#but we are attached to those characters -> that's why we would always say that their deaths achieve absolutely nothing

[cinamun]

hi! okay—first off? the masterful way in which you’re able to invoke such thoughtful conversations with your storytelling is everything to me. every update of TFA feels like a character study of people we’ve all encountered at some point in our lives! it’s beautiful, really.

secondly! with that being said, i wanted to pick your brains a bit about indira! i don’t know if you’ve ever talked about this before, but regarding our girl’s preference for non-exclusive relationships—how much of it would you attribute to her personality, and how much could be considered a trauma response?

considering all that she’s been through, given her own experience with an overly (wrongfully) possessive man in her life that overstepped SEVERALLLL boundaries [+ having to witness the aftermath of what elijah…rip…did to hope] i just always got the vibe that those things collectively made her very wary of wanting a man to ever feel that comfortable with having a ‘claim’ to her. which is understandable! but the idea also makes me very sad for her; since so much of her current mindset towards dating seems like more of a trauma response than anything.

like yes! as a 21 year old myself, i get the idea of wanting to be free and wanting to date around! but is indira really dating? or is she just entertaining people to avoid looking deeper at a bigger problem/fear that she has, and isn’t willing to overcome at this current point in her life? both things are valid, but i just wanted to hear your take as the storyteller because indira is SUCH an interesting character to me, and i’d love to get a deep-dive on her mindset because i relate to…well…almost all of her story 😭 and i’ve found that my own take on dating has shifted drastically due to my experiences with men in the past. where indira is avoidant but still interested in pursuing SOME form of intimacy/companionship, i’ve staunchly sworn off sex and use dating apps as a means to test the waters to ‘see if i’m even ready to date’ … and i’m not. which almost always leads to me getting overstimulated and ghosting after a day or two of light conversation, lol. so this could easily just be me projecting! but either way, i’d love to hear your thoughts!)

Good morning friend! If we aren't taking a deep dive at the human condition, what are we even doing? lol I very much enjoy picking apart our behaviors and why we do the things that we do. Why not put these pixels in Situations™ and then pick it apart in the replies and asks and sometimes DMs?

About Indira...

She is her mother's child and her wanting to date with no strings attached is part of her personality. Indira is healthy, she's happy, she's wealthy and she's beautiful. Why can't it just be that she has no desire to be anything more than what she wants? If a man sleeps around, we don't question it most times. But as soon as we saw a grown, independent, emotionally stable Dira sleep with two men while telling them exactly what their role was, we decided she was foul and something must be 'wrong'.

I find that fascinating!

Why can't it just be that Indira is having fun and living life? Why can't it just be that she is young, carefree and likes big dicks and big wallets?

Having said that, we have yet to hear from Dira how the experience with Rahul and Ryker may have shaped her as an individual (not just who she sleeps with). We saw bits and pieces about how Elliot's demise impacted her and certainly it wasn't a positive impact. Luckily, Dr. Carter, the family therapist, took turns with each of the Drake children after The Tragedy on the Pier™. She didn't have to go through it alone and worked hard in theraphy to develop healthy boundaries and work through the trauma.

Needless to say, there is so much more to come with her. We've only caught glimpses because the story has gone in a few different directions since her debut in Tomarang as a brand new young adult. I do hope you stay tuned for what is to come!

[chuluoyi]

unpopular opinion: i think several fan-favorite deaths in jjk are... justifiable :')

[noturmuse]

I just finished watching Babylon and I feel like I experienced a fever dream!!! My thoughts are I only cared about Manny and Sidney and everything was super chaotic (not in a bad way) until Spider-Man showed up and turned it into a horror movie oh and the montage at the end was unnecessary the end

[chrollohearttags]

taste of our world | e. jaeger, a. artlert, r. braun

(Y/N) is your typical workaholic. A successful business woman with everything going for her….except a love life! That is until your best friend invites you to dinner with her colleagues. Who beyond their fancy suits and expensive cars, harbor a secret that no one would expect.

black fem!reader, (reader is a bit nerdy and reserved) niesha cameo, finger sucking, groping (consensual), fingering, corruption kink, toys use, voyeurism, m/m action, spit play, 3 sum with an eventual fivesome, polyamory + other things, all the characters are in their late 20’s

📜: I’ve had this idea floating around for a while and I just wanted to try it out. It’s very much different from my normal fics but hey, maybe experimenting will get me out of this rut I’m in. Bc writing should be fun, not perfect and clean! :)

── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.──

life: it always had a strange way of working out. It could lead you down a variety of paths..some that you’d never even imagine. It was the very thought circulating your mind at the moment…positioned in a rather intricate and compromising manner; legs parted with your feet propped as if they were being hoisted by stirrups at a doctors office..not exactly how you would’ve been spending your Friday evenings some months ago.

“You poor thing, you’re so tense…must’ve been a long week, princess.” “Maybe she just needs someone to take her stress away. I think we can handle that..”

two voices interloping over that of your own infinite train of thoughts, speaking as if you weren’t even in the room. The ones racing through your mind at lightning speed as you struggled to take in your surroundings. A dimly illuminated room, shrouded in burgundy, black and cream colored decor. Canopy drapes hung above your head from the ceiling whilst you sat spread open with satin ropes binding your hands and ankles..those strappy heels you wore throughout your eight hour work day? Still coiled around those beautiful brown legs. It was a rather delectable sight to behold and they were itching to devour. The same could also be said of your button down blouse..still flesh against that curvaceous body and torn open by your doting boyfriends, the second they saw you in it and exposing those supple tits in the process. They made haste in hoisting your skirt to your tummy, and tugging those soaked panties down until they were torn completely off.

“And look, she even kept her toy in, all day..just like we asked. We’re so proud of you, baby.”

that deep voice cooing to you with a palm cupped around your cheek and a thumb pursed between your lips to suckle on. It was attached to a man, who by all accounts was your boyfriend. Eren, who’d entered your life six months prior and turned it upside down. Naturally, it was for the better..but it was certainly a culture shock nonetheless. Not many women could say they had a successful, attentive, loving partner who catered to her every whim in this society; less known, two of them. That honor also went to that of Reiner Braun. The more reserved yet most certainly, yet dominant of the pair. They were in sync, working reminiscent of a well oiled machine to convey their beloved (y/n) insurmountable pleasure at all costs. Needless to say, you had no complaints! Eventually, Eren would go on to replace that digit that had been pacifying you with his own lips, bending down to feed you slow, gentle yet sloppy kisses. Your tongues clash in a haze of bliss and coagulate with strings of saliva. Your doe brown eyes couldn’t help but to fixate on his green ones..full with lust and passion for his lady. He’d never seen something so precious to him. Something he wanted to protect and defile in the most salacious ways at the same time. Hence why his opposite hand was roughly groping those plump breasts and pinching your nipple. The other half of those perfectly manicured digits resided between your warm, spongy walls. Casually resting there with only subtle movements every so often.

“Of course..she was even kind enough to send us videos of herself. Can’t believe she only came once..told you our lil’ training would pay off, darlin.’ You just had to trust us..makes getting the whole thing that much better once yer’ home with us.”

that thick, buttery accent rang out in your ear as he nipped at the lobe. Marking it with gentle kisses before selfishly spinning your head around so that he too could get a sample of those sweet kisses. They were absolute feigns..addicts for every square inch of your flesh. Begging for a mere taste each time they were near you. Meanwhile, Reiner’s finger pads circled that sensitive clit; honing in on the swollen bud with gentle rubs to stimulate you. The men would cooperate in perfect harmony to stimulate all of your erogenous zones. Eren was far more delicate with his movements, as opposed to Reiner, who really appeased your sadistic side. One you weren’t even aware you liked until a few months ago. Yet here he was, feeding you very soft pats to the cheek as he intermittently pinched your nipples, even coiling that same hand around your throat to lightly asphyxiate you. A sensation you’d grown to be obsessed with. That’s how it was…when one would pull, the other pushed. When one gave to you, the other took but it was in the name of your gratification. Somewhat of a proverbial tug of war that they were playing both mentally and physically. “Oh my gosh…right there. Feels so good..” By the time the men hit their stride, you’d been reduced to a babbling mess with drool seeping from your lips. Eyes glazed over in inebriating lust and tiny giggles emitting from your mouth. Those whimpers and shrill cries had blossomed into beautiful moans that fed both of the men’s satisfaction. “Yeah, that’s what we wanna hear, baby. All we want is to make you feel good.” As they lay on their sides, still dressed in their designer slacks; although the top halves were bare, had managed to unravel their belts and tug them down until those aching erects were exposed. Conveniently, your hands were positioned ever so slightly so that you had access to both of those erect cocks.

“Fuck me…God, you’re so wet, princess. All that cream on my fingers. Can’t wait to feel it on my dick too..” his words slurring almost as if he were inebriated. Eventually fading off as he continued making out with you. Meanwhile, Reiner was not to be ignored. He had much more to say. “Maybe we can play in all those pretty holes, baby. Just like you wanted..use that cute little mouth of yours, this cute pussy and even fuck that lil’ asshole too..we’re gonna make you come yer’ brains out. So there isn’t a single thought left in there by the time we’re done.”

it was a threat that you personally wanted to see to fruition. You’d already made a mess once before..splattering their arms and fingers with your juices and was well on your way to a second release. You couldn’t take anymore of these promises. Your body was brimming with lust. Pure, unadulterated, unfathomable lust that could only be fulfilled with the lecherous desires that had been mentioned. “Yesss, please fuck me. Make me come.” To be used, stretched and stuffed to your ultimate capacity. Until your mind went absolutely blank and all that was left of you was a drooling little slut with the sole purpose of being their fucktoy. After all, it was what you had signed up for..literally and figuratively! When you agreed to become their submissive, their girl..you relinquished autonomy over yourself in the bedroom and allowed them to be solely responsible for delivering that sensation every week. Make no mistake, they fully supported you within your career and would never interfere with the way you ran your company. But when it came to personal aspects, you loved the idea of letting them make the decisions. The men would continue their descent and as they toyed with your body, their own lips would clash in a steamy haze. Heads dangling over your own as they made out and swirled their tongues around one another. The sight of two men kissing above you caused your insides to twitch around those fingers. You knew the drill…panting reminiscent of that of a pup, your tongue dangled from your mouth as it lay wide open. Before long, their own remnants of saliva were seeping in. This was due in part to those amazing handjobs you’d been giving them. Eren would reach down and grasp your throat as their fluids spilled to the back of it. “Good girl..swallow it.” Precum from both of their aching red tips seeped onto your knuckles. All of you were overcome with pleasure. And yet, still craving more.

but alas, your little display wasn’t the only one transpiring behind those four walls…

“Fuck…that’s so sexy.” “Yeah? Looks like she’s having a good time.” “I told you she would.”

because right before the foot of the bed, lie two spectators to this very illustrious rendezvous. Trusted eyes glued to the little display and partaking in activities of their own. Your best friend. Another successful woman in her own right. A home selling maverick with a rather successful real estate empire and her equally successful fiance, Armin. He amassed his fortune in marine engineering and helped craft some of the world’s most expensive sea vessels. A power couple by every definition of the word. However, at the moment..their eyes were fixated on you. With her back pressed to her man’s chest and her legs spread wide, she sat between Armin’s thighs as his arms spanned down between her own. His nimble fingers pushing in and out of your best friend’s tight cunt. Never would you have imagined being in such a compromising position. He’d massage her clit as the two observed you. You had known your best friend since childhood and there was rarely a secret harbored between the two of you. However, the one she decided to withhold…was interesting to say the least! Because after what you thought to be a harmless, casual dinner with her and some of her colleagues..who she was introduced to by her fiance, things changed! He and Eren happened to be childhood best friends as well and you figured this was her attempt at arranging some sort of relationship between the two of you. If you knew anything about her, she’d probably say that it would be cute for you guys to hook up solely because you’d be two sets of besties dating! You didn’t really pay the notion much mind but after sitting across the table from this charming and handsome man, your resolve softened and by the end of the night, he had you giggling like an idiot..smiling from ear to ear. He began to call and leave gifts at your office. Kind, respectful and gentle: all the quality traits you sought in a man. Eren was everything you could’ve imagined. He swept you off your feet and took your breath clean from your lungs. However, there was something off about this dream beau of yours that you couldn’t quite place your finger on…in fact, the whole group seemed to be in on a secret you were clueless about. One you’d find out about after overhearing your best friend and those two whispering after a night out.

“Maybe we should tell her..”

“I don’t think she’ll be down for it. You see how she is for yourself.”

“We don’t know until we try..”

The thing in question exactly? A foursome! Because unbeknownst to you, everyone within your friends circle was into polyamory. What was even more so shocking, is that it seemed to be another missing piece from this puzzle as well…totaling the group to a quadruplet. Make no mistake, you loved each of them dearly and as much as you hated to admit so this early on, you were absolutely smitten with Eren…but even this was a lot to take in. Your sex life was rather vanilla and honestly, nonexistent up until this point. You’d consider yourself bisexual at some point also but never really acted on it. You were too busy with work to concern yourself with any of those matters. But after one night with Eren, you were exposed to things you never thought possible. Both sexually and emotionally. You never knew pleasure the way you did with him and yet, the thought of sharing him made you want to denounce the potential relationship altogether. However, once the four of you were alone, things changed. You began to realize just how confined and restricted your sexual prowess had been.

that you’d limited yourself to all the possibilities that could transpire within your love life. When you asked why they participated, their answers aligned to the same thing. The corporate world was a drag and there was something so liberating about breaking societal norms within their personal lives when everything else was so structured. Even your best friend said that she’d never felt closer to Armin and more in tune with herself. So, as a way of ‘initiating’ you into their lifestyle, once you agreed to give it a shot..your boyfriend placed a blindfold over your eyes, spread your legs apart and allowed all three of them to take turns eating you out..feasting on that sweet little pussy of yours and devouring it until you were a shaking mess.

you lost track of the number of times you came that night and all of them were enjoying themselves quite a bit but your pleasure was the number one priority right now. What started as a simple double date between successful couples, ended with your best friend’s tongue in your cunt as her husband to be fucked her from behind! Meanwhile, Eren sat back observing..stroking himself at the sight and you’d never been turned on more than you had in that moment! Even so, to the naked and public eye, no one would ever guess that this sort of thing roused any of you guys’ fancy. What you all displayed to the world were business oriented professionals who excelled at their line of work. Behind closed doors, however..were lovers intertwined in an adoring and sex positive relationship. Fast forward a month or so after that and you were introduced to Eren’s partner..who held the title in more ways than one. Reiner Braun..the hulking six foot four, two hundred and ninety pound stud of a man with a thick country accent. It was blatantly obvious that he was enamored with you from the second your eyes met.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” “Damn gorgeous..”

where Eren exercised couth and gracefulness in every word he spoke; soft in tone yet deep in vibrato, Reiner made up for in sheer honesty. The contrast was something you grew to adore..especially when they both made it abundantly clear that they wanted you and they weren’t interested in making you choose. Rather, they wanted a different arrangement..one that allowed for the three of you to be in a relationship. Exclusive only to one another with the occasional hookup with your best friends..complex may have been an understatement but you were somehow open to the idea. Naturally, it wouldn’t just be limited to sexual favors. They’d take care of you in mind, body and spirit. Cooking meals for you, massaging your feet, ensuring that your bills were paid despite being capable of doing so all on your own..hell, only a month into the agreement, you were the most pampered you had ever been! No longer did you feel the need to live in survival mode..not being strong and independent because you had no other choice. If they even so much as saw you struggling to open a can, they’d rush to your aid.

“As long as we’re around, you don’t need to worry yourself with anything. We’re gonna take care of you, princess. I promise.”

there were never any egos involved or talks of no longer wanting to share..they set aside their pride and all solely for you. They wanted you to feel safe, loved and secure in every facet of your life. You could be soft or weak and they’d never judge you for it. They’d kiss your feet and the ground beneath it if it made you smile.

so as you sat bound with their fingers buried inside of your hole..the other circulating your clit as the three of you exchanged sloppy pecks and saliva..nearing your climatic peak, they’d observe and follow the pace. All of you in tune with one another’s psyche and nearing your inevitable orgasms…it was a pleasure you’d never experienced before and it made you so happy that you’d finally gotten a taste of their world.

“Fuck..are you gonna come for us, baby? Please come for us..squirt all over our fucking fingers, princess..”

“Yeah, let us have it, sweetheart. Don’t you dare think about holding back.”

and now that you had, there was no way you were coming back to normal!

[astarion-obsessions]

Hold on, there is something I thought about. When Astarion approached Tav with "all his favourite lines" of flattery, leading to fake confessing his love to them, I was genuinely hurt to see that he would play with Tav's feelings like that, just for the sake of entertainment.

But now that their relationship progressed and Astarion actually confessed that he developed feelings for Tav, but still claims to not know how he would define their relationship, I get the feeling that he made the choice to fake confess beforehand for another reason than entertainment or seduction altogether. Hear me out.

Why does Astarion fake confess his love to Tav?

When I get a scene with Astarion, I always reload a thousand times to try out all the routes and see all his reactions, so what I'm about to break down will be no less than heartbreaking.

First let's take a look at what Astarion has to say. He starts the conversation with a clear goal in mind: he wants to seduce us again and he says so right away. He continues with very openly displaying his skills at charming people with honeyed words, seemingly enjoying himself while doing so. But what we have to keep in mind is that he's done that thousands and thousands of times already. I think it's safe to assume that he's perfected this mask of a smug, flirtatious man enjoying all this debauchery. 

But after giving us one suggestive line after another, he does something that does not match the tone of the conversation so far: his fake love confession. I mean, just look at him. 

He goes from completely exaggerated facial expressions and gestures: 

When I'm with you, I feel practically alive, yet I crave only to die again with you.

To this:

I love you

We get a closeup of his face and see that he gets serious all of a sudden despite the fact that the conversation has been all fun and flirty just a moment ago. He draws his brows together, tells Tav "I love you" and then just looks at us with this serious and almost sad expression. Completely different from before when he was just toying around. 

And yes, I just said he's very practiced in playing pretend, but just the difference between shallow and cheesy lines about craving to die together and their perfect body whispering temptation in contrast to a simple "I love you" and then on top of that the difference on how he conveys it - for me it just doesn't fit together, this isn’t Astarion pretending. And furthermore he gains nothing from adding this confession. The flirty lines would have been enough to seduce Tav once again and therefore ensure their attachment to him, so that his protection is granted. And that is all he wants, at least in the beginning. 

But then, why would he voice this fake confession in the first place? And that's where my theory sets in. I don't think he would risk the trouble of getting more feelings involved than necessary in his "nice simple plan" - seducing Tav, sleeping with them, manipulating their feelings. For doing so, he simply wouldn't need a love confession. 

With saying "How about I say those little words. Everyone's favourite" he already suggests that he's said them to a lot of people already. And this surely is a way to charm and seduce people very fast, but with Tav he doesn't need to rush. They're tied together for an indefinite amount of time, he doesn't need to seduce them in a matter of hours or days before serving them to his master. And he's already seduced Tav successfully before, so my guess is this:

My explanation for the fake confession

The real confession scene, where he admits to having started to genuinely feel something for Tav, came a bit out of nowhere for me. (And don't get me started with our options to react to his real confession. I talked about that here.) I don’t think he would just willingly tell Tav that he's grown fond of them, when a few nights before he threw the fake confession their way without giving a damn about Tav's feelings - that just felt very out of character for him in my opinion. 

But what if he started to fall in love with Tav even before the fake confession? Think about it, he has slept with Tav once - successfully seduced - so all he has to do is sustain this kind of relationship. Saying all his favourite lines at Tav and trying to get them to sleep with each other for a second time would have been just that - sustaining the relationship at present. But then he says "I love you". And I say he does so purposefully. It's a test. Having someone like you enough to sleep with you is one thing. Having deep and complex feelings like love involved is something else entirely. So he tests the waters with this confession. He hides behind all of these flirtatious lines and places the confession at their end to throw a veil over its real meaning. 

It may be a lie either way - saying it just for entertainment or saying it to see if Tav is open for deeper feelings - but I think he exaggerates on purpose to trigger a reaction that speaks for itself. Does Tav care about these words? Is Tav hurt to see that Astarion is apparently willing to play with their feelings like this? Or do they not care about such vanities? 

I want to emphasise the fact that Astarion hasn't had the luxury to allow himself anything resembling these kinds of feelings for at least two centuries. Naturally, he would not just come around and open up his heart to Tav when all he's done until then was charming them just for his plan. He would want to reassure himself that this wouldn't turn against him if he dares to show such great vulnerability in front of anyone. He says it himself when he properly confesses that it is intimidating for him to make decisions on his own again. And confessing his feelings is exactly one of those intimidating decisions.  

Interpreting Astarion's reaction

To back up my take I want to take a closer look at Astarion's reaction when we reject him after the fake confession. After he laughs the confession off in one way or the other, he insists on having sex with you again. Here he sticks to exaggerated facial expressions and gestures, just like before with his honeyed words.

Now, as much as I relish standing around and saying all my favourite lines at you, I’d much rather we got to experience each others’ full portfolio of talents once again.

But if Tav then turns him down with saying “I don’t think I really want this”, this is his immediate reaction:

Well, well, excuse me while I die of a broken heart.

He takes a few seconds to process what Tav said, and then instantly responds with another exaggeration accompanied by fitting gesticulation, ending with a fake smile. After that he just looks at Tav for another few seconds and his demeanor changes again:

In all honesty, it's a shame. That time was special to me. I've gotten on my back ten thousand times or more, and forgotten half of them. 

He loses his fake smile, averts his gaze and starts fumbling with his hands nervously. He can't hide his disappointment, but he tries to keep his face neutral - even if it doesn't work all too well. He tells us we were special before giving us a scrunched fake smile once again. It's really hard to watch…

But you… you I'll remember. 

For usually being rather quick to react and respond, we can see how difficult it is for him to react to Tav in this case.

Have a fine evening, dear. 

He pauses yet again, lifts his gaze to the sky and just looks so lost. Mere moments ago he was flirting and laughing, and now he seems so utterly desperate. And then, he can't even keep up his attempts of masking his sadness when his expression slips in the end and his face scrunches painfully for just a second before the whole scene ends. This really broke my heart.

Conclusion

This is definitely not the reaction of someone who was turned down for just another round of sex - even if this meant that Astarion's plan of assuring his safety didn't work out. Because then he could have just tried to get Tav to change their mind with another one of his favourite lines. Or he would have at least reacted like he does when you tell him to stay at the camp ("Oh darling, I'm hurt" which he obviously isn't). But he doesn't. 

Because this is the reaction of someone who dared to get his hopes up. Someone who thought that maybe, just maybe, these unwanted, complicated feelings for Tav which had slowly crept up, nullifying his nice simple plan, could genuinely lead to a relationship he didn't know he needed so desperately. Someone who is so devastated by a rejection at this point, that he doesn't even question it. He just accepts that Tav isn't interested in sleeping with him, let alone having feelings beyond sexual desire. It's just as it always has been. It's not as if Astarion remembers anyone caring about him, so why should it be different this time… 

And that's why I think this whole fake love confession was a way for Astarion to veil his growing feelings for Tav under the pretence of flirting, and had the purpose to find out if he could more or less safely confess his true feelings to Tav. 

Gods, this is so heartbreaking. I need to pat Astarion's fluffy head in my dreams as a redemption. 

[transgenbur]

OKAY so what ive been thinking about for ages is ctommy and being soft vs quiet . because i feel like it's one of those things in his fandom characterisation that sparks the most debate and in my opinion theres a huge difference between the two but i keep seeing people mix them together.

ctommy is soft but he's not quiet, and to disregard either of those things is what makes him less believable in fanworks imo

because on one hand, of course he's not quiet, that's the most obvious and i think one of the most commonly accepted qualms that we have with general fan interpretations of him. he doesn't just lie down and take shit, he's always committed to being an annoying shit, he's straight up rude so often, and even just. vocally. man's loud as fuck. i think that's pretty easy to establish .

but then what i find is that sometimes we veer into the other opposite, by completely denying that ctommy is also very soft sometimes. and by this i don't mean he turns into strawberry shortcake or starts being polite or whatever, but it's the fact that he's not just crass and rude. he's very considerate a lot of the time, he just shows it. uh. in his Own Way let's say. he cares for animals so so much, he's always so apologetic when he thinks he's hurt one of them, for fuck's sake he sung to the FLOWERS. he's very soft with nature, with things he's attached to, with things he perceives as weaker than him and needing protection.

the complexity of ctommy and what makes him so hard to grasp is that he's loud, he's brash, he is NOT a perfect quiet victim who suffers in silence, he asks for help, he's rude, he steals stuff, he's annoying as shit; but he's also soft, and incredibly empathetic, and he has no shame in showing that softness for animals or nature or his friends.

ctommy, and this is very much because cctommy himself acts like that a lot, is constantly vacillating between someone with the maturity of a thirteen year old boy who shouts and swears and pretends not to give a shit, and a boy who will stop everything he's doing to look at the sky or a flower or an animal (which does contrast his stereotypical rude teenager persona, because lots of aforementioned thirteen year old boys Would be embarrassed or whatever to do that).

he does BOTH. he's not just quiet and nice and sad and lonely; but he's not just rude and loud and """uncaring""" (if there is one thing ctommy is not i think we can all agree its UNCARING).

and i think this is why a lot of debates around "woobifying" ctommy (who remembers the july 2021 trenches . the butterfly clips.) tend to point any ctommy design that portrays him as soft, cozy, or even leaning into his feminine side as the be-all end-all of reducing his character.

in reality i think that misses the mark a bit because while there IS something to be said for sure about people turning ctommy into Blonde Anime Child #249824 and stripping him of his Very Vibrant character, i don't think that putting him in butterfly clips and skirts erases him in the same way. i think he could very much lean into that kind of thing . as long as he's still flipping off the camera we're all good

TLDR : fans strip ctommy of his loud-and-annoying persona but in avoiding that some forget that he's a character who's not afraid to be soft

[peonysgreenhouse]

-`♡´- return.

summary: the obey me datables & luke react to mc coming back to life!

tags: obey me datables (simeon, solomon, diavolo, barbatos) x gn!reader, luke & gn!reader, hurt/comfort, implied character death, mentions of violence in solomon's parts, solomon goes a little crazy teehee

i. simeon

he sees you there, in the celestial realm. he had known your soul was pure from the very beginning, but seeing you among the angels was like a knife to his gut, a reminder of his failures to protect you. 

you weren’t supposed to be here, not now, at least. it was far too early for you to die. simeon can’t help but feel bitterness well up within him as you turn from michael to look for someone in the crowd (he knew it was him. he hoped it was him).

your features light up – simeon feels his heart skip a beat. even now you were just as he last remembered you, he had always taken the time to visit you in the devildom, even after his internship was over. you more beautiful than any angel he had ever seen. 

you embrace him tight, and the tighter you squeeze the more he feels like he can’t breathe, the combating feelings waging a war in his mind. he should’ve been watching over you; what kind of guardian angel was he to let his human die like this?

“i’m sorry,” he doesn’t know why his voice cracks when he says it. simeon? losing his composure? he had garnered many millennia of years of experience working to keep it up. “i’m sorry i didn’t protect you.”

“it’s okay simeon,” he feels your hands squeeze the back of his cloak. a wicked thought crosses his mind; maybe if you dug your nails in harder he would have some penance for his failures. if you cut through the bone and marrow and reached his heart then maybe his father would forgive him – maybe you would forgive him for his short-comings. “i’m here now.”

“right,” he breathes you in as if to convince himself. simeon feels the strength of his bond with you overwhelm him, he can feel how much you care for him and he feels his chest fill with warmth, chasing away his guilt, if for the moment. “you’re here forever. with me. nothing can hurt you here, i promise.”

ii. luke

luke had always told you to be mindful of demons, that they were evil creatures who would take any opportunity to kill you. it had seemed that his warning had proved true in the worst way. if only he hadn’t been a cherub; if uriel had promoted him to be your guardian angel like he had asked, maybe this could’ve been avoided.

but he was overwhelmed with how happy he was at the fact that you would be spending time with him forever in the celestial realm. he had wanted nothing more ever since you had become friends in the devildom. you were the one light for him in the exchange program.

“you’re here!” luke chirps, sprinting down the golden bricks of the road to the archangels’ house. “you’re really–!” you’re suddenly enveloped in a hug as luke wraps himself around your waist. 

“hello luke!” you smile from ear to ear, ruffling up his neat hair. usually, he’d make a comment about you not treating him like a child, but for now it seems he’s too busy nuzzling into you. “it’s good to see you again.”

“yes! i’m happy to see you,” he pulls away, cheeks visibly flushed. “i’m sorry that i wasn’t there to protect you from those mean old demons but… everything will be fine now that you’re here!”

“would you like to give them a tour of the celestial realm?” michael chimes in with a smile, the younger angel’s eyes lighting up like a christmas tree.

luke nods excitedly, taking your hand in his, already tugging you out of the estate: “we have so much to do! we can’t waste any time!”

iii. solomon

solomon spirals hard.

there was a reason solomon pushed everyone away, why most people in his life were kept an arms length apart. he got too attached to things; to power, to magic, to anything that gave him that needed adrenaline rush… why would you be any different? you, the only person he has ever loved had been snatched out of his hands.

and worst of all, he had been powerless to save you. 

all the magic and demon pacts and connections in the world couldn’t stop you from bleeding out in his arms. humans like you were much too fragile for his liking; he had worked tirelessly his whole life to be anything but.

if he couldn’t get what he wanted from the damned, he would have to turn his eyes to the celestial realm. if he had to tear down the heavens and bring you crashing back down to earth, he’s sure he would. 

making bonds with angels was much more difficult than that of demons, but he found after nights of endless research that plucking a few of their feathers would get them to sing. 

he’s covered in golden ichor when he manages to bring you back – a life for a life. he finally was able to do it, not only to bring a human back to life, but to bring you back. solomon rises, shakily, as you feel your body materialize out of the magic sigil etched into the floor. he smiles gently, looking at you as if you were the only thing that mattered.

so why do you look back at him with such horror?

iv. diavolo

he had bargained with the archangels before, but never for a life.

in all accounts, a human choosing to leave the celestial realm and go to the devildom was unheard of. being cast out of heaven was notoriously the worst punishment anyone could receive.

but you do, you would always choose him over all the luxuries and beauty of the heavens every single time. it was true that love made people do stupid things.

michael sends you back to the devildom months after diavolo’s terms were set, a gift with the price of owing the ruler of the celestial realm a favor. michael was known for his kindness, but diavolo knew that there was more to him than that. he was smart enough to know that michael would never jeopardize the devildom, but angels never forgot debts owed. it was a risk, but one diavolo had no choice but to take. 

above all the benevolence and good-will he draped himself in, at his core, he was a selfish demon; perhaps moreso than anyone else in the devildom. 

he holds you against his chest the whole night. in the morning, he’d have duties and meetings to go to. but for now, you were his. 

“little one,” he mumbles into your hair, hands tight around your waist, “make a pact with me. that you may be at my side forevermore.”

v. barbatos

in so many other timelines he sees you, shining, alive. he starts to resent the other versions of himself for being happy with you (or even worse, happy with any of the others). barbatos could pull you out as easily as he could breathe; he had a mastery over his powers that other lower demons could only imagine. 

but it wouldn’t be the same, he reminds himself, it wouldn’t be his version of you. 

he knew the way to get you back, it’d be to break his own rule: do not interact with the past. diavolo had given him permission to bring you back, it would be a stain on the exchange student program if one of the humans came back dead after the second semester. but he wasn’t so sure, what if the you he brought back wasn’t the you he remembered? 

barbatos does it anyways, knowing he can’t refuse an order from his lord. the you in the celestial realm will be erased from existence replaced with the you of the past, the one who doesn’t know what it’s like to die. the two can only hope it doesn’t cause drama in the celestial realm.

“barbatos?” you question as you walk in the gardens with him, completely oblivious to it all. if he hadn’t been so happy that you had returned, he would feel guilty for not telling you of your death. sometimes, ignorance was bliss. “are you okay? you seem more quiet than usual.”

“do i?” he muses, forcing a soft smile for you. “i’m afraid i’m simply just a bit tired. sleep evaded me last night.” the last part wasn’t a lie.

“sorry to hear that,” you pout, “if you want to go nap, you should!

“do you not wish to spend time with me?”

“it’s not that…” you kick at the ground, arms crossed behind your back. “it’s just we have all the time in the world though, right? i want you to be rested when we’re together.”

he feels as if you’ve struck him with an arrow to his chest. barbatos sees your lifeless body in his mind, did you know and were trying to taunt him? or were you simply just this sweet?

“i suppose you’re right.” he nods his head, “but you’re coming with me.”

[lionheartedmusings]

once again rotating the qsmp and it's depiction of parenthood in my head and yeno i just... it makes me so deeply emotional it's not even funny? i remember conversations about "mothers and fathers" being the true qsmp theme song and i will die on that hill forever.

the thing that i find so poignant about it is that this was (as far as we know) never meant to be the story they were going to tell — the eggs were meant to come and go, a chapter in a story that would be looked back on fondly but one that was firmly over. and yet, the love. oh, the love.

it's so rare in media that we get such a raw and slow perspective of parenthood from the parents' perspective, to see the bonds forming and solidifying from "a responsibility that scares me" to "i would tear the world apart for you" — going back to vods of the first day of the eggs is wild, because they're filled with novelty and interest, but then time passes and we see love blossom.

we see love through grief too, like fit's voice when ramon lost his first life, or bad's screams when dapper had his nightmare, or the grief that came with trump, juana, and tilin's deaths. the desperation and grief of parents is an uncomfortable thing to witness, but in a medium like the qsmp it allows people to explore stories that are sometimes too heavy or too dark to portray in a less "goofy" medium.

we watched people's focus shift to their children as they embraced parenthood, especially in the face of loss, and we saw them accept truths that aren't pretty: if the eggs are there to manipulate them, okay. if they're a way for the federation to control them? fine. it doesn't matter, they're their children. they won't let go of them, not even if they're ultimately a means to keep them subdued.

the only time we've seen these characters truly lose their shit and rebel properly was when the eggs went missing, and that says so much. they'll almost accept losing their autonomy, but they won't lose their children.

it's been almost a year of the eggs, and they're the center of everything. every event, every game, every day — eggs are always the focus, whether it be in a "we need to protect them" way or a "i wonder what they want to do today" way. it's all about those kids.

meanwhile, we get to see these people be scared shitless, not have answers, be lost and confused half the time and not knowing how to handle every situation — they try their best, but time and time again they fumble and say the wrong thing, and have to apologise and try to do better next time.

it's so fucking beautiful, man. we see a day-to-day experience of parenthood and family (government assigned, found, chosen) that shows and movies can't give us because they're not a daily, breathing, on-the-go medium where we get to follow this one (or multiple bc none of us have lives) character through just... life.

in having this opportunity, we're privy to one of the most honest, human, and poignant depictions of parenthood and maturing that i've ever seen. we get to live this journey with these characters, and i'd bet a lot of money that that's part of why we're all so deeply attached to the eggs too.

long story short, storytelling is so fucking awesome and sometimes the most beautiful stories happen by accident.

[simpcityy]

My Little Spawn Pt.1 (Dadstarion X Child!Reader)

Summary: Astarion was finally free from Cazador after being kidnapped by a mindflayer but he was stuck with one annoying task, you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Baldur's Gate 3 or any of its characters.

Word Count: 2.1K

Warnings: Use of (Y/N), Cazador, language, spoilers for those who haven't gone far in the game....Uhhh...I think that is all.

Everything was dark and blurry in his eyes. All he remembers was stalking in the shadows looking for his next prey and suddenly he was kidnapped. He felt mixed emotions, fear but importantly joy, he was finally away from Cazador. It would be like he suddenly disappeared in thin air and Cazador will need him no more. Until he was stuck with another burden, You. “Would you keep quiet, dammit!?” He whispered rather loudly. You stopped shifting around the tall grass and peaked out of it. “I’m sorry” You whispered before going back to hiding. He looked over seeing two people walking by, “Perfect” He mutters and gets ready to put on his performance.  

  After almost getting incinerated, you and Astarion have found a group and camp for the remainder of the period till the little wiggly worm is out of your mind but of course, you wouldn’t comprehend, for you were so young. 

“Who’s the little adorable bugger?” Gale smiles letting you try to read the books he has found so far. “For the record this annoying little sp-human is not mine, they just seem to be attached to me.” Astarion watches you trying to pronounce the big words only to butcher them. “But it’s getting rather late and I hate to deal with a cranky annoying child tomorrow.” He picked you up keeping his arms outstretched and walked to his tent. Once everyone was out of earshot, he squats at your height. “Listen here, you must not tell anyone what we are understood?” His red eyes look down at your innocent (E/C) ones. “But why not?” You sat on top of the pillow looking up at Astarion seeing him take a deep breath in. Of course, Astarion knows he has to make it simple. “Because we are playing a game” He grins “ We are all hiding our identity. You and I are a team and the rest are a team. Whoever is the first one to discover their real identity, is the sore loser.” He gives a smile sitting down next to you. You pouted, your cheeks puffed up “We will win, okay! I won’t tell.” You lean back before yawning “ If they ask what do I say?” You cute little doe eyes look at him tiredly. “Hmm…we are just normal elves got it?” He looks away in deep thought, “it’s for the best for now” He mutters before leaning back “ You know for a being the youngest Spawn he created…you still need rest like a human, you are such an odd little creature” He gently plays with the ends of your hair “ Why did he even turn you?” He whispers as you slowly slip into sleep. “What use does he even have for you?” He kept asking himself all the questions ever since you were part of the “Family” 

You were the youngest spawn Cazador has ever gotten. You were only 5 soon turning 6. Astarion was first shocked to see Cazador holding you in his arms when he came back from bringing a pretty prey for his master. He never dared question, he kept all his unanswered questions to himself. Astarion felt anger towards you both. Why was Cazador more tender with you, not treating you like he does to his other spawns. Why did you get the special treatment? He was mostly angry towards Cazador as always, why did he turn you, you didn’t even reach your half way milestone of your life. You were going to stay that age and size forever.  He has been treated like shit for 200 years but you, you would never experience the things a child should be, the things teenerages and young adults go through. Once again Cazador has robbed you of your life just how Astarion was robbed of his.

Morning rolled by, You picked up a little flower near Gale’s tent, “Astarion! Look what I found!” You ran up to him as he was getting ready to set foot on finding a healer with the others. “What is it this time?” He mutters looking up before seeing a flower being gently shoved to his face. “A flower.” You smile waiting for him to take it. “ A flower…you called my attention for a flower…this is why I don’t work with little annoying monsters.” He sighs already feeling annoyed from the lack of blood. “I’m sorry…” You whisper looking down, putting the flower away from his face, small tears forming in your doe eyes. He stops putting things into his bag and sighs “ Why must you be such a crybaby” He sits down pulling your tiny form on his lap, taking the flower. “Wow, thank you. I feel the luckiest person to get a flower from you.” He says in a bored voice looking at you. You sniff and rub your eyes, “You mean it?” The tears no longer present in your eyes. He looks at you unamused. “Yes, now shoo, I have to pack. Go bother Gale, Shadowheart or even Tav but not me got it?” He makes you get off his lap before freezing feeling you give him a light peck on his cheek “Okay! I’ll collect more flowers for the others!” You giggle before running off.  He placed a hand over his cheek and watched the direction you left. “What an odd little spawn.” He whispers before continuing to pack. 

  You hummed a tune as you collected more flowers near Gale’s camp where Gale was sitting on the pillow, reading a book. He looks up hearing you hum. “Say (Y/n), that tune you must be from the upper city aren’t you?” He smiles placing the book down as your little feet shuffle over to him. “Mmhm! Papa would always sing me this lullaby at night!” You grin “It’s my favorite and he always wants me to sing! He says I’m his little singing bird!” Placing the flowers down, you sat on the ground in front of gale. Thinking back to what Astarion said last night, remembering to not give away too much information. “Judging by your clothes, I bet your father is a rather important man?” He smiles rubbing down those stubborn baby hairs that lift up from your hair. You only nodded “Papa is the best! I miss him and I want to go home…” You look around the wilderness that you and Astarion crashed in. “I want him to hold me close…I always dream of those monsters…and the little wormy” Whimpering you scoot into Gale’s arms. “I don’t want them to come back!” You tear up, “I want papa to hold me but he’s not here!” You wail. Gale quickly panics “Oh…crying child…what to do…wish Tara was here…” He mutters before rubbing your back “Hey now, you can always come to me, Shadowheart and even Tav if you ever have a nightmare. How about this, before you go to bed, I will tell you a story so you can dream of that story rather than the scary monsters. Trust me, I have read so many books, I know them by heart.” He grins as you finally stopped the water works. “Which is why he’s a walking library in this case.” Shadowheart smiles walking over “Now, we should get going, the closer we find a healer, the faster you can go to your papa” She smiles leaning to your height. “Really!” You smiled, your eyes widened at the thought of seeing your father soon. “Let’s go!” Grabbing the flowers, you ran to Astarion to share the news. 

“Astarion!”

“What now!?” 

Walking to find a healer seems like eternity to you, “I wanna rest!” You whined to Astarion tugging at his shirt. “Then complained to Tav, they are leading the damn group, not me.” He sighs, breathing in heavily to compose himself from lashing out. “Up! Up!” You lifted your arms. “The hell I won’t!” He walks faster only for you to follow him whining even more. The rest of the small group look over watching the two of you, seeing you bothering Astarion even more. “Is it me or do these two know each other very much?” Shadowheart watches you keep tugging on his shirt. “Yet he says he doesn’t know (Y/N), that they only tagged along with him.” Gale crossed his arms. Tav smiles “I don’t know, (Y/n) looks nothing like Astarion so I doubt they are related and (Y/N) always mentions a papa.” Shadowheart and Gale nodded. “What in the nine hells! Where did you go!?” Astarion looks around for you as you stop tugging on his shirt a while ago. “Where did they go?” Tav walks back to the pale elf. “ I don’t know, the moment they were annoying the hell out of me! Next thing I know, they are go- wait…” He smells it, blood. You must have run off to the smell. “ I…um…heard them, this way” He quickly follows the scent with the rest following. 

You carefully walked down the ladder, the smell of blood getting stronger. Turning around a corner, you are met with a woman with red skin, burning and importantly with a broken horn. Slowly walking over to the tiefling, you look up at her “Are you okay?” You meekly whisper seeing how tall she was according to your height. She looks up hearing the childish voice, “Hells, what is a child doing all alone?” She looks at you shocked before feeling the tadpoles connect. “Fuck” Karlach whispers holding her head “You were also in that ship…” She whispers before calming herself down and kneels down to make it seem less intimidating to you. “Hey there little soldier,  What are you doing all alone?” She smiles as you slowly take small steps towards her. “I…you’re hurt…are you okay?” You go to place your small hand on her but she backs away quickly. “Careful there, I’m not like any other tiefling, I can burn you.” She smiles “I'm Karlach, what’s your name, little soldier?” She chuckles admiring your little face as you try to say her name slowly. “Car…Ka…la…Karlach.” You finally get it right, before giving her your name, someone else beat you to it. 

“(Y/N)!?” Tav runs over, crossing the log and quickly pulls you back from Karlach, putting you behind. “Get away from them” Tav frowns weapons out. “Are you okay?” Shadowheart checks you over for any injuries as Gale also checked along with her. Astarion catches up and lets out a small sigh seeing you alive and safe. “What in the sweet hells were you thinking running off like that?! A goblin could’ve gotten you or a wild animal?!” He looks down at you but stops himself seeing you tear up. “I-I’m sorry….don’t get mad like papa!” You cried. “Like papa….” He glares down at you. “Don’t ever compare me to him you litt-” He stops himself seeing the fear in your eyes. Him, being like Cazador. He would rather kill himself than be exactly like his old master. He sighs before kneeling to you as the others were busy with Karlach. “Sorry…I was…I guess you can say I was very worried…I know it wasn’t your intention to run off…” He then whispers “You must be hungry…for blood like me…I know you are craving that sweet and yet bitter flavor but you need to hold it in like I am…tonight we’ll find some small vermin okay?” He slowly pats your head as you nod. Standing up, he walks over to the rest as you follow closely to him. “My, I feel so much better knowing we have a strong wall to protect us from any arrows” He smirks after learning Karlach was recruited. “I like her! She’s nice!” You popped out from behind walking over to Karlach. “And I like you little soldier” She smiles. 

After going back to camp for the day, Astarion watches as you listen to Gale’s stories. He sat from his tent looking at a book but his mind wandered back to what you said. Like papa…when has Cazador ever punished you? He thinks back but nothing comes to him. He turns the page to the book to make it look like he was reading. He looks back at you with that question still haunting his thoughts. It really ticked him off when you compared him to Cazador, he will never be like him…no he will be better. He wants to get back at him and back at him good. He smirks looking at you. Why not get him back with the thing he treasures the most, or rather the person he treasures the more. 

You

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors Notes: Thank you everyone for reading this, please like, reblog and share it with others. I will be working on Part 2 soon hopefully. I also started another series a month ago or more about Astarion and a Gur! Reader. There is only part 1 out as well but I will be working out on that. Please remember to stay hydrated and to get some rest. Love you all! You are welcome to ask to be tagged as well for the next part.

-Axie

[ushiromiya]

(madoka magica / rebellion spoilers below. TW: suicide and controlling behavior)

I don't know the direction in which walpurgisnacht rising will take homura's character but I can say with confidence that from at least where rebellion left off that I truly believe that homura made the decision that she felt was the most correct one even if it meant she had to become a monster in the eyes of every person that loved her. she felt that if things were left in the way the law of the cycle was currently running things that it was inevitable that kyubey would eventually capture madoka in her goddess form, study her, and use her to as a source for mass amounts of energy at the suffering of herself, the others within the law of the cycle, and magical girls at large again. this is something he explains very clearly when talking to homura before her transformation into homulilly.

I get so exhausted when I see people try characterize homura as an actually evil person with completely selfish desires and no regard for others. all of her actions, while not explicitly explained outright, when looked at closely always indicate that she does things out of her care for the other girls but feels like she bears the burden of having to do it alone because she believes she's the only one who doesn't let her emotions get in the way of protecting madoka and the others from kyubey and sometimes each other.

I will always use the scenes of her interactions with mami and sayaka in rebellion as huge examples of this. she has no reason not to kill them if she's a completely selfish and unemphatic person that only cares about madoka and no one else when given many opportunities to do so. I also don't personally think she keeps them around JUST because of madoka's happiness either. she very easily could have suppressed their roles in madoka's life with the world rewrite and clearly choose not to. I believe her mocking sayaka and acting in a clearly "evil" manner is deliberate acting on her part to frame herself as a villain. she might believe this would her actions more palatable and will create distance between herself and everyone else to protect them as well as allow her to assert more control in this situation. it is further emphasized how she truly feels with imagery displayed in homura's new world around herself (shoes abandoned on the side of a building to potentially indicate suicidal ideation, a half moon alluding to homura feeling unfulfilled and unhappy with this decision, her dancing around happily before stopping and slowly falling off the cliff side with a similar implication as the shoes).

homura's relationship with the others is incredibly complicated but she cares for them deeply too as they are also people she considers friends, she just had a particularly strong attachment to madoka. we don't get to see as many instances of her interacting with them as we do them interacting with each other as we are unfortunately only really privy to homura's life after she began looping for the most part but we can see it in the way she has expresses concern and distress for them in moments where she believes they are in real, tangible danger of being hurt (she's winces and tries to turn away when aiming for mami's leg and screams out when she believes mami is about to be truly harmed after their gun fight, which neither ever had the real intention of hitting one another with any of those bullets in the first place). her entire witch's labyrinth is one where everyone is happy and gets the lives they desire. why would her labyrinth, which is meant to reflect in-part her inner feelings and desires, appear that way if she didn't truly want that for everyone?

rebellion is so compelling to me for all of this and so much more!! (I could write a whole other post on the way it presents it's freedom with danger vs control with safety question at the end of the film) she is a girl who has repeatedly suffered incredibly traumatizing events and longs for a world where the person she loves and the friends she considers dear are safe. homura is not really the devil, but she wants to appear to be because being the devil would be easier than being a human being in these circumstances.

[hopelesslyromanticshark]

okay okay i’m requesting it: leo valdez x mortal!gf if you so please

⋆⭒˚.⋆ leo valdez x mortal! reader hcs

content: leo valdez x mortal! reader hcs warning: angsty angst, mentions of major character death author's note: can't tell if i hate these or love them???? i think im just so attached to the first two mortal! reader hcs that the leo and frank ones are falling short lmao- i've got good ideas for the part twos tho, so it's okay, ig??? anyways, enjoy or don't, we don't really care [as]

leo knew he was toast the moment he walked into that english class

there was no way he was gonna pass this class, despite the fact that he desperately need to in order to graduate

he had fleeting thoughts of not needing a high school education to save the world but then you walked into the class

and leo was going to stay in the class if it cost him his life

he couldn't just let a pretty girl like you slip out of his fingers

even if it did mean he had to read shakespeare and allen poe

totally worth it when he went pleading to you for help, rambling about how you were the top of the class and about how he needed to pass

you gave in to the cute boy easily, offering to meet with him at a nearby diner to study together

originally, it had truly started out as studying

but as the meetings became more frequent, the homework was slowly left behind and the meetings were relabeled as 'dates'

you guys made a pair like never before

you meshed well together, talking like you'd known each other for eons and centuries and lifetimes unknown to you

leo would even dare to say it was a match picked out by aphrodite herself but didn't want to jinx it

and he didn't like to think about the gods and that whole mess of his life when he was with you

with you, he was just leo, the boy who was good at math but painfully bad at english

he was leo, your darling boyfriend, not leo, the repair boy or some demigod hero

he felt a guilt settle into his stomach at every half truth or silver lie he told you

you'd ask questions about why leo's hands were always so warm and how he got to be so good at mechanics, but he'd always just brush these off with jokes or distracting kisses

it was for your betterment, he'd always tell himself afterwards

you didn't need to be burdened with gods and monsters

leo'd never do that to you, his darling girlfriend

not willingly, anyways

he should have known it was too good to last

he should have sat to face the door, just in case

he should have told you everything, prepare you for what was about to walk through the door of the diner that had become the birthplace of what you were sure was the love of your lifetime

and it would end up being the only love of your lifetime, a life cut shorter than it should have been

leo wasn't prepared for a empusa to walk into this space he'd built with you, this space he thought to be untouchable

but he should have known better

and, more than anything, he wished he grabbed the napkins that day

at least, then he'd be the first to run into the empusa...not you

poor, unprepared and unsuspecting, you

leo couldn't really remember what happened next, either because he blocked it out or really it was all that much of a blur

one second youre on your typical tuesday date in the diner and the next leo was on the ground of the diner, his hands pressed into your bleeding wounds as he desperately begged for someone - anyone - to call for help

and you had looked so, so confused, clinging to leo, your precious boy, like your life depended on it

which it did

and leo wished he could sooth all of it, the pain and the confusion

he wished he hadn't left you in the dark, told you, warned you, prepared you

and as you died in his arms, leo wished his godly blood away, as it had only ever brought him heartache

first his mother

now you

what good was being part god if everyone around you dies?

what good was being part god if you couldn't save those who matter most?

that night, leo made one last wish, squeezing your cold palms against his warm ones and pressing his forehead against your blood smattered one.

he wished to find you, next time, in the next life, and the one after that and every single life he got after those

because, maybe, finally, he'd get lucky and be able to keep you around for longer

to love you for longer, in the way you deserved

[severaltuesdays]

Mori and Abuse

I’m making this because the BSD fandom has 2 modes for interpreting Mori and it’s either evil evil child abuser or spineless bastard and I HATE both of them.

Mori is an abuser, yes, but the way he abuses characters is very atypical, and not at all what most people expect. His abuse is almost all psychological, the only character we can say for sure has been physically abused by him is Yosano, and we’re only shown one instance of that.

For simplicity, I’ll be referring to his abuse of Dazai, Chuuya, Koyo and Yosano, but I believe it could be said that Kyuusaku and potentially the Akutagawa’s have suffered because of him.

To understand why Mori has abused certain characters, we must understand a bit about him as a person. This is potentially why Mori’s actions are so wildly skewed by the fandom, because no one wants to observe him too closely (but that’s a whole other post). Simply put, Mori is a military man. He does anything and everything to achieve the “optimal solution”, he has a plan and if he has to get his hands dirty to reach his goal, he will. Emotions and attachments go out the window for him, most of the time at least, because he would sacrifice anything, and anyone, to achieve his goal. Most of the time at least. That’s why he used Yosano, because what’s the life of one girl to the safety of his nation? That’s why he manufactured Oda’s and his orphans deaths, because the prize outweighed the cost.

Mori is logical and reserved, so we must observe all his actions with the lens that he has a reason for what he does, because he (almost) always has a reason.

I’ll start by referring to Mori’s abuse of Dazai, because he’s a bit of a special case and also the one that the fandom overall gets the most wrong. Mori’s abuse of Dazai is usually twisted to be sexual or physical, when there is absolutely no evidence of that. People like to bring up Dazai’s abuse of Akutagawa, or that one throwaway line from The Day I Picked Up Dazai as evidence, but neither of those hold up in my opinion.

Firstly, just because Dazai’s abuse of Akutagawa was partly physical, doesn’t mean he himself underwent physical abuse. Just like Mori, Dazai always has reasons for what he does, and his reason for what he did to Akutagawa was tailored to Akutagawa and his ability, therefore not something that Mori would have done to Dazai. Not to excuse Dazai’s abuse of Akutagawa, of course, but the fact of the matter is that Dazai’s abuse was a test of Akutagawa, and a punishment because Akutagawa didn’t adhere to Dazai’s standards. This abuse is the result of Mori’s own abuse, yes, but it’s not as straightforward as “Mori hit Dazai, ergo Dazai hit Akutagawa”.

The line from TDIPUD is also poor evidence, as all it is is Oda telling Dazai that what he’s doing won’t hurt and Dazai responding that Mori says the same about the needles he gives him. The fact that this is taken as abuse is really weird to me, why is that the assumption here? Mori is a doctor, there are multiple reasons for him to be giving Dazai needles. And the fact that Mori says it’s not going to hurt just sounds like the typical “doctor giving a kid a shot” exchange.

Dazai hates pain, so obviously Mori would lie and say that it isn’t going to hurt. Mori cares for Dazai’s well-being, which is what makes Dazai a bit of an outlier, as Mori shows care for him before he’s found a reason to justify that care. This is evidenced by their exchange in the beginning of Dazai, Chuuya: Fifteen, which is very important as it gives us an insight into Mori’s perspective during that time, where he panics because he hasn’t achieved the “optimal solution” by keeping Dazai alive, but then justifies that action by deciding Dazai is too good an asset to throw away.

And here-in lies the actual abuse that Dazai went through, not being hit or shamed or any of that, but emotional coercion, a slow cultivation of the parts of Dazai that Mori saw as useful, and a creation of the mindset we see Dazai use. This is most prominent with how Mori plants ideas into Dazai’s head. This is referenced in Chapter one of Fifteen as well, establishing that Mori has taken somewhat of an instructor role to Dazai, but that’s something Dazai rebels against.

This exchange is a perfect example of that conditioning, instead of giving Dazai information directly, Mori gets Dazai to deduce his answers using information he already has, something we see Dazai does very often in the current plot. But the main example of this conditioning comes in the form of Dazai’s plan to use the Sheep against Chuuya, a plan that comes DIRECTLY from Mori.

Mori makes sure that Dazai is in the room as he baits Chuuya, uses the weakness of the Sheep against him, and then breaks down EXACTLY what has happened for Dazai. “Just some food for thought” my ass.

Then when discussing his plan with Rimbaud, Dazai brings up a theory taught to him by Mori. 15!Dazai is such a little parrot, it’s all “Mori says, Mori says, Mori says”, just word-vomiting all the thoughts Mori puts in his head, there is a CLEAR influence here.

Just like Mori, Dazai uses the Sheep against Chuuya. Mori shows Dazai how to control people, how to make them listen and how to make them obey. The reason Dazai treats people like pawns, the reason he KNOWS how to manipulate people is because Mori taught him.

Just like so many of the characters, the fandom forgets that when Mori met Dazai, he was a child. He was a broken child who needed a guiding hand and the hand he got was Mori’s. Morí crafted the Dazai that we see, shaped the way that he thinks, THAT was his abuse.

Chuuya as well is a special case. Like Mori, he is a leader, and that is a quality Mori admires in him. In turn, Chuuya looks up to Mori, sees him as an inspiration for what it means to be a leader. This is another example of Mori’s manipulative abuse. To Chuuya, Mori makes himself out to be a saviour, someone who will teach him how to be better, how to protect the people he thinks he has failed. Mori takes Chuuya at his weakest point and gives him a new chance.

And with that, Chuuya is loyal to the mafia and Mori has Soukoku. Never mind that Mori was the brains behind Dazai’s plan that got Chuuya into the mafia in the first place, by getting Dazai to do his dirty work, Mori gets to appear to Chuuya with a halo and wings (I could also talk about Mori’s involvement with Stormbringer and how that locked Chuuya into the mafia, but that’s another tangent).

Mori has done the same with Koyo. She’s loyal to him, but clearly does not LIKE him, so where does that loyalty come from? It is because he has freed her. Koyo suffered under the rule of the Old Boss, she had no freedom, the man who cared for her was executed, she was restrained within the mafia. And then Mori takes over and she ends up an executive. Suddenly she’s got POWER, she can change things, under Mori she’s given the ability to change things and take charge. He sees a girl in chains and loosens them, not enough for her to escape, but enough that she can move. And having been chained up for so long, that feels like freedom. Koyo is loyal to Mori because he’s better than the alternative, because if she can’t be free, at least she can move.

I left Yosano for last, because again, she’s a wild card. Unlike all the other people Mori has coerced, Yosano’s abuse took place during a time where every second was precious. There was no time to do it delicately, the way Mori handled everything else, it was war, win or lose. Mori’s tactics were a lot more brutal, Yosano wants the soldiers to live, so Mori shoots the one she cares about so either she WATCHES her friend die, or she can save him. Unlike with Dazai, with Chuuya, with Koyo, Mori isn’t Yosano’s saviour, he’s her captor, he gives her a choice, but its one where neither option is made to look kind. He makes it clear, she heals them, or they die, whether it’s at his hands, or the hands of the enemy, and he knows she would never let them die.

Mori works through coercion and manipulation, he shapes the way people think of him carefully, moulding his appearance in the eyes of others. To Dazai he’s just an old man that Dazai has under his thumb, who tries and fails to manipulate him. But that’s not the truth. To Chuuya he’s a benevolent leader, someone so gracious as to grant him a place in the mafia. But that’s not the truth. To Koyo he’s the safest option, not someone she wants to follow, but someone she will follow, because at least she’s free. But that’s not the truth. To Yosano he’s evil, cruel and harsh and he takes lives as easily as he breathes with no remorse, he’s the God to her Angel of Death. But thats not the truth. To the audience, he’s a monster, a filthy pervert who is nothing more than a pedophile. Is that the truth?

Mori is like a spider, ensnaring people in his web with carefully constructed lies and appearances, his abuse is not physical or sexual, it’s a psychological coercion, careful at times and brutal at others, his abuse is a targeted attack of an individual’s weaknesses, and a cultivation of the parts he sees as useful.

Every person is his tool, and he likes his blades sharp.

@1seaweedbrain1 for you <3

[queenofmalkier]

Moiraine being 70 vs 40

(Alright this one took me a minute because corralling my thoughts is a challenge in the best of times.)

To begin with I will admit... I am one of the people who was indifferent towards the age change in the beginning. They're Aes Sedai, they live nice, long lives, and I wasn't like, emotionally attached to a younger, canon-aged Moiraine. It does make her early years more poignant, but I'll touch on that later.

Primed for older Moiraine, the show started and after two seasons I can safely say I am so gung-ho for 70 year old Moiraine I might actually be feral.

Here's why I, personally, think it was an excellent choice: Rosamund Pike is 44 as of writing this, so she visibly fits into the book age. As an audience nobody is really questioning her age - a few show-onlys I watched season 1 with actually remarked on how refreshing it was to see an older female character allowed to just exist and be part of the narrative without trying to sex up and/or grandma-ize the role.

Little Did They Know.

So you've got an audience that's mostly accepting of this character being in her 40s, and then you hit them with "Oh she's 70 and lets explore just how horrific that fact actually is together, it'll be fun!"

It was not fun, it was gutting.

One of my main critiques of the book has always been how we have these long-lived women, powerful women... but we never really take much of a look at the reality of that concept. Nor are we given POV characters who are really old enough to remark on it. Pevara at least thinks about her family, but Cadsuane doesn't give two figs about hers.

And here's the thing... they're Aes Sedai, but they're still human. What happens to them as they get older, but the people who fill their life are the ones aging? How does it feel to watch a mother, a sister, a child, friends, acquaintances, EVERYONE succumb to time in a way you won't for a very long time after?

That has to be impactful and I wanted to see those stories - and the show delivered. Seeing Moiraine with Anvaere? Chilling, horrifying, heartbreaking. Liandrin and her boy? A kick in the teeth. Even Alanna with her family, knowing very well she's probably the oldest one sitting at that table.

The point is, being an Aes Sedai means being powerful and respected, but it also means living through a very specific kind of suffering and trauma. They're basically vampires in terms of lifespan and we should see how that shapes them.

In regards to Moiraine being older and therefore not basically a child during the foretelling, it does change that particular hit... but by no means did the show let the viewers not understand how that moment altered Moiraine's life forever.

Instead of her being sort of an unformed girl hardened and honed by a lifetime of searching for Rand, one who never got much chance to be anything else, we get a woman who was already beginning to build her life, who had achieved the shawl, found love, and was exactly where she wanted to be.

And then all of that is taken from her.

It's devastating to watch the double-barreled whammy of Siuan and Moiraine giggling about being fishwives and walking into what was in many ways their deaths. Because the Moiraine and Siuan they were before walking into that room were gone forever. They would never be able to go back to the women they were before. They never even had a chance to mourn that loss. Moiraine went hunting and Siuan set her sights on the Amyrlin Seat.

I do understand for a lot of people her age is a sticking point, and that is completely fair and valid! It's a change that I fully agree did not need to be made... but by making that change we're given such a stark insight into the lives of older Aes Sedai who are just beginning to experience what it means to outlive everyone they know, watching one by one as cherished friends and family members pass on.

Soon all they have left are the children and grandchildren of those people, fractured mirrors that are just enough of a hint at the original that it must be painful to know them - which explains even further why so many Aes Sedai cut off contact entirely with their families. It's too painful to keep them in their lives.

[slxtslovebambi]

Stalker analysis.

Characters: Eren and Floch <3

Synopsis: what kind of stalkers/yandere they would be.

Warnings: the titel says it all

Wc: 900+

Eren

Eren knows you since Highschool.

You were close with Mikasa and Annie and since he’s friends with Mikasa he quickly gains a lot of knowledge about you.

He’s the anti social type of stalker for sure. He has friends yes but only a few close ones and he’s not interested in making new ones.

He’d be the type to constantly call night and day, just to hang up on you before you even have the opportunity to pick up.

Eren always had trouble with controlling his emotions, what makes him so unpredictable. One moment he obsesses over you, thinking his life doesn’t have any meaning without you being around, and the next moment he wants to break you, take everything from you and make you live a miserable life, for simple things like talking to another guy, or throwing away the flowers he sent you.

Eren would send you a lot of stuff. Teddy bears, letters etc. At first you didn’t think much of it, but when random gifts started appearing all over your apartment, it started to freak you out. You were scared of being alone. If he was able to make his way into your place before, he could break in anytime.

But you’re not supposed to be scared of him. He doesn’t want that. He thinks that nothing that he’s doing is wrong. He wants to be the person you run to when you’re scared, but at the same time nothing gets him more of than the thought of being the person that scares you, and makes you feel so helpless.

He forgets to eat, sleep and to take care of his close friends and family, since he spends so much time watching your social media accounts and following you around in his car.

Today he wants to change things though. He waited for you to end your shift at the bakery that you work at. He inhales the smoke from his cigarette once more before throwing it to the side and making his way over to you.

You were looking for you’re keys to close the store as they fell out of your purse, on the ground. You bend down, trying to pick them up when a muscular pale hand gets ahead of you.

"those are yours right?" He gives you a smirk, handing over the keys with one finger. "y-yes, thank you. Do we know each other?" You inspect his face, convinced that you’ve seen him at your job before. "Oh yeah… I think I’ve seen you around before."

Floch

Floch knows you personally, however you’re not even aware of the fact that he exists…at least that’s what he thinks. Back in Highschool he was more of a loner actually. He didn’t have that many friends but the ones that he had weren’t close to you at all, wich is why you never really talked to him.

The fact that you didn’t see him scratched his ego, and at first he only felt hatred towards you but that quickly changed when he noticed your selfless behavior towards other people.

Floch is the unstable stalker type with a lot of self image issues and insecurities. He feels very entitled, like you deserve being watched by him for not acknowledging his presence. If anything then he’s the victim in this story, for having his feelings played with, right?

Different from Eren he’s not really in to writing letter’s or stuff like that. He’ll just send you hundreds of anonymous messages throughout the day, saying things like "I like the way you did your make up today." Or "what a pretty dress :)" with attached photos.

To him it’s not really stalking, he feels like he’s just 'protecting' you. Making sure you get home safely by following you after you just left your friends house or tracking your location after hacking your phone, was just the beginning of a series of things that Floch would do.

Floch would also actually go out of his way to ask people he doesn’t even like, personal information about you.

He’s totally the 'if I can’t have you, no one can.' type of guy and he’s not shy about it. He hasn’t killed anybody over you but he’s more likely to do so than Eren.

Floch has always struggled with things like lack of empathy due to some psychopathic traits and maybe some kind of personality disorder. That’s also why he never really felt bad whenever you cried over the fact that there was yet another picture of you, that you never saw before, sent via text message.

You were grocery shopping today while talking to one of your friends on the phone when suddenly your cart bumps into another one.

"Oh my god I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. Are you okay?" You quickly apologize as you turn your head to face whoever you just accidentally hit.

"Yes don’t worry I’m fine." The tall man speaks softly while looking down at you.

He looks so familiar…

"Wait I know you…did we went to school together?" Your brain tries its best to put a name to the face in front of you.

Floch looks at you stunned at the fact that you seem to remember him. He doesn’t know what to say as he feels his heart beating faster and his palms getting sweaty.

"I- I… yes I think you were in my biology class."

He speaks taken back.

"Yeah I remember! Did you change your hair?"

You smile warmly at him, waiting for an answer. He’s too flabbergasted to actually talk to you so he just nods in response.

"How about we go drink a coffee sometime?"

There’s no way you just asked him that.

He doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry right now, but having this conversation with you just showed him that all the analysis he made about you were correct. You have to be the sweetest human being on earth, he just wants to protect you.

"Sure… I’d love that."

Might create a tag list (idk yet)

Don’t forget to like and reblog <3

[prettymeredith]

Fantasy of the Day: Unexpected Play Partner

"Wow... There's like, so much here."

"Umm, Duh! But it's all worth it, trust me."

The excitement in her tone of voice seemed higher than usual. I was always naturally curious when she brought up her and her husband's kinky foreplay during girls' night, but something about tonight felt out of character.

I didn't know what to expect when she invited me for a first hand experience of what they do, but alone, and comfortable with my close friend, I let her show me which each piece of metal is for.

"See? The tighter I make it, the better it feels. Don't be shy, come on gives me those wrists. I didn't splurge all this money on a four-post bed set just for looks you know. Let me show you why."

I have to admit, the feeling of cool metal hugging my waist and gribbing my wrists was an arousing sensation. The clicking of the locks and cuffs as they closed shut felt like a kinky jail sentence.

The clinks and rattles of chain was sexy rininging in my ears as I shuffled against the post. Opening my eyes from my blissful enjoyment, I come to find my friend prepping herself in a similar way.

"Hey, look you got-"

"Oh you didnt expect me to just let you have all the fun by yourself now huh?"

Again, her tone just felt... off.

I giggle nervously as a long stretch of chain is attached between us. My friend backing herself to the adjacent pole, and grabbing an extra set of handcuffs.

A ball of uneasyness blossoms in the pit of my stomach; a growing fear that something just wasn't right. I could only stand there and watch while trying to play it cool while my friend cuffed herself to the bed post.

Both locked in, any kind of movement from the other person would put pressure on a special area between our legs. "Ohhh... Mhmm, yeah. Isn't this fun? Everything I told you it'd be right?

"Hehe, right.. Just um, how do we get out?" I ask, giggling nervously. Be both laugh at each other awkwardly for awhile, as if both waiting for the other one to say thay they were joking.

"Ooooohhh! You know what? I can be such an idiot sometimes. So my husband keeps the keys on him at all times. Funny right? And when he gets home..."

My friend pauses, still giggling with me trying to play it off as an honest mistake. Only for her to go and explain that her husband may not understand whats going on, given their history of cnc foreplay.

We continue to lightly playoff the heaviness of the situation, despite it finally settling in. I feel like I should be angry with her, though I can't bring myself to yell. Only now I realize that despite everything, those sparks of arousal which first ignited when the cuffs first came on, never truley dissipated...

[wayfayrr]

Hello! If I may, I’d like to make a request.

When I was little (between 4 and 8), my brother and I played Ocarina of Time constantly. It was our go-to game when hanging out. We replayed it and found all secrets and stuff. I was wondering if you could do a platonic self aware OOT!Link one shot? One where Link considers the player to be like a sibling to him since they grew up together in a way?

Thank you so much! I really enjoy your work ❤️

you're very welcome anon! this was such a sweet request to write!! I went with the post timeskip link for this seeing as I've already written one for Majora's mask link and I thought it would be more interesting to have that difference between the two pieces <3 I hope you'll enjoy this

[masterlist]

“Hey, I’ve been wanting to ask for a while… do you still have that old copy of Ocarina of time we used to play together? I’ve been kinda wanting to replay it. It’s a bit of a pain to get a new one or an emulator though so…”

“Uh? I think so, I can check in my attic later and drop it around your place tomorrow if I can?”

“That sounds perfect, thanks for the favour man.”

That was a fairly productive phone call, now I hopefully won’t have to mess about with an emulator or shell out for the subscription to play it again. Seeing as Nintendo doesn’t want to make their old catalogue accessible. All I need to do on my end is to wait and possibly google how to set up an N64 in the meantime.

Turns out that we did still have the old thing, and that it isn’t all that hard to set up either so it’s not like it takes too long for me to hear the calmingly melancholic tones of the game’s opening theme. Our old save file is still there too, although some of the stats on the file seem to have gotten a little bit corrupted because I’m convinced we completed it fully. Although it’s been what like 10 years or more since I would’ve last played, it makes sense that I might just be misremembering things. No harm in seeing where we left off though is there?

Well even though the file says otherwise, looking through Link’s inventory really wants to disprove that - there’s something with the same sprite as Zelda’s letter where it should just be an empty slot. It’s not got a name, if I hover over it it simply brings up a missing value error and the button prompt me to read it. It’s not like there’s any issue if I did open it, it’s an old save file so even if it does corrupt I won’t lose anything. 

Nothing happened, just a fade to blank before it glitched out and the inventory screen popped back up so that I could close it and have a look around…

How did Link turn around as I was paused in the inventory and how did his face get so close to the screen?

“[Name]? I knew you’d be back at some point! I knew you wouldn’t just leave your older brother for good… you wouldn’t would you?”

“...How do you know my name..?”

I know that Ai has gotten incredibly good recently but this is an N64, an unmodded one at that, so whatever the hell is happening right now can’t be due to that. This feels like it could be the start to a creepypasta though with everything going on right now - is this like a real life ben drowned - no it can’t be, he’d be crying blood if it were the case and he wouldn’t be as friendly either. 

“Because you told me it all those years ago when you first played through the game? You always spoke to me like I was a real person, like you saw me as your older brother, so it’s only natural that I started to see you like a little sibling right? Then when you disappeared I got so worried, It’s been so long but you’ve gotten so much older! Did you pull the mastersword yourself, because this much time can’t have really passed can it?... Can it?”

He looks almost like he’s about to cry, I should be caref- why am I so worried about hurting the feelings of a fictional character? Is it cause he sees me like a sibling, a younger one; because he knows me from when I was younger; or because he seems so attached to me already? Maybe I should just… turn it off so I don’t have to deal with it.

“I don’t remember how long it’s been, a good few years at least, Since I’ve played it. I wasn’t exactly planning to-”

“Is that what you used to control me!? I’ve never been able to get a good look at it before. Would you mind bringing it closer?”

“...Yeah I can bring it closer.”

The way he interrupted me was so so sad, he’s forcing himself to be cheery when he looks like he’s about to break down, like how an older brother would act. He really sees himself as my older brother doesn’t he? I have to admit that the way he’s leaning against the screen like an excited kid is also pretty cute I won’t lie to myself, if it weren’t for how insane the situation is I don’t think I’d mind him being my younger brother. He’s younger than me now anyway so that makes far more sense. 

Is the screen cracking beneath him? 

It’s definitely cracking under his weight, there are seconds left before it shatters.

“It’s so simple and yet it was the reason that you were able to-”

Glass can only last so long. And now he’s out, lying on my floor in a shocked heap with glass shards surrounding and covering him. After a couple of seconds of neither of us knowing what to do, we both snap into action at the same time, while I try to help him up and check for any serious wounds… he’s just laughing with the widest goofiest smile on his face, grabbing at my arms like I’m nothing but a wisp of a dream. 

“I - wow I - I could never have imagined that I could - that this - that this was even an option for me…”

“But I can be your brother in person now can’t I?”