#brynn

[heartfe1t]

@inspotlight

   ❝    so... you must be nini! bryleigh's told me about you!    ❞    brynn's got a smile on her face as she walks over to the brunette, ever the hostess even in heels and a bikini. honestly she doesn't know how to evaluate the situation. she has no idea if nini will even want to be friendly with her.   ❝    i don't know if you know anyone else here, and i know ricky and bry have plans, so... i thought i'd come introduce myself and maybe we can hang out?    ❞    it is brynn's pool party, not bryleigh's, but... she's happy to make more friends, and well- if her sister wanted alone time with her boyfriend why wouldn't she help make that a little easier.

[scftlightz]

ੈ♡˳┊closed starter for @fallingagain

" IM SO sorry i'm late. one of the cameras weren't working well and . . . it took thirty minutes for them to realize the lens cap was still on. "

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

Closed Starter: Pretend(ish) Boyfriend (Fitz/Brynn)

Fitz sighs as he parks, getting out and heading into the shelter with a bright smile on his face. Upgraded to pretend boyfriend, he can do. He waves to Brynn and beams more at seeing her, heading around to get to her side as soon as possible. “Hey!”

@bxrn-thc-pxgcs​

[everythingice]

@ghostgirlgeist

brynn isn't usually much of a library person, often preferring just to listen to her books to allow her to multitask as reading alone can make her feel so idle - but today, she's forced herself there not to check out anything, but to work outside of her apartment for once. her therapist recommended "getting out of her own space", and, so, for once, she's taking someone else's advice.

still, it doesn't feel that much different. she's hunched over her laptop in the same shitty posture as always, jaw locked in focus as her fingers tap away at the keys. it's all the same just in a more uncomfortable chair.

"oh my god." a gasp escapes her lips, heart skipping a beat as a stranger suddenly enters her sightline - was she always there and brynn was just too glued to her screen to even care? no, she definitely would have noticed. it's like... she just teleported, or something. "... sorry. i didn't see you. do you need something?" the words rush out, her heart still beating fast (even though, logically, it's silly to be scared, she literally has superpowers!) as she forces a polite smile.

[diamcndgirl]

closed starter for @evcrythingnice​ location: university theatre.

“i take thee at thy word!” penelope called out from underneath the stage balcony up to brynne. they had been practicing for what seemed like only moments but really was a good while. “call me but love, and i'll be new baptized; henceforth i never will be romeo.” she decided to do a bit of an accent seeing as her normal speaking voice had been called ‘shrill’ once before and she thought romeo deserved better.

penelope was all about dramatics. she loved a good tragedy that’s why she knew she had to play a lead. being cast along side brynne was just a plus. “what do we think of this accent? too british?”

[ladychancefm]

starter for @evcrythingnice​​ ! (  location ; mari & brynne’s dorm )

⸻        MAYBE  THIS  batch  would  finally  do.  brynne  wasn’t  that  picky  of  an  eater,  so  there  was  little  to  no  reason  for  marinette  to  be  stressing  about  her  recipes,  but  her  anxiety  usually  got  the  best  of  her  as  she  edited  the  final  touches  on  her  new  danish  pastries.  she’d  mastered  the  macaron,  how  hard  could  these  stupid  things  really  be?  very  hard,  apparently,  because  going  back  to  simpler  recipes  after  being  drilled  by  her  father  on  the  harder  ones  turned  out  to  be  a  bit  more  complicated  than  marinette  had  expected.  “  come  on…  ”  she  muttered,  counting  down  the  final  seconds  as  she  stared  at  the  clock.  “  ah,  bon,  ”  as  she  finally  took  them  out  of  the  oven,  then  a  satisfied  smile  as  she  looked  at  her  creation.  “  brynne?  could  you  be  my  guinea  pig  for  a  second?  ”

[gravcsyard]

@brynnsx said: Everybody knows you're in love with her + realidade virtual

De braços cruzados ao lado de Brynn como uma policial malvada, Narcisa ansiava pelas reações do homem. Algum tempo atrás, ambas tinham encontrado uma carta de amor endereçada a ninguém mais, ninguém menos, que Gothel - o que por si só já era um acontecimento, mas o agravante de ter sido enviada sem remetente tornava a história toda ainda mais interessante. A possibilidade de ter sido só um trote tinha passado pela cabeça, mas fora logo descartada... Era muito íntima, quase chegava a ser fofa. Tinham portanto uma missão e uma lista de suspeitos, a começar pelos professores, e o álcool da festa serviria perfeitamente para pegá-los desprevenidos. Na fila da realidade virtual, abordaram o primeiro deles. ── Ah, não? ── questionou quando ele negou a afirmação da Red. Já esperava por isso. Narcisa ergueu um papel e desdobrou na frente dele. ── Então o que é isso aqui, huh? ── não tinha nada que de fato o ligasse a evidência, mas torcia que, caso culpado, a mera presença da carta o faria se denunciar.

[oflowtides]

closed starter for @petulantz (brynn) location: great buns bakery

“I never really got the appeal of donuts,” Link mused, more to himself, but turned to the redhead in line behind him  “I’ve always been more of a bagel guy, myself.  Maybe a stuffed croissant if I’m feeling up for a change.  What’s your favorite breakfast baked good?”

[zhongrin]

bound matriarch

© zhongrin | 2024 ✼  [✘] no repost・translations・plagiarism of any kind・ai data mining. [✓] rebloggers get a free cup of tea ♡

✼ characters ┈ zhongli

✼ tags ┈ yandere, fem!pronouns ('wife', 'matriarch', 'goddess' used), zhongli as morax/rex lapis, set right after archon war

✼ a/n ┈ i have to be out all day today so i'm not sure if i'll be at home when this goes out but let me just say FINALLY I CAN RELEASE THIS. THIS HAS BEEN ON MY DRAFTS FOR SO LONG (i'd also like to silently thank jessamine bc their comments on my posts were the main catalyst for me to finish this little blurb sobsob)

ᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴜʟʟ ᴍᴇɴᴜ (ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ)  ✼ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱʜɪᴘ (ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ)

oh, what a dream it is to be the spouse of the strongest archon in teyvat, whom he wed right after archon war ended. some might see the celebratory wedding as something uncouth; an utter disrespect to the lives lost at war and the bereaved families, but the lord of geo disagrees. what could be a better reassurance to ensure the people of liyue would start believing in and striving for a brighter future, than the joyous union of the new geo archon who defended them throughout the arduously long war and the prosperity goddess who has the power to bless the land and its people?

you're draped in gold and red as you sign the oath in blood; sealing your matrimony amidst the cheers of the mortals and immortals alike. the ruby reds on your lips are plush and soft against their god's own, the gossamer thread of embroidered gold of your clothing matching your now-husband's attire. even the bright blue sky seemed to celebrate such a joyous occasion, casting its warm rays upon the now-peaceful land of liyue to offer you its blessing.

they do not know that one certain party was most ardently unwilling to take the vow under one of the most sacred contracts of all.

they need not know that the marriage was a desperate attempt to shackle you to him and erase your individual worth as a goddess; to ensure you are remembered as rex lapis' beloved wife, the matriarch of liyue. they need not know, for just as no one questioned why the god of freedom was not invited into the banquet, no one questioned why a sheer veil covered the lower part of your unsmiling face, or the fact that countless shackles cor petrae accessories heavily rested against your neck and limbs.

what they do know is that this is your prison home ー he is your captor home and you will never belong anywhere else.

and perhaps given a few eons, you shall learn it too. worry not, your husband is a patient god. but you best remember that a god's patience, too, has its limits.

✼ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱʜɪᴘ (ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ) ┈

@abyssmal-skies ! @hamdehlesmis ! @sunnshineflxwer ! @queen-belial ! @silentmoths

@dustofthedailylife ! @marina-and-the-memes ! @mixed-kester ! @lordbugs ! @anonymousficreader

@irethepotato ! @sassy-cat-in-town ! @syrenkitsune ! @smokipoki ! @cakeboxie

@crystalflygeo ! @ciexuvia ! @illaasya ! @celestewritestoomuch ! @pams-comfortzone

@spidermanluvr444 ! @ourstrawberryclouds ! @ryuryuryuyurboat ! @hrts4hanniehae ! @fiannee

@frosts-intuition ! @florapocalypses ! @genshin-impacts-me ! @scarasmood ! @hellcatinnc

@beloved-brynn ! @malachitemischief101 ! @average-yandere-enjoyer

[dc418writes]

✨Pairing✨: mechanic!Ari Levinsonxblack!reader

Summary🪄: The girls are growing up, and Ari doesn’t like it (Operation: Rekindle addition)

⚠️: mention of spider, killing of said spider, Ari being an emotional bean lol, pretty much all fluff💕

*Disclaimer!: although collage/visual created by me via Canva, I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP of photos used, as they were all found via Pinterest*

“Hey,” you smile answering the incoming FaceTime from your ex. Finally able to sit in bed after a long day of cooking and leading an entire kitchen staff, being surrounded by your soft, plush comforter is the closest thing to heaven on Earth. “Everything okay?”

“They don’t need me anymore.”

“Wait what? They who?”

Sitting on the side of his own respective bed, Ari lets out a heavy sigh as his unoccupied hand finds his forehead. “The girls. They don’t need me anymore.”

You feel relief shower over you - momentarily worried he was referring to his job - before you’re light-heartedly rolling your eyes watching him dramatically flop backwards onto the bed.

“I thought I had until 18. 16 at the very least…you know what? I blame that kangaroo they used to watch that would always go on adventures by himself and say how they were big boys and girls that could do anything on their own. What was his name? Rodney? Bobby?”

“..Robbi Hopper?”

“Him! Who agreed that was a good show for kids?,” he asks nearly making you erupt in laughter. You slyly move out of the camera’s view as if you’re just making yourself more comfortable - subtly giggling to yourself - before you move back into the screen gently clearing your throat as if nothing happened.

“Okay I’m a bit lost, so I need you to start from the very beginning.”

“I’m cleaning up after dinner right? And then I hear a shriek then a thud, so I hurry upstairs to check on the girls.”

-

“You guys okay? I need to come in?,” he asked after knocking a couple times. Slightly panicked hearing complete silence as he waited on the other side of their door. Soon there’s soft footsteps and Aliana appears in the doorway looking nonchalant in her pajamas.

“Nope, all fine. We just saw a spider and-,”

“Where?,” he asks looking along the walls and ceiling of the semi messy room. “Keep an eye on it and I’ll get a napkin.”

“No need, I got it,” Brynn states proudly holding out a crumpled tissue of her own. “I threw my shoe at it.”

“Oh..good job guys.” This is how it all started. They kill their first spider by themselves and next they’re off getting their own apartment and jobs completely self sufficient and independent.

No longer daddy’s girls crying out for him and wanting his comfort or safety.

It seems like it wasn’t that long ago one or both of them were running into his room scared of the “monster” outside tapping against the window. Their big, brown eyes and soft “peaseee?” easily breaking him down to let them sleep in his king sized bed.

They’re tiny bodies would scoot close into each side and hold onto his long arms as he tried to calm their worried, little minds with their favorite songs or made up stories. Soon all three would be asleep and that mean monster long forgotten.

How he missed those days that passed much too quickly.

“Dad? You okay?,” Brynn asks after throwing away the squished insect and noticing her father’s sudden stare into the unknown.

“A-Are you crying?,” Ali adds tilting her head in confusion at his now misty eyes.

“No no, I just uh..allergies,” he nervously chuckles quickly trying to wipe at his eyes. “I’m gonna go take something. Y-You guys get ready for bed.”

“…But we are?,” they say in unison, but Ari’s already out the door reminding himself to breathe and that everything would be okay as he moves towards his bedroom.

-

“And then I called you,” he finishes while toying with a loose thread on his comforter. Hearing your muffled laugh has him sitting up - admittedly a little too fast for his brain’s liking - now focused on you through the screen pressing your lips together with clear amusement on your face.

“Are you laughing at me right now?”

“Okay yes, but I swear it’s not because I’m making fun! Honey just because they kill one spider doesn’t mean they’re gonna forget all about you.”

He’s quiet, but you can see his little cute pout as he looks down at his lap.

“Remember when they learned to tie their shoes? I had them married off and leaving me to rot in a nursing home run by that evil lady from Matilda.”

Ari softly chuckles remembering that day. Of course in front of the girls you were so excited and supportive - like the amazing mama you were - showering Ali and Brynn in kisses and praises for achieving such a huge milestone. But he later saw the tears as you sat on your closet floor clutching their baby blankets to your chest while you hummed “Isn’t She Lovely”.

“They’re leaving me,” you adorably sobbed. Tears dripping down your cheeks as you looked up at Ari who immediately crouched down giving you one of his signature bear hugs.

“Yea I’m feeling pretty much the same right about now,” he states.

“And do you remember how maybe 10 minutes later they were running in the room wanting me to fix them a snack?”

He softly chuckles using his hand to push his hair from his eyes. “And how you practically trampled me to go do it.”

“Again, I’m sorry for knocking you down,” you chuckle. “But my point is that they’re always gonna need us. Maybe not for as much like when they were little kids, but still.”

“Yea you’re right,” he quietly admits. “I just miss those days you know? Everything went so fast and now they’re almost teenagers.”

“I miss them too. They gotta grow up though, it’s part of life.”

The light taps at his door already tell him it’s Brynn on the other side - who tended to drum her fingers/fingernails along the hardwood ever since she learned the movement.

“Hold on Y/N. Come in!”

Brynn’s the first to enter twisting a strand of hair around her index finger; then Ali with her tattered stuffed bunny firmly held at her side. Both common tells that showed you and Ari when they were stressed or worried.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing. Well not nothing but nothing’s wrong or anything,” Brynn answers making Ari lift his brow trying to figure out exactly what she said. “We were talking about the spider and how we didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl which led to us wondering if there were babies…”

“And now we don’t know if there’s more in our room,” Ali finishes.

“So can we stay in your room tonight?,” they ask in unison. Both girls in their matching satin, floral bonnets peering at him with those eyes that were dangerous in their own right.

On the outside, Ari appeared to be playing it cool lightly nodding along throughout their explanation. Internally though, you’d think he’d won the Super Bowl how overjoyed he was; practically vibrating with excitement.

From your side of the phone, it’s as if you could personally feel his mood brighten making you smile to yourself. He had his girls back and all was right in his world

Not that he’d really lost them

(And not all was completely right in Ari’s life. If it were up to him, you’d be by his side helping him through this instead of halfway across town. You’d eventually see that later.)

“Well, you guys are a bit too big to spend the night in here, so how about we camp out in the living room tonight? Then tomorrow I’ll check and spray in your room.”

“Okay,” the twins nod with content smiles.

“Alright go ahead and pick a movie we can watch; I’ll meet you guys out there. Oh, and say goodnight to mom,” he states turning his phone towards them.

They each say their respective “goodnight” and “love you” before bouncing out the door going back and forth about what movie genre they should pick.

“Hate to say I told you so,” you smirk causing him to shyly chuckle and rub at the back of his neck as he moves towards his en suite bathroom.

“Okay maybe I was being a bit dramatic.”

“No, you had a moment where you felt sentimental and that’s okay.”

Ari was feeling that quite a bit lately. Especially remembering your time together.

How things could’ve been so different had he never caved.

Gazing at you as you began wrapping your hair in your own headscarf, that feeling returns to his chest as a soft smile curls along his lips. “Thanks for always being there. I know we’re not together anymore-,”

“Not together as a couple, but still friends. So you don’t have to thank me Ari.”

“I don’t have to, but I am.”

Now it was your turn to be in your feelings. “Well, if you insist,” you shrug making his laugh deepen and smile a tad wider.

“Goodnight sweetheart,” he waves. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Goodnight Ari.”

Who would’ve known at this stage of life you’d be in the friend zone? And utterly miserable

[pikapeppa]

Astarion/Tav: Trouble

The first chapter of my Astarion/Tav fic! You can read here on AO3 if you prefer. ~3800 words, rated M for blood/violence (but the fic on AO3 has a little bit of rated E smut already).

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

Brynn Bladetongue was trouble. She had him wrong-footed from the day they met, and he did not like it.

The trouble began a mere few hours after Astarion joined her and Shadowheart’s quest for a tadpole cure. They had just finished pulling an odd and incompetent wizard out of a malfunctioning teleport, and while Gale was nattering to Shadowheart about his adventures dabbling in clerical magic, Brynn sidled up to him.

“So,” she said. “You’re a magistrate, are you?”

“That I am,” he said easily. “But if you’re thinking of calling in any favours back in Baldur’s Gate, think again. A politician I may be, but I’m a scrupulous one.”

“Right,” she said. “And a lower-ranking one, I’ll wager.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The state of your jacket and boots.”

He raised his eyebrows. “My—? Excuse me?”

“Your jacket and boots,” she said. “The jacket’s fancy but faded, and your pretty gilt thread is going in some places. And your boots look like you shine them up regularly, but the soles are wearing thin.”

For a moment, he was tongue-tied: something that rarely happened to him, if ever. But he quickly recovered his aplomb. “If you must know, I’m dealing with a bit of gambling debt at the moment,” he lied. “It doesn’t leave much wiggle room for new finery, as much as I might wish it did.” He gave her a wry look. “I do love a good bespoke suit complete with gold thread and jewels.”

She smiled. “I had a feeling you were the sort of man who enjoys some proper tailoring. But I didn’t take you for a gambler.”

“Well, it takes all sorts, doesn’t it?”

“It sure does. And is gambling your only vice?”

What was it with her and the questions? He smiled at her: a slightly tart smile. “Is there some reason behind all this questioning? I don’t blame you for being interested in yours truly, but it’s starting to feel like a courtroom interrogation.”

She laughed. “Fine, fine, I’ll lay off. But I have one last question for you. One last little bitty question, and then I’ll leave you alone.”

He sighed. “Fine, out with it.”

“Are you a vampire?”

If his heart was still capable of beating, it would have stalled for a moment. Without even batting an eye, he let out a rolling laugh. “A vampire? What in the world possesses you to ask such a thing?”

“The red eyes, for one.”

“Ha! Pot, meet kettle,” he said, and he gestured from himself to her face — a slate-complexioned face punctuated by deep crimson eyes.

“Touché,” she said with a smirk. “But there’s also the matter of the bite marks on your neck that look suspiciously like fang marks.”

Blasted fuck, he thought. He’d been hoping to hide the marks with the collar of his jacket for a little longer. He hadn’t yet had the time to charm these people into not attacking him when they found out what he was.

He let out another laugh. “Ah, that’s why you asked about other vices.” He gestured at his neck. “You think this is the result of some delightfully depraved sex practice? Well, you’re right. That’s exactly what it is.”

Her smile widened in a distinctly impish way. “Of course it is.”

He felt a pinch of annoyance. How dare she look at him so knowingly? And how dare she figure out the truth before he was ready to reveal it?

He gave her a look of exasperation that was only partly feigned. “Consider this, then: if I was truly a vampire, how on earth could I be walking around in the full light of day?”

“All right, I’ll admit that piece doesn’t fit together. But still, I have a fun little feeling about you.”

“You minx,” he said coyly. “Enjoy that feeling. Use it to keep yourself entertained.”

She smirked. “Why would I need to do that when I can just listen to Gale instead? Which reminds me — hey, Gale!”

He looked up. “Yes? How can I help?”

“You’re an accomplished wizard, right? What can you tell me about abjuration magic?”

Gale’s face lit up. “What can I tell you? Oh-ho, what can I not tell you is the more apt question! Now, the first thing you need to know about abjuration is that it requires the ability to effectively split your mind between multiple tasks or persons…”

Brynn shot Astarion a quick wink, and he returned it with the most harmless don’t-mind-me smile he could muster. But in truth, he was displeased. And a little unnerved. Damn it, this woman was cleverer than he’d anticipated. He was going to have to seduce her as soon as he possibly could to get her firmly in his corner, while also being on his guard against any other pesky insights she might have. Ugh, why was she so perceptive, anyway? Was it part of her drow manipulative guiles?

In any case, she was trouble, and the best course of action would be to stay pleasantly neutral with her until the opportunity presented itself to lower her defenses by luring her into his bed. Or whatever passed for a bed in this ghastly wilderness.

Unfortunately, what he didn’t account for was the exact thing that Brynn had been needling him about: he did have a vice, in a manner of speaking, and one that had never been properly fed before. Rats didn’t count, after all, and Astarion refused to drink from a rat ever again — not fucking ever. But as the days went by and his only successful kill was a rather small boar, his hunger began to nag at him more and more: enough so that he was having difficulty ignoring the thumping pulses of his companions as they wandered around in the wilderness looking for a lead on a cure.

Then came a day when their little group stumbled into a particularly nasty fight. A group of goblins descended on a trio of adventurers at the gate to some sort of stronghold in the wilds, and Astarion and the others got dragged into the fight by sheer proximity.

The fight was a wickedly messy one. By the time it was done, the ground was liberally spattered with blood: goblin blood, mostly, but human blood too, and a little from Brynn as well. She’d taken an unfortunate arrow-graze to the shoulder, and as Astarion and the others trotted over to join her, he could feel the hunger pooling in his mouth. There was so much blood on the ground — so much delicious blood sprayed everywhere he looked. But Brynn’s blood in particular smelled… gods, so fucking rich. Sweet and tangy in a way that reminded him of the pomegranate syrup he once used to love. By the hells, he was starving.

He kept his wits as they wandered through the druid’s grove, and he managed to be his usual charming self when they made camp that evening. But that night, after the others had settled down to rest, Astarion found himself hesitating before sneaking off to hunt. What was the point of trying to hunt, after all? He knew he wasn’t going to have much luck in this area. All of the nearby animals were protected by those bloody druids.

His eyes strayed to Brynn’s tent, and his mind wandered to the little wound she’d suffered this afternoon. The rich scent of her blood, how brilliantly red it looked against the velvety grey of her skin… Gods, he was practically slavering. And before he knew it, he was tip-toeing over to where she lay on her bedroll.

Stupid, he thought. This is obscenely stupid. But he was starving, and being this hungry reminded him unpleasantly of being back home, and he did not want to feel this way — no, he refused to feel this way. He refused to feel so fucking weak and craven. All he would need was a tiny sip: just a quick little mouthful to coat his tongue and slake his thirst, and then he’d be back to his usual self.

He knelt beside her. Her head was turned to the side, and the vein was thumping at the side of her throat, like a pretty little beacon inviting him in… He swallowed hard, then bent over her. He’d be done before she even knew it—

She inhaled sharply, then sighed and opened her eyes.

“Shit,” he breathed.

She yelped and sat up straight, headbutting him in the process.

“Ow!” He stumbled to his feet and slapped a hand over his mouth: he’d cut his own lip on his teeth.

Brynn scrambled onto her knees. “Astarion! What the fuck?” She rubbed her forehead. “Argh, that hurt like a bitch!”

“Keep your voice down!” he hissed.

“You started it,” she retorted. She lowered her hand and inspected her fingers, then arched a brow at him. “No blood, unfortunately for you.”

Fuuuck. “Wh-what do you mean?”

She smiled: that impish little smile that she wore far too often for his liking. “I was right, wasn’t I? You are a vampire. You were going to bite me!”

He wilted. There was no point denying it anymore. “It’s not what you think. I’m not some monster. I feed on animals — boars, deer, kobolds, whatever I can get. I’m just…” Damn it, this was awkward, and he did not like it. But humbling himself was the only choice he had right now. “I’m too slow right now, too weak. It’s been slim pickings for the past few days.”

She twisted her lips ruefully. “And I suppose the druids won’t be too pleased if you go around chowing down on their friends since they’ve allowed us into their Grove, however reluctantly.”

“Something like that.”

“Hm,” she said. “So what, you were just going to bite me while I was meditating? Even though it would have woken me up?”

“Ye-es. But look,” he said hurriedly, “if I just had a little blood, I could think clearer, fight better. Please?”

She was frowning up at him now: a thoughtful frown, not an angry one, and it was somehow worse than her mischievous smile.

“What?” he said testily.

“Why didn’t you just—”

Without warning, he was awash in memories. Kneeling on the cold stone floor. Cazador standing over him, a cruel smile on his pale face. ‘Eat it, worm.’ The wriggling little body in his hands, squeaking like mad and slick with sewer grime, nausea and hunger warring in his gut — No, stop, stop this, he didn’t want to think about this, stop.

He stepped back and dragged his mind away from her, and she stumbled a little too and rubbed her forehead. “Shit, this fucking tadpole, I — I didn’t mean to…” She lowered her hand and gave him that unnervingly penetrating frown. “That man. Who was he? He made you eat rats?”

Astarion clenched his jaw. This tadpole mind-invasion shit was so unfair. He did not want anyone to see the things he didn’t want them to see. “That man was my master,” he said grudgingly. “I ate whatever disgusting vermin he picked. So you can see why I’m slow to trust you. But I do trust you,” he lied. “And you can trust me.”

She studied him in silence, and his spirits sank a little more. It looked like he was going to have to kill her and the others to get away alive, which was a shame. He really had been finding it useful to camouflage himself among a group. But oh well, such was life.

Then she shrugged. “All right. What do you need?”

He blinked. “I… sorry?”

“What do you need, exactly?” she said. “You said you just need a little blood, right?”

“Uh, yes,” he said blankly. “I only need a taste, I swear.”

“All right.” She settled cross-legged on her bedroll, then gestured at him. “Come on down here and have your little bite.”

He gaped at her. Was she quite serious? She seemed to be. She wasn’t even giving him that shit-eating little smile of hers. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” she said. “But I’ll warn you, if you bite me for too long, I’ll scorch your gorgeous hair clean off.” She snapped her fingers, and a small wreath of flame encircled her hand.

Astarion flinched back. What in the—? He’d never seen her do that before. How was she able to conjure flames without uttering a spell or strumming that harp of hers? He didn’t know that bards were capable of performing magic if they weren’t, well, performing.

She flicked her wrist, and the flame went out. “Astarion, come on, let’s get this done. I’m going to lose my nerve if you just keep standing there like a petrified bugbear.”

“All right,” he said hastily. “Er, thank you.” He kneeled beside her, then hesitated. He’d never actually bitten a person before, and he’d never bitten any creature without the intent to drain it dry. How exactly was he supposed to do this?

She made a little face. “So what now? Do I lie down, or what? Maybe I should lie across your lap? Oh, I know — here, open your legs.”

What? A pinch of reluctance raced down his spine, and he hid it with a smirk. “Open my legs? What exactly do you have in mind here?”

She grinned. “Don’t be dirty. I’m just thinking I can sit between your legs and rest back against your knee while you bite me. If I’m doing this, I want to be comfy.”

“Ah. Yes, that would be best,” he said, with a confidence he didn’t feel. “Come on, then.” He sat back and parted his legs.

Brynn shuffled between his legs and leaned back against his bent knee. “All right, go ahead,” she said briskly, and she pulled her silvery hair to the side.

Her pulse was beating in her throat, like the delicate flit of a butterfly’s wings. Astarion stared at it for a second: that tiny fluttering pulse, the blood that it implied, the rush of heat that was soon to cross his tongue…

He leaned in and grazed her neck with his teeth.

Her breath caught, and he instinctively cradled her head to still her. “Easy,” he murmured, and he pierced her flesh with his fangs.

A spurt of blood washed over his tongue: hot, smooth and rich like velvet, the salt and tang of a perfectly-tender cut of meat. She gasped and tensed, but as Astarion hungrily lapped the blood from her wound, she shivered and relaxed until her weight was pressing against his leg.

Without lifting his mouth from her neck, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to keep her propped up. Gods, she tasted heavenly. He’d not tasted anything this good in fucking centuries. Boar’s blood was fine, especially after two hundred years of nothing but putrid rats. But drinking Brynn’s blood was like the difference between watered wine and aged Amnian port, and he couldn’t get enough. The more he drank, the better he felt: not just stronger, not just like his hunger was being sated, but… good. No, not just good: he felt happy.

Then she lifted her hand and slid her fingers into his hair.

Something in his gut quivered. Why was she touching him? He hadn’t expected her to touch him. Her fingers were just sitting there on his head, her fingertips pressing gently into his scalp, not pulling, not trying to hurt — what the hell was she doing?

She pulled in a slow breath, then spoke on a sigh. “Fangs out now or I’ll turn your pretty hair to ash.”

That actually made him smile. He lifted his head and wiped his chin, then tutted. “Oh dear, you’re still bleeding. Do you have a bandage?”

“In my pack, maybe,” she said. “You’d better get it.”

Her speech was a bit slurred. Perhaps he’d drunk a little more of her blood than he should have. “Sit up and I’ll fetch it,” he said.

She sat upright, and Astarion slipped away from her and went to get her pack. When he returned to her bedroll, she was curled up on her side with her eyes closed, and the blood had trickled from the bite wound in her neck to the front of her throat.

He studied it with interest — ooh, interest only, but not with the same all-consuming hunger as before. Success! He kneeled beside her and shook her shoulder. “Brynn, wake up.”

“Mm?” she mumbled.

He tsked and pressed the bandage-cloth to her neck. “Come now, I didn’t drink that much. You ought to sit up now and have something to drink.”

“Gods, not blood, I hope,” she said. Then she started to laugh.

He scoffed. “Come on, sit up. There’s a good girl.”

She groaned and pushed herself upright, then took over his hold on the bandage, and he rifled in her pack until he found a gourd of apple juice. “Drink this, all right? I’ll be back. I’m going hunting. Away from that damned grove, of course.”

“You’re leaving after all that?” she exclaimed. “At least buy a girl a nice meal after you bite her.” She giggled and unstoppered the gourd.

He smirked. She was going to be dreadfully easy to seduce when the time came. “Remind me tomorrow when we go back to the Grove, and I’ll do just that.” He stood up. “Get some rest, now. Don’t wait up for me.”

She lowered the gourd from her lips. “Hey, before you go: I think you should tell the others that you’re a vampire, too.”

“Technically speaking, I’m vampire spawn,” he said delicately. “Regardless, why would I do that? Unless you think they might offer up their necks, too?”

She scoffed. “Maybe, if you’re lucky. But it’s more that they’re going to figure it out sooner than later. It’ll be better for them to hear it from you than to find out by accident the next time you get a little too peckish.”

He waved her off. “No no, there won’t be anymore midnight surprises, I can promise you that.”

“Still, you should tell them. Why hide it? It’s what you are.”

He gave her a flat look. “You say that as though I’d be telling them I’m secretly a fluffy bunny rabbit. Confessing that you’re a vampire isn’t exactly a nice revelation.”

“But it’s what you are,” she insisted. “Are you really going to spend the next who-knows-how-long pretending you’re just a regular elf? Wouldn’t you rather just be yourself?”

That unnerving squiggly feeling unfurled in his gut again. Where was she even getting these stupid ideas from? “And what would you know about pretending to be something you’re not? Everyone knows you’re a drow just by looking at you. It’s not exactly something you could hide, even if you wanted to.”

She arched a brow. “Actually, the joke’s on you. I’m not a drow.”

He frowned. “You’re…? Yes you are.”

She shook her head. “I’m half-drow. My mother was a wood elf.”

That was a surprise. She looked like she was fully drow. “Interesting. Still, you’re splitting hairs. Half-drow is still a drow as far as everyone is concerned.”

Her smile flickered for a split second: a very brief split-second, but enough that he noticed. Then she laughed lightly. “That’s truer than you know. But it’s also kind of my point. Everyone can think whatever they like of me. I am who I am, and I’m not trying to be anything else. I think you should do the same.”

“Well, thank you for the advice,” he said. “I’ll sleep on it.”

“No you won’t. You don’t sleep.”

“True.”

She grinned. “Is that your way of saying I can shove my advice up my ass?”

He actually laughed at that. “Don’t be so crass, my dear. It’s unbecoming.” He gave her a frank look. “Seriously, though, thank you. This was a gift. I won’t forget it.”

“Anytime.” She tilted her head. “Well, maybe not anytime, but… you’re welcome.”

He smiled faintly, then turned and headed for the woods with a spring in his step. Damn, but he felt good enough to skip. Drinking animal blood had never made him feel this lively.

As he sidled into the shadows, though, he found himself considering her advice. Telling the others what he was, being himself… It was a preposterous idea, really. Brynn might’ve decided to trust him — by some miracle or sheer idiocy on her part, really, since he hadn’t exactly put his most charming foot forward tonight. But he wasn’t so sure about the others. Shadowheart would certainly be suspicious, and that charming Lae’zel would probably threaten to behead him on the spot. Gale, though… Hm, Gale could probably be talked around, especially if Brynn vouched for him, since Gale had a soft spot for her. And what better way to get Brynn to vouch for him than to win her over with a little well-placed sex? Damn, he’d have to make a point of bedding her as soon as possible.

And yet… Maybe she had a point about trying to hide his true nature while he was travelling with a group. Who knew how long it would take to find this Halsin person or the githyanki crèche? Their little group had already been together for a week, and they were no closer to finding a cure now than when they’d met. Did he really think he could keep up pretenses until a cure was found?

But if he did reveal himself, and if the others did accept him without trying to kill him or drive him away… Honestly, the idea did hold considerable appeal. If he could reveal himself as a vampire, then he could feed on the people they killed in combat. He wouldn’t have to feed on animals anymore!

The thought spurred a little wriggle of excitement through his limbs. Damn it, Brynn was right, wasn't she? He ought to tell the others he was vampire spawn. And for reasons that he couldn't entirely formulate, it annoyed him that she was right. How dare she have actual good advice when they’d only just met a week ago? And that was on top of her irritating insights and her whole getting-into-his-memories thing, which was far from ideal.

At the same time, her annoying cleverness could make her quite useful if she was using it against other people who weren’t Astarion himself. Not to mention that hint of powerful magic she’d shown off with that flaming-fingers trick of hers. Once he had her thoroughly tied around his little finger, then he could use her talents for his own purposes. Maybe… Sweet gods, maybe she would come home to Baldur’s Gate with him and help him kill Cazador. Maybe she could help to set him free for good!

The idea was so beautiful that he almost laughed out loud. Ah yes, Brynn Bladetongue was trouble. But Astarion was no stranger to trouble, and if he played his cards right like he always did, he’d be able to make use of her particular brand of trouble before this whole tadpole debacle was through.

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

You can read more here on AO3, if you like -- 7 chapters posted to date!

[heartfe1t]

@inspotlight

   ❝    nina! hi- i'm really excited to meet you in person!   ❞    brynn approaches the popstar with a smile, going for what's intended as a hug, though she'll understand if she is greeted with a handshake.   ❝    i was so happy you wanted to meet with me, i've got some really great ideas for this new era.   ❞    making performance outfits and that sort of thing specifically as her niche was a new thing for the young designer, but after one of her pieces she made had turned into a performance costume, she'd gotten asked to do more, and she was excited about doing more of it, especially with younger performers around her own age and that sort of thing.   ❝    i'd love to really collaborate with you and figure out a vision together, if you're interested? today i mostly just wanted to talk, take some measurements, maybe look at pinterest a little...   ❞    

[crossdreamers]

US Republicans talk about eradicating trans people. What does it mean?

Brynn Tannehill has published a very important thread on the Republican transphobia over at twitter, and I am taking the liberty of republishing it below. 

It is a dark thread, but given the current situation it is important that trans people, their allies and other compassionate and fair people understand what is at stake.

Democracy is at stake. Justice is at stake. Freedom is at stake.

The Republican Party is no longer pretending to be nice

Tannehill has been warning about the Republican descent into right wing extremism for several years now. She has written about this in her book  American Fascism: How the GOP is Subverting Democracy. 

[For non-US readers: The GOP refers to the Republican Party.]

The recent developments in states like Texas and Florida have proven her right. The savage legislative attacks against trans people in red states is telling us that this is a party that is willing to do anything to turn America into a right wing totalitarian society based on religious fundamentalism, male supremacy and traditional gender roles.

The “culture war” against trans people is simply a way of making the unthinkable thinkable. By gradually increasing the volume from “trans women in sports is unfair” via “trans women are bath room predators” to “ transgenderism has to be eradicated”, they are trying to get the majority acclimated to brutal state driven oppression and violence.

Whether they succeed or not depends on to what extent all good people get engaged. They should know that the anti-trans policies are just the first step. Everyone will lose in this game.

Here’s what Brynn Tannehill has to say

//There's been some discussion of what it means to eradicate trans people, and if this is even genocide.

I want people to understand what this means in practice, based purely on what's being proposed today by Republicans, and what it means for trans people. 

Let's start with the kids. Teachers and other mandatory reporters cannot even mention trans people. 

They are, however, required to report any child suspected of being trans to their parents, and to the government to be put on some sort of list. 

No health support for trans kids and youth

Youth are not only banned from receiving transition related care as teens, they are forbidden from socially transitioning by many of these laws. Only conversion therapy is permissible. 

Teachers and schools are forbidden from using their names or letting them use bathrooms. 

Florida is making it legal to kidnap children and bring them to the state for conversion therapy. They're also telling the courts to take away any children who MIGHT be trans and be "at risk" of receiving affirmation of any  some sort. 

Even turning 18 is of marginal value. States like Texas are starting to put together lists of transgender college students for unknown purposes. One goal of institutional capture of all state funded institutions of higher learning  is to drive out trans folks and allies. 

States are forbidding insurance companies that provide transition related coverage ANYWHERE in the US from doing business with any state entity (TN). They're making sure that college students lose access to transition related care.

They're also targeting doctors & clinics. 

Laws extending liability out to 30 years or infinity is meant to make doctors, hospitals, and clinics refuse to treat anyone for gender dysphoria because they cannot get insurance for it.

Florida is simply threatening to revoke the medical licenses of providers. 

Similar laws targeting insurance plans offered by businesses are intended to cause companies to drop coverage of transition related care, and to get insurance companies to stop offering inclusive plans. 

Given what the GOP is doing with Mifepistrone [a pregnancy termination medication], they will follow up with blocking access to HRT [hormone replacement therapy] via the courts nationally.

The result is that the only possible way to receive care is out of pocket via overseas sources.

Social transition become hard or impossible

But it gets way worse from here. 

The drag bans being put in place are meant to effectively prevent even social transition. Similarly, the bathroom bans, and particularly those that put trans people on sex offender lists, are meant to ensure trans people rarely leave their homes, and even then not for long. 

We are witnessing the revival of Comstock laws to prevent the flow of information about abortion or abortifacients. We're also seeing rumblings that the GOP intends to do the same with information about being transgender, or receiving treatment elsewhere. 

Social contagion

Preventing "social contagion", of course.

One line of argument being offered by Knowles [who has called for the eradication of “transgenderism”] is that trans people are a non-cognizable group, which puts trans people somewhere below rational basis scrutiny. 

They want to reach a legal standard where "public health" vs. no one always ends up with the courts saying that any government action is justified. IOW: zero protections from the courts.

This is where camps...err... "getting them the help they need"... become possible. 

Revoking IDs

The de-recognition of trans people as a class means revoking the IDs of anyone who has already transitioned. You either turn in your old one and get back something that marks you as trans (so it's easier to arrest you later for using the loo), or you don't have a valid ID. 

This isn't paranoia, the Trump administration was proposing de-recognition back in 2018 and about a dozen states have filed bills to do so. This action makes it much harder for trans people to "blend in" and try to escape notice by pretending to be cis. 

Forcing trans people back into the closet

In the end, the goal of the GOP is to eradicate any trans people from being visible in public life in any way. For trans people that means one of the following coping mechanisms:

1. Becoming a home bound hermit w/o HRT 2. Staying in the closet 3. Detransitioning 4. Fleeing

That's the sum total of trans people's options that will be legal within 5 years at this rate. There are illegal options, but that's out of scope in this thread.

If blue states go along with court rulings and the federal government, fleeing is less viable. 

Genocide

Which brings me to genocide. There's a lot of definitions, but I believe this clearly constitutes cultural genocide: "The systematic destruction of traditions, values, language, and other elements that make one group of people distinct from another." 

Transgender people, as a class, violate gender norms, and GOP wants to eradicate that.

Cultural genocide doesn't need killing, it just requires destruction of identity, and often involves taking children away and indoctrinating them into the majority culture. 

We have gone from It Can't Happen Here, to It Will Happen Here, to It Is Happening Here. Now. Today. The GOP is clearly stating its end state goal of no more visible transgender people in the US. They are passing all the laws they need to do so. 

The public is oblivious, apathetic, or actively in favor of this. The NYT and Jonathan Chait are both siding this, and going along with Matt Walsh and Jordan Peterson's narrative that "We're defending western civilization"

I hate knowing this history. 

Addendum

Addendum: de-recognition of trans identities also allows removing trans people from federal service. It's as simple as enforcing a dress code: "Show up to work on Monday in a coat, ties, and men's hair cut, or you're fired." It's either detransition or unemployment.

Thus, when Knowles and other conservatives talk about "eradicating transgenderism", this is what they mean. They're not (yet) advocating for mass murder, but they, and their cohorts in legislatures, are working towards a functional end to anyone in the US being openly trans.//

A final comment

That was the message from Tannehill. Let me add here that it is easy to lose hope in such a situation. But keep in mind that the reason the Republicans are doing this right now is that they know that they have been losing their “culture war” for many years now. The younger generations are much more liberal, open minded and pro-LGBT. They do not have the majority of Americans on their side.

Instead of adapting to a changing cultural landscape (as many conservative parties in other countries have done), the Republicans have decided to double down and force everyone else (”the woke liberals”)  to succumb to their nostalgic fever fantasies. 

The American people can say not to this, and make sure that they lose the elections to come, at least on the federal level. That is definitely possible.

So keep on fighting!

Full thread here.

Brynn Tannehill web site.

[nxttheendxfthestxry]

"Do you wanna talk about it, or do you just want to drink and talk to a pretty girl to forget your troubles?" Brynn asked as she sat down beside Fitz with her own drink.

Fitz laughs dryly and shakes his head, sighing as he finishes off his recent drink. "What's there to even say? Gods, I feel stupid being upset."

[seesgood]

lia i missed u sm 💙

will you pls enlighten the dash on what you read???

oh my friend, my lovely love, apple of my eye, you have no idea what you ask of me ---

so right now i'm reading from blood and ash ( bc of @polymusepotion ), but i've also read:

you, again - kate goldbeck

too many sports romance novels

fragile threads of power - v.e. schwab

the quiet tenant - clemence michallon

fourth wing - rebecca yarros

killing me - michelle gagnon

divine rivals - rebecca ross

butcher & blackbird - brynne weaver

assistant to the villain - hannah nicole maehrer

and those are just the ones in the past 3 months that have given me considerable "i miss writing things" brainrot

[babydollmarauders]

Thinking about how warm and inviting Jack’s hugs would be <3

There would be sleepy morning hugs, where he’d pull you closer to his body, intertwining his legs with yours. He’d mumble a “just more five minutes” into the crook of your neck and you could never say no, because his arms around you would feel heavenly. He’d never tell you but he started scheduling his alarm a bit earlier, so he’d be able to cuddle you more when he wakes up.

There would be hugs when he finally comes home and you’d run into his arms as if you haven’t seen him for years; when you just had lunch together earlier. Those hugs would always end up with you wrapping your legs around his waist and him spinning you around. Two giggling messes, giddy over the love you hold for each other.

There would be hugs when you’re feeling sad, and Jack would be extra gentle with you; rubbing soothing circles on your back while you’re sat on his lap. His fingers would thread through your hair, as he’d listen intently to you. Those hugs would last for as long as you want them to, he would never let go first.

And there would be hugs when you haven’t seen him for a long while and he’d pull you to him as soon as his eyes land on you. Those would be silent hugs, where you’d just bask in the presence of each other, because you’ve really, really missed him. And holding him close would be the only way for you to realize that he was really there, he came back to you — he came home.

oh— okay, i’m crying

this is so 🥺

HOW DARE YOU, BRYNN?! THAT ENDING— NOW I’M CRYING BECAUSE I MISS HIM SO MUCH

I NEED HIM TO COME BACK TO US DAMNIT