#been thinking about Blitz a lot lately

[hina-has-no-life]

We all know how fucked up the situation is for Stolas...but have we thought about how strong of an aneurism Blitz has to get anytime he even looks at Stolas?

Stolas is not just the demon he loves. Stolas is a royal, an Ars Goetia. He is the man Blitz is using. He is married and has a kid, a kid that Blitz KNOWS. He is a childhood friend. He is the son of the guy his dad sold him to for 5$ and a condom. He is the guy Blitz has wonderful sex with. He is the guy Blitz thinks doesn't even like him but he's also doing nice things for him. He's the super powerful demon that saved his and his families life. He is the guy Blitz wants to hate but can't. He is the guy that admitted that Blitz was his only friend. He is the guy that had Blitz as his first gay sex experience. Stolas and Blitz are in an BDSM relationship. Stolas is the guy Blitz robbed TWICE. Stolas is the guy Blitz uses and hurts but Blitz also feels so so bad and guilty about it. Stolas is the guy Blitz feels safe with. No matter what Blitz does he feels so strong and so much for Stolas despite never wanting it. He is someone Blitz couldn't forget for over 2 decades after one afternoon together as kids.

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

Alright know what here's a little Guild Wars 2 reblog game for everybody; what mounts (if any) do your characters have in their canon, do they have names? Personalities? How'd they meet??

Spill it all below, tell me about all your creatures!!

[bibluebutterfly]

One thing I appreciate Helluva doing is how it establishes Stolas as a good, sweet person but doesn't excuse his actions.

A lot of people have been saying for some time that Helluva turned Stolas into a sad owl boi, which true, but at the same time it still works as that is who Stolas is at his core. He's depressed, repressed, and is dealing with some shitty stuff at the moment.

HOWEVER, even though he never means to hurt anyone, it doesn't change the fact that he still does. The show in season one held him accountable as a loving father to Octavia, still held him accountable when he unintentionally ignored her discomfort and not wanting to be there.

In the new Music Video it does the same with Blitz. We now know why he pursued Blitz, why he was so comfortable cheating on Stella, and why he was so forward with his dirty talk. But misunderstanding or no, it doesn't change the fact that Stolas still screwed up during his arrangement with Blitz. Even if he didn't mean to and thought it was something they both wanted, it doesn't change the fact that he still took advantage of a power imbalance and ignored the hints that Blitz may not have been as happy as he was.

And the show makes him take accountability for that. It has him address the fact that he was wrong, and that he's going to do everything in his power to make amends. Even if that means never seeing Blitz again.

I think that's such an important lesson in media. That even if you don't realize you hurt someone until it's too late, it doesn't change the fact that you still hurt them. You can be a genuinely good person who means no harm, but if you hurt someone you hurt someone and you need to take responsibility for that.

(Also it must be said that Blitz screws up too. He doesn't comprehend that Stolas can get hurt in any way, so that leads to him thinking he can do whatever he wants with and to Stolas and that Stolas will still be there. He doesn't think he needs to worry about Stolas's feelings which can and will probably cause problems in the future. Also it has to be said that even though Blitz does see Stolas as unreachable and above him, it doesn't change the fact that Blitz too took advantage of a married mans attraction to him in order to steal from him. Also Stolas wasn't Blitz's ONLY option to the human world, it was simply the EASIEST. But Blitz has been being called out by other characters so I think that's why the fandom is easier on him.)

Basically, both Stolas and Blitz are equally as guilty. But I love how Helluva sets them both as sympathetic, caring characters and yet still holds them responsible for their actions.

[clairdelunelove]

dry the rain

simon 'ghost' riley x reader

genre: fluff! (rainy day drabble)

warnings: slightly suggestive, cursing, awkward!ghost

synopsis: getting caught up in the rain during a mission is pretty miserable. but ghost makes it his goal to keep you dry and warm– even if it includes shedding off a layer!

a.n. I've been pushing myself to write more and I had a small idea come to mind since it's been raining a lot recently! personally, I imagine him in his 'jawbone' outfit in this one! stay safe, cuties! and if you wish to show more support here's my kofi! <3

-

-

-

thinking about ghost's inner dilemma when the weather gets colder and he realizes that he'd offer anything to you– including his clothes.

-

missions in the rain were, in many cases, the absolute worst. unbearably muddy terrain caused the task force to reroute several times, delaying the overall pick-up time, and he was essentially losing his patience over the whole ordeal. he still had inventory to check, weapons to reload, and strategies to draft. too much on the agenda; too little time. a huff leaves his lips as he hankers down in a rather secluded spot. there aren’t too many recruits flocking around him in this area since they’re preoccupied with shielding away from the incessant rainstorm. many of them crowd around large trees to find cover under the broad leaves. some were huddling to retain warmth because the onslaught of rain meant that a frigid breeze accompanied it. but he settles in the outskirts and it's tolerable. he’s adapted to shouldering the storm and chilliness. though, he does admit that the downpour was intense and his drenched balaclava was a consequence of that. it was so damp and sodden that it clung uncomfortably to the contours of his face. his hand claws at the front of his mask to ease the irritating feeling.

ghost who overhears your quiet sniffling despite your efforts of muffling the noise. it’s so hushed that he barely recognizes it over the harsh thundering of rain but his ears perk at the typical sound. and sure, he distinctly recalls that this is probably your first experience with such severe weather since you were belatedly tossed into this group but it’s a run-of-the-mill incident. technically, it’s not his problem. the icy wind is numbing enough to discern that a person is bound to experience some of the symptoms that coexist with this type of extreme weather. it’s only natural– nothing to fret over. yet, his head turns in your direction before logic can kick in. 

ghost who stiffly asks, “you cold?” like his eyes don’t frantically scan your face for any signs of discomfort. he’d already deduced your current state; spotting the blueish tint creeping up on the edge of your lips and how your eyes appear hazy. he shoves himself into your proximity and at this angle his physique engulfs you. his gloved hand reaches to push the hood of his khaki poncho down so he can properly assess your condition and at this moment he’s unbothered by how sopping wet his mask is. or how intense the rain is. doesn’t care about it anyway– just intends on helping you.  with rain droplets pouring down your face, you look like a hollow version of yourself. vaguely perceives the nauseating tug in his chest when you manage a bleak smile and joke, “was unprepared for this since I didn’t know it’d be raining cats and dogs.” 

ghost who knowingly shakes his head at your banter but still indulges you by murmuring, “is that how the sayin’ goes?” because he fancies the way your lips curl into a lopsided grin. thunder rumbles in the distance and the cozy moment is partially interrupted. ghost notices that your shoulders tense at the occasional roar and you absentmindedly hum in response to his question. you have the best intentions but it’s too late because he’s uttering a curse as your teeth chatter from the blitz of a strong gust of wind that seeps through your layers of clothing. 

ghost who silently begins to shed off his poncho; his only layer of rain-resistant clothing. doesn’t mull over the consequences of catching a cold or worse– never even considers it. he’s prepared to sacrifice for you. “oh,” he hears your surprised gasp and sees how quickly your hands outstretch to ward off his offering, “you need it more than I do, lieutenant. thank you though.” and there’s that sheepish smile on your face again. the flicker of your eyes informs him that you’re embarrassed for needing extra support. for being human. and he’ll never quite understand how genuinely selfless you are. the trait is synonymous to you and a source of strength that is entirely yours to keep. to thrive off of. “s’just take it, pup,” his voice rumbles as profound as a pass of thunder, “you’re cold.” 

ghost who jabs, “don’t fancy carryin’ ya when you get fuckin’ hypothermia,” and then adds under his breath, “don’t want to risk it. ‘specially not with you.” the first half is a total lie and it’s obvious by how he shifts when he says it. he’d carry you to the ends of the earth. however, the second half of his comment is drowned out by the ample rainfall. and you never do hear those words that would’ve kept you warm for eternity but you’re given the next best circumstance when he crouches closer to you. the pouches of his tactical vest, housing grenades or ammunition, dig into your chest and it’s supposed to be uncomfortable if it wasn’t for the gentle way ghost drapes the large garment over your shoulders. 

ghost who takes it upon himself to secure the poncho’s hood over your head so it rests snugly under your chin. you’re still shivering, hot puffs of air escape your lips, but the function of the extra layer slowly warms you up. his gaze on you is burning, “you don’t ever have to pretend,” and then murmurs, “not with me. not ever.” the fabric does its job immediately and shields you from the onslaught of rain. that isn’t the issue he’s concerned about, however.

ghost who, when he pulls away, sucks in a shaky breath because the view that greets him will frequent his dreams. he’s certain of it. his touch accidentally dips down to the slope of your collarbones and he’s directly reminded that you’re wearing his poncho. his clothes. and it drapes over your body so alluringly. dips and presses into every curve of your body. possessiveness creeps up on him like a threatened animal, baring sharp canines and all. your prying eyes don’t aid in the situation either. raking up his exposed forearms, sifting and inquisitive about the tattoos that swirl in a manic pattern. a rare strip of his skin that graces your vision. 

ghost who awkwardly indicates how the fabric loosely hangs off your upper torso since it’s made for his broader physique, “looks ridiculous,” but he’s tugging the hood of the poncho over your eyes. can’t physically operate when he watches how your dewy lashes flutter when he allows his fingers to graze over your shoulders and pat down the cloth for wrinkles. his actions are meant to be mindless, calculative, and intended to take his mind off of you. yet, he can’t– and doesn’t wish to. desires to douse himself in the ethereal glow you embody. the wide, grateful glint in your gaze that brands him vulnerable and when you smile up at him he feels the clouds break. lets the sun warm his skin.

[flower-boi16]

Why The "Their Both Meant to Be in the Wrong!" defense doesn't work

Lately I've commonly seen this defence levidied towards the show's writing of Stolitz everytime someone critizes season 2's handling of it, and in light of the recent episode I feel the need to cover it. So let's go over why this defence simply doesn't work, shall we?

1. Their mistakes are not equal

I already made a post about this before so I'll try to keep it brief; Stolas and Blitz's mistakes here aren't equal and the show can't act like they are. Stolas mistake was sexually abusing Blitz, trapping him in a situation where he has to agree to sleep with him or he'll lose the thing he needs for his job

Blitz' mistakes are...

Being kind of an ass to Stolas in Apology Tour

Not realizing that Stolas has genuine love for him due to being blinded by preconcieved notions he's had about him

Let's break these down, shall we?

This not on the same level as what Stolas was doing

Blitz isn't even in the wrong for this. Again I talked about this before in my post about Viv's tweet but. Blitz is not in the wrong here for not believing that Stolas loves him, after all, what reason does he even have? Stolas has done nothing but sexually abuse and constantly belittle Blitz, and even those "nice things" aren't suddenely enough to balance out those bad actions, they are far too small to actually make up for the shit Stolas did to Blitz.

None of these mistakes are remotely the same level as what Stolas did to Blitz especially when you start putting in context here. Stolas was doing what he was doing to Blitz were all purely for his own selfish pleasure while Blitz' actions were more understandable once you look at things from his perspective.

You can't pretend that Blitz and Stolas' actions are somehow the same level when they simply are not. The actions from both characters should be equally as bad when you put in the context, but here it simply isn't.

2. Stolas' mistakes are never acknowledged

I've seen a lot of people trying to say that one of Stolas' mistakes here is that he "isn't self-aware enough" to realize how he treated Blitz not as a why to excuse him but to try and deny the argument that the show is victimizing him. There are two problems with this;

There isn't any actual indication of this being case within the show, this was just something that Viv made up in a tweet she posted after the full moon aired and everyone suddenely started parrotting it around. This was suppoused to be character trait for Stolas than that should have been made more clear from the narrative.

Let's say for a sec that the narrative does make it clear that Stolas has little self-awarness; well, it still fails because the show never calls this out. The show never calls out Stolas' lack of self-awarness in these scenes, if the show really was trying to hold them both accountable then Stolas' flaws here should be properly addressed by the narrative, but they aren't. It's a similar issue to Charlie from HB's sister show; the narrative is aware of the flaws the character has but it never chooses to call out or confront these flaws because it's too busy idealizing/babying the character to do that. Stolas' flaws SHOULD be addressed by the narrative if Viv really is trying to make them both flawed, but no, only Blitz flaws are acknowledged while Stolas' aren't.

That's bad writting. 90% of the blame is put on Blitz while Stolas is solely painted as someone hurt by Blitz' actions. The only time where Stolas' actions are seen as bad is when he was SA Blitz, which is good but...since it's coming alongside moments that demonize Blitz for not seeing that Stolas loves him, it runs hollow and still comes across and victimizing Stolas here as someone hurt by Blitz in spite of holding him accountable (and also because, once again, Blitz is not in the wrong for thinking this even if he has biases). The show is still directly demonizing Blitz for being hurt by Stolas' actions here, so it runs hollow.

3. Blitz still gets all the blame

People constantly complain about antis "picking sides" when you aren't suppoused to, but I don't think you can blame people for doing that when the show itself is picking sides. The show puts all the blame onto Blitz here, painting him as the one mostly in the wrong here and an asshole for hurting Stolas' feelings.

Despite what fans try to argue, the framming of the show makes Stolitz look completely black and white; Blitz is the asshole who hurt poor Stolas' feelings and Stolas is the one who maybe made some mistakes but is mostly innocent here guys! I'm really sick of people trying to argue about this being a grey reletionship when it's not, if Viv wants it to be a grey reletionship then she's doing a shit tier job at it due to the framming of the show.

Blitz is the one who the show mostly demonizes here, he's the one who the show sees as the worst person here who needs to change, while Stolas is painted as the "bigger" person. That's not mutual toxicity. If that was what the show was aiming for then the show would call them both out on their bullshit, but it doesn't.

Conclusion

Just wanted to write this quick post because I was sick of seeing this defense over and over again when it came to this reletionship. Guys, Stolitz is suppoused to be a mutually toxic reletionship, then the show's framming is fumbling it significantly. The writting for the reletionship here is just plain bad.

[lunnybunny12]

Blitz x Reader (patching him up)

Masterlist

REQUESTS OPEN

This is mostly word vomit but hope you enjoy it.

Blitz comes back from a job pretty beaten up.

"Hey, Loona? its getting late I'm gonna head home," you said, closing your computer.

"kay. See you tomorrow " she answered while still looking at her phone.

When you and Millie moved to the pride ring, nether of you expected to be working at I.M.P. Millie got a job there pretty much right away. She would always come home to your apartment frustrated because of the lack of organisation of jobs.

One day you decided to meet her at work and walked into chaos. piles and piles of paperwork strewed everywhere. You offered to help and the boss offered you a job. Its been a few years since then.

"Thank you." you chimed.

Just as you were about to go file away the last few documents and head home, the portal to Earth opened. Moxie and Milie came through with a few scratches but Blitz took one step and then fell flat on his face.

"Holey fuck what happened?" you asked picking up Blits and dragging him to a chair.

"OW! ow ow. Some fucker got me a few times" Blitz said through his teeth.

"I'll say" Millie huffed " The guy practically had him on the ropes"

You looked at Blitz who had a look on his face that read: angry and embarrassed.

" Ah Thank you, Millie. Ever the ray of sunshine" Blitz growled at her.

"Ha ha well... Sir we're going to call it a night. It's uh getting kind of late" Moxie nervously chuckled

"Yea. You all go home. I'll lock up and see you tomorrow"

After that Blitz shuffled himself into his office and closed the door behind him. A few drops of blood followed behind him.

"How... bad was he hurt?" you asked walking to get the first aid kit from the shelf.

"Not bad enough to go to the hospital but he was definitely shaken"

"You want me to help you patch him up?"

"Nah Loona I'll be fine. Could you keep an eye on him when he gets home?"

---------------

The second that door closed behind him Blitz silently screamed in embarrassment.

He got his ass kicked, fell flat on his face and had Millie make him look like an absolute idiot. AND HE DIDN'T EVEN KILL THE GUY!

And to make things worse it happened all in front of you. He could've melted into that chair.

Since you were hired the two of you have flirted back and forth originally for Blitz it was entirely work place banter. Something to piss off Moxie and to keep up moral but as time went on he started to like you more and more.

Blitz was brought back to reality when he heard a knock on the door.

"Hey handsome, how you doing?" you chimed, closing the door behind you.

He felt heat rush to his face.

"I thought you went home?" he chuffed

"nope. Can't have my favourite boss die. who would sign my paycheck?" you winked.

Blitz laughed "And here I was thinking you liked me for my dazzling personality"

You smiled and gave him a quick look over. he had a few cuts on his face and arms but no sign of where the blood could be coming from. His face was pretty red too.

"Come on pretty boy, can sit on the desk?"

He sent you a pained look.

"Well...it's either you sit on the desk or I sit on your lap"

"OOO is that supposed to be a threat, sweetheart? He smiled wiggling his eyebrows making you blush.

You rolled your eyes and helped him to the desk. It was a bit of a struggle to lift him up there.

"Wow, your desk is huge!"

"Yeah, I get that a lot " He was about to stretch but then recoiled in pain making the pair of you chuckle again.

A while later he was all bandaged up and the bleeding had stopped.

"Ok. I'm gonna clean the cuts on your face and then I'm taking you home."

"You don't have to do that "

"Yea well it's gonna happen and I don't wanna hear you complain about it. Plus it gives me an excuse to hang out with you longer so that's that."

You had a cotton pad with antiseptic hovering over his face.

"This is gonna sting a little but I need you to stay still"

"OW"

Your hand went under his chin to make him look at you. For a second your eyes locked. You could see so many emotions swirling around and you felt your face heat up.

"I-Im sorry" you stammerd

"Wha - no no you... do what you need to do"

That's when the pair of you saw the position you were in. You were stood between his legs. Your faces were inches away from each other and both your hands were on his face.

You both felt as if you were on fire.

Eventually, he swallowed his pride and asked "Can I uh... try something?"

You nodded.

He nervously wrapped his arms around your waist and brought you even closer into a hug. Suddenly ...his cuts didn't hurt anymore.

"Thank you, by the way. I haven't had someone care about me in a while"

A shakey sigh escaped you as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders to hug him back. Resting your head on top of his.

You both stayed like that for a while but you could've stayed there forever.

After you calmed down a little you guided his face to look at you again.

"Blitz?"

"Uh oh. You're using my name. Am I in trouble?"

Your face went red again " Do you wanna be?" you asked leaning in closer, your eyes flickering to his lips.

He quickly realized what you were talking about and he smiled the biggest grin you'd ever seen.

"Fuck yes"

[crystalofmoon19]

I Love You Too Much - Striker x Singer! Reader

Summary: You finally decided to confess your feelings to Striker and you were going to surprise him with a song that you composed for him.

Warnings: None! It's just pure love for Striker.

Word count: 1900

Song used: I Love You Too Much - The Book Of Life

(Note: This fic was going to be uploaded on Valentine's Day, but due to personal problems I’m uploading it now.)

Striker was in his lair sharpening his knife for his next mission, if he ever had one, he gave an annoyed snort, leaving his knife aside. He was really already tired of losing so many fights in vain, he wanted to get revenge on Blitz and Stolas for everything they had put him through, but in addition to thinking about them he also thought about you.

While he was losing his battles, he had also met you, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. You two met when Striker had to crash a party to kill one of his targets, you on the other hand were singing on the improvised stage that you and your friends had made.

Your voice was so beautiful and melodious that Striker couldn't help but be attracted to you.

Striker decided to talk to you once he finished targeting him and when he talked to you he realized that you were just as beautiful on the inside as you were on the outside. You valued life with a lot of love and compassion, very contrary to him who was just a dirty murderer who killed royalty, but still the two of you got along well and stayed in touch to this day.

Clearly Striker hasn't told you anything about his mercenary life, but ever since he met you he's had a big dilemma, whether to carry out his revenge against Blitz or...

“Leaving my life as a murderer to be with her.” .- Striker said out loud to himself.

It had taken him years to perfect his life as an assassin, but it was a life he didn't like living, having the stress all the time was killing him and being with you was so rewarding. He could be himself with you and you wouldn't judge him.

Striker continued with his train of thought until he heard a loud noise.

“Striker now has a letter from-!” Striker's mariachis sang in unison, who came out of his hiding place.

“GET OUT OF HERE!” Striker shouted angrily.

“No, no, sir, we have a letter for you!” .- One of the mariachis spoke, the elderly one with the big mustache.

"A letter?" .- Striker asked for the first and only time interested in his mariachis.

“That's right, sir, this letter is for you!” .- Said the female imp who with the others raised the letter for Striker to pick it up.

“It's Miss Y/N's, she told us to give it to you!”

“She is very pretty!”

Striker gave a sinister look at the imp who said that and got scared. This time his gaze went to the letter and he began to read it.

“Dear Striker…

Hi Striker, I know you're busy but I'd really like to see you soon. I've missed you a lot lately. Is it okay if we meet at the stream near my town during the sunset? I'll bring the food for a picnic and you could bring the wine.

I hope to see you again, Striker.”

- Y/N ♡

After finishing reading your letter, Striker couldn't help but smile and wag his tail with happiness. It had been a long time since he felt this happy and only you could make him happy.

And without thinking twice Striker started looking for the wine that he had saved for a while. He was so excited to see you again.

“Sir, are you okay?” .- Said one of the mariachis.

“I think it's the first time I've seen it like this.” .- Said another.

"Yes, me too."

“What did the letter say?”

“YOU GET OUT OF HERE!”

___________________________________________

You prepared the food basket, put the tablecloth, the candles and checked that everything was ready. There was only one more thing missing, your guitar. You really wanted to confess your feelings for Striker, and what better way to do it than with a song?

You mustered up the courage to write a letter to Striker and made an appointment to meet him at the stream that was near your town. You really wanted him to come.

“Miss Y/N, we're here!” .- One of Striker's mariachis spoke from the ground and you just laughed as you lifted them up with your hands.

“You're right on time, guys. Did you deliver my letter to Striker like I asked?”

“Yes, Miss Y/N!”

“We have never seen him so happy!”

“Well done, guys. Now as I promised, I will leave you some of my food if you help me with my song.”

“Yes, Y/N!”

"Thank you so much, guys."

With that the little mariachis got into the basket. You smiled leaving your house and headed to the place where you met Striker; you just hoped he could come.

You were still a little nervous about all of this. You loved Striker, but he had been busy with his work and you weren't sure if he would give you time to come over today; he was always very reserved with his work. You didn't know if confessing was a good idea or not, maybe Striker didn't see you the same way, but you still decided to risk confessing your feelings to him.

That's how you arrived at the aforementioned place, you took the blanket out of the basket and spread it, then you placed some candles; you wouldn't put the food out until Striker arrived, otherwise the food would get cold.

With everything ready, you just had to wait, so you just looked into the distance and sat on the floor while you tuned the chords of your guitar. You watched as Wrath's infernal sun slowly descended into the sunset, a short time later you heard Bombproof's gallop and quickly got up happy to see Striker; for his part, he left Bombproof near the tree, got off his horse, took out the wine, and greeted you with a gesture with his hat.

“Hello, darlin’.”

“Striker, I'm so happy to see you!” .- You hugged Striker without thinking twice, and he, although a little surprised, returned the hug.

“It seems like someone is very happy to see me.”

"You have no idea." .- You said, blushing on your cheeks and looking away from Striker.

"Are you hungry? If you want, we can start eating.”

“Sounds good to me, darlin’. “I brought your favorite wine.”

“Aw, Striker, thank you very much. “I just brought your favorite food.”

“You didn't have to do it, songbird.”

“I wanted to do it for you.”

“You are so sweet, sugarcube.”

A blush returned to your cheeks as you took the food out of the basket. With this you and Striker didn't stop talking to catch up on how they were while enjoying the food you prepared.

When the two of you finished eating, you settled down to drink the wine that Striker brought, he poured it into the glasses you brought and you gave a toast to this. With this you saw in the distance how the infernal sun of Wrath set in the evening.

“That's why I wanted you to come at this time, Striker. I wanted you to see the sunset of Wrath, our home.”

“Well, you're right, darlin'. The Wrath sunset is one of the best and from here you have a stunning view.”

“This feeling you have right now is the same feeling I feel when I'm with you, Striker.” .- You got closer to Striker and took his hands to look him in the eyes while he just looked at you a little surprised.

“What are you trying to say, darlin’?” .- Striker asked you while you raised your hand to your chest, taking a big breath. It was now or never.

“I think it would be best if I sing you a song about the feelings I have felt from my heart, Striker… Mi amor.”

Your words in Spanish caught Striker's interest as you picked up your guitar to start singing.

“I love you too much.”

“To leave without you loving me back.”

“I love you too much.”

“Heaven’s my witness and this is a fact.”

“I know I belong.”

“When I sing this song.”

“There’s love above love and it’s ours.”

“‘Cause I love you too much.”

Striker opened his eyes wide, he couldn't believe you were confessing in a love song, his rattle tail kept waving happily and he was smiling genuinely at your singing, he wanted to keep listening to your song, he was adoring you even more.

“I live for your touch.”

“I whisper your name, night after night.”

“I love you too much.”

“There’s only one feeling and I know it's right.”

“I know I belong.”

“When I sing this song.”

“There’s love above love and it’s ours.”

“‘Cause I love you too much.”

You gave a signal to the mariachis, they came out of the basket and joined you in your serenade playing their instruments.

“Heaven knows your name and I've been praying.”

“To have you come here by my side.”

“Without you a part of me is missing.”

“Just make you my home, I will fight.”

You continued the song playing the chords of your guitar, you felt like your heart was going to burst out of your chest at any moment, but on the other hand Striker was so surprised and at the same time he was loving you at every moment. He didn't even care that the mariachis were here anymore, he only had his eyes and ears for you.

“I know I belong.”

“When I sing this song.”

“There’s love above love and it’s ours.”

“‘Cause I love you too much.”

You kept a moment of silence where you took a big breath to sing the highest note.

“I Love…

“You too much!”

“I love you too much.”

“Heaven’s my witness and this is a fact.”

“You live in my soul.”

“Your heart is my goal.”

“There’s love above love and it’s mine cause I love you.”

“There’s love above love and it’s yours ‘cause I love you.”

“There’s love above love and it’s ours.”

“If you love me.”

“As much.”

When you finished singing, you put your guitar aside, and gave him a smile as your cheeks blushed; he seemed as nervous or more nervous than you, so you decided to talk.

“Striker, you have always been very important to me, and I hope that with this song that I composed for you, my feelings have…” Before you could say anything else, Striker interrupted you, giving you a big hug, one of the biggest hugs. strong ones you have received; since he even picked you up and spun you around.

"I love you too, sweetheart!" .- Striker said that he began to give you kisses on your cheeks.

"Ay, mi amor!" .- You laughed at his kisses that tickled you.

When Striker put you down, you got closer to him and he also got closer to you, in a quick movement Striker's tail caught your hips and he leaned you over, holding onto your figure. You screamed but you saw that he took off his hat that would cover them from the kiss.

You returned the kiss immediately and kissed him with as much passion as he was giving you and you even stroked his hair and your tail met his.

Now Striker no longer had any doubts about it, he preferred to be by your side than any other revenge he might have, he would leave everything for you.

♡

[chaifootsteps]

it's pretty common in a lot of fandoms for there to be a shipping war between the two most popular ships, but if one popular ship is a lot bigger than the other (even if they're as likely to happen) I've noticed there's this common pattern of behavior to how they talk about the shipping war

if the bigger ship gets something that favors them (or they can argue it does, shipping goggles are also common here) they'll say there ship is about to be canon or make fun of the other ship for ever believing they had a chance

if the other ship gets something, though, then suddenly no one is canon and both sides are valid and anyone pointing out otherwise is wrong or doing bad fandom etiquette

what I'm getting at is the bigger ship is operating on the logic of 'If my ship can't be canon, then no one's ship is canon'

I bring all this up because a lot of Viv's behavior on Twitter lately reminds me of this pattern. The entire way she's written s2 tries to make Stolas look like the sad victimized party in the relationship and her liking tweets claiming Blitz is either more on the wrong or on the hook for not negotiating his way out of being sexually extorted by a literal prince co-signs that perspective

But now the episode has come out and she's clearly pushed it too far, people who aren't just critical commentators on the show (like Sarcastic Chorus) and casual streamers are siding more with Blitz. And since she can't have that she's trying to creep back to 'both sides are in the wrong and this was totally my intention while writing it! now stop having conversations about it at all'

it's just so transparent for a creator to see people talking about their show - something you'd usually expect them to want since it keeps the fandom alive - and say 'wow, super cool you guys are having conversations about this! but they're both in the wrong, now just quietly wait for the next episode'

the whole thing smacks of 'I still don't understand the power imbalance problem, I just like the aesthetic of Blitz in chains to his master' and 'if Stolas can't be the one considered in the right by the fandom, then no one can be'

I think Viv's gotten real used to a fandom that, when she asks them to jump, always asks how high. She likes Stolas and she likes the power imbalance, and up until now she's had zero problem trashing Blitzo and making it abundantly clear that she thinks everything is his fault.

Like you said, she pushed it too far and she's desperately trying to backpedal now. Didn't see that coming, but it's been fascinating to watch.

[somehow-a-human]

Whose POV is it Anyway?

1941

DO NOT ASK NEIL ABOUT FAN THEORY

Alright you lot! I wanted to post this days ago but it proved to be a more difficult bit of writing than I was expecting! I'm not sure why but I just had a tough time finishing this one. The other POV posts I've done have been pretty straightforward, but this one was a little tricky.

As always, for reference & context, I recommend reading these previous posts:

Whose POV is it Anyway? - Introduction

Lens Filters

POV "Your 'Something's Wrong' Voice"

POV a Trip to Hell and a 25 Lazarii Miracle

POV a Companion to Owls

POV The Dirty Donkey & I think I Found a *Clue*!

POV Bodysnatchers & Cosplaying a bookseller

Let's take a trip to Soho during the Blitz....

We open Episode 4 with Aziraphale driving back from Edinburgh in the very late hours of the night or early hours of the morning. Shax stops him and gets herself into the Bentley. The lighting is cool and misty and since we're dealing with Shax, my guess is we're looking at Hell's Black Pro Mist filter (BPM). Shax reminds Aziraphale of 1941 by mentioning Furfur, and we're drawn into the 1941 minisode.

SO enter 1941... we're in the church, and the bomb has just exploded.

I went back and decided to watch this opening scene from both season 1 and season 2 side by side to see if there were any noticable differences and the HUGE one is the difference in the color grading of this scene between seasons. It's the same footage, though season two's is spliced with bits of nazi's dying, but the footage in season two is so much more green than it was in season one. Take a look at these screenshots, season 1 on the left and season 2 on the right.

These are unedited, same computer screen and everything, season 2 is just so green. We know green is associated with Hell, so I'd posit a guess we're getting the green from the nazi's (Hell's) POV being added in here. We're shown they're still alive for a few moments of this scene. Crowley's sideburns are short in this scene but it is reused footage from season 1 so I'd just disregard it.

Then we move on to the drive home from the bombing, Crowley's sideburns are still on the shorter side, which according to our previous theories would indicate we're likely to be matched with Crowley's POV. However I'm sure you'll agree deciphering a filter from this scene is very difficult, given they are driving through a bombing sequence. We are supported though by the demons snippy tone toward Aziraphale, something we've previously observed him don when in his POV filter with the accompanying short sideburn/hair length. Ex: switch inside the coffee shop & switch outside the pub.

They pull up to the Windmill Theater, there are lovely glowy warm halos around the marquee lights, so I'd say we're looking at Aziraphale's POV now, or the Bronze Glimmerglass (BGG) filter. Crowley's sideburns are also long here, which would fit the narrative that these are connected. Inside the theater the coloring is still warm toned. Inside the bookshop, the lighting remains warm and likely the BGG filter as well.

When we cut to outside shots of the bookshop we see that the lighting outside is again extremely green, reminding us that the agents of Hell are lurking.

We move into the magic shop and I believe we're still in the BGG filter & Aziraphale's POV, evidenced by the fact that after Crowley and Aziraphale leave the magic shop, and the zombies enter, the warm hue disappears as the magic shop owner is attacked.

Cue the magic show. The lighting of what we're shown on stage is warm and hazy and likely still the BGG filter.

In the backroom of the theater Crowley's sideburns remain long and the lighting is hazy and warm, I think we're seeing Aziraphale's POV here as well.

In the backroom of the bookshop however, when Crowley and Aziraphale enjoy their wine together, Crowley's sideburns are short again, and he tells Aziraphale he's terrible at magic. He's being snippy which indicates Crowley's the narrator, but the lighting is still warm.

I'm reminded here of Finney's characterization of the different filters from the VFX article. He specifically described the Black Diffusion FX Filter as "Crowley's Present Day Storyline". Does this mean there isn't a filter change for Crowley as a narrator in flashbacks? The filter is definitely helpful for deciphering who's our narrator in present day but maybe that's why Crowley's hair also seems to be correlated with the POV? Because it isn't a hard and fast rule?

Aziraphale arrives home from the trip, and when Crowley brings his plants out of the bookshop, his sideburns are still long.

NEXT POV The Ball

[strikersexhaver]

Prompt! Striker getting drunk with someone he's only been "friends" with up to this point but things go a little too far this time...

(Cute, suggestive or fully NSFW up to you but consensual either way~)

(A/N) First post back! Thought this would be a cute little one to get to first!

CW: suggestive, but not really nsfw!

Striker x Reader | Bottle’s Up 🍺

The two of you usually came together to drink late at night, usually unplanned.

That’s how you met after all

Usually for you it’d be a shitty day at work, or just a boring, shitty day in general.

For him, realistically… shitty missions gone hella wrong. But he never told you that for reasons, he’d simply tell you a bad day being a farm hand.

Anyways, when you two started talking to each other it was normal conversations till both sides started cackling out loud the more and more the two of you got more tipsy, then drunk. Eventually.

He’d tell you stories of a truth and a lie, usually if he was drunk it’d be a full truth- a truth you’d forget.

“This lil’ assclown named sumthin’ auh, Blitz or sum’ shit, nah’ tell me why this bitch-“ *hic* “was such a cocksucker to this Goetia who kept calling him ‘blitzy’!”

“Is he a sugarbaby?”

“Ya’ I think so- because his panties got twisted all ova’ him!”

The both of you, shit-talked, laughed, and chatted all around about your day. It was fun, very fun.

The first time it ended, you woke up in somewhere in a park bench.

He was gone, gone like the wind bullseye.

But to be fair, you could care less because that pounding headache was awful.

Next time y’all saw each other, it was the same thing, just a bit more comfortable. A bit more, not a lot of course.

Then so on, and so fourth.

Till, the two of you just turned to each other one day after laughing, you both stared at each other before kissing each other in a passionate make-out session like a rom-com film.

The tastes of whiskey, the both of you grabbing each other for a better angle to kiss better, teeth clanking, messy and sloppy as well.

In the middle of a bar- with the bartender slightly disgusted, patrons staring or looking away.

The two of pulled each other out of the damn place, and to the nearest motel- paying or maybe full on hijacking one to get the drunken’ lust off the both of you.

You two kept kissing until Striker parting to kiss at your neck, leaving slight bites resulting in hickey’s.

Both of you pulling and ripping each other’s clothes like wild animals, like savages. Both of you had ripped clothes- maybe some intact pieces.

Spent the whole night going crazy, making the people there not be able to get any sleep whatsoever.

And in the morning, you woke up right next to the serpentine cowboy.

His arms crossed behind his head, with a tumbleweed in his mouth.

You jolted in surprise-

“Did we-“

“Fuck yea’ ya’kno’ I’m surprised it ain’t happen sooner. I saw the way ya’ look at me~” he winked

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

Splatoon 3 Version 8.0 patch notes breakdown

A bit late with this one, as I didn't have the time to write it last night, but nevertheless, here's a quick rundown of the patch notes for version 8.0, which should release in a couple of hours as of time of writing.

First of all, the Sizzle Season 2024 content is being added, but will not be available for another 24-ish hours. That includes:

A new Catalog

The new stage Lemuria Hub

Two new main weapons, two variants of those main weapons, and six alternate sets for preexisting main weapons.

14 Tableturf cards

Two new songs by SashiMori

The renovated Hammerhead Bridge and Barnacle & Dime, which will be taken out of stage rotations when the update becomes available.

Wandercrust Journey 6.

Additionally, this patch also adds data for the new Triumvirate King Salmonid fight and a new Grizzco Weapon, as well as the new Splatfest features, both of which will not become available until a later date.

With Sizzle Season 2024 stuff out of the way, let's move onto the changes that will be available right away, starting with Stage Changes, which there are a lot of.

In addition the Hammerhead Bridge and Barnacle & Dime changes, Museum d'Alfonsino, Um'ami Ruins, Brinewater Springs, and Scorch Gorge are all getting layout changes, with Museum getting some extra changes in Splat Zones and Rainmaker specifically. Eeltail Alley, Hagglefish Market, Flounder Heights, Marlin Airport and Manta Maria are all getting "slight" changes, while Crableg Capital and Bluefin Depot are getting slight changes in Turf War and Splat Zones, and Clam Blitz, respectively.

I'll be entirely honest, until we see these changes for ourselves it's impossible to gauge just what these changes will be like, but I am willing to be optimistic given just how much improvement we've seen in the Stage design over the last year or so. I think they'll be slight improvements at worst.

With that said, let's move onto Main Weapon changes, starting with a bunch of weapons getting the exact same change.

Sploosh, Jr, Aerospray, Luna, Clash, Carbon, Splat Roller, Inkbrush, Octobrush, and Dapples will all now deal 10% more damage to Splash Walls. I'm not sure why this was listed on each weapon individually and not just all collected as a Splash Wall change, but I digress. The intent here seems to be to make short-range weapons specifically, better at dealing with Splash Wall, the users of which they'll generally be outranged by to begin with. It's a small and specific change, but it's not one I think any of these weapons will complain about.

N-ZAP will now be able to fire for longer before its hits max bullet spread. In case you didn't know, all shooters that have bullet spread have a property where that spread gradually increases the longer you hold ZR, which slowly goes back to normal if you stop firing, and now that'll take longer on N-ZAP specifically.

N-Zap didn't really need this buff, but it's also not something that moves the needle much to begin with. It's pretty rare outside of low-level turf wars that someone fires for long enough to the spread to be a major factor, so it's fine. It's just a very strange change.

Moving onto more deserved buffs, L-3 has its damage increased by 2, taking a full three-hit burst from 87 to 93 damage. This is not a significant change, but 30 is a pretty important damage threshold to hit, as it combos with a lot of things, and it does mean that getting even lightly chipped by almost anything at all puts you in one-shot range, so watch out!

Rapid Blaster now starts recovering ink after firing about 3 frames faster. It's another nice little buff, though like N-ZAP it is kind of strange this weapon is being buffed at all when it's in a pretty good spot right now.

Now here's something interesting, Tri-Stringer will now paint the ground better, and will now paint lines more consistently. Turfing has always been one of Tri-Stringer's biggest weaknesses, so this is a very nice buff!

Last but not least is my favourite change in the entire patch. REEF-LUX now charges at full speed while in the air, similar to how Squiffer works. This is just a fantastically cool buff if you ask me, it's one of those things that seem insignificant on paper but can really change up how a weapon plays in a major way. It wasn't until after Squiffer got this change in Splatoon 2 that the weapon really came into its own, after all.

With Main Weapon changes down, let's move onto Points for Special changes, of which there are four (technically three):

Big Swig Express and Painbrush are ten points cheaper, and both variants of E-Liter are ten points more expensive. Not a lot to discuss here, so let's move onto Special Weapons:

The rails that indicate the Reefslider's path will now ink the floor as they extend forward, potentially allowing you paint over an enemy's feet before running them over. The rail will now also follow moving terrain, which is a change I'll admit I am not sure what it does? We'll just have to see when the patch goes live.

Big Bubbler now paints the ground inside of the shield. A nice quality of life change that could potentially be used to do some silly things in Splat Zones, if you're so inclined.

Ink Vac will now paint the ground behind you while it's active. Nintendo specifies later on in the patch notes that this is because they want you to be more reliably able to use it while retreating, and yeah, that's what this change will do.

For our final Special change, Splattercolor Screen now deals more damage to Beakons, Sprinkler, Splash Wall, sponges, and the Rainmaker's shield. Like with the Ink Vac changes, Nintendo specifies what the purpose of this buff is in the patch notes, and in this case it's to reward people more for using the Screen well.

And that's all the balance changes for this patch, but there is actually one more Main Weapon change that is not listed with the rest, because it's a bit different:

These changes are very wordy, but the TL;DR is that Squeezer now has a hard cap on how fast it can fire, which is the same as its regular fire speed. That might sound like a completely pointless change, and I thought so initially as well, but it seems the intent here is to not have the weapon be improved by turbo controllers, as they can let you mash ZR at much, much faster paces than intended.

With all that said, let's round things out with some miscellaneous changes:

If you roll or dash into the Rainmaker shield you'll now slide off it, as opposed to the game continuously attempting to place you where the shield is at and dealing a bunch of contact damage to you, splatting you almost instantly.

You'll now start the next season in S+0 if you were top 1000 in the previous season's X rank.

Squid Beakons are now accounted for when awarding the Super Jump Spot medal, which I am frankly surprised wasn't the case already?

I lied, there is one more Main Weapon change. Grizzco Dualies now deal 5 more damage with their actual bullets. That means they three-shot Chum now!

Reflected Drizzler torpedoes will now collide with terrain less, reducing the situations where you shoot one back only to have it immediately crash into a ledge it just barely touches.

Finally, purchasing the Expansion Pass will now net you 10 free Sheldon Licenses. If you've already bought the Expansion Pass then you'll be given the Licenses after downloading the update. Just in time for ten new weapons to be added as part of the Sizzle Season!

[verosikastrikerstellaexcuser]

Gonna jsut put this put here....I think that Stolitz COULD have worked...if they had looked ahead and had a timeline

But no, instead they made Stolas....well, all that and are now desperately trying to retcon/undo his character to make Stolitz happen by the end of the show (instead of just planning ahead, or having, you know, actual character growth)

Like, you don't have to have a 100% complete timeline but you need to have at least an outline, if you wanted Blitz and Stolas to end up together you shouldn't have set Stolas up as someone who is using Blitz purely for sex and Blitz being uncomfortable with it :/

And honestly? this applies to literally every writing mistake in not only helluva boss but hazbin hotel as well

Oh 100% it could have worked and thats the saddest thing. If St*las was portrayed like his Instagram self he could have been. They wanted to make St*litz a cute fun ship with just some drama and issues they have to work past first but by the time they decided that, it was too late, they'd already written several fucking episodes and Murder Family had already happened.

The biggest problem is that damn deal. The deal turned St*litz into sexual extortion. I think if they wanted messy and imperfect and miscommunication, what should have been done instead is this:

They never knew each other as friends, that trope is fucking stupid and its unnecessary to their story, not to mention creepy with Blitz being purchased for a day as entertainment for St*las. Blitz seduces St*las to steal his grimoire. But then St*las has such a good time he tells Blitz after "Lol of course I know you're the reason its missing. Why do you want it?" and when Blitz explains his situation St*las is sympathetic to him not being able to obtain a crystal and allows him to keep it outside the full moon. Naturally from there because they see each other every full moon, they begin to hit it off and develop a flirty friendship. They both act like they did in the old instagram, going shopping and watching horse movies etc. They both get to actually have interests in common, just fucking something man. I like the idea of St*las finding Blitz's humor funny, especially since Blitz never had that with others when trying to perform in the circus etc. It would mean a lot to him I bet.

With this version of events you could still have had Blitz's fears about just being entertainment for rich ruling class St*las, and he could be "up and down" for lack of a better term with St*las, depending on whats going on. For example, after seeing Verosika again, you could make Blitz become cagey and irritable with St*las and push him away because it makes his fears of ruining yet another relationship if he had one bubble to the surface. But then other times, he reaches out to St*las when hes frightened of dying alone etc. While St*las is madly in love with Blitz but sees how cagey Blitz can get and how he often seems to need to pull away. Able to tell that Blitz has a lot of issues hes working through, St*las so doesn't dare push things too hard and tries to keep things non serious. This in turn would feed Blitz's idea of just being entertainment even more, even though of course its unintentional and has good motivations on the part of St*las as he'd try to not be putting too much on Blitz.

And there you go. You've written a flawed repressed gay dad that caused discord in the family home by going with the fling that was sprung on him without splitting from Stella first, humiliating her. He could also maybe sometimes get too distracted chasing Blitz that he forgets to prioritize his daughter. This would have made him a flawed dad thats trying and bad at communicating without making him a sexually exploiting piece of shit. If they wanted soft more wholesome St*las, this was how to do it, imo. Let them have actual chemistry and build up via meeting over and over on the full moon. Let St*las be a tease sometimes without it being too far and sexual harassment that is against Blitz's will. But nah. They made him a glorified SAer instead.

Given how St*las has resonated with a lot of gay men with the themes of repression etc, it fucking sucks. They could have had something great, I like the idea of either a villain or a genuinely nicer St*las honestly. The problem is that they needed to fucking pick one before being 1 season into the whole show. But they didn't. This is why you plan your shows.

[vidavalor]

Does the bookshop have a hidden room?

This isn't a theory or anything so much as I just think it would be fun. I was thinking about where Aziraphale stores his secret diaries. He was on Volume 603 in late 1827 so he's probably at least over Volume 800 by now. That's a *lot* of journals. He can't store them on the shelves in the bookshop in the open as anyone could grab them, so they'd have to be stored in a place out of easy reach. There aren't enough books in the yellow backroom/closet or in the guest room where Gabriel was staying that actually look like journals, as most of them are printed books. (Plus, I doubt he'd put even a memory-zapped Gabriel in a room with his diaries.) I guess he could be keeping them in his bedroom, since we've never seen that, but there are also a couple of other things that the show's established exist but the locations of them in the present in S2 aren't really known.

We know that he and Crowley tend to take souvenirs from different eras that they've lived through. Where do they store all that stuff? Where do they keep the photo Furfur took of them in 1941? We've never seen it in the present at all and I can't think of something that would need to be kept more well-hidden than that, really. Where is the angel statue that Crowley took from the church during The Blitz and that was in his apartment in S1? That thing was relatively big and Crowley wouldn't give it up, nor would he have left it in his old apartment with Shax there as it's not exactly demonic, so where is he keeping it? If they've been taking keepsakes for 6,000 years, they have to have some place where they are storing them.

Until S2, we didn't know that the bookshelf panels in the center of the bookshop could turn, right? What if, in S3, we find out that the hidden language, sleight-of-hand show's central location has a hidden room? I mean... it *is* Aziraphale we're talking about here. He's a magician with an old bookshop. There has to be a secret room in there somewhere, right?

[wutheringheightsfilm]

interview with the vampire art history lesson part 2:

Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, Francis Bacon, c. 1944. Held at the Tate Britain in London. Here is its catalog listing.

So! This is the painting that has been on the wall of Louis and Armand's apartment, and that Season 2 makes a point to emphasize that they're selling. Full disclosure, modern British art history is not my forte, but I have covered this in a British art history survey class, and this is arguably one of Bacon's most famous works, so there's a lot of literature you can find on this. Let's discuss!!!

Now, one claim that you can try to make here about the relationship of this painting with Armand specifically is that Armand is now connected to two 'Christian' artworks (see my post on The Adoration of the Shepherds with a Donor here): one that marks the beginning of Christ's (semi)mortal life, and one that marks the end of it, which is definitely interesting, but the thing is with this Three Studies piece is that Francis Bacon put a lot of emphasis on the fact that this is a crucifixion, not the Crucifixion. Francis Bacon was an atheist, however, a lot of his work does revolve around either critiquing or dealing with Christianity (this is not his only work to reference/allude to or show the Crucifixion, as well as his other very famous work, Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X). It was a very nuanced, complex topic for him that is way beyond the scope of this post.

Interestingly, though, Bacon has made a point to say that "faith is a fantasy" [1]----which is definitely something interesting in relation to Armand...

What Three Studies is definitely associated with, though, is World War II and Greek tragedy.

The catalog entry from the Tate spends a while discussing the process of this painting, and how Bacon may have drawn from his various experiences during World War II (he was in the ARP during the London Blitz), as well as other works made around this time (namely, Figure Getting Out of a Car and Man in a Cap) referencing various Nazi imagery that Bacon had seen impacting his process for creating this triptych. Various scholars have cited Bacon as interested in the dynamics of power and violence, and the imagery of the triptych can be interpreted as either the perpetrator and/or the victim [2]. Bacon has also confirmed that this painting references the Eumenides (the Furies who are responsible for enacting revenge in Greek mythology) [3 + 4].

Now that we've covered the very basics of this work, let's discuss how this might relate to Louis and Armand. This work being present in the show has raised some interesting points for me, and some questions:

The show makes a point of emphasizing that they're selling this work. Since this work is so closely related to World War II, and Louis and Armand are currently trying to relay their experiences during World War II, is the selling of it symbolic of either 1) 'selling' their story to Daniel or 2) finally closing out that chapter in their lives?

It is interesting that in their apartment, there is only modern and post-modern artwork and architecture. I wonder how deeply this ties to Armand's trauma, since he himself was modeled (whitewashed as he was) in Late Renaissance/Mannerism artwork from the 1500s. How much of that experience drives his taste in art?

Bacon's juxtaposition and struggle with violence, power, and the dynamic of the perpetrator/victim is extremely interesting... the thoughts are still cooking about this one.

What do u guys think.... i've been microwaving this in my head all day along with the other painting!

Works Cited + Referenced:

[1] D. Farson, The Gilded Gutter Life of Francis Bacon, London, 1994, p. 134. [Taken from this JSTOR article, further cited below] [2] Referencing the catalogue here, which cites: Ziva Amishai-Maissels, Depiction and Interpretation: The Influence of the Holocaust on the Visual Arts, Oxford, New York, Seoul and Tokyo 1993, pp.189-90, 225-6, 354. [3] M[ichael] C[ompton], letter to Francis Bacon, 6 Jan. 1959, Tate Gallery cataloguing files. [4] Francis Bacon, letter to Tate Gallery, [9 Jan. 1959], Tate Gallery cataloguing files. [5] Arya, Rina. “The Primal Cry of Horror: The A-Theology of Francis Bacon.” Artibus et Historiae 32, no. 63 (2011): 275–83. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41479747.

[flower-boi16]

How Ozzie's Doesn't Matter in Season 2

When Ozzie's came out, it initially seemed like a big turning point for the series; we were all very excited to see how these events would playout in Season 2. Unfortunately, Season 2 completely disappoints when it comes to Ozzie's (just like pretty much EVERYTHING), as, what was once a big turning point for the show feels like it doesn't matter, having little consequences in the season. Let's get into why.

1. Stolas and Blitz's relationship

Ozzie's ended with Blitz cutting Stolas out and telling him he was very upset that their relationship was just about Stolas fucking him and nothing else. Now, you'd think that things would be more awkward after that, that there would be some tension between the two after it....except no.

The next time they see each other in Seeing Stars, they act as if Ozzie's never happened and interact like everything's normal. This set off a lot of fans obviously, as this was very jarring for them to go back to normal after such a major event for them. Then Western Energy came around and made things worse by resolving off-screen with a blink and you'll miss it text message.

So Blitz and Stolas' dynamic does not change at all in Season 2 despite how the last season ended their relationship, there's no tension between them at all and they just pretend like nothing happened, and, to add insult to injury, they made it get resolved with a text message.

Then Oops came along and suddenly things were different? Like, the conflict with Stolas getting the crystal seems to be continuing the feud him and Blitz had when Ozzie's ended...but, when the consequences of the episode have been completely ignored up until this point, having it suddenly matter NOW six episodes in feels like too-little-too-late.

You can't have the consequences of an episode not matter for five episodes and then have it suddenly matter now, it's better to have those consequences matter the whole way through rather than whenever the show FEELS like it wants them to matter.

But I'm done talking about that, let's get into...

2. Stolas becoming a better person

With Blitz telling Stolas that he doesn't want to fuck him anymore, you'd think this could set up an arc for Stolas where he ends up realizing his mistakes and decides to become a better person...

...except no. Season 2 chucks away any real potential for Stolas as a character and, instead of making him realize his mistakes and decide to grow from them, Season 2 decides to woobify Stolas and coddle him for his mistakes, and demonizes any character who dares get mad at what he's done to them.

Stolas could have been easily the best character in the whole show; somebody who realizes his mistakes and decides to make amends and grow from them, but season 2 completely destroyed that in favor of making Stolas an UwU soft boy who did nothing wrong (despite doing a LOT OF SHIT WRONG but ok). It threw away any potential for an interesting arc for Stolas because it's too busy coddling and woobifying him to do that. Now let's get into...

3. Stolas being found out

In Ozzie's, Asmodeus exposed Stolas for sleeping with an Imp, making it seem like a big deal that would have consequences in season 2...but it doesn't. I already talked about this in my post about Hellaverese' world-building issues but Stolas has not received any real consequences so far for sleeping with Blitz, so what's even the point of making it out to be such a big deal if Stolas was NEVER going to face consequences for it at all?

Stolas being found out doesn't matter despite the show making it out to be a big deal because Stolas has received NO punishment or consequences for this at all despite Ozzie's trying to imply otherwise.

4. Conclusion

So ya, that's how Ozzie's in Season 2 doesn't matter. For an episode that was supposed to be this big turning point for a lot of things in the show, Season 2 completely ignores all the consequences of the episode, making it feel completely and utterly meaningless.

[sommerregenjuniluft]

@jegulus-microfic dec 15 (only 8 days late lol) - game - 1.8k words - cw: heavy making out, sweat licking lol (they're animals)

pt3 of the charmed mistletoe thingy <3 (part 1, part 2 exclusively on ao3)

this is Not proofread *summersaults away*

After those first two times it seems to evolve into a bit of a game for James. 

It’s late in the afternoon as Regulus is walking back to the dorms from Runes by himself. 

Barty had disappeared as soon as young, mellow-minded Babbling had opened her mouth to announce the end of today’s lesson to do whatever it is he does in his freetime away from his friends—write essays for Seven Years in exchange for Firewhisky, plot the downfall of the Ministry, probably. 

Meanwhile Pandora and Evan should just be done with their last period too right now—Care of Magical Creatures over by the Greenhouses this semester. Something about Kettleburn having them tend to the Niffler eggs. Regulus doesn’t even want to know.

Coming out of the Middle Tower, instead of taking a left and heading straight for the way leading to the dungeons, he keeps walking into the Middle Courtyard.

He already sees a free window alcove he can settle himself down in to wait for his friends to arrive when he rounds the old stone archway and collides with someone.

Regulus grunts and there’s only a moment of irritation before it’s washed away by the next ghust of air carrying citrus, spice and an obscene amount of broom polish, wood, leather and sweat.

“Oh, you’re fucking ki—”

“Oops,” James says, where he’s got his arms wrapped around Regulus, sounding not very sorry at all.

“You–” Regulus rears back, as far as the magic sticking his feet to the ground allows him to, and pulls back to hit James in the chest—which doesn’t do a lot at the moment, sadly, given James’ Quidditch padding under the uniform, “foul, loathsome, evil little—”

“Now, now,” James chuckles. His brown skin is tinted scarlet on the cheeks and nose from the cold and exertion of practice and still gleaming with drying sweat.

Regulus does not think about licking him. “I despise you.”

“Sure,” James nods, tone sarcastically affirmative, moving in, “Pucker up, baby. I gotta hit the showers and then subject myself to the horrors of writing two feet of an at least Exceeds Expectations worthy essay for Sluggy.”

Regulus gives him a practised sneer, “You must’ve been hit in practice one too many times if you think you will get a kiss from me like this.”

James’ lips twitch, “And why’s that, love?”

“You reek,” Regulus scolds. Lies. 

Like a liar. 

A dirty, rotten liar, who lies.

James shrugs one shoulder, “And your breath still smells like lunch.”

Regulus’ heart stops beating. He’s pretty sure if you’re watching closely enough you were just able to see his soul leave his body for a second, warp outside, make his edges blurry. Regulus might be sick.

“What?”

“Great, now that we’ve both said something untrue, why don’t we move ommpf–”

“Fuck you,” Regulus spits, shaking his hand where his knuckles are starting to throb from the repeated hitting.

 “Y’know,” James stops rubbing his side and promptly reels Regulus in by his wrist. “With the way your eyes are blitzing this is kind of getting me going.”

With the close proximity it’s a little harder to think clearly now. Regulus feels his brows knit deeper, feels his body unclench when one of James’ palms finds the small of his back. 

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Wanna find out how much?” James rasps, licking his lips. His eyes are lidded, dark lashes long behind his wire framed glasses. His hair is even more of an atrocity than usual thanks to the helmet he wore, standing in all kinds of directions or plastered to his skull and forehead in some places. 

It’s annoyingly similar to the way James had looked after Regulus had unthinkingly tousled it their previous time under a mistletoe.

As if James knows the turn his thoughts have taken he squeezes slightly at Regulus’ hand, murmuring, “Remember last time? How good it felt? Because I do.”

James’ eyes are boring so hard into Regulus he feels like being lit on fire from the inside.

“And I know you did, love–Don’t even try to deny it.”

Regulus still slowly shakes his head, even as his fingers curl in the harness straps of James’ chest padding.

“Come get another taste, Regs.” James nudges their noses together, “I’m all yours.”

Those three words do something a little unhinged to Regulus. 

It makes him want to take a bite out of James. Get a taste of the consistency of him between his teeth and then feel him slide down his oesophagus in a gooey, wet pile. Dig claws in, break the skin and make him bleed. Mark him up. 

It’s truly wondrous that Regulus is able to get anything out other than a feral, hungry snarl.

He doesn’t know what ethereal might overcomes him when he mutters, with the steadfastness of a shaky leaf in a tornado, “Only the cheek.”

A dark brow rises over the rim of James’ glasses, “Only the cheek, huh?”

Regulus manages a nod, a shaky breath leaving him on the exhale.

“Fine then,” James whispers, leaning in.

He does it just like the first time.

His thumb on the underside of Regulus’ chin, other fingers splayed over his jawbone and guiding him to the side. Warm breath, then even warmer lips pressing right forth.

Not shy at all. Going right after what he wants.

Lips lifting and there’s only a single second of immobility before there’s a second kiss. And a third.

Steadily moving lower, growing a little bolder, more open mouthed. Less of that barely there stubble, more of the slick satiny inside of James’ mouth.

And with the skin to skin contact Regulus has apparently been completely abandoned by this higher force because his traitorous body leans into the delicious treatment. Head tilting to the side accommodatingly, lids fluttering and own lips parting around a quiet groan.

The hinge of Regulus’ jaw is being explored, a small detour to nip at his earlobe and then James sets his lips down over the patch of skin behind and latches on.

Regulus makes a sound he didn’t know he was capable of, clutching harder at James.

Who responds with a rough hum of his own, pulling them closer together with his strong arm around Regulus’ waist.

“James,” Regulus breathes, one hand coming up to his neck. “James.”

The older boy makes a noise to show either his attention or his displeasure at being disrupted, Regulus isn’t really sure.

And then James lays his tongue out flat and licks a stripe up the side of Regulus’ throat.

The absolute animal. Disgusting, heinous, damning, irritatingly sexy, stupid man. 

Somebody call the Ministry and tell them Santa is real because it must be a miracle that Regulus doesn’t pass out from that on the fucking spot.

He does however let yet another moan slip he cannot help and then tries tugging James back. “Ok, ok, James. That– that’s enough.”

This seems not to fit into James’ aka Mister Eager and Enthusiastuc’s agenda going off of the pained noise he lets out against Regulus’ throat.

That is until Regulus speaks again.

Because he’s reached some kind of epiphany or maybe a deja vu of sorts because the second James’ tongue had made contact with Regulus’ skin all he could think was, “My turn.”

James stills against him, draws back, wide eyed and hazy looking with his stupid big baby cow brown eyes and Regulus doesn’t let himself think about it but instead moves right in.

Doesn’t really bother with niceties as he immediately presses his lips to the edge of James’ jaw. The stubble prickles slightly and James makes a wheezing noise, head rolling to the side.

Regulus’ lips lift into a smile, chest burning and an excited shiver whacking through him at James’ reaction.

He smells spicy and musky and salty so Regulus mimics the path down.

Until he can’t help himself anymore and open his mouth to finally taste. 

It’s glorious, sweat and citrus and James, the boy over him moaning at an indecent volume.

James curses, sounding breathless, “Regs.”

Regulus responds by sucking at the patch of skin again,

“Fuck, please– Yes, so good.” James babbles, “You’re so good, so sweet. So good to me.”

Then there’s fingers driving through the short curls at the back of Regulus’ head and he pants against James before leaning in and letting himself use his teeth.

Just graze but James makes another one of those obscene noises, half moan half curse and then the fingers in his hair are clenching.

Keeping Regulus in place for James to chase his mouth again. Fed up, seemingly, with having to stay still. Or too overwhelmed, Regulus doesn’t care because James is pressing their lips together again and it’s heaven.

Regulus hears the angels sing, the bells jingle. Christmas magic.

He lets out a satisfied noise, arching closer and then, because James is rude and always ruins it, he moves back.

“Wait, wai–” cuts off when Regulus steals another kiss, grip iron on James’ neck, “Reg, love.”

Regulus lifts down from the balls of his feet with an incredulous noise, raising his brows impatiently at James.

This one’s eyes flit all over his face for a moment and Regulus instantly becomes hyper aware of the way his cheeks feel warm and his lips swollen.

“Come to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday,” James mutters.

“No,” Regulus answers reflexively. And moves in to get another kiss.

Which James breaks again. 

Regulus huffs. He’s starting to get irritated.

James takes his chin between thumb and forefinger. “Go on a date with me,” he starts, a tone in his voice before he licks into Regulus mouth again. For just a moment before he adds, “Or you’ll have to wait for another mistletoe to catch us to kiss me.”

And– hold on a second.

“Pardon?” Regulus inquires, trying to blink the haze out of his head.

James gives another quick kiss to Regulus’ slack mouth, smiling faintly, “You heard me.”

“You actually think you can blackmail me this way?”

“Christmas season is only for another few days, love,” James counters. “The mistletoes will be gone before you can say Chinese Chomping Cabbage.”

Regulus bites the inside of his cheek for a moment. 

“What if I say yes?”

There’s a flash of teeth with James’ lips curling up at the corner and then he’s moving in again, tilting back Regulus’ head.

Regulus gasps into the kiss, with the way James is brushing their still spit slick lips together.

James hums when Regulus fingers find their way onto the front of James’ practice long sleeve. It’s low and rumbly, and Regulus feels it where their chests are pressed together, prompting him to make a high pitched noise of his own.

James draws it out this time with a few more slower sweet kisses, leaving Regulus all jittery.

“This has happened for the third time now,” James says conspiratorially, toying with a curl at Regulus’ ear.

“So?” Regulus huffs.

James hums, “You know what they say, Regs.”

Regulus shudders, making James lips lift.

“Once is happenstance, twice is barely a coincidence and trice is fa—”

Regulus is already rounding the corner, fleeing, as his ears gleam crimson.

“You can't run from it, Reg! Tis the season of love!” James calls after him, cackling. “See you Saturday morning!”