates your pout. “You’ll have your time, Sam can’t be the leader forever”

“I love him but he can be so stupid sometimes”

“Isn’t that how we feel about most bosses?”

“Touché” Kate shrugs and keeps her head in your hands. You roll your eyes at her and begin to trace her injuries with your other hand.

“We should get these cleaned up” you trace your thumb over a cut on her chin. She jumps and bit and winces.

“can’t you just cast a spell and make it better?” She bats her long lashes at you a couple times. Despite how many times you have told Kate, that’s not what you use magic for it can never get through her head.

“That’s now how it works Katie, and you know it” you smile at her, your hand drifting from her chin to hold her hand.

“But I hate the alcohol wipes” she pouts at you again. You actually almost feel bad for the archer. But you knew it was an act to get you to do some sort of magic for her. She was the most dramatic girl you’ve ever met.

You give her a kiss quickly.

“We need to shower.” Kate blurts. She’s rubbing your fingers with her thumb. It was your time to groan. She was right and you knew it, but the idea of taking off your suit sounded exhausting.

“Ugh but that takes so much effort”

“I’ll get out the fancy soap Laura gave me for my birthday last year”

Kate knows you can’t resist the temptation of the homemade lavender soap that Laura Barton had gifted her. Anytime Kate had showered with it and you had been around her, you were obsessed with it. Finding every excuse you could to press your nose into the crook of her neck to smell it on her warm skin.

“Sold” it was Kate’s turn to roll her eyes. She begins to drag you towards the small bathroom for the apartment. You’re dragging your feet, letting your socks glide across the smooth floor of her apartment. Kate giggles and pulls a little harder, pulling you into her.

Her back is against her bathroom door as she holds you against her. Her hands lay comfortably on your lower back as yours sit pressed against the front of her chest. You both say nothing, just looking at the other and smiling. After a day filled with almost dying, it was nice to just bask in each others presence.

Kate’s hands begin to wander downward, one hand giving a firm squeeze to your ass. You jump a little.

“Yknow we could…” she trails off, eyes glancing at your lips. Her other hand joins at your ass. You lightly hit her and scoff.

“Hey! You promised me fancy soap!” You pout at her. She throws her hands up in a surrender.

“Okay okay..I was just thinking..”

“Kate Bishop I am not banging you until you don’t have dried alien blood on you” Kate grimaces but fully surrenders as she opens the bathroom door. You follow her into the bathroom and begin to grab essentials for you both. A couple of clean towels, bathrobes for after.

While you’re doing that Kate fights with the shower temperature, it being too cold or too hot. Kate curses under her breath. You give her a look of pity before gently grabbing her hand and removing it from the faucet. You maintain eye contact with her as you use your magic to bring the water to the perfect temperature for you both. Her blue eye go soft and she smiles.

“You never cease to amaze me” she grabs your hand and pulls you into a kiss. A single kiss that turns into several small ones peppering your cheeks.

“I know I do, but the spell won’t last forever so let’s get in, yeah?” You pull the archers head away from your face, gently cradling her cheeks in your grime covered hands. She nods and begins to strip down. You help Kate out of her suit, being careful with it as you know how important it was to her. Kate returns the favor, carefully helping you out of your “wizard clothes” as you’ve so affectionately named them.

Kate massages your shoulders a little, placing a few kisses here and there as she helps you. You sigh in relief once everything is off. Feeling a million times lighter and less constricted.

“Fancy soap time?” she asks. You nod

“Fancy soap time” you confirm and step into her shower. Kate grabs a bar from the cabinet next to the sink. You can’t help but laugh a little at how pale her bare ass is. A couple freckles decorate across her lower back and her butt. It’s cute.

“Are you laughing at me?” Kate asks while standing up. You shake your head

“No” you lie.

“Whatever” she rolls her eyes and joins you in the shower.

You both take turns helping the other to wash up. Massaging over Kate’s sore back muscles with the soap. She leans her head back and sighs contented. You press a kiss to her shoulder as the warm water rains down on you both. It’s comforting to have help in the shower. Not trying to get in the others pants at the other moment. Just taking in the others presence, letting the warm water wash away the blood and grime from your assignment earlier.

You admire Kate’s muscles. Years of martial arts, gymnastics and archery had left her in fantastic shape. Sometimes it was confusing to you as to how you managed to pull her, but you would never have it any other way. Kate’s biceps flex as she squeezes some shampoo into her hands.

“Turn around, let me wash your hair” you oblige her and turn. Kate rakes her fingers through your hair, scrubbing at your scalp. You close your eyes as Kate works at your hair. Gently maneuvering you under the water to rinse the suds and then apply conditioner. You inhale the scent of her coconut shampoo mixing with the lavender from the soap. An odd combination but a combination that reeked of Kate.

Before you’d like it, Kate’s shutting the water off and exiting the shower. She wraps a towel around herself and then holds a large purple towel open for you to jump into. You let her wrap it around you before working with it to dry yourself off. Together you brush your teeth, wash your faces and take a comb through you hair in comfortable silence. That’s one thing you’ve always loved about being with Kate, is that she knows when to turn off her mouth when you really need to reset.

Once you’re both done kates sat in her bed tucked under the purple duvet. You’re shuffling through her vinyl collection, attempting to decide what to put on. You land on one of her well loved Taylor swift vinyls and put it on the turn table. The first few notes of the album begin to play and you turn to her.

You had left a pair of sweats at hers from sometime earlier when you had visited her, so you wore that and a sweatshirt of hers. It was some archery team sweatshirt from college, her last name “BISHOP” written in bold white letters across your back.

“Should we order something? Chinese….pizza?” Kate looks up from her phone, cocking an eyebrow at you.

“Ugh Kate you only want pizza because you live above a pizzeria” you hit her with a pillow as you sit down next to her. She laughs and shrugs.

“Okay okay, guilty, then what do you want?”

You spend a few minutes arguing over what you wanted to eat. Both of you hadn’t eaten since early that morning before your assignment. Eventually settling on something, you curled into Kate’s side. Both of you doing your own things on your phones. She fiddles with the ends of your damp hair absentmindedly.

You let your phone drop and sigh, staring at the wall. Kate ignores you and continues scrolling. Your fingers trace small circles on her stomach. She continues to ignore you. Another, louder sigh. Nothing.

You’re creeping your hands up her abdomen towards her sports bra clad chest. Your hand is sat on her boob, yet she’s still engrossed in scrolling.

You squeeze

Kate jumps in response. Looking away from her phone and down to you near her chest.

“The hell was that for?”

You bat your eyelashes a bit.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” you feign innocence and you give another squeeze to her tit.

“Oh you’re asking for it” Kate sits up fully, grabbing under your armpits as she manhandles you to sit on her lap. You protest a little, trying to shove her away. You both laugh a bit. Kate grabs at your sides , and you jolt in her lap. Trying to squirm away from her you shove her face away as she leans in to kiss you.

“You seemed so eager for my attention a few minutes ago, and now you’re all shy?” Her face is mere inches away from your face. You can feel her breath fan across your face. Your head towards the bottom of her bed, Kate on her knees straddling across you.

“You were paying attention to only your phone” you jut out your bottom lip at her, feeling extra bratty.

“And so were you!”

“Nuh uh!” You cross your arms and avoid looking at her. You’re hoping it pushes her to initiate something. It does.

Kate grabs at your sides again. Pushing her warm hands under your sweatshirt to touch your bare skin. You could’ve sworn her fingertips were burning holes through your skin. She started kissing your neck, working her way up to your jaw and then eventually up to your lips. Kate guides your head back to a front facing position as her hands slide up your torso, hands making their way to your bare tits. She starts to knead at the flesh as she works at your mouth.

You groan into her, arching your chest into her eager hands. Your hands tug at the roots of her hair, still a little damp from the shower you took earlier. She smells like everything you could want from her. Her coconut shampoo, the lavender soap you love so much. No longer smelling like the battle you were engaged in for most of the day. She was back to just Kate. Not Hawkeye. Your Kate.

Kate pulls away from you, but continues to grope at you. She pinches your right nipple between her pointer finger and thumb. You press your chest upwards again, a small whine falling from your mouth. You lift your head up, attempting to kiss Kate again. She pulls her head back, opting to stare down at you with a smug smile on her face. Her eyes flick up and down your face, from your lips to your eyes.

“Paybacks a bitch isn’t it?” Her eyes sparkle with mischief as she wedges a knee between your legs. You were so incredibly fucked.

Upon contact you moan. Her knee colliding so perfectly with your sensitive core. You hadn’t even realized how worked up you had gotten from just a little teasing.

“Katie..” you do your best plead with her. You HAD started this whole thing by being a brat, and now you were getting consequences for it. She quirks an eyebrow at you. Kate stops groping you, pulling her hands entirely from your shirt. Her gaze goes soft as she sits up fully, keeping her knee between your legs. You grind down on it.

Locking eyes with Kate you do it again, making a show out of the moan that escapes your mouth. Your hands run up your torso, dragging the gray sweatshirt up your body. Kates eyes trail your body as your body becomes more and more exposed. You watch her breath get hitch as the fabric gets pulled over your breasts, leaving your chest bare infront of her.

You continue to rile her up, groping at your tits and humping onto her knee. A slew of pornographic and almost obnoxious moans falling from your mouth. Kate continues to not touch you, clearly enjoying watching you get yourself off on her knee a little too much. You watched her chest heave up and down with every breath she took, blue eyes dilating with every moan that left your mouth.

If you were being completely honest, you were putting on a show for her. The thick sweatpants you had on were getting in your way, with only a small amount of actual friction getting to your aching clit. Despite Kate’s burning stare and your own ministrations at your tits it wasn’t enough. Holding Kate’s eyes, you let your hands slide back down your bod, thumbs hooking around the waistband of your sweats. Kate swallows impatiently. You knew she had to be soaking at this point.

The way she licked her lips, the way her fingers twitched. This was torture. Clearly she hadn’t have thought this plan through as much as she thought. If she wasn’t going to help you through it, you were going to do it yourself.

You slide your sweats down your legs, carefully removing them before sitting up fully so you were finally sat on Kate’s toned thigh.

Kate slips her bottom lip inbetween her teeth as she feels your heat on her. Nothing but a black thong separating you two. You reassume your previous motions. Dragging your hips back and forth across Kate’s thigh you sling your arms over her shoulders, pressing your bare chest into her own. You play with the long black locks that fall down her back as you ride her thigh. The friction of her sports bra on your peaked nipples add a spark of pleasure through you. Your nose presses against hers, just barely grazing it. You let open mouthed moans hit her face.

Kate stays strong, resisting the urge to touch you. A flex of her thigh bumps against your clit and you whine.

“Fuck this” Kate’s resolve finally breaks. She had tried to be strong, teach you a lesson for being a brat but she just couldn’t. Not when you’re moaning into her mouth.

She grabs your hips, fully taking control of your speed. You don’t protest. You let Kate dominate the pace, quickly accelerating the once dull feeling of an oncoming orgasm. Kate crashes her lips onto yours, effectively swallowing any sounds that could’ve escaped your mouth.

Your hands move from behind Kate’s back to underneath her bra. You knead at her boobs, pinching at her nipples. She jerks away with a whine. You keep at it while Kate guides you on her thigh. Your motions are limited under the constriction of her sports bra so you grab the bottom of it, beginning to pull it off of her body. Kate’s hands leave your hips for a moment as she raised them above her head.

You yank the sports bra off her body and over her head, throwing it out of sight and out of mind . Your bare chests rub against each other as you continue to rut against Kate. Almost to your orgasm. Kate whines into you every time one of her stiff nipples rubs against your own, her own hips bucking into yours uncontrollably.

A gentle bite to your lip and a flex of Kate’s toned thigh sends you over the edge. You’re finishing in your underwear. Kate moans a bit as she feels your warm release coat her thigh. You’re leaning into her, forehead resting on her shoulder as you catch your breath. Kate rubs at your back, letting her nails give you light scratches. You sit silently as you both calm down for a second.

“You’re such a brat” Kate gives a playful pinch to your butt. You roll your eyes as you sit up to look at her.

“Brat or not, you benefitted from it.”

Kate turns her lips downward a little and looks up to consider something. She shrugs.

“Well..I didn’t finish so..did I really?” She’s smug with it. Are you brave enough to accept her offer and put her in her place? She wants to push your buttons as payback.

“Fuck you” you say standing.

“That’s what I’m trying to get you to do!” Kate laughs as she lays down again. She rolls over to check her phone for what time the food will be there. Something else is on your mind though.

Accepting Kate’s challenge.

You crouch by her bedside table, opening the drawer. You look over to Kate’s back. She doesn’t stir. After a little digging you find what you want.

A clear purple glittery strap on stares at you from Kate’s drawer. It’s her prized possession. You didn’t even want to know how much she had spent on it.

Using your magic, you silently lift it from the drawer and put it on. Letting the harness adjust itself to your measurements with your magic as to not alert Kate. You clear your throat, asking for Kate’s attention once more. She rolls over, eyes going wide at the sight of you wearing her strap.

“Jesus Christ.” It’s almost like you could see her head go blank. She lays there, eyes wide.

“You said you didn’t get to finish? Well let’s finish” you grin as you straddle yourself over her. You lean down to kiss Kate. Your girlfriend eagerly reciprocates as she juts her chin out to deepen the kiss. You groan a little as Kate’s hands dig into your hair, pulling at the roots. You detach from her lips as you make your way down her neck, sucking and leaving little love bites on her neck and chest. It was times like this where you thanked whatever higher power that was out there that your girlfriend dressed decently conservatively or else you’d both never hear the end of it from the rest of the Avengers.

Kate throws her head back as you grab at her tits, pinching a nipple between your thumb and pointer finger.

“Cmon..” Kate pants impatiently.

“Oh and I’m the brat?” You say slightly annoyed, pulling off of her.

“Fuck you” she responds with the same attitude. Kate grabs at your head, trying to bring you down for another kiss. You dodge her. Giving her a taste of her own medicine from earlier.

“No Katie, I’m fucking you” you grin at her as you tug her own sweatpants and underwear down her pale thighs . You can see that she’s soaked.

Kate was often generous in letting you finish and not finishing herself. Today was not one of those days. You guide the strap through her folds, wetting it and making sure to bump her sore clit. Kate jumps in response.

“Come,” bump “on”. She’s so impatient. You decide to oblige her, sinking the strap on into her cunt.

“Shit!” Kate curses. “You could’ve at least given me some warning!” Her blue eyes are wide as her hands search for something to grab onto. You grab one of them, giving a kiss to it.

“You told me to come on, so I did” you state plainly, batting your eyes a few times at her. You give a few experimental thrusts just to watch Kate squirm under you. Some slow, some fast and short, some long. Every thrust of your hips has Kate writhing. She squeezes her eyes closed as she gets used to the feeling of the strap inside of her.

“I am so getting you back for this” Kate retorts. You thrust into her hard enough to make her tits bounce. She moans, loud.

“Bold words for someone who’s got my dick shoved inside of her” you could’ve sworn you felt her squeeze around the silicone cock at your hips. She groans.

You stop.

“God, just shut up and fuck me” she grins at you as she leans upwards, you meet her halfway. You kiss her as you begin a steady rhythm into her. Kate smiles onto the kiss, her hands anchoring themselves into your hair.

The harness rubs perfectly at your own clit. Mixed with the pleasant feeling of Kate’s hands in your own hair you can feel your own arousal seeping down your thighs again as you fuck into Kate.

Kate’s whining underneath you as you thrust in and out of her, one hand going down to play with her clit. She gasps once she feels your hand down there.

“Shit I’m close” she’s breathless, her voice barely above a whisper. And honestly you are too. You were still relatively sensitive from riding Kate earlier so the friction of the harness was working you at a steady pace. You keep at the solid pace, pinching Kate’s clit in an effort to get her to her peak.

“You got it, doing so good” you praise her. And that’s what does it. Kate gushes as she receives your praise. She’s finishing on the silicone cock with a whine of your name.

You give a few desperate thrusts in an attempt to finish yourselves once more. You’re whining with desperation , rhythm thrown out the window as you chase your high.

You’re finishing again with a final thrust. Pulling out of Kate as quick as possible to not overstimulate her and make her uncomfortable. You shed yourself of the strap and your soiled underwear, joining Kate as you lay down.

You kiss her neck gently,rubbing at her sides. She wraps her arms around you and plants a kiss to the top of your head.

“Thanks uh…for letting me finish.” You can’t see her face, but you can feel Kate’s smile pressed against your head. Despite smelling like sex, her skin still smells like the soap you love so much. You her a kiss under her jaw.

“Of course, I couldn’t have left you hanging.” You smile at her. You can hear the record player still spinning. You had no idea when the record had stopped playing. You lay with your girlfriend for a few moments. You trace lines from freckle to freckle on her stomach. Another kiss is pressed to her bare chest.

“Do you think we’ll have to fight more aliens tomorrow?” She asks, looking at the ceiling.

“God I fucking hope not, I need to sleep for at least a day to rest up from today alone” you groan. You really had no more patience for intergalactic threats.

A buzzer rings, jolting you and Kate from your comfortable silence. The buzzer for Kate’s front door. The food was here. Lucky barks at the buzzer and you can hear his feet tap against the flooring on the lower level.

You and your girlfriend give a moan of annoyance, having just got comfortable. You sit up holding your fist out to her.

“I win, you go get the food and if you win, I get the food…best two out of three?” You smile expectantly at Kate.

Kate laughs at you and holds out her fist, ready to kick your ass in rock paper scissors.

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆ ･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･

Back to my roots with the little one off fics !!!

Kate deserves to get strapped every now and then, I stand by it

[fuumiku]

They’re really interesting foils in many ways. I’ve always thought that Marcille & Mithrun have underrated dynamic potential. Give me the cringefail dungeon lords. Give me the elves with ears-centric metaphorical self-image issues. Give me the academic elites whose deepest strongest desires will always remain unreachable and the only option is to turn to the corrupt forbidden fruit of a demon pact. I am so so normal about Mithrun and Marcille

I wonder if the resemblance between captain Mithrun and general Hagreus aka Marcille’s fave in Dalclan is intentional… They definitely look very alike. It could represent idealization vs reality? Something something the romanticization of elves and their societal drama in their fiction vs a very real and imperfect product of their military system. The canaries certainly aren’t glamorous next to whatever Hagreus is the general of. I feel like she never had the opportunity to notice the resemblance herself bc within seconds of meeting him he was wrestling her on the ground but. If she had… She would so think he should have been his actor in the tallman stage play of Daltian Clan in that new extra comic hehe. I love the little details like Hagreus’ lips being drawn with extra details because they’re full and pretty while Mithrun’s lips are drawn with extra details because they’re chapped lmao.

This art is all silly and surface level but in my head mithrille is like so dramatic and I make up daltian clan level big plots with them gbdgd. I made a spotify playlist for mithrun if y’all interested, rn it’s mostly centered around cravings that consume and losing yourself and illusions inspired from his time as dungeon lord but it’s branching out. Varied vibes, levels of intensity and degrees of confusion and await you ✨ I would emotionally rant about Chainsaw Man ost lyrics and how they tie in with Mithrun and the winged lion’s relationship but this post is already a monster

I want more of these two please please please pleaseee just one or two interactions in the new canon content coming up… All they ever did was debate philosophy on desires and human self-fulfillment and try to murder each other, please… I never get to gush about them and I can’t shut up so if you want more thoughts I talk about them more below

To get a girl to peacefully accept arrest follow these simple steps: in private, ominously stand above her and forcefully interrogate her, while in public, tell her you’ve met before (untrue and also not a pickup line) and interrogate her with a thin veneer of decorum. If all else fails, threaten and follow through on said threat. My guy needs more than just physical therapy I’m afraid

Sorry if most of these were Marcille-centric with Mithrun standing there looking cool, if I were doing these more from Mithrun’s pov things would be like "She’s a bit much but I guess I don’t mind hanging around her." or "Oh you’re a half-elf? -insert elven supremacist rethoric-" or "I have to keep her from becoming demon stew." immediately followed by "Did someone say demon? Kill kill kill kill kill" since these are set prior to like really knowing another. Then things would be more like "huh she has bad tastes in novels but her magic research is pretty interesting" and "I’m lonely and don’t understand myself— Oh she loves talking about feelings? Oh shi-" That last one is an aspect of why I like Marcille and Mithrun’s potential dynamic lol. She’s very… Emotionally intelligent alongside being impulsive. You think you have no feelings because the world has beaten them out of you? Think again!! Marcille be upon ye! -In a therapy sort of way but mostly in a connecting with people and your own self through interpersonal relationships and talking kinda way. I just think a lively, upbeat, annoying friend way too interested in your personal life would do him good, the canaries are nice but like if Marcille went to prison and was a sort of extra new bunkmate I think that’d be interesting and fun to read is what I’m saying

Unlike Kabru she wants all the useless messy filler of his backstory, eating chips while listening. Like two chibi sets side by side, "me and my fellow canaries, name name and name-" "Hold on that’s too much info we have to compact this" vs "Then we were to sleep on the third floor of the dungeon, which had the look of a mausoleum, and name and name got into a fight over the campfire placement." while Marcille is like uh-huh what next what next while kicking her feet. She thinks of pre-dungeon pompous Mithrun and is like omg you went through a character arc and became better as a person- and then he opens his mouth and she’s like nevermind let’s keep working on that. She would also go "ew ur hair is greasy" and give him a full hair care treatment. What I’m saying is I need them to be forced to spend time in a dungeon together and become besties through a life or death roadtrip

Marcille is insecure about her ears, long, like an elf’s pride should be, but rounder, inelegant. Seeing Mithrun though, the epitome of beauty, with his half-cut ears make it a sillier thought. Not sure if Mithrun is the best person to reconnect with ur elven culture with but it sure is an option Marcille would so appreciate being around someone both cool headed and kind, I genuinely think they’d get along, like not that Senshi isn’t that too most of the time but I think Mithrun would be in a way that’s more refreshing to her. I’d be so curious about them discussing Dalclan, I doubt he’d have read it but she could make him read it, maybe post-canon with the excuse that they’re trying to find him a new hobby hah. He’d tear into the writing and everything but it’d be a fun time, I like to think that it’d make him a bit less prejudiced. Marcille @ Mithrun "👉👈 Soo maybe you don’t know these books they’re pretty recent having come out 50 years ago but…"

I’ve been in a Mithrun phase I want to make and read Mithrun-centric fics and angst so baaad. I razz him a lot here but he’s literally a traumatized military man that became obsessed with revenge due to bad coping and neglects himself in the process idk not much for him going on and some of it is because he has to work on himself, but hey no one’s perfect it all comes from a place of love and relating though I prommy. He’s the one ungodly angsty squeaky toy blorbo with brain damage rep I have don’t take him from me

[fandom-monium]

Sweet Poison - Part 5

Summary: In which you avoid Zagreus, until one day you can't. "What can I say? The life of a demon is a hard one."

WC: 2.4k

TW: Zagreus (Hades Video game) x Succubus!Reader, GN!Reader, a succubus AND an artist bc sex is just work and food, au where in game Zag commissions the paintings using gems, what if boons actually affected Zagreus, slow build, strangers to friends to lovers trope, sex work, fluff, fluff and humor, mutual pining, idiots in love, mild angst, pheromones (technically it’s succubi magic aura), Zagreus is at least 6 ft convince me otherwise, eventual smut, MINOR descriptions of blood and injuries. Physical touch, affection. Just Zagreus being soft and doting and kind to you this chap

Damn her, damn her, damn her, damn—

Teeth clenched, your vision swims as you grip the rim of the basin for balance, washing off the blood as red drops swirl and mix like watercolor paints before the water clears again. It’s days like this where you wish you can get stronger, more powerful, but there’s a limit to everyone’s full potential, and unfortunately you met yours a long time ago.

Still, it’d be nice.

Contrary to popular belief, succubi can be vicious warriors, they’re simply in their own class. Their abilities, their magic, while never measuring up to gods, could ruin an army in a master’s hand, but it has its limits. Especially amongst demonkind.

As the water calms, you grind your teeth at the sight of your reflection, assessing the damage. Blood and darkness, that’s going to bruise, that one’s definitely going to scar, and you curse the universe because your job’s about to get that much harder now that you may have to use a glamor. Oh, you swear next time you get your hands on her, you’ll—

A resounding rumble quakes the room.

Your chamber door.

You curse. But you're sluggish from the blood loss, and before you can hurl yourself out the balcony, Zagreus steps in without his usual greeting, panting and laurels slightly askew, like he rushed in knowing you’re here. Wild eyes dart to every corner of the chamber, as if he half-expects you to be hiding, until they fall on you, embarrassingly hunched over your healing fountain.

One glance at your battered face, he’s beside you in a flash.

"Zag—”

“What happened?” His tone is surprisingly strained as his hands, clean of blood and gore, reach for you. Then something flickers across his face that makes him hover, his eyes—red and green and wide—taking in your new wounds with horror.

If only you had the energy to cower, shield your bruised face. He’s the last person you want to see right now, and your vision blurs, hating how he of all people is seeing you like this—broken, imperfect.

“I’m fine, Zagreus,” You croak, your voice quiet as you swallow your insecurity like bile. A poor attempt to put some distance between you, you try to step aside, but your knees buckle, and before you know it, you crumple like a house of cards.

Of course, Zagreus catches you—asshole—strong, lean arms gentle as he hugs you to his chest, holding you up as if you’re the most precious of gems. Hate how quick you are to relax in his hold, clay in his hands. Blood and darkness, it’s so easy, so quick, so… right.

You squirm against him, but his grip tightens slightly, mindful of your injuries.

“Sure you are,” Zagreus snorts, though he gazes down at you so soft and sweet you want to shout, wondering if he tastes the same. “Come on, I’ll patch you up.”

Unable to protest, you let him carry you like a rag doll, limp in his hands before he gently props you up on the lounge chair. You lean against the back with a groan. “Really, I'm—”

“'Fine', yes, you’ve said that,” Already, he’s rummaging through your cupboards, at least the ones he knows aren’t filled with art supplies. “Do you have bandages?”

“… Second last cabinet on your left.”

Without a word, he walks through your chamber with self assurance, maneuvering around your easel and stepping over splayed out canvas as they finish drying, careful where to leave his burning footprints. He finds what he’s looking for easily enough, a moment later pulling up a chair and plopping down in front of you. His hands are methodical as he lays everything out; two bowls of water, a small cloth, and the saddest little first aid kit.

In your defense, you hardly end up like this.

You watch his hands as he dips the towel in the water then wrings it out, before gently dragging it across your exposed arms. You flinch as he begins wiping off the grime.

“I know,” His tone is soft, terribly understanding as he continues. “Give it a minute, you’ll feel much better soon.”

You want to snort, snap at him that you’re fully aware of how it works, but the cool sting of water, the mild burn from the open gashes and cuts along your skin, is quick to clench your jaw shut. Pain ebbs across your body, and you watch him speechless, the rhythm he follows, painfully gentle as he drags the cloth across your skin, careful not to aggravate your wounds. Clean water, wring out, wipe, rinse, repeat; he even goes out of his way to change the water, and the relief that comes after would make you sink into the couch, if not for Zagreus's silence.

He's yet to say a word since he entered. He'd asked you already, yes, but you take him for someone who doesn't give up that easily. You expected more of a fight. Now, you're not so sure.

"Zagreus, I… I—" It's hoarse, hardly above a whisper, but it's a start.

You feel him pause before choosing to lay into your newfound cowardice like a wet blanket, avoiding his eyes. Who knows what you'll do if you meet his gaze.

Sensing your hesitation, Zagreus clears his throat, "Perhaps you should save your energy. We can chat when you're healed."

You shake your head, though it only makes the room spin. "No, I need to tell you this now. Before..."

"Before what? You start avoiding me again?" He resumes, wrapping gauze around your forearm, his touch ghosting your skin as he holds your arm out. There’s no malice or respite in his tone, soft and withdrawn as it comes, but you wince. If anything, it’s bittersweet, with an acceptance he long held before he approached your chamber, and it leaves your heart clenching. You don't know how to respond. Are you that obvious?

"(Your Name)... did I do something wrong?"

You blink, whirling to face him.

Zagreus bites his lip, emotions he can’t fathom threatening to spill out of him. That's always been his flaw, according to Father. He's attuned to his emotions, more than Nyx, Father, literally any of the chthonic gods. He stares as his hands tremble, attempting to knot the bandage. "Because if I did, please just tell me what it is so I can make things right between us."

"No-no, you've done nothing wrong," You assure him, sitting up through the pain even when Zagreus protests. When he raises a brow at your answer, you rush to add, "I swear! I've been busy with... work." Technically, this isn’t a lie.

"... 'Busy'. Is that how you got these?" Zagreus holds out your mangled arm by your hand, flicking his eyes over your body in the way you hate most. You'd take aura-induced desire over this: pity, disgust.

You wrench your arm away, cradling it in your lap and shrugging. "What can I say? The life of a demon is a hard one."

"(Your Name), who did this?"

You freeze. Nerves go haywire, and you squirm under his piercing gaze, burning through you as you contemplate lying to him, but you know better. At this point, you know each other too well, and—blood and darkness—he'll see right through you. There’s a defeated sigh, then a quiet, "Alecto."

Zagreus's eyes darken, but you wave him off. "Don't worry. In her defense, I kind of deserved it."

Zagreus sputters, taken aback, staring at you as if you offended him. "'Don't worry'? Don't—how can you say that? First I've seen you in days, and you're—" A sharp intake of breath, and he clenches his jaw so hard you're surprised it doesn't break.

"It's not a big deal. I disobeyed direct orders, and..." You trail off, thinking back.

Since meeting Zagreus, seeds of doubt sprout in your chest, in your lungs, suffocating you as you question the system you’ve worked under for so long. You’ve never questioned who you are and what you do, not to say you love your job, but it’s your life. Yet who’s to say there aren't poor souls sentenced to the wrong level? Genuine and kind, noble and passionate—people who don't deserve eternal damnation.

The possibility of your victims being innocent and undeserving makes you want to hurl, tortured shrieks and endless tears flashing across your memory and echoing in your ears. Your stomach clenches just thinking about it.

"(Your Name), I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Zagreus starts, mouth opening and closing like he can't find the words, his breaths coming quick and ragged. He just stares at you, eyes gleaming with an emotion you can't quite place—as if your virtuous act breaks his heart, crushes his soul. Then he blinks, and it's gone, shaking his stupor. “This is my fault…”

You raise an eyebrow, “How is this your fault?”

“I… I just… you shouldn’t have…” You frown as Zagreus struggles, brow furrowed, clearly pained as he thinks over his answer, like whatever he says next determines your fates. Seeming to think better of it, he shakes his head and brings your hand to his lips, and you flush, your heart skipping as his lips graze over the bandages, warmth seeping through the material and into your wounds like a healing salve. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” He rasps between each kiss, trailing up the back of your hand and up your forearm, like they’ll heal the wounds faster. Like this is the best he can do, like this is all he can do. Not that you plan to stop him.

Your face burns, but you let him apologize, though you’re not sure what for as he stops before your shoulder. At some point, he slotted himself between your thighs, and now face to face, he studies your cuts and bruises, already fading away as his eyes, soft and glistening, flick over your features. Like he’s debating if his kisses will help them heal faster too.

Gods, if he brings those lips anywhere near your face, you might combust.

You meet his gaze, “What—”

“I lied.”

It comes as a whisper, his voice dry and low that you tilt your head, urging him to continue.

“I’m not some mortal soul, dredging their way through Tartarus,” Zagreus grinds out, scanning your face as if committing you to memory one last time. Then he sits back and stares at the floor, still gripping your hand as he rubs circles over the bandage. “I mean, it’s true I intend to escape the Underworld.”

“Zagreus—”

“And yes, I’m searching for my mother—”

“Zag—”

“But I’m really—”

“My prince.”

He flinches, his eyes shooting up to meet yours. “What?”

“None of this is your fault, my prince. With or without your influence, I’d have done the same thing anyway.” He gapes at you and you smirk, using the little strength you’ve recovered to squeeze his hand reassuringly, “Or would you rather I address you as Your Highness instead?”

Zagreus shakes his head, black hair flopping out of his shocked face. “I don’t understand. You knew?”

“For a bit now, yes,” You shrug as you turn his hand over, large and calloused in yours, swiping a thumb over one of his healed blisters, probably from gripping his weapons. “Took me a while to figure it out, but I can’t say I was surprised. It explained some of your funny behavior.”

He scoffs, the corners of his lips twitching slightly, “What sort of funny behavior?”

“Pretend all you like, but you can’t suppress those noble habits,” You chuckle, eyes crinkling seeing him cheer up. “All your mannerisms screamed ‘royal’, I just didn’t realize we were talking Underworld royalty.”

“Seriously?” Zagreus gazes at you in disbelief. “I thought I did a pretty good job acting—”

“Like a commoner?”

“Like a mortal,” He shoots you a pointed look, and you snort, relaxing into the love seat.

“You were okay.” You purse your lips, “While we’re on the subject of identity reveals, you should know I’m—”

“A succubus?”

You blink before pouting, snatching your hand away to cross your arms over your chest. “You only say that because I was about to tell you…”

“Not true,” Zagreus grins, leaning over to give your thigh an affectionate squeeze. “I knew from the beginning. Succubi magic doesn't affect gods, but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel it.”

“And you still stayed? Knowing what I am and what I do?”

“And you still treated me as any other friend, knowing who I am?”

“That’s not the same, and you know it.”

“I disagree,” He coaxes your hands into his, prompting you to meet his gaze as his expression shifts into something more earnest. “We both tried—and failed miserably—to hide a huge part of ourselves in fear of what we’d think of each other, am I wrong?”

You shake your head.

“Exactly. (Your Name), I hope you know not once did I think any less of you for your work, much less your species.”

You respond in kind, “And not once did I consider bowing down to the Prince of the Underworld, especially not after seeing him stuff his face with wraps he picked off the ground.”

He guffaws. “Good, then we’re in agreement?”

“I guess...”

“Just what every man wants to hear from a beautiful creature.” Ignoring the burn in your cheeks, you roll your eyes, and he adds, “But we’re okay? You won’t avoid me anymore?”

“I wasn’t avoiding you.”

“Sure you weren’t.”

“Keep that up, you won’t be seeing me for another couple runs.”

“I was agreeing with you!”

“Your tone said otherwise.”

By the time your shared laughter dies down, the atmosphere clears, leaving a comfortable silence settling in the small space between you. In that time, he’s yet to let go of your hands, your thighs brushing as he rubs soothing circles against your hands, and while he insists on staying until he’s sure you’re better, acceptance rushes over you like the oncoming tide, because try as you might, Alecto’s punishment was nothing in comparison to Zagreus’s absence. These fleeting moments he stops by your chamber, whether to recover, commission a painting, or to simply have a chat, you appreciate each and every one of them. If that’s all you’ll ever have with Zagreus, you decide, your chest tight with a melancholic warmth, then that's okay.

This is enough.

—

Soon after Zagreus reluctantly leaves you once more, he enters the last chamber of Tartarus.

“Redblood! What say you—ack—hey, I wasn’t done talking!”

If he prolongs their time together, allowing him to indulge his cruelty, then consider it time well spent.

—

AN: One of my biggest peeves in media tropes is the betrayal and angst as a reaction from hiding identities from s/o, like in superhero media. It's overplayed, overdone.

A good, recent example of this is the new animated Superman show, My Adventures with Superman, where (SPOILERS) Lois forces the truth out of Clark, and is pissed when he confirms he is Superman. Bro, you literally said to his face how you'd reveal his identity to the public, can you blame the guy? Idgaf you think he's lying ab his feelings omfg he's protecting his idenity (its a good show tho pls watch it!!)

However, a cartoon that does the scenario right is in the old Nickelodeon cartoon, Danny Phantom (some of yall may be too young to remember), the older sister, Jaz, of the mc, Danny, quietly realizes he's the superhero of their town, and decides to patiently wait for him to tell her when HE'S READY. Like askjgdaksjhf yassss we love patience and understanding.

Which is why I like to imagine while Zag didn't outright tell you who he is, he didn't try to hide it either. The underworld's a big ass place, he's got no control over who and what ppl say and do, so however you find out, whether in passing or of your own sleuthing skills, you both wait.

Ty for coming to my ted talk :D

[blindbeta]

hi, this is like, a REALLY oddly specific question, but i wanted to ask. would it be seen as wrong if i were to have my character's guide dog be in some way magical?

for more context on the specific situation, my characters are in a world where basically nothing is without some level of magic to it. my character has a guide dog, but i felt like it didn't fit the theme to have just. a normal dog? because i wouldn't put a normal dog somewhere else. the dog isn't like, telepathic or able to fix her blindness, (ive made it VERY clear to myself that at no point will i do that) i was mostly thinking something like the dog having some sort of elemental component to it, which would be a pretty common power in this world.

I just wanted to make sure it fit in with the rest of the characters in its world, instead of sticking out as just kinda being shoved in with no worldbuilding around it. there wouldn't really be 'normal' animals normally, so it feels like underdeveloped worldbuilding if i don't.

I'm worried though, that this is going to be wrong in the way that it'd seem... glamorizing? that's not what i intend, but I don't want it to come off as something in that vein. if that makes sense.

i hope this is like. sensible to ask about and not wasting your time. thank you so much, and thank you in general for running this blog, i think it's a really great resource.

I think having a magical guide dog is fine. You aren’t using the magic to erase the handler’s disability, as you mentioned. As long as you are actively working on that, it seems fine to me.

As long as the animal can make a good guide, be trained from infancy, and can navigate well, it doesn’t matter if they are a magical creature.

I list some qualities a guide should have in this post if it helps.

@moth-time created an excellent addition to this post in the notes:

i reread the guide linked by OP and now I'm thinking some kind of earth elemental or otherwise particularly magically heavy/stocky dog could be neat, bc it provides more stability than a regular dog (so more like a miniature horse). it could have a rocky/armored back that is easier to lean on than slippy dog skin, for example. Much like irl certain dog breeds are favored as guide dogs bc of breed specs, a magical universe could favor "earth elemental dogs" for same reason

you could have some magical component of the dog be helpful to the guided person, though i am struggling to come up with a good one for a blind guide dog. But for example a fire elemental therapy dog that can regulate it's body to be toasty warm and offer deep pressure and temperature therapy would be neat. It doesn't negate or "fix" the disability, but it's a little different/more magical while still recognizable

BlindBeta’s thoughts:

So I love this. An earth type dog would add excellent stabilization, orientation, and be additionally good at avoiding obstacles such as uneven ground. They could be great for balance and probably deep pressure therapy as well. Maybe they are favored as guide dogs because they are dependable, while also good at selective disobedience to keep a blind person safe, such as refusing to cross the street when it is dangerous (due to quiet cars or such). I could also see water or air type dogs being good alert dogs, perhaps.

Also not sure how common this is, but on this page about seizure alert dogs from the epilepsy foundation, it says some dogs are trained to put their body between the handler and the floor to cushion falls. Air type dogs might good at this because they are probably softer and could gently cushion a falling person without them hitting the floor.

I also had an idea that wood types might be more flexible and good assistance dogs for older adults, wheelchair users, etc. Like dog breeds, they have certain qualities that make them good at assistance, such as being depended on to retrieve any number of items, pull door handles, etc.

This is fun. I would love to see ideas from anyone else.

[stuckinapril]

hello! i also don't have instagram (and personally i've really enjoyed my time having) but i wanted to also ask how/what your experience has been without it (and also ashstfu's if they want to share :))

p.s. i love your blog mwah!!

Ash has absolutely no regrets hahaha. Like she gives no fucks about not having ig at all. It makes sense bc she’s a lowkey person to begin with / prefers to stay out of the loop. The pros outweigh the cons for me as well, but I’ll give you a comprehensive list anyway so you can make your own conclusions. Hope this helps <3

Cons:

There’s less to talk about w your friends. Unless you talk w that particular friend on a daily basis, not many people will be good about updating you about their lives. I actually found that watching people’s stories helps me start a conversation w them on whatever their stories were about, whereas if you don’t have insta you kind of have to dig. A lot of people are just used to others watching their stories rather than actually having a conversation about it, so this could impede communication w more casual friends (or even close ones honestly if they’re just bad at socializing, which a lot of people are now precisely due to apps like ig).

Lots of casual friendships will fizzle out. Insta is perceived as more casual than text, so many people would rather text you through ig rather than something like iMessage. This shouldn’t be a big con if you don’t care about superficial friends to begin w, but if you do it might be a dramatic change / might start to feel lonely.

Small, independently owned businesses love to update through ig, so if you follow those you’ll need another source to stay in the loop through. Same goes w album drops / tours / tickets. That kind of information is almost always shared through Instagram first.

Orgs love to update through insta as well, whether it be your uni orgs or nonprofit orgs. You’ll have to work a little harder to extract information your peers might have acquired just by checking their stories.

I used to follow the paris review / ny times / the new yorker / the washington post etc etc, and I actually really enjoyed their daily posts/stories. Same goes for the once-a-day poem accounts I followed. This is an easy fix tho bc I just substituted it w subscribing to their daily newsletters / one poem a day newsletters, but if you’re not into that maybe take this into consideration.

You kind of become?? A ghost??? The moment you decide to eschew an ig presence, you become inconvenient to a lot of people who couldn’t be bothered to hit you up & learn what’s going on in your life. So definitely prepare to find out who really cares and who doesn’t when you deactivate insta hahahah. This was a pro to me, but I can understand why it’s a con for a lot of people who like their casual networks.

Pros:

You don’t have the compulsion to check on anybody else. At all. Which is good, bc the human brain is absolutely not designed to know what 800 people are doing at any given moment. It’s too much. It leaves you burned out bc of media consumption overload, but not many people realize this. I realized it once I deactivated Insta & magically started having a will to live again hahah.

You won’t be in an imaginary competition w other people. Instagram is all about glamor. It’s all about fabricating a life that does not actually exist, for the purpose of impressing people you don’t actually know. Once you have insta out of your system, you’ll stop comparing your life w the make-believe lives people on Instagram want you to think are actually real. I had a very bad phase of comparing myself bc of ig, so deactivating it really helped me not be so hard on myself.

No FOMO. You won’t feel like you constantly have to be updated on your insta feed. You don’t need to know what celebrity selfie #827262626 is or story #2728727 is about.

You won’t feel the dying need to be perceived. Every trip isn’t about taking pictures you can post on your ig. Every good thing in your life doesn’t have to be something that gets broadcasted to your followers. You’ll enjoy sweet moments in the privacy of your own mind, and you’ll go somewhere for the simple joy of going somewhere rather than posting about it for validation, and you’ll be more present in general. Big pro for me. Very big pro.

No creeping your significant other’s insta to see who they followed, what they liked, etc. Blessed to have never fallen victim to this.

You’ll actually discover who your real friends are—the people who actually make the effort to hit you up to know what you’re up to, rather than choose the path of least resistance (liking your picture and moving on with their lives a second later).

Less time on your phone!!! This is so important. This genuinely scares me sometimes, bc imagine how many hours it would be if you summed every hour you spent glued to your phone over your whole life. The answer will always be too many. We already have so little time on this earth. Digital minimalism really is the way to go if you want to live a life you won’t abhor on your deathbed. This is not impossible to achieve while also having an ig, but this app has been designed by several people to be as addictive as possible. Sometimes deactivating it is better than simply minimizing it.

[hairscare]

can we have a Satan family tree bcos i am stupid 🤷‍♀️🫶

oughhh i just wrote out an entire thing and then the app crashed

umm so satan is married to beelzebub but satan also has his past self lucifer dormant inside of him who emerges once a year like a butterfly from the chrysalis that is satans body (satan is basically a dead body at this point and he only comes back when lucifer crawls back into him like his glamorous skeleton) and lucifer is also married to beelzebub bc hes been in love w lucifer since before the fall so yeah polyamorous for one guy. anyways so then one time theres an offshoot of lucifers light that turns into lumiloriol so beelzebub and satan get their faux angel baby. then during one of satans fiery rages paezel pops out of his blazing hate fire and theyre like okay baby #2. its around here that they bring up the idea to the other deadly sins to have titled prince heirs so then beelzebub needs to make one which is gaglug (its the only one whos planned). then finally avaledine is born similarly to paezel though she comes from satans simmering quiet anger hence why shes blue and less outward in her anger compared to paezel. anyways so each demon magic asexual reproduction baby only has 1 genetic parent but theyre all raised by satan and beelzebub as both of their kids. lucifer tries to be a good dad when hes out and about but hes not nearly as good at parenting as satan is. anyways yeah hope this helps and does not make it even more confusing

[astrid-beck]

a random headcanon that is not supported by the text? a random headcanon that IS supported by the text? also, thoughts on astrid and schools of magic? i think fanon consensus is that she's an illusionist because of how she uses changeable glamors at the dinner (and mercer twitter lore is that glyph chant is reskinned bladesinging, so she has those stats when her glyph chant is up) and illusionist astrid is compelling so why not, but i have seen arguments for why other schools would also be interesting.

weirdly i haven't thought very much about astrid's subclass. i'm instinctively fond of evoker astrid because i love when she does big ugly damage and i like the idea of academy bren and astrid in direct collaboration/competition but. okay let me spitball for a minute. misogyny is obviously a little different in exandria, but from a real-world perspective illusion is a very feminine kind of magic. In a lot of historical contexts it is the worst thing a woman can do, see "art" and and artifice as signs of deceptiveness, moral degeneracy and promiscuity, feminine lack of mental fortitude, "God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another", etc. Illusionism makes you femme fatale coded by default.

So there's something very interesting about illusionist astrid bc i don't actually think we have any reason to believe she relies on weaponized femininity. She's hard and mean and severe and handsome and she goes by "Master". I think Bren was far more charismatic (and prettier), and far more reliant on it--Caleb in-campaign has that 16 CHA, he actively uses essek and lucien's attraction to him to get what he wants, he is a con man when we first meet him, he can really turn on charisma and charm when he wants to. Caleb has to consciously turn it on, but i don't think Bren did, I think he was just a very charming and pretty young man.

So what that would mean for an illusionist astrid is that bren left, and she sort of became a mechanical imitation of him, not naturally suited to that kind of soldiery but she's a good wizard, she's a quick study, she can put her mind to it. In a lot of ways Astrid was forced to be a less-good version of Bren, the second choice, not the son student her father master wanted. And she knows this. Trent says it to her face in 110. It's true right up through the end when she gets the assembly appointment only after it is offered to Caleb.

To answer your supported-by-the-text headcanon question, i think maybe she expected to be an evoker and switched paths, probably at trent's behest, because ultimately her magic and study is not for her personal interest, she doesn't get to be a self-obsessed wizard like wealthy mages do. she's an employee. her magic is a weapon and it is owned by the man who writes her paycheck, it will be developed in whatever way he thinks is most useful for the empire.

(i just finished c2 ama)

[a-little-bitchyandwitchy]

Does anyone have any witchy acne/skincare tips. Even glamor magic tips, but my face ance is so bad, I think it might be fungal or smthn bc I have like 3 days a month with clear skin and thats it. I have an event soon and need to get pictures done. So pls lmk if you have anything 🥰

For reference: I usually wash my face with cleanser then put on witch hazel toner, let it sit, then put on moisturizer.

[scarlet--wiccan]

What are some things you think are necessary to have on a Wanda costume? Personally I think that all of her costumes should have a cape, long gloves & gold jewellery (+ some pink bc imo the pink & red colour scheme is way better)

Her headpiece; long gloves; jewelry; either a cape, cloak, or skirt, but I'm not picky; and some kind detailing that sets her costume apart from the standard superhero aesthetic, and makes her look more like a magic and fantasy character. And this is more subjective, but I really like the wide neckline on her 2016 costume and the shoulder cutouts on both her current look & the Crossing design-- I think that shoulder/collarbone peakaboo is a really fun signature for her.

Obviously, the most essential component is the headpiece. You'd think that would go without saying, but she has had a few costumes that either don't include it, or include a version that's too heavily modified. At this point, it really is her defining visual characteristic, and it's been incorporated into her lore-- it's something she shares with her predecessors, and it's a symbol of her magical title & lineage. She needs it, and frankly, I think Billy should have one, too. She ditches the headpiece most often when she's being posessed or manipulated

I'm of the personal opinion that magic characters, particularly spellcasters and mages, should not wear conventional superhero suits. I prefer for them to wear separate garments with more adornments and acessories than you might ordinarily see. So while I do like Wanda's classic costumes, I don't think that type of look is right for her anymore, because I want her to stand out in the Avengers lineup as a witch or sorceress, not just a lady in a leotard.

To that end, I do think accessories are really important. Gold and red jewelry look really good on her, and they're a big feature in some of my favorite costumes. You're absolutely correct that long gloves are a must-- it's part of a very specific, glamorous aesthetic that Wanda vocally expresses an interest in throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s, not to mention this hilarious moment--

I know, I know, I've posted this panel a million times.

[midnightfire830]

I am doing good! 😊 i wanna ask about Nix in Inky Mystery AU, not sure if you answered that before- but whats his role exactly in IM?? Is he an ally to the questers?? And whats his talent?? :3

Interesting question! I’m so glad people are showing interest in Nix! I appreciate it a lot!

I wont explain too much about his backstory right not (because that’s a whole mess of lore) but he was picked up by Mickey’s circus in Europe and taken to America. He performs in the circus by doing flying and fire trick stunts. They call him the “human pheonix” (ironically enough). Whenever he’s not doing shows he helps in any way he can to make other shows go smoothly. (Also making sure that there aren’t any fire hazards that could burn down the circus) and is (kind of) a quote-unquote “magic expert” on fantastic creatures or any kinds of magic the circus comes across (although his knowledge on the subject isn’t all that vast).

Later on as mickey and ozzy become more involved in the quest he’d show up from time to time offering to help the questers in any way he can. Mostly running errands for red, granny, and oddswell. Delivering messages between the house and the circus. Helping to distribute medicine for the sick. (Especially after the fire) He uses his ability to fly to help people in any possible way.

In terms of people he interacts with he’d be kidna close to Boris and Winston. (Especially when boris starts coming around for sword lessons with mickey) and Winston because…. Fire. I’d like to say that he’d interact with cup from time to time (but that might be just because I’m obsessed with cup lol) and Holly and Felix a little because ancient magical creature. :P

(I try not to push my OCs into main plot stuff. Bc that always feels weird to me, but sometimes i like to indulge)

His talent is Sight. He has weirdly good vision. I have a list somewhere of his capabilities but i dont really care to look for it. Main things relevant to IM is he’s able to see for long distances. X-ray, heat signatures, he can see through some magic (like glamor spells), and he can see everything in color. Thing is he doesn’t realize he shouldn’t see color so he’ll offhandedly mention how much he loves the colors of some flowers or compliments someone’s eyes and just get weird looks in return.

Thanks so much for the ask Melody!

[eerna]

After i looked closer i realised that the editor was sleeping the whole tsh duology.Since tsh there was a messed up timeline wren will say that she was ten during tqn and then eleven when holly confirmed in 2020 that oak was canonically eight in tqn and then in tpt oak says"ten years in her reign"they werent even ten years since cardan got to power and wren sayng that she lived almost 2 years in tct doesnt make sense when she told us that they took her when cardan got to power,beetwen cardan coronation and tqn there are only eleven months definetly not almost two years.In tpt oak thinks that dain is the one who posioned liriope when in tsh oak says"at dains ORDERS she got poisoned".Oriana having wings after there was a whole speech about how she doesnt.In tsh the merrow sayng that the queen and her doughter have problems and then in tpt everyone sayng QUEEN Nicasia,i dont think Nicasia got a doughter in whatever years have passed.Cardan being suprised about the geas when in TWK theres a whole scene when he test her to see if she has a geas.In tsh there was a line that got repeteadet and that bothered me a lot.The amount of times oak says "Nonthless".The gramatical errors in tpt💀.Somoane needs to ger her a new editor asap!.Also there was someone who pointed that in TWK jude will complain about the salty water while she pretendet that she was glamored but we know that salt stops the glamour.I could say some thinghs a out tqn but i think there are just minors errors compared with what happened with tsh and tpt.

LOLLLL RIGHT!!!! Yes I love these books to bits. Yes I clown on how badly edited they are. The duality!!!

(I gotta say I think the saltiness of the sea is different and I sort of like it bc realistically the sea fae shouldn't be capable of doing any magic at all since they are constantly inhaling and exhaling salt through their gills)

[vlovebug]

Valentine headcannons because I can.

turning and after (I can't find why he was turned so I'm making my own way) and general

(I'll be honest some of these don't make sense but neither do I)

(I'm taking things from other vampire movies and applying them to monster-high vampires, mainly The Little Vampire ( 2007), all Hotel Transylvania movies, and some things from redacted audios ( yes I pulled this card so what)

he was turned only because of that old vampire dude (I forgot his name but he was the bad guy that was in charge of the vampire heart thing) needed a soldier and he had a magic core, so he was chosen with his mom

he had his magic core (power core or something) before his turning.

old vampire dude taught him that stealing love was the only right way to get it.

he was forced to train in many ways. ( fighting, torture, self-defense, etc)

at first, he refused to drink any type of blood because he was disgusted with himself, so he only went off love but that soon changed as he wasn't getting enough.

he was told if he didn't do something right, he would be starved ( cruel)

he struggled with his strengths for a long while, breaking things and bending them without warning. because of this, he has to keep a very good hold on his emotions ( news flash, he can't do that very well)

his fangs would cut his lips and tongue constantly so they had to put stuff on his fangs to protect his mouth ( modern stuff includes foram and just hiding his fangs in his gums)

he has to make himself look more human when going out ( fangs back into gums, sunglasses, something longsleeved or something that covers his skin from the sun rays, he will also just make glamors( magic covers) over himself if he's feeling lazy)

he can heal himself and others if needed (I've seen vampires be able to do that so all vampires that learn it can do it)

all vampires' eyes do that thing where the pupils shrink ( predator stare), some do it on purpose and some only do it when threatened.

his eye color can go from red to pink depending on if he drank blood or went off love. his eyes are pink 80% of the time

he can make illusions but depending on the size it can only last so long.

he can fly ( more like float but it is kinda of the same thing)

all vampires have bat forms ( we know this where am I going with this?)but they can also have a pair of small bat wings and tails on their forms at all times ( kinda like a hybrid of sorts, this is only the case if they get their bat form and go through a transformation ( vampire puberty )

he makes bat sounds (I love bat sounds, they itch my brain)

he likes putting his hair in styles his mom used to wear in BC ( or was it AD?)

he has daggers hidden on his person at all times because of monster/ vampire hunters

he likes to make fun of and torture hunters

he artistic

15 languages ( both verbal and nonverbal)

he can't sing but boy can he hum

has had his core touched and he punched the shit out of the person that did the touching out of shock.

he doesn't use his arms or hands in fights often because he likes kicking people

cries blood instead of water

has a pet reptile ( haven't decided which one)

has a HUGE soft spot for animals ( less for flying monkeys but he still loves the nice ones)

absolutly hates tomaotes, apples, bellpepers, anything with a bad texture, smell, or colour ( same)

we know he has a sweet tooth but I think he wouldn't like dark chocolate (I'm just giving him more of my traits at this point)

he bites ice cream and then whines when it hurts his teeth from the cold

he accidentally locks himself in places you wouldn't expect ( expert in finding spots that get you stuck 🤝)

in the comic thing, he's not seen till he's ready. based on that I would think that He is really hard to find when he doesn't want to be seen and can hide his presence ( how does that work? We will never know)

He can't spell nor remember easy words but can somehow be completely fine with large words ( ah yes another of my problems given to my comfort character)

he has a heart on his chest ( did I say this already?)

hes flexible as fuck ( military training ?)

he teaches spelldon and others he knows stuff that they wanna learn ( if he knows how ofc)

he never lies ( after the movie ofc) because he knows the truth will only hurt more with lies.

can be protective when with people

Mom friend ( mom friend)

( if they become friends) Draculaura tottled his car once and he's banned her from driving his car ( I would too)

can braid hair like no other, you need to fix your hair? he's there with a hair tie ( only if you tell him the can ofc)

I'm done, my brain is fried and I'm losing my ability to spell.