#dani harper: all

[mikaelsonwife4life]

Cobbled Meeting

A three-way crossover between Harry Potter, Danny Phantom, and DC could be hilarious.

Like, no one can get along.

Dan and Bruce are full on brawling. They're villain and hero, trying to take each other out.

Dick and Jazz are in the middle of a screaming match about how the other isn't the best sibling they could be.

Tim and Hermione are in a full-on battle of the wits.

Stephanie and Ron aren't quite fighting each other, just making passive-agressive comments and looking a second away from throwing hands.

Babs and Tucker are locked in on-line warfare and they refuse to look away from the screens for fear the other would win/

Damian, Ginny, and Dani are tumbling around on the ground snarling at each other but miraculously not actually injuring anyone. (Damian seems to block Ginny from hurting Dani, Dani blocks Damian from hurting Ginny, and Ginny blocks Dani from hurting Damian.)

Duke, Sam, and Cass also aren't fighting. They're just sitting in a circle, glaring at each other, as they ready their weapons.

Then, for whatever reason, Harry, Danny, and Jason catch their attention. And they just stare. Cuz Jason, Danny, and Harry aren't fighting. They're on some outdoor lounge chairs, wearing sunglasses, and eating popcorn with Teddy and Lian playing at their feet. And everyone's confused.

One of them is just like, "Why aren't you guys fighting? Or preparing to fight."

And they all shrug and lower their sunglasses to reveal three sets of glowing green eyes and they smile, "Cuz we've got something in common."

"We died."

[spacedace]

another bit from the "Constantine adopts Elle au" idea I posted a snippet of yesterday:

The days immediately after the…loss of Elle’s brothers weren’t the hardest. It would, they’d all learn soon enough, only get worse as their friend’s mental state continued to deteroriate. At the time though, it had certainly felt like it couldn’t have gotten any worse.

Elle had always been, for as long as Lian had known the other girl, been a bright, energetic person. Even when being drug from bed in those ungodly hours that so easily could be labeled as late night and early morning equally to go fight some asshole who couldn’t wait for decent crime-spree hours. Elle had never been so cruel to the rest of them as to be chipper during those awful exhausted - and exhausting - incidents, but she’d always been upbeat. Rousing them into feeling more alive with a carefully currated playlist blasting over the comms and promises of delicious, greasy breakfasts at their favorite twenty-four hour diner that she always delivered on.

She was always vibrant, always excited for whatever came at her next, always dancing ahead of them all in search of a new hobby, a new special interest, a new once-in-a-lifetime experience. Her eternally burning hope that the horizon would have something better, something brighter not a foolish security blanket to hide behind but a weapon she weilded against the world. A spine of steal, a heart of a stellar nursery, a hand equally capable of being stretched out in friendship or clenched into a fist ready to deliver the nastiest left hook that side of Metropolis.

Elle Constantine was a lot of things - a good number of them questionable - but in every single one of them, she was full of life.

So seeing her so completely empty…

The Justice League had gotten roped in on their mission before they even realized the scope of it all. Grand-Bat looming and scowling and digging his grubby fingers into things, the rest of the League not much better as they wormed their way in on the case. For all the good it had done, when they’d been too late actually on the scene to be of any actual use. Only able to show up hours after their initial call for backup when the shit show was finally over and the world saved.

She and the team were all still reeling by the time the got there. Elle still crumpled on the ground, coverd in soot and blood in a writhing heap of pain no one else could even begin to understand. The still air rent by her ragged, broken voice wailing and keening like a banshee from the stories of old.

Screaming until she coughed up blood. Hands dripping red and green ripping at the dirt, at her clothes, at her hair, her skin. Shreiking in mindless, all consuming greif as they tried to calm her down, the only words anyone could make out the broken shapes of her brothers’ name.

Jon had to pin her arms to her side in the end, face pained as he tried hard not to hurt her while keeping her thrashing frame in place. Connor crouched before her cradling her tattered hands in his as he tried desperately to get her to follow his breathing, his own voice thick with barely contained tears. Damian, soft hearted beneath all his bluster and bristling, dropped to his knees beside her in the blood soaked ground and simply wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

There had been nothing Lian wanted more than to be with them in that moment. To join her team in trying to help their friend through the initial horror and agony of having a part of herself so cruelly ripped out and crushed before her very eyes. She wanted to wipe at the endless tears falling down Elle’s face and hold her hands and wrap her in a hug and weep with her over what had happend.

Wanted to get them all out of there, get them back to the Tower, get them all washed up and bundled in a protected, quiet corner where they could all cling to each other in the dark in a mess of blankets and pillows like the children they were. Wanted to shield Elle from the watching eyes of the Justice League members, the clean up crew, the gawking civilians and hungry press. To protect her while she was so horribly vulnerable, her friend ripped open and bleeding out in front of the world like a sideshow and not a girl who had just lost the only people in the world that had known and loved her since the very beggining of her fucked up life.

But Lian was the leader of the Titans. She was the one they trusted to make the hard calls. To look after them. To be their champion against not just their enemies but their allies too when it was called for.

So that’s what she did.

She stood with her feet planted firm on the slick, broken ground. Spine straight, shoulders back, head high and gaze full of hellfire. A sentry between her confused, greiving friends and the good intentioned but ultimately distructive attempts of the Justice League members before her to help.

Lian’s arm was broken in at least two places, hanging limply at her side from a dislocated shoulder. Her weapons buried in the flesh of one monster or other that they had faced that night. Her poison tipped nails split and torn, fingernails missing entirely on three fingers of her left hand. Her mask was cracked and broken somewhere in the debris, leaving her only with a domino that had nearly been clawed off with the rest of her face. Blood going cool and tacky where it had poured down her ragged cheeks, settling in the hollows and lines around her mouth. Pinking her teeth whenever she spoke and the gruesome evidence of the brutal fight found its way to curl insideious in her mouth, down her throat, into the cold pit in her chest.

When she met her grandfather’s grim, obscured face it was with her mother’s strength and her father’s stubbornness and her Pops’ willingness to shoot any motherfucker who dared to try.

Clark’s gaze was on the hunched crowd behind her, tight lines on his face as he stared at his son making it all to clear that he wanted to move past her and insert himself into the situation. To use his everything will be okay voice to command them like confused civilians or lost ducklings in need of a minder. He wanted to play the part he always played in times of disaster: shining beacon, untarnished champion. The last thing her team wanted, the last thing that Elle needed on top of everything else.

Lian’s good hand flexed by the pistol strapped to her thigh in a small warning. The Man of Steel knew well enough that there was glowing green waiting for him in the clip. Her gramps’ obsessive paranoia, her Pops’ good advice about big blue boyscouts who couldn’t keep their noses out of of other people’s business.

They stood in tense silence for long moments, the stillness only broken by Elle’s broken voice rising up in a keening wail for those she lost.

A stand-off that Lian knew that she’d win, one way or another.

Her gramps’ shoulders lowered, so minutely as to be inperceptible to anyone not in their family.

“Wonder Woman will be here shortly.” He said in his low rumbling voice. Beside him Clark finally drifted to the ground, a concession from both of them. “Justice League Dark went radio silent seven hours ago. Last transmission from Zantanna indicated they were dealing with an interdimensional issue and would be unreachable for at least three days.”

Elle’s dad - her family - were unreachable. John Constantine didn’t know that he’d lost his three sons in the span of a handful of minutes, that his daughter was being crushed beneath the weight of greif and trauma to the point of madness. Wouldn’t know for days what tragedy had struck his family, had destroyed the strange but happy life he and his adopted children had carved out for themselves.

John Constantine. Zantanna Zatara. Detective Bobo. Boston Brand. Asa the Nightmare Nurse. Elle’s family, out of reach while she writhed and wailed in agony. The only people who might come close to understand just how deep, how awful, the pain of her brothers’ loss truly was.

Diana was something, was someone, but the Amazon’s time being split between JL Light and Dark meant that she wasn’t a touchstone to Elle in the way the rest of the core members of the magical team were. Elle commented once that Diana was more like a fun aunt she barely saw growing up. Someone she was always excited to see and hang out with, someone she wanted to make proud, but not someone she felt especially close to in comparison to the rest of her family.

Lian did not give in to the pained urge to close her eyes and swear.

She was keenly aware that all it would take was a single crack, as narrow and insignificant as a strand of hair. The smallest hint that the crushing weight of everything that had happened - that was still happening - was effecting her and they’d be back at the attempts to push past her and take over. A desire to help, the restless urge to jump in and save the day, to ease the pain of those so clearly suffering, blinding them to how much worse they would make things in the process.

The intentions were good, but the ultimate results blistering and painful and too often overlooked as the next disaster pulled thier attentions away. Stubborn insistence that their experience overruled her and her team’s instincts. The hands of the older heroes always reaching, unaware that they were too sharp as they dug into the soft flesh of the Titans’ fresh wounds. Picking apart their flaws and failures in the name of bettering them, never stopping to consider the wounds they pressed hard against as part of their lecturing might still be open and raw. That while the men before her had hands in raising most of them, that did not mean they had perfect comprehension to who the Titans were or always knew what the members of her team really needed.

“Have Wonder Woman go to the Tower.” Lian said, knowing that her grandfather heard Selina’s cadence in her voice. A habit, a gamble. Catwoman had been her mentor for a time, had helped her sharpen her claws and her instincts and that budding part of her that would make her a leader one day. Sometimes it pushed Bruce into listening to her, sometimes it just led to him pushing back.

He’d find that latter option unwise at the moment, though.

Her beloved Grand-Bat or no, she knew where his armor was weakest. Knew how to make the single shot she’d manage to get off on him count. Knew just how far she’d go to make sure that Elle and the rest of her friends were sheilded from any and all harm when they were so vulnerable.

She was their champion, their sentry, their knight.

Batman, of all people, knew the lengths a knight was willing to go in the name of the oaths they took.

She watched him shift back. A silent, unseen signal between him and Clark having Superman step back too. Lian wasn’t sure if her grandfather had found the wall she presented him too strong to conted with, or if Elle’s heart wrenching screams of greif and agony made him decide against testing the wall at all. Whatever it was, Lian would take the small victory where she could. It was the only real one she might be able to claim that day.

[novelistwriter]

The Father of Clones

DP x DC Prompt

Danny really hates (not really) his daughter sometimes. Dani, his little Starlight, has been bringing in other clones whenever she returns from a trip to the mortal realm.

It all started when Dani wanted another parent and thought that Danny dating would bring that. Danny has tried dating Sam and Tucker before, but their dynamic makes them siblings more than lovers. He isn't too close to anyone else, Valerie and him are still friends after their breakup. Then she began to travel around again, but to find Danny a suitor, it just so happens that she brings back clones to her father each time she fails at finding a suitor for Danny.

Conner, Match, Respawn, Bizarro, the Roy Harper clone, Heretic, Jarro, and Inertia all find themselves forced into a new dimension by the clone girl they ran into, where they find themselves inside an imposing Castle with a Young Man in armor that's made up of the stars and space, with a Frozen Crown floating above his head and a glowing Ring on his right hand.

At first, the Clones try to leave, but Dani wants a bigger family and keeps them from leaving, so they have to bond with Danny. Not even Danny or anyone else can convince Dani to change her mind.

It's a long process, with the beginning having been rocky because none of the Clones wanted to be there. But, eventually, the Clones do warm up to Danny and bond with him in different ways. They even become other Clone kids to Danny, with Danny having told them his age, being close to 300, and still looking around his early 20's because he accepted the Crown of Flames and the Ring of Rage at that point in his half-life.

Dani had dragged her entire family out for bonding in the mortal realm, and that means her ENTIRE family, so it's her, Danny, her clone siblings, Aunt Sam, Aunt Jazz, Uncle Tucker, Grandpa Clockwork and Dan.

The Justice League learns about the family bonding and is wary because this skinny young man in his early 20s is out with people who look like people who they have fought/are friends with because he has two teens who look like a younger Superman/Clark, a teen that looks like Slade/Deathstroke and Talia's kid, a grey skinned Superman, a man that looks like an older Damian Wayne, another man that looks like Roy Harper/Arsenal, Batman's Starro Clone, and a teen that looks like Bart Allen/Impulse. They don't know who the others with him are, but they need to know what the young man's intentions are.

[bitchofdarkness]

Why tf did I put on Pulse (Netflix)?? Almost every character is so fucking annoying. I like Harper (most of the time, but she also has some aspects that piss me tf off) and Sophie. Camila is also okay, and I kinda ship her unapologetically with Sophie.

But Xander? That fuckwad rich boy. He really didn't wanna date Dani by the book. They have RULES for dating and they should've reported their relationship to HR right away. But he didn't want to. He was in power, his career was on the line and he decided to jeopardize hers instead in case they were found out. And then he got pissed when she found a way to kick him out instead. Screw him. Screw how he was EVERYWHERE, ALL THE TIME. Dani didn't have a single fucking second to herself and then he turned everyone against her regardless.

He doesn't even get why she did what she did. He didn't understand why she wanted to be open about their relationship and when it got really serious between them, he still didn't want anyone to know since it would harm his fucking career.

Sure her actions harm the whole view on the #metoo movement, but then again, it is ONE character on tv that is shown to have major issues all around. I don't think she'll make that much of an impact. Characters should be messy and wrong sometimes. If every character was perfect, then shows and movies would be fucking boring. People are messy and make mistakes. Do not forget that he wouldn't have hesitated to ruin her life either, if it had been beneficial to him.

When she rejected him the first time, he immediately threw a hissy fit and excluded her from treating the very patient he told her was her patient. As her superior he SHOULD'VE been able to put his personal feelings aside. But he showed us that he couldn't. He is unreliable and dangerous. The power imbalance was huge.

And yeah, I hate him. I hate his face. His personality. His annoying attitude. He pisses me off with his manipulative drama queen behavior. He invades every aspect of her life and has no idea how fucking bad that is and how suffocating that must've felt for her. It's not like he didn't know about Dani's many issues. He pushed her into a relationship and he KNEW she had no way of rejecting him. She built her career at the hospital all on her own, but he comes along and suddenly he can take credit for her hard work. God, I fucking hate him.

Asshole only wanted to tell everyone the moment he became chief. And he knew that. He knew why she wanted to tell HR early on and decided not to. Fucking gaslighter.

The sad thing is how she predicted everyone else's reaction. How she knew what they would think about their relationship.

I get why she did it. I get it. The lie would've blown up his life the same way the truth would've blown up hers. Rumors, hate, career on ice. He got what he would've put her through. And he never understood, or he did and chose to ignore it, because it wouldn't have hurt his life, only hers. You can't tell me he loved her, if he was willing to risk her career. No fucking way.

Don't get me started on the cheating brit.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💙💜🩷 Books for Bisexuality Visibility Month 🩷💜💙

please support this blog

💜 How incredible is it that I made a list of 99 books for bisexual visibility month, KNOWING there are so many NOT featured on this list? I'm so proud to be bi. Having these characters and stories intertwine with mine warms my heart.

💜 What's your favorite book featuring bisexual characters?

💙 The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar 💙 Perfect on Paper - Sophie Gonzales 💙 Imogen, Obviously - Becky Albertalli 💙 Red, White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston 💙 Queens of Geek - Jen Wilde 💙 Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster - Andrea Mosqueda 💙 Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute - Talia Hibbert 💙 Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake - Alexis Hall 💙 A Merry Little Meet Cute - Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

💜 Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli 💜 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid 💜 Radio Silence - Alice Oseman 💜 The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee 💜 You Exist Too Much - Zaina Arafat 💜 Wolfsong - T.J. Klune 💜 The Pairing - Casey McQuiston 💜 Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail - Ashley Herring Blake 💜 Heartstopper - Alice Oseman

🩷 Going Bicoastal - Dahlia Adler 🩷 Some Girls Do - Jennifer Dugan 🩷 Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating - Adiba Jaigirdar 🩷 Autoboyography - Christina Lauren 🩷 Written in the Stars - Alexandria Bellefleur 🩷 They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera 🩷 Cool for the Summer - Dahlia Adler 🩷 Delilah Green Doesn't Care - Ashley Herring Blake 🩷 One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston

💙 I'll Be the One - Lyla Lee 💙 Running With Lions - Julian Winters 💙 Take a Hint, Dani Brown - Talia Hibbert 💙 Felix Ever After - Kacen Callender 💙 Not Your Sidekick - C.B. Lee 💙 Ophelia After All - Racquel Marie 💙 Iron Widow - Xiran Jay Zhao 💙 Something to Talk About - Meryl Wilsner 💙 The Girls I've Been - Tess Sharpe

💜 Iris Kelly Doesn't Date - Ashley Herring Blake 💜 Never Ever Getting Back Together - Sophie Gonzales 💜 Her Royal Highness - Rachel Hawkins 💜 Call Me By Your Name - André Aciman 💜 I Wish You All the Best - Mason Deaver 💜 Mistakes Were Made - Meryl Wilsner 💜 Hang the Moon - Alexandria Bellefleur 💜 Kiss Her Once for Me - Alison Cochrun 💜 The Brightsiders - Jen Wilde

🩷 Wild Beauty - Anna-Marie McLemore 🩷 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - Victoria Schwab 🩷 Payback's a Witch - Lana Harper 🩷 A Dowry of Blood - S.T. Gibson 🩷 Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo 🩷 Dark Rise - C.S. Pacat 🩷 If This Gets Out - Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich 🩷 Let's Talk About Love - Claire Kann 🩷 Carry On - Rainbow Rowell

💙 Under the Whispering Door - T.J. Klune 💙 I Kissed Shara Wheeler - Casey McQuiston 💙 Pumpkinheads - Rainbow Rowell 💙 Icebreaker - A.L. Graziadei 💙 This Poison Heart - Kalynn Bayron 💙 A Lot Like Adiós - Alexis Daria 💙 Sorry, Bro - Taleen Voskuni 💙 We Are Okay - Nina LaCour 💙 Count Your Lucky Stars - Alexandria Bellefleur

💜 Hot Dog Girl - Jennifer Dugan 💜 Verona Comics - Jennifer Dugan 💜 They Hate Each Other - Amanda Woody 💜 The Disasters - M.K. England 💜 The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater 💜 You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson 💜 These Witches Don't Burn - Isabel Sterling 💜 My Dearest Darkest - Kayla Cottingham 💜 City of Shattered Light - Claire Winn

🩷 The Unbroken - C.L. Clark 🩷 Dread Nation - Justina Ireland 🩷 House of Hollow - Krystal Sutherland 🩷 Love & Other Disasters - Anita Kelly 🩷 Ace of Shades - Amanda Foody 🩷 The Lost Girls - Sonia Hartl 🩷 Of Fire and Stars - Audrey Coulthurst 🩷 This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story - Kacen Callender 🩷 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz

💙 If You Still Recognise Me - Cynthia So 💙 Melt With You - Jennifer Dugan 💙 The Charm Offensive - Alison Cochrun 💙 That Summer Feeling - Bridget Morrissey 💙 The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School - Sonora Reyes 💙 The Luis Ortega Survival Club - Sonora Reyes 💙 The Fiancée Farce - Alexandria Bellefleur 💙 Flip the Script - Lyla Lee 💙 Role Playing - Cathy Yardley

💜 I Think I Love You - Auriane Desombre 💜 Truly, Madly, Deeply - Alexandria Bellefleur 💜 Gearbreakers - Zoe Hana Mikuta 💜 Finally Fitz - Marisa Kanter 💜 The Spirit Bares Its Teeth - Andrew Joseph White 💜 Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl - Brianna R. Shrum & Sara Waxelbaum 💜 Late Bloomer - Mazey Eddings 💜 A Darker Shade of Magic - Victoria Schwab 💜 Love at First Set - Jennifer Dugan

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

do you hear the bells?

by Bonfirefly When a mysterious party invitation arrives at Wayne manor from Tim himself, the Batfam and the hero community at large are surprised by the turn of events (Two scenarios of surprise parties from one Tim Drake-Wayne :] ) (the second chapter is based off that one tumblr post you know the one.) Words: 7882, Chapters: 2/2, Language: English Series: Part 8 of DPxDC Fandoms: Danny Phantom, DCU, Batman - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Tim Drake (DCU), Danny Fenton, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain, Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas, Stephanie Brown, Jazz Fenton, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Cassie Sandsmark, Bart Allen, Cissie King-Jones, Anita Fite, Greta Hayes, Clark Kent, Diana (Wonder Woman), Justice League (DCU), Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Frostbite (Danny Phantom), Ember McLain, Johnny 13 (Danny Phantom), Kitty (Danny Phantom), Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Cujo (Danny Phantom), Ghost Ensemble (Danny Phantom) Relationships: Tim Drake (DCU)/Danny Fenton, Tim Drake (DCU) & Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Duke Thomas & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Roy Harper & Koriand'r & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Wally West, Jonathan Samuel Kent & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson, Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Danny Fenton & Danielle "Dani" Phantom Additional Tags: Crack, Fluff and Crack, Surprise Party, but not for who you think, Marriage, Secret Marriage, Kinda, Ghost King Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton is a Little Shit, De-Aged Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Danny Fenton Is Danielle "Dani" Phantom's Parent, Tim Drake is a Menace (DCU), Tim Drake Being a Little Shit (DCU), Chaotic Danny Fenton, Chaotic Tim Drake (DCU), Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily Shenanigans (DCU), Comic: Young Justice (1998-2003), Implied Relationships, that can be seen as platonic if you want and aren't even mentioned i just like them, TEAM PHANTOM - Freeform, I FORGOT VAL I'M SO SORRY, other tags im missing, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), Parental Clockwork (Danny Phantom) via https://ift.tt/4ETFILi

[mumms-the-word]

Fanfic Masterlist

I write mostly SFW fluff, angst, and adventure fic. Below you'll find plenty of cute moments, witty banters, angsty arguments, action scenes, and the occasional moment or two of sexy, steamy tension. Most of my writing can be found under the tag my fic.

Contents:

🔮 BG3 Oneshots 🔮

🐉 Dragon Age Fics 🐉

🪐 Rogue Trader Fics 🪐

🖋️ Various Sexy Poems 🖋️

🎁 Birthday Gift Fics 🎁

🔍 Deep Dives Links 🔎

📚 Masterlists for Multi-Chapter Fics 📚

Click here to read all my works on AO3

Enjoy!

🔮 BG3 Oneshots 🔮

✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶

🔮 gale fics masterlist - Gale x You/Reader or Gale x gn!Tav oneshots ✶ ao3 ✶ tags: gale dekarios, gale of waterdeep

🎻 meridan “dani” zavrai fics ✶ mephistopheles tiefling ✶ college of lore bard ✶ entertainer ✶ chaotic good ✶ romanced gale ✶ ao3 ✶ tags: dani, meridan zavrai

🏹 ardynn harrow fics ✶ half wood elf ✶ beastmaster ranger ✶ outlander ✶ neutral good ✶ romanced halsin ✶ ao3 ✶ tags: ardynn, ardynn harrow

⚔️ freyr fics ✶ human ✶ eldritch knight fighter ✶ the haunted one ✶ chaotic evil > true neutral ✶ romanced minthara ✶ ao3 ✶ tags: freyr

🐉 Dragon Age Fics 🐉

✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶

Josephine x Everett Trevelyan fics

Gold and Diamond Promises - Everett plans a proposal! (ao3)

Love and Loss - Trespasser ending after chatting with Solas (ao3)

Solas x Iren Lavellan

Dark Future, Dark Reality - Solavellan during In Hushed Whispers (Part 2) (ao3)

In the Company of Wolves - Solavellan during Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts (ao3)

Emmrich Volkarin Fics

Don't Look Back - Short fic about the lich scene

Deep Past the Heart - Longer fic about the lich scene (ao3)

🪐 Rogue Trader Fics 🪐

✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶

Love in the Time of Commorragh - Heinrix x OC (von Valancius, but she's a Master of Whispers) in Commorragh (ao3) Regret, Resolve - Heinrix x von Valancius after a warp jump attack (ao3)

🖋️ Various Sexy Poems 🖋️

✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶

Tav's Note in Gale's Poetry Journal - Poem about Gale from BG3 Divine Confession - Poem about Ashur/The Viper from DATV Lady von Valancius's Notes to Herself - Poem about Heinrix from Rogue Trader

🎁 Birthday Fics 🎁

✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶

Resolve - Rolan x Tav in Act 2 (gift for @orangekittyenergy) Daydreams - Rolan x Tav in Act 3 (gift for @orangekittyenergy) Love Letters from Wyll Ravengard - two letters from Wyll (gift for @callmethebrightness) Love Letters - letters between Alistair and Lucy Amell (written with @callmethebrightness for @elspethdekarios) A Room in Redcliffe - Alistair x Amell, set after DAI (Part 2) (gift for @elspethdekarios) A Conversation with the Inquisitor - Alistair x Mahariel, Cullen x Lavellan (gift for @weaveandwood) A Crow's Work is Never Done - Lucanis x Rook, post game (gift for @cheerysmores) On the Run - Western AU Gale x Tav (gift for @magspeaches) Unexpected Reunion - Modern Day Gale x Astarion (gift for @unforgiving-girl) A Birthday for Manfred - Emmrich x Rook Thorne (ao3) (gift for @sorceresssundries) Midnight Snack - Alistair x Cousland (gift for @alsoika)

🔍 Deep Dives 🔎

✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✶

Long posts that sparked my hyperfixation and had me red-string-theory connecting lore dots until I landed on a narrative that made sense in my head

tags to other metas: bg3 meta, bg3 lore, bg3 discourse, deep dive

BG3 Deep Dives

Gale and Mystra (and Mystra, and Mystra...) - Meta post that dives into Forgotten Realms lore to discuss Mystra's multiple lives/deaths, how Gale fits into the timeline, when Mystra visited Gale, etc Shadow Curse Events series - Meta posts that dive into Ketheric's descent into Sharran zealotry, his war against the Harpers and Druids, and the first 40 days of the shadow curse. Illithid Souls series - Meta posts that dive into the D&D lore about illithids and souls before turning to look at how the game uses/changes that lore by examining Tab/Durge, Orpheus, Karlach, and Gale after they become mind flayers. When was Gale Chosen? - Another timeline combing Faerûn lore with Gale's timeline, along with a poll where a couple hundred people voted on Gale's age when he was Chosen. (not a deep dive, but could be helpful) Gale's Netherese Orb - First of a (hopeful) 3 posts about Gale's orb as a chronic pain condition

Dragon Age Loreposts

The Titans, the Evanuris, and the Blight - A quick post answering how the murals in DATV explain the connections between the titans, Evanuris, and the Blight How to Fix DAO for PC - Not a lorepost lol but very helpful for new players because DAO is broken without this fix DAO Modlist and Modding Guide - Also not a lorepost but it does link to my modding guide so it's still helpful

📚 Ongoing Multichapter Fics 📚

A Macabre Masquerade Masterlist

Plot: One year after defeating the Netherbrain and saving the city, Dani and Gale receive a mysterious invitation to a masquerade ball. The invitation specifically invites them to participate as the Heroes of Baldur's Gate. However, when they get there, they soon realize they aren't the only Heroes of Baldur's Gate that got invited.

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In Fathoms Below Masterlist

Plot: The island city of Nautera disappeared over 4500 years ago, if it ever existed at all. Now not a single, legitimate record of Nautera exists, save for one. The Nauterran Account. Long thought lost, it has recently been retrieved from the depths of Candlekeep’s archives and placed into the capable hands of one Gale Dekarios. With the Nauterran Account in hand and an eclectic team of Baldurians and other allies mounting an official expedition, Gale journeys to find the ruins of Nautera…but hopes to find so much more.

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Bound by Blood Masterlist

Plot: Seventeen-year-old Nyssa Surana never expected to find herself a Grey Warden - let alone one of three surviving Wardens, one of which is her own cousin, Velle Tabris. She's the last person anyone would ever choose to save the world. Young, inexperienced, deeply anxious, and only just out of the Circle Tower for the first time in a decade, she's convinced she's as unlikely a hero as unlikely heroes come. But someone has to save Ferelden from the Fifth Blight...and keep her cousin out of trouble...and try not to fall in love with the charming Alistair Theirin, all at the same time. Three impossible tasks, but she's determined to succeed, even with the odds stacked against her.

[obsessedwithlarkin]

ALL OCPAA DANCES 24-25 SZN

SOLOS:

• Elizabeth Leiter - A Thousand Years

• Hannah Wright - Zombies

• Kennedy Bush - Halo, Salute

• McKinleigh Beck - Young And Beautiful, Hound Dog

• Mila Garg - Yellow, Eye Sore

• Lennox Silva - Pretty Bird, See Me Now

• Hadley Berokoff- The Dance, Nobody Loves Me Like You Do

• Amaya Reyes - Countdown

• Gianna Salloum- Glam

• Evelyn Yao - Take Off

• Kimiko Evans - Future Husband

• Piper Brown - Weird People

• Kayla Turner- Gimmick

• Erin Thorton - Vienna

• Michele Lam - Complex

• Hope Edwards - Gospeed

• Jasmine Sison - United In Grief

• Emalene Heitz - Enough For You

• Emily Thorton - Let The Light In

• Gwendolyn Morrison - 1+1

• Shab Ghaffari- White Blank Page, Say My Name

• Adelynn Kim - Perfect

• Dani Parkin - Star Wars

• Hayden Peterson - Thousand Years

• London Dahlberg - Go The Distance

• Chloe Lapka - Over The Rainbow

• Melody Novin - Safe & Sound

• Emmalyn Dahlberg- Forget About The Boy

• Parker Seymour- Amayzing Mayzie

• Alexis Fogg - Whistle While You Work It

• Elise Tapia - Queen Of The Night

• Olivia Montano - Word Up

• Scarlett Sanderson - Off With Your Head

• Victoria Valdez - Sushi

• Ava Reyes - Kill The Lights

• Addison Berger - Legs

• Mocai Li - Who Do You Think You Are

• Kaia Huener - Bad Romance

• Remi Rodriguez- Faithfully

• Taylor Goldweski- Remembering You, We Clappin'

• Aria Reyes - Moon River

• Kaylee Kim - The Scientist

• Charlotte Delong - Elegance

• Kensington Beck - Remember Us, Push Da Button

• Charlotte Wolk - Goodbye, Too Darn Hot

• Kailee Lozano - Halleluiah

• Mya McCarty- Hot Note, Fix You

• Ella Strunz - Lola

• Kourtney Gampol- My Discarded Men, Eternal Mourning

• Sydney Jhonson- St Jude, Single Ladies

• Eden Roberts- Speaking, All That Jazz

• Charlotte Howerton- If This Is It Now, Hit The Road

• Claire Christensen - Carousel

• Peyton Kleveno - Lost, Hollaback Girl

• Dylan Reuss - The Waitress, Bang Bang

• Leighton Goldweski- Once Upon Another Time, Vertstand

• Harper Cruz - Waking Up Slow, Word Up

• Sofia Valdez - Joy

• Kyle Young- Still, Catch Me Now

• Avery Sison - Freddy

• Brooklyn Guerrero- Here I Come

• Julia Omana - Do What I Do

• Sasha Kokos - Run The World

• Sloane Schuster- How I Feel

• Avery Strutman - Manicure

• Zoe Vicencia- All These Boys

• June Khoury- Ain't No Other

• Kinsley Coleman - Man's World

• Sophia Lycett - Boots

• Demi Ascencio - Crazy In Love

• Avery Wilkinson - He's A Dream

• Jolee Omana - Mama Knows Best

• Malia Drown - Toxic

• Noelle Khoury - Swing

• Makena Dowlatshahi - Fever

• Imani Moss-Byas - Collapse

• Holland Cooper- Who I Am, Mein Herr

• Sofia Wierzucki - Sorry

• Raelyn Abesmier - May It Be

• Alyssa Mastroianni- Broken Vow, Hyperballad

• Lilliana Mastroianni- Open Hands

• Ashley Issa - Ocean In Gold

• Brooklyn Huber - Dynamite

• Cerys Gogswell- My Darling, Think Pink

• Ghandom Ghaffari - See Me In A Crown

• Makenzie Rowland - Elephants

• Olivia Lycett - Build It Up, Yummy

• Brinley Lowe - Eclipse, Extra Extra

• Alia Benavides- I Miss You

• Ariel Lantz Loza - I Love You

• Jillian Mahan- True Romance, Clumsy

• Maggie Zhou- Only, Bitter

• Grace Howerton- I'm Through

• Londyn Nevois - Islands

• Riley Stem - Gardens, Queen Bee

• Jayna Omana - Hot Like Wow

• Taylor Jhonson - End Of Time

• Aaliyah Ortiz- Fight Em Off

• Harlee Lozano - Make Me Feel

• Liana Sison - Pocketbook

• Morgan Turner- Eating The Runway

• Olive Tapia - Dangerous

• Natalya Kokos - Rosalia

• Fryad Ghaffari- Hotline Bling

• Milea Hill- Jet Black

• Allison Arteaga - Dream, Let It Roll

• Kalin Dowlatshahi - Everywhere I Go

• Savy Jean Witeck - Bird Once Free, Walk

• Keira Davis - Every Breath You Take

• Andrea Valdez - Dancing After Death, Alien Superstar

• Madison Clegg - A Little Less Conversation

• Gianna De Lancellotti - New York New York

• Wynter Williams - Rotten To The Core

• Nyla Burton - Spoonful Of Sugar

• Keira Simon - Silent Night

• Georgia Dahl - A Whole New World

• Ava Ricker - I Will Always Love You

• Koko Fletcher - Just Wanna Have Fun

• Reagan Gold - My Heart

• Bailey Chalmers - Tears In Heaven

• Chloe Christensen - True Colors

• Charlotte Dahlberg- Halo

• Everly BeSerra - Demons

• Harper Bridge - Sweet Child Of Mine

• Mila Chaandraga - This Is Me

• Sienna York - Dancing Queen

• Skylar Schuster- Butterfly Kisses

• Beaya To - Lollipop

• Shyla Zalishahr - Wind It Up

• Annabelle Bright - Ice Cream Freeze

• Camila Valdez - Rich Girl

• Ellie Dahl - Thriller

• Jordyn Omana - Can't Touch This

• Lyla Valencia - I'm A Lady

• Preslee Liberio - It's Britney Spears

• Madison Worth - Skinny Love

• Natalia Seffer - On My Own

• Kate Cooper - Shallow

• Melinda Tang - Keep Breathing

• Paige Witcomb - Vampire

• Fiona Pathack - Elephant In The Room, Don't Wanna Dance Alone

• Avery Waters - A World Of Your Own

• Lydia Tuttle - Six Feet Under

• Mia Gonzalez- Paint It Black

• Peyton Brown - Stay, Feeling Good

• Siena Jensen - Sirens

• Dakota Valentine - Covergirl

• Sadie Ransom - Breaking Dishes

• Sadie Ferguson- London Bridge, You Are So Beautiful

• Wednesday Krocock - Work Work

DUETS/TRIOS:

• Ava Reyes, Amaya Reyes - Janet

• Hayden Peterson, Olivia Montano, Parker Seymour - Holly Rock

• Dani Parkin, Melody Novin, Rowan Caputo - Tea Party

• Camille Christensen, Preston Whitcomb - Attention

• Kaia Hueners, Lyla Valencia, Peyton Bonachea - I Got A Crush

• Alexis Fogg, Kiera Simon, Mila Chandaragga - Girl Scouts

• Monroe Lundberg, Raelyn Chavarria - Tootsie Roll

• Raegen Gold, Skylar Schuster - California Girls

• Charlotte Dahlberg, Everly BeSerra, Sienna York - Candyman

• Mila Chandaragga, Soren Karpow - Itsy Bitsy Spider

• Bailey Chalmers, Kiera Simon - Itsy Bitsy Spider

• Chloe Christensen, Harper Bridge, Preslee Marie Liberio - Jailhouse Rock

• Brooke Petropulos, Charlotte Smith, Sage Payne - Shake The Room

GROUPS:

• Hot Line

• Amen

• Torture

• Tomorrow

• Call Me Mother

• Boogie

• Devil With A Blue Dress

• Heart Is Open

• Supermodel

• Push It

• Rock Your Soul

• I Love You

• Tears Of An Angel

• Fruit Salad

• Love Story

• Wish Upon A Star

• Betty Boop

• It's A Small World

• Dream On

• OC Outlaws

• Personality

• You Will Be Found

• ABC

• Hey Mickey

• Double Dutch Bus

• Home On The Range

• Applause

• Strawberry Shortcake

• Diamonds

• The Beach Girls

• Speaking French

• Fields Of Gold

• Not About Angels

• Barbie

• Wondeful World

• Seven Devils

• So Groovy

• Pink Friday

• A Little Party

• One Way

• Foolish Men

• Where's My Love

• Starstruck

• Heartburn

• Girl Like

• Hummed Low

• IT GIRL

• Don Juan

• Von Dutch

• And So It Is

• Bloom

• Hide And Seek

• Money

• The Show

• Raincatchers

• Mannequin

• The Chain

• Level Up

• Moving Blind

• In This Shirt

• Writer In The Dark

• Ode To Divorce

• Smack Down

• Caution

• Blowin' In The Wind

• OC Airlines

• Strict Machine

• Never Love Again

• Can't Catch Me Now

• Slither

[batpham-discord-highlights]

Happy Pride everyone!

This year, the server is doing a small month long challenge for our lovely writers and artists.

Each of the 4 weeks of June has a very general prompt (we've included some ideas if you have trouble thinking of anything, though you don't have to use those at all).

For the ARTISTS: do one (or more if you want to) quick piece of art per week surrounding he week's prompt. If you post them on tumblr, tag this blog (@batpham-discord-highlights) with your batpham server pride challenge art so we can reblog your creations!

For the WRITERS: do one (or more if you want to) piece of flash fiction (which is any piece of writing that is 1k or under) per week surrounding the week's prompt. We'll have an AO3 Collection for the event if you want to add your work. Of course if you post on tumblr as well, tag us and we can reblog it :D

Also: you're welcome to spend more time on your pieces, make it bigger/longer, or make more than just the one per week if you want to (this goes to both our lovely artists and writers), but the goal was just to have some quick, easy fun surrounding queer characters, identities, and relationships :>

Image ID under the cut

Batpham Server Pride Challenge 2024

4 themed weeks for Pride Months for quick/sketch and flash fiction (under 1k words)

Some quick ideas are listed for each week, but are just suggestions, not required. We also tried to add some variety to the suggestions.

-----

Week 1: June 1-8 CANON QUEER CHARACTERS/RELATIONSHIPS

(Disclaimer: we understand that there's nothing to go off for DP, and are very sad about it)

Constantine, Kate Kane, Renee Montoya, Dick, Pied Piper, Conner Hawke, Harper Row, Bernard, Diana

Week 2: June 9-15 FANON QUEER CHARACTERS/RELATIONSHIPS

(Characters that aren't explicitly queer, but are definitely queer-coded)

Trans Danny/Dani, Sam,Bruce, Johnny13/Kitty, Dash, Lancer, Aunt Alicia, Eternal Trio

Week 3: June 16-22 POC QUEER- FANON OR CANON

Kwan, Duke, Selina Kyle, John Stewart, Cyborg, Tucker, Valerie, Paulina, Helena Bertinelli, Roy Harper

Week 4: June 23-30 QUEER COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE

Found Family, Coming Out, Drag Kings&Queens, Pride Events/Parade, Protest, Gay-Straight Alliance (School)

-----

If you wish to spend more time on your art or write more than 1k, you are welcome to!

[glow-worms-are-believers]

Links for dp x dc blurbs and stories

This was mostly for me, but I hope this can help you guys find stuff if you want:)

This is divided as follow (in chronological order as much as possible):

2024 Pride Collection

Blurbs

Ideas

Prompt Fill/Story continuations

Also, any prompt I write is up for grabs, same for blurbs :)

Pride Collection (June 2024): This is a bunch of blurbs that feature canon LGBTQA+ characters from dc

Stealing her Thunder (Sam/Paulina, Star, Anissa Pierce; lesbian character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/752328226784821248/stealing-the-thunder-dp-x-dc

I think we Khan do it if we try (Danny, Bruce, Minhkhoa Khan; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/752414144589873152/i-think-we-khan-do-it-if-we-try-dp-x-dc

Down on Yeoh luck (Jazz, Alysiah Yeoh; trans character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/752510087221870592/down-on-yeoh-luck-dp-x-dc

A Princess’ Crown Jules (Dani, Julian Jourdain; trans character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/752600327276167168/a-princess-crown-jules

Better Kate than never (Jazz, Kate Kane; lesbian character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/752689161278046208/better-kate-than-never-dp-x-dc

Living off the (Si)grid (Danny, Sigrid Nansen; non-binary character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/752777783625809920/living-off-the-sigrid-dp-x-dc

Hop Jon over (Danny, Jon Kent; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/752873158748569600/hop-jon-over-dp-x-dc

Cullen Row and the Mystery of the Cute Boy (Danny, Cullen Row; gay character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/752963364993499136/cullen-row-and-the-mystery-of-the-cute-boy-dp-x

Cheetah, cheetah, ghosting eater (Danny, Cheetah; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/753140492865306624/cheetah-cheetah-ghostling-eater

Wonder on 75 Park Avenue (Danny, Diana of Themyscira ; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/753223765240004608/wonder-on-75-park-avenue-dp-x-dc

Between Hawke and Buzzard (Danny, Valerie, Damian, Connor Hawke; asexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/753318449244176384/between-hawke-and-buzzard-dp-x-dc

Cat-cophony (Danny, Bruce, Selina Kyle; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/753420251568504833/cat-cophony-dp-x-dc

All Cats Are Gray (Dani, Catman/Thomas Blake; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/753505362400968704/all-cats-are-grey-dp-x-dc

A little of that who-shot-John (Danny, Jazz, John Constantine; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/753594255324364800/a-little-of-that-who-shot-john-dp-x-dc

Giving up the Ghul (Danny, Nyssa Al Ghul; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/753687535155363840/giving-up-the-ghul-dp-x-dc

Gimme gimme gimme a man after Midnight-er (Sam, Tucker, Apollo & Midnighter; gay characters): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/753779292449767424/gimme-gimme-gimme-a-man-after-midnight-er-dp-x

Sawyer through (Danny, Maggie Sawyer: lesbian character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/753868625813913600/sawyer-through-dp-x-dc

Getting your ducks in a Row (Sam, Harper Row; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/753959749591154688/getting-your-ducks-in-a-row-dp-x-dc

Quinn and cramin’ (Jazz, Harleen Quinzel; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/754050736283877376/quinns-and-crammin-dp-x-dc

Back in Brainiac (Danny, Lancer, Sam, Tucker, Brainiac 5; demisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/754232225176895488/back-in-brainiac-dp-x-dc

Stillness in Tremor (Jazz, Roshanna Chatterji; aroace character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/754327899040038912/stillness-in-tremor-dp-x-dc

Dowd’s Crowd (Sam, Bernard Dowd; gay character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/754409955818389504/dowds-crowd-dp-x-dc

An audience with queen Nubia (Danny, Nubia of Themyscira; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/754503542544465920/an-audience-with-queen-nubia-dp-x-dc

The Kaldur’ahm before the storm (Danny, Kaldur’ahm; polysexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/754593696532611072/the-kaldurahm-before-the-storm-dp-x-dc

The Ivy in I’ve seen you before (Danny, Jazz or Pamela Isley; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/754691344573874176/the-ivy-in-ive-seen-you-before-dp-x-dc

Tim Drake: Ugly Duckling (Danny/Tim Drake; bisexual character): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/754768541543235584/tim-drake-ugly-duckling-dp-x-dc

Regular Blurbs: 

Mote in your brother’s eye (Danny, Damian, twin AU): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/752230408012398592/mote-in-your-brothers-eye-dp-x-dc

A rose by any other name (Bernard is Danny, Tim): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/751958820583063552/a-rose-by-any-other-name-dp-x-dc

Alley Chat (Barry Allen, Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/751606139462057984/alley-chat-dp-x-dc

Green Thumb (Ivy, Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/751535246632239105/green-thumb-dp-x-dc

Break Down (Dani, Kents): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/751330835695828992/break-down-dp-x-dc

Pas de deux (Sam, Cass): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/748416748433408000/pas-de-deux

Witness Protection (Danny, Batfam): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/748067086482440192/witness-protection

Just like heaven (Valerie, Stephanie) : https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/732309413064491008/just-like-heaven-dp-x-dc

Break a leg (Damian, Dani): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/732123784094662656/break-a-leg-dp-x-dc

All that Jazz (Jazz/Kate): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/732029284567400448/i-hear-your-voice-feels-like-flying-dp-x-dc

Full Baby Back Guarantee Not Included (Danny, Alfred, summoning): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/731948891130462208/full-baby-back-guarantee-not-included-dp-x-dc

All Along the Watchtower (Batman, Superman): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/731841941847916544/all-along-the-watchtower-dp-x-dc

Ring to it (Danny, Frostbite): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/731762914477965312/ring-to-it-dp-x-dc

Hitting it off (Wonder Woman, Sam, Tucker): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/731666903054090240/hitting-it-off-dp-x-dc

Dropping in (Valerie, Raven): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/731586241978662912/dropping-in-dp-x-dc

Make off (Jazz, Dick): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/731400839756988416/make-off-dp-x-dc

Road Hazard (Danny, Cassie): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/731206682951254016/road-hazard-dp-x-dc

Night at the Museum (Danny in Flash museum): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/731127750159712256/night-at-the-museum-dp-x-dc

Always room for seconds (Aunt Alicia[dp]/Martha Kent, Danny, Jazz): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/731040740126441472/always-room-for-seconds-dp-x-dc

Space Facts (Victor, Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/730953069672677376/space-facts-dp-x-dc

Sewing Club (Danny, Alfred): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/730853815207804928/sewing-club-dp-x-dc

Nugget Budget (Danny, Wally): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/730752856334942208/nugget-budget-dp-x-dc

Town Ghosts (Dinah, Danny, Sam, Tucker, Casper high): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/730319920685039616/ok-so-this-is-inspired-by-this-post-danny

Slip and Fall (Danny, Martha and Thomas Wayne): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/723522086770016256/dp-x-dc

Meet your Death (Death of the endless, Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/723433172617084929/dp-x-dc

Eldest’s Privilege (Jazz, Dick): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/723338181283643392/dp-x-dc

Misplaced Guilt (Tim, Johnny 13, Shadow): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/723248614074449920/misplaced-guilt-dp-x-dc

Universes Contained (Barbara, Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/723070066351112192/i

Hey, Soul Sister (Sam/Stephanie): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/722968296742338560/hey-soul-sister-dp-x-dc

Babe in the wood (Dani, Jason): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/722879548756262912/babe-in-the-wood-dp-x-dc

Schoolyard Spat (Damian, Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/722696773328683008/schoolyard-spat-dp-x-dc

Favourite Niece (Princess Dorathea, Harley Quinn): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/722522810342309888/favorite-niece-dp-x-dc

Stranger in the Night (Valerie, her dad, Leslie Thompkins, Stephanie): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/722433869152993280/knock-at-the-door

Lost and Found (Danny, Alfred, Bruce): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/722247304409726976/lost-and-found-dp-x-dc

Fresh Lemonade: 50¢ (Dani, Jason): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/722160994578759680/fresh-lemonade-50-dp-x-dc

Identity Theft (Dan, Justice League, Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/722069596781314048/this-is-for-all-the-people-in-the-comment-saying

Dream Lover (Danny/Jason): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/721669473897234432/dream-lover-dp-x-dc

End in View (Dani, Dick): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/721618389655846912/end-in-view-dp-x-dc

Rain on my parade (Bruce, Dick, Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/721251228707930112/rain-on-my-parade

Sharp Eyes (Cass, Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/721065337451429888/sharp-eyes-dc-x-dp

Lost in the Woods (Danny, Sam, Tucker, cultists and Gotham woods): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/720976823414079488/lost-in-the-woods-dp-x-dc

Time makes stranger of us all (Jazz, Jason): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/720796232033894400/time-makes-strangers-of-us-all-dp-x-dc

Mistaken Identities (Danny, Bruce, time-travel, Justice League): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/720707369663873024/mistaken-identities-dp-x-dc

Father of mist, Father of foam (Taliais Danny’s daughter, Ra’s al Ghul/Danny fenton, League of assassins): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/714635253429534720/part-3-her-papa-stayed-with-her-until-the-sun-set

Down the rabbit hole (Stephanie, Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/714276149558116352/down-the-rabbit-hole-dp-x-dc

In the name of love (and gossip) (Bruce/Danny): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/714088898101411840/in-the-name-of-love-and-gossip-dc-x-dp

Meltdown meet-cute (Dani, Stephanie, Cass): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/713637086363893760/meltdown-meet-cute-dp-x-dc

Return to sender (Danny, Duke, Joker): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/713278517648982016/return-to-sender-dc-x-dp

Dc x dp (Harper/Valerie, Vlad): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/712370069324300288/part-2-valerie-rubbed-at-her-eyes-as-she-waited

Catwoman’s new sidekick (Danny, Vlad, Catwoman): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/711830692542201856/catwomans-new-sidekick-dc-x-dp

Dc x dp reincarnation (Danny is Martha Wayne, Sam is Thomas Wayne): https://www.tumblr.com/glow-worms-are-believers/709380437212102656/jason-is-a-little-rattled-hes-never-believed-in

[abysskeeper]

Mamihlapinatapei - The look between two people in which each loves the other but is too afraid. For whoever catches your fancy!

(¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ...sorry)

---------

“And…there,” Nox mumbled to herself as she plunged the bottom of her staff into the damp ground.

She took a step back from the last of her work and glanced around to appraise the scene she had spent crafting in the last fifteen or so minutes. Mourning Frost stood straight up like a beacon in the darkness of the lands, illuminated by the magic of her Light cantrip while cold mist bellowed off of it from its enchantments. Behind her, part of the river remained frozen from a well-placed Cone of Cold spell and glowed mystically with the floating orbs from the Dancing Lights she casted in the area. It was as good as she was going to get given her surroundings. All in all, she was satisfied, and now all she had to do was move the modified Sleet Storm over here and everything would be set to go.

Everything but her nerves, at least.

Nox sighed and dusted her hands on her robes, taking a quiet moment to gather herself before embarking back up from the riverbank and into the central courtyard of the Last Light Inn. The courtyard itself looked exactly like the winter wonderland she was attempting to create down by the river, which was no surprise. The first, magical storm she conjured was still going, thick snowflakes still gently falling from the clouds above. The light from Isobel’s shield around the inn glinted off the snow and ice on the ground, making the whole area glitter, and there was a stillness in the air that she had only ever felt in the throes of winter’s weather.

The scene was far more befitting the lands closer to the Dale than the wilting town struggling under Shar’s shadows, but then, that was the entire point. She had wanted to create one night to celebrate their small victories and set everything else aside for a few hours.

There were significantly more celebrants indulging in the magical snow when she slipped away, though. In the time it took for her to go down and back, it seemed like most everyone had dispersed to tend to the rest of their nightly duties before going to bed. Only a few remained meandering about in the courtyard, and it took her a moment before she zeroed in on her sister standing off to the side, leaning against one of the makeshift barricades as she surveyed the area.

“Hey,” Nox greeted as she beelined for the paladin. “Are we alright up here?”

Lux hummed in thought for a moment, blue eyes trailing over the courtyard before she finally nodded. “I think so. Alfira and Lakrissa shepherded the kids to bed with no complaints, so that alone is a win,” she reported.

Nox smiled, managing to tire the kids out enough that there was no backtalk was a win.

“Bex and Danis, as well as some of the Harpers, helped clean up some of the smaller things and have gone off to bed. And Rolan actually wanted to speak with you,” Lux added. She shrugged and glanced at her, answering before Nox could ask, “Don’t know about what, Cal and Lia managed to convince him to go to bed too before you got back.”

“Probably for the best,” Nox muttered. Rolan wasn’t the most contentious relationship she’d ever had with a fellow wizard; in comparison to some he was downright friendly, but after their last encounter with him drunk on both the ale and his sorrows, she wasn’t particularly looking to have another conversation with him quite so soon.

“Probably,” Lux agreed. “Otherwise, everything else is back to normal. Jaheira’s barking orders at the Harpers again to get them back to work. Those not on the nightshift are settling in for the night like everyone else.”

“Not surprising,” Nox chuckled. They hadn’t known the High Harper for long, but it didn’t take any time at all to realize the woman was a hardass. She cared, that much was obvious too, but it was hidden behind three layers of steel. “But…good.”

Content with what her sister told her, Nox nodded to herself and raised her hand. With a wave, she felt the threads of the Weave relax between her fingers. In turn, the snow stopped falling from the sky and, a moment later, what was left coating the ground started to melt away.

Her gaze slipped from the dissipating storm and her eyes fell shut. Her attention turned towards the magic resonating from Mourning Frost, still standing some hundred or so meters away where she left it stuck in the ground. Her hand flicked, the Weave answering her movement by coalescing into a misty-white orb of concentrated magic resting in her palm. “Impero tibi,” Nox whispered, and the orb flickered and burst as she casted another, gentle storm over her staff.

She inhaled through her nose and opened her eyes, turning her focus back to Lux. Her sister was staring back at her curiously and biting the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. Nox resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “If there’s nothing else, then…?” she asked instead.

“There’s nothing else,” Lux confirmed as her smile broke containment. “Go on, go be gross with your wizard,” she said with a shooing motion.

Nox did roll her eyes at that. “I’m not going to be gross with him,” she scowled. That definitely wasn’t the point of what she was trying to do, but Lux had been misconstruing her intentions ever since she brought the idea up with her. “And he’s definitely not ‘my wizard,’” she huffed.

“Sure, sure,” Lux agreed, definitely more in an effort of appeasement than genuine agreement. “I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who believes that, though.” Without waiting for a reply, she pushed off the barricade and started back for the main building of the inn.

“I…”

Nox cut herself off and followed after her sister, uncertain of how to refute that. It was an argument she was growing tired of having, and she’d resigned to the fact she couldn’t sway what other people believed about her and Gale’s relationship. She also couldn’t deny the small tingle the thought sent through her chest, the kind that made her happier than she cared to admit to, and the kind she would never give Lux the satisfaction of knowing she had.

“That’s not the point,” she said finally.

“I know,” Lux shrugged, “But it’s fun to rile you up.”

Nox responded the only way she knew how and stuck her tongue out at her sister; Lux just grinned back at her and shoved her shoulder. “Besides,” Lux added after a moment, “I do hope you succeed. I’d really like for Gale to take a step back from his whole ‘blowing himself up’ plan too. We all would.”

Right.

That wasn’t quite the goal she was trying to achieve tonight either, but it was a step in the process. Ever since they had encountered Elminster and he charged Gale with Mystra’s orders to end the Absolute, Nox had been driving herself to near insanity while trying to dissuade him from that path. She outright refused to believe the only way they could succeed was by sacrificing one of their own; it was utterly cruel and such a waste of a brilliant mind and even more brilliant man and she…well, she wasn’t focusing on how upsetting it was to her. Her feelings on it didn’t matter, Gale’s did.

Unfortunately, Gale was more than willing to go along with his marching orders. Not without remorse, the way his voice wavered whenever he spoke about the possibility and the way he grew increasingly frustrated with her every time she broached the subject were more than enough proof to her that he didn’t want to die, but he was still moving forward as if it was the best plan they had. She was beginning to run out of time, and as they stepped closer and closer to the answers they sought, she was growing increasingly frantic with her measures. Regrettably, she was also running out of options, the only two left she could think of were either outright forbidding him from blowing himself up or begging him not to—both things she was fully willing to do, but she was doubtful of their efficacy.

After all, how could her words rival those of a Goddess?

But that wasn’t the point. Before she could let herself spiral any further, Nox cut that line of thought off. Tonight was not about another attempt to dissuade Gale from sacrificing himself, at least not directly. She didn’t want to even think about the Orb or Mystra or Ketheric Thorm or the worms in their brains. Tonight was a break they all desperately needed from the tragedies surrounding them, and she refused to let her mood sour. Just for tonight, she wanted to be content.

“Yeah, I hope so too,” Nox mumbled finally, following after Lux as they entered the inn proper.

She took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the change in lighting before looking around. Most of their companions had moved back into the first floor of the inn after the festivities outside had concluded. Lae’zel had her sword in her lap and looked prepared to go out to Dammon’s setup to resharpen her blade. Wyll and Astarion sat adjacent to the bar, sharing a bottle of wine and discussing something or other, while Karlach and Shadwoheart started up a passing conversation with two Harpers in between their shifts. Halsin and Jaheira were nowhere to be seen, but that was hardly a surprise—the former had barely left Thaniel’s side since they had rescued the fey child, and the latter was too busy managing her Harpers to make too many appearances.

Which just left the man she was actually looking for.

Her gaze settled on Gale sitting in a char in the back corner of the main room. Predictably, he had a book in hand and a full goblet of wine sitting on the small table next to him. Whatever he had found to read interested him greatly, and Nox stopped to simply admire the way he studied the book, his brows knit in concentration, dark brown eyes flitting across the pages as they ravenously consumed every word, and his free hand drumming an insouciant rhythm on the arm of the chair. The warm light of the candles hanging around the main room glinted off his soft brown hair—illuminating the lighter strands and a few streaks of gray—and cast shadows across his form near perfectly.

Not for the first time, she was forced to acknowledge he was a strikingly handsome man. However, for the first time, she couldn’t help but consider how gods damned unfair it was that Gale was, by all accounts, the picturesque vision almost every one of her female peers dreamed would be their future husband.

Honestly, she never really understood the appeal in her youth. Why dream of a husband when they all still had so much potential in their fingertips? It likely helped that she never had cause to fantasize either; she did not have any suitors when she was younger and never lamented over that fact, it gave her far more time to endeavor in her studies. Now though, having it all laid out in front of her, and after enduring everything she and Gale had already been through and everything they still could go through together…she was found herself much more amicable to the prospect.

“Some-body’s smit-ten!”

Immediately pulled from her thoughts, Nox jumped when her sister leaned over and sang in her ear. “I am not,” she hissed as she stepped back from Lux’s smirking face. Nox hadn’t even realized she was smiling until she felt her lips pull into a frown. “I am just…considering,” she insisted and subconsciously smoothed down her robes. “He looks…content. I don’t want to bother him if he’s settled in for the evening.”

It wasn’t a complete lie, at least.

“You, of all people, are hardly a bother to him,” Lux rolled her eyes. “Besides, we all just came in from your little snow party anyways, I doubt he’s ‘settled in’. And it’s better to interrupt him now before he’s really into whatever it is he’s reading.”

There was truth to her words, though Nox knew her twin well enough to catch what she was really saying. Lux wasn’t going to let her back out of her plan, which she had no intention of doing, never mind the way she tugged at her sleeves or felt a sharp churning in her gut at the mere thought of walking over to him and asking him to accompany her. What she intended for the evening was hardly that big of a deal, she just desperately wanted it to go well.

“Yeah…yeah, I know. You’re right,” Nox said and heaved a breath. She looked over to Lux with a shaky smile. “Wish me luck?”

“You don’t need luck, Noxy. You got this,” Lux smiled and bumped her hip. “You’ll be fine, so go,” she stressed and nudged her towards the back of the room. “I won’t wait up!” she added over her shoulder before sauntering towards Astarion and Wyll.

“Ugh,” Nox muttered under her breath, fully aware Lux didn’t hear her. Granted, she also knew Lux didn’t need to hear her to know that was her exact response; in the same way she didn’t need to hear Lux chuckling all the way to the bar for her to know that’s exactly what her sister did.

Everything else she said was correct though, Nox didn’t need luck. She was an incredibly skilled wizard with an incredibly detailed plan she had been mapping out during her downtime for the past several days. That aside, even if it weren’t the case, she was still making this attempt with the utmost sincerity, and that was all anyone could really ask for. There was nothing else she could do to ensure it went properly, aside from actually starting it and asking him to join her, which was—naturally—the most difficult part.

Blowing out one more, long breath to still her rattling nerves, she resolved herself and turned to make her way over to Gale.

As she approached, his brown eyes flickered up at her from the book, as one does when they notice movement in their periphery, before returning back to the pages in front of him. She stopped before him and watched as the realization registered in his brain of who was standing in front of him. His eyes lit up and he snapped the book shut.

“Oh, Nox! Hello,” Gale greeted cheerily. He set the book in his lap and smiled up at her. “After your celebration outside, I figured you would retire for the evening.”

“It’s tempting, believe me,” Nox answered with a nervous chuckle.

She could feel the tendrils of exhaustion starting to creep into the edges of her mind—serving more as a reminder she was still not as powerful as she once was rather than as a sign she should stop—but she was choosing to ignore them. She knew she was overexerting herself slightly, but she had already decided it was worth it. The smiles from the refugees and the Harpers were enough alone, and hopefully this would be well worth it as well.

“But…the night isn’t over for me quite yet,” she continued. Realizing that sounded a little more ominous than she intended, she wrung her hands and hastily added, “Well…for us…I guess. I was hoping to talk with you, actually. Do…do you have a moment?”

“Of course. Anything for you,” Gale agreed, and she chose not to ruminate on how easily he said it—as if the thought was second nature. He quickly leafed through the book to mark the page he was on before closing it once more and setting it on the side table next to his wine. “What can I do for you?” he asked, warm brown eyes now solely focused on her.

Gods, how had she not noticed this before? Maybe Lux was right. The only things Nox had ever witnessed him focus on as intently as her right now were his spells on the battlefield, whatever book was lucky enough to capture his complete interest, and his own research and studies. Not that he wasn’t invested in whatever he was doing at any given time, but this was…different. It was more intense, more singularly driven than he usually was, as if the rest of the world simply melted away for him. The inn could spontaneously combust right now, and she wasn’t fully convinced Gale would notice.

You wouldn’t either. Focus, Nox.

“Indulge me?” she asked in return. She pointed behind her towards the inn’s front door and added with a sheepish smile, “I…would appreciate some privacy.”

Gale’s brow rose as his gaze shifted from her towards the door behind her, and then back again. The longer he stared, the hotter she could feel the flames of embarrassment licking at the tips of her ears as she was forced to consider what she just said. She couldn’t really blame him for his silent questioning, that wasn’t the best way to ask and she knew it, but he had been through this with her enough by now to know that any potential innuendo or suggestion she just made wasn’t her intent.

“Very well,” he agreed and rose to his feet before she could clarify. “I must admit, I am intrigued about what you have in mind.”

“Probably not what I just implied,” Nox grumbled. She turned and started for the entrance of the inn, in part to lead the way down to the riverbank, and in part so he couldn’t watch her attempt to contain her blush. She sighed, mumbling, “But by now I am used to making an arse of myself in front of you.”

Gale laughed behind her. “You’re hardly an arse, Nox. I know that is not what you meant,” he reassured. “And my curiosity is genuine. You always come to me with the most fascinating problems or topics of conversation, time spent with you is always quite stimulating, and thus is always time well-spent…in my opinion.”

Instead of containing her blush, she could feel her ears growing hotter with every word he spoke. “Well, if nothing else I can assure you I’m not coming to you with a problem,” Nox answered after a moment. She brushed some hair from her face towards her ears, hoping maybe it would conceal some of the evidence of her embarrassment. “I simply have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” he echoed as he followed after her out the door. “Well, that is…” As he strode up beside her, he grimaced and sighed before inevitably accepting his words were failing him. “…Unexpected.”

Despite herself, Nox couldn’t help but to laugh, and the bundle of nerves sitting in her stomach started unraveling. He had that effect on her, even his blunders were unwittingly charming. “I should certainly hope so, given the nature of surprises,” she teased and threw a grin up at him.

“You know, I am regularly accused of grand verbosity, as most wizards are. I’ve probably had the complaint lobbed at me more than some of the greatest scholars of the realms, and I still somehow so often flounder it with you, Moon Mage,” Gale huffed lightly. “I swear I was cursed not long after making your acquaintance.”

“It’s oft said simplicity is the key to success,” she pointed out, unable to wipe the playful smile off her face. “It is hardly my fault that you do not heed such advice.”

“I suppose there is some merit to advice like that when it is so commonly proffered, and now offered again from someone as intelligent as you,” he sighed with an overexaggerated roll of his eyes. “Fine, then I’ll ask plainly: where are you taking me? What is this surprise?”

Nox tutted and shook her head. “That’s hardly the nature of surprises either,” she answered, but motioned for him to follow her through the courtyard. “You’ll find out soon enough. Come, we’re not going far.”

If Gale had any further, burning curiosities, he did not voice them. He followed after her through the courtyard of the inn and down the slope to the riverbank without another word. She only had to urge him on once, gently tugging on his forearm when he paused to assess the fact the temperature was noticeably dropping as they moved closer to the river. She finally allowed him to stop completely when the results of her magic came into view.

“Nox…?” he asked softly. His footsteps came to a halt with a crunch on the edges of the snow and ice on the ground.

She glanced towards the new, snowy winter wonderland she had created and took in the scene again. Perhaps it wasn’t as subtle as she would have liked, but it was far too late to change anything else now. It was obviously different to the snowy evening she gave the tieflings and Harpers, being a smaller area and more dimly lit. Looking at it again, it was clearly much more intimate, and with that realization she could feel panic seize her throat. It wasn’t that she minded if it was read like that—she should mind, but she didn’t—but if Gale considered it that way and it was not what he wanted, then she would suddenly have a lot of backtracking and explaining to do before she could even attempt to get him to enjoy it, which she certainly hadn’t planned for and had no idea where to even begin—

As quickly as it came, the panic subsided the moment she turned back to address him. Gale was staring up at the gentle snowfall with thinly veiled awe, the light of his smile reaching his eyes as he held out his hand to catch a few flakes on his palm. Nox felt every muscle ease at the sight, and her heart melted more as she watched him hold out his other hand to catch even more of the snow. He had a similar reaction in the courtyard earlier when he first saw the conjured snowfall with the others, but it was interrupted by everyone else also marveling and having fun. Now they were alone—uninterrupted—and the sight of his unabashed joy made all of this preparation worth it on its own.

When he turned his gaze back on her, he somehow only brightened more. “What is all this?”

“Oh, you know…” She shrugged one shoulder sheepishly and swept her eyes over the snow again. “I wanted a party for two is all, just for a little while,” she answered after a moment. “I know it’s nothing compared to Waterdhavian winters,” she added quietly, “But as I said earlier, I figured any small bit of wonder in this land of bleakness was a worthy endeavor.”

“This is no small bit of wonder, Nox,” Gale said with a small shake of his head. He brushed his hands together before resting one gently on her shoulder. “This is magnificent. Truly magical in every sense of the word.”

Something fluttered in her chest at the praise. “I’m glad you think so,” Nox said, relief and sincerity washing through her. She held his gaze with a smile, indulging the warmth blooming in her chest for a few moments, before the realization rang out in her mind that she could simply stay like this forever, but the moment was stretching for too long.

“However…” She cleared her throat and took a reluctant step away from him. “In addition to being pretty, it is also serving a purpose. Follow me.”

She walked over to the bag she left sitting by one of the rocks and knelt down to dust off the coating of snow resting on top. “You’re going to need these,” she declared, pulling a pair of boots out of the bag. She gave them a once over before holding them out for him to take.

Gale also gave them a look over, very obviously feeling the Weave emanating from them. “And these are…?” he asked, taking them from her and turning them over in his hands.

“I’m calling them the Ice Stompers.” That alone should tell him what they were, but she decided to add some context. “Do you remember how I was using the excuse of needing to train my transmuting skills in order to give you more items to consume for the Orb?” she asked and closed the bag.

“Oh, so you are admitting the Orb was the primary reason now?” he asked lightly.

Nox shrugged again and stood back up, brushing snow off of the lower parts of her robes. “I figured you were never fooled, and it is in the distant past…you can’t scold me or try to dissuade me from making the effort now,” she answered. “Also, beside the point. That endeavor did also better my transmutation skills. We…’lost’ the last pair of boots we had that worked well against difficult terrain—” ‘Lost’ was the kinder way of putting it to him, but his lips still pulled into a frown. “—So, I made a new pair. Specifically for ice, in this case.”

“Alright…” Gale said slowly, clearly trying to piece together why that was the case. Despite his confusion, he still did as she asked, dropping one of the boots to the ground and toeing out of his own before stepping into it.

“Do they fit?” Nox asked, head tilting as she examined the boot he now wore. She had gone through a lot of trouble to ensure the size of his boots without letting him onto anything, and she had a hunch the ‘unspecified favor’ she now owed Astarion was going to cost her. If the intel was correct though, then she would happily pay any price.

“They do,” he nodded before repeating the process with the other boot. “Though, I am still unclear as to why I need them.”

“Well…”

It was easier to show him. Without answering, she stepped around him and walked to the part of the river she froze. Tentatively, she placed a foot on the ice and tested its sturdiness before putting her full weight into the step. Certain it was frozen enough by now to not give away, she confidently strode fully onto the ice and slid a bit before turning around and grinning at him, hand outstretched.

Gale stared at her incredulously for several seconds, before eyeing the ice skeptically and then looking back up at her with the same, unconvinced gaze. “You are aware my knees are liable to give way at any moment, correct? Especially in a cold snap such as this?”

It was about the reaction she expected from him. “You do not get to play the old age card to an elf, Gale,” Nox teased.

“I rather think I do, given the biological differences in our aging processes.”

Despite his obvious reticence, Gale still walked over to her, though kept his feet firmly rooted to the snowy grass. “Nox, I know of your confidence on the ice, given your predilection towards the element, so surely by now you must know of my lack thereof? I am hardly as graceful as you,” he said and shot her a small, wry smile. “Might I inquire as to why you thought of this for your ‘party of two’?”

That was also about what she expected in terms of a reaction. She figured he would be reluctant—and she couldn’t entirely blame him—but she had hoped maybe he would humor her, just this once. Nox sighed, attempting not to let too much disappointment shine on her face, but before she could drop her hand, his palm slid against hers. She looked down at their hands and then up to his face, brow raised in question. Gale hadn’t moved from the grass, but one side of his mouth tipped upwards, and he shrugged.

Alright, if he wasn’t fully against the idea, then she could at least work with that. “Do you want the real answer?” she asked. “Or do you want the logical answer I knew I needed to come up with for when you looked at me like I had finally lost my mind at the mere suggestion?”

“Oh, I didn’t expect to have a choice,” Gale chuckled. After thinking it over for a second, he decided, “Let’s start with the logical answer.”

“That’s simple,” she said and held up her finger. “One, we are going to be squaring off against an allegedly immortal man who is more than likely the reason—or part of the reason—we have illithid tadpoles in our heads. Two—” She held up another finger. “—I am, among other things, a wizard predisposed towards ice magic. I am, however, not as well-trained of an evoker as you, and my spells are not always meticulously sculpted.”

She held up a third finger, and with her other hand, tugged on his to pull herself closer to him. “And three, as you’ve already implied, you, dear Wizard of Waterdeep,” she addressed him with a poke to his chest, “Are not the most graceful when it comes to keeping your balance…to put it delicately. You could use some practice before we face our foe, lest you instead wind up falling on your face from a spell I needed to cast.”

“Hm…”

He was mulling over her answer with serious consideration, but as his brown eyes narrowed in thought, she could see a familiar, playful spark igniting under the veneer of genuine deliberation. “I take some offense to that, but as they are my own words and your logic is sound, I suppose I cannot refute it,” he relented.

Given how their debates had gone in the past, that was almost too easy. Still, Nox smirked, rather pleased it hadn’t taken that much to convince him. Yet, her victory was cut short when she stepped back to pull him onto the ice, and instead he pulled her right back to stand in front of him.

“Except,” he countered, his own smile slipping through, “It does beg the question that if you are so concerned over this, why are you not training your spell sculpting in order to be more accommodating?”

Her smirk fell into a pout, and she huffed. “Of these two complications, one is much easier to remedy in the short term,” she pointed out. “I chose the quicker option for our current timeline. Unless you would rather explain to everyone else why we are stalling through the several nights it would take for me to be able to utilize spell sculpting as naturally as I do arcane warding?”

“I would gladly assist you with that, you know,” Gale offered. “You are a quick study on what few skills you do not already possess. It would hardly take any time at all.”

“And you are insufferable,” Nox muttered under her breath, though it carried no bite whatsoever. Something he acknowledged if the way his lips twitched upward was any indication. He enjoyed teasing her far too much. “Alright, how about this, then?” she asked and smiled sweetly up at him. “Step on the ice now, and I swear we will start tomorrow evening.”

Gale laughed, but finally conceded to her request. Hesitantly, he placed one foot on the ice, followed closely by the other. His grip tightened around her hand as she stepped back and he slid in front of her. Nox offered her other hand, which he took readily, before she took another step and pulled him along with her. His legs shook some with the effort to stay steady, but the magic she embedded in the boots held to its purpose of keeping him upright.

“See?” Nox giggled, delighted as they started moving—albeit slowly—around the frozen portion of the river. Her eyes trailed from watching his feet up to meet Gale’s gaze, which rested pleasantly on her. “It’s not so bad, right?”

“No, it isn’t,” he agreed quietly. “Few things are with you.”

He held her stare and she felt as though she were just caught under a Charm spell of his, incapable of glancing away from his purposeful gaze while the sweet words he offered repeated in her mind. Had her presence truly eased him that much? Before she could offer a response, or even process what to make of what he said, one of his legs wobbled again and he leaned forward, his hands pressing harder against hers to steady himself once more.

“Right…well…” Gale coughed to clear his throat. “Now that I have conceded to your wishes, may I ask what the real answer is?”

“Of course,” she agreed, though her voice was distant.

She said nothing for a few moments, instead letting them gain a bit more momentum as she took the steps to mentally shake herself from her temporary stupor. Once her shock from the moment had passed—and she quickly quelled her disappointment over the fact he was no longer gazing at her—she settled on taking her own advice regarding simplicity from earlier. She let go of one of his hands and swung around, gliding beside him.

“Gale…when was the last time you simply had fun with magic?”

“What?” Gale sputtered, nearly tripping over himself with how quickly he turned to look back at her. She put an arm around his waist to steady him, then met his gaze once he settled from his flailing. “I enjoy magic and indulging the Weave every day,” he said quickly. “I thought you would understand that better than anyone.”

“I do, obviously,” she reassured him. “I enjoy orchestrating the Weave as much as the next mage whenever it is necessary, but that isn’t what I meant.”

She let go of his waist after she was assured he was steady again, then took a few steps ahead to actually skate across the ice rather than simply sliding. When she turned around to face him, she pointed at his feet to encourage him to follow suit.

“What I meant is exactly what I asked: when was the last time you used magic for fun?” she clarified. “Not for battling purposes, not for healing or taking care of others, and not for maintaining or proving your place in society. When did you last use magic exclusively for entertainment?”

“Ah…well…”

In place of giving an answer, he mimicked her motions and took a step on the ice. When he didn’t immediately slip, he looked down at his own feet in amazement, and then took another step. He smiled up at her, pride written across his face from managing to skate without falling, only for it to slowly falter and sober as he reconsidered her question.

“I…should suppose it has been a while, under those conditions,” he admitted. “Not since I was with Mystra, I think…though I did not believe you wished to hear more about that, and honestly I would much prefer not speaking on it further now, all things considered.”

Nox sighed. He was correct in his assumptions that she did not want to hear more about his relationship with Mystra—just mention of the Goddess made her almost recoil—but he still wasn’t understanding what she was asking. “That is fair, and also not what I meant. I meant fun, Gale,” she stressed the word to impart its meaning. “Something just for you, something exclusively for your enjoyment, without trying to impress or entertain anyone else.”

Neither of them had explicitly said it, but it was obvious to her at least that during his entire relationship with the Goddess of Magic, Gale was not doing anything without the express intent of impressing her. It was understandable, with him being a mortal and her being a goddess, but the concept was…well it was why it enraged her so. It was upsetting, and the damage was clearly done. That was definitely not what she meant, that ultimately wasn’t fun.

He fell quiet again as he reconsidered her extra clarification, half-skating and half-sliding after her. She watched as his face continued to fall deeper into a frown, and she wondered if he could hear her heart cracking in response in the silence between them.

“It…has been quite a while, then.”

“As I suspected,” Nox muttered. She skated back to his side and reached out, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze before looking up at him with a small, weary smile. “If it is any consolation, it’s the same for me as well.”

“I wouldn’t call that consolatory,” he said after a moment. He grasped her hand and looked down at her with a similar, exhausted smile. “But I suppose I am glad—and relatively unsurprised—to hear I am not alone.”

They both fell silent for several minutes, skating side by side and letting the shared sentiment rest between them as they lapped the frozen part of the river a few times. Nox watched him carefully as they went, thoughts straying further from the somewhat depressing, shared reality between them. Instead, her mind turned towards the man beside her now. Gale still stumbled here and there but was beginning to get his legs under him even compared to when he first stepped onto the ice. She probably wouldn’t need to watch over him like this for much longer, and that was a shame.

Winter…suited him, she decided. Snowflakes dotted his hair and there was a light, white dusting covering his shoulders, contrasting beautifully against his lightly tanned skin and the dark violet fabric of his robes. The lights of her cantrips shone and reflected in his eyes and in the cold air around him, giving him an even greater mystical—ethereal, even—appearance. The concentration etched into his face as he focused on his balance was equal parts admirable and adorable, though it did nothing to hide the quiet joy radiating from the small, perhaps subconscious, upwards curve of his lips or the wonder as he glanced up at the gentle snowfall.

This was triumph. She was positively giddy this had worked out exactly as she wished, and it took much of her self-control to not spontaneously burst out into giggles from what felt like a thousand butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She kept it contained, mostly because she found her attention drawn in by having the chance to study him in a moment of solitude. For the second time in one night, Nox was struck yet again by the fact that he was, by all accounts, an incredibly handsome man. A fact that was accompanied by the words her sister had spoken to her earlier in the evening.

Smitten. Was that…was that truly what this was?

“Is something wrong?”

Gale’s voice pulled her from her ruminations, and she blinked up at him to find him looking back down at her, bemused.

Right, she was staring.

“No, no. No, nothing’s wrong,” she said quickly. “It’s just…uh…you’re—” Incredibly attractive and it is surprisingly distracting. “—You’re getting better,” she shrugged weakly.

“Oh! I am glad you believe so! I did not want to say anything and risk making a fool of myself if you disagreed, but I was thinking the same,” he chuckled. “The Ice Stompers are a significant help, naturally. If you told me to do this without them, I’m sure I’d still be as stumbling as a baby fawn learning to walk, but I believe I am starting to get a feel for the movements,” he smiled and squeezed her hand again. “And I will admit it is rather enjoyable to be able to accompany you.”

She grinned upon hearing that, beyond thrilled to hear him confirm her initial purpose was a success. “Excellent!” she beamed. Immediately, she registered her enthusiasm as being a little too much and she glanced away. “That’s…that is all I was looking for,” she added, schooling her voice into a calmer tone. “I am incredibly glad to hear it.”

Gale chuckled again and pulled her closer to his side, the action urging her to look back at him. He smiled down at her with warm, contemplative eyes languidly taking her in, and she was yet again mesmerized by how he appeared under the dim lights and gently falling snow. Now, she was also pulled in by how he looked at her: patient, understanding, and with a warmth she could never identify beyond how it made her stomach flip.

“It has been a while for you as well, hasn’t it?” Gale mused after a few moments of thoughtful silence.

“It…” She blinked. “…Pardon?” she fumbled, bewildered as her mind caught up with what he said.

“Apologies, I meant no insult,” he clarified quickly. “I just do not believe I have ever seen you look this…light before.” He immediately frowned and shook his head. “By which I mean, you are usually much more focused and intense with…well, just about everything you do. It is admirable and amazing to witness, mind you! But…”

His eyes softened when he dared to meet her befuddled gaze again. “I have never seen you truly smile like this before, and it is an honor to catch more than a mere glimpse of it. Your smile is a breathtaking sight—you are a breathtaking sight!—but it does put much into perspective.”

“…Oh,” Nox muttered, unable to piece together much else. Her head swam with his words, both the compliment—he liked her smile—and at the underlying implication of what he said. That he knew her enough by now to visibly see she was speaking the truth earlier.

His free hand swung out, motioning towards their surroundings and recentering her on the present moment instead of her runaway thoughts. “You said yourself that it has been a while since you have simply had fun with magic, as well,” Gale repeated softly.

“It is rather obvious when you know, isn’t it?” she asked with an awkward laugh. After a moment, a long sigh escaped her—as much of an acknowledgment of his question as it was to calm her own nerves—and she nodded. “It has been a while; I assure you I was not lying just to sympathize.”

“Then, may I pose your question back to you?” he asked tentatively.

“I…suppose that is only fair,” Nox agreed. It was probably in her best interest to have a change in subject and a topic to focus her thoughts on anyways. “Even though you technically have not yet answered. ‘A while’ is not a satisfactory answer,” she pointed out lightly.

Despite her momentary distraction throwing her completely off-kilter, she had prepared an answer for this question. She had expected he would inquire about her as well simply because, at worst, Gale was never afraid to pose her prying questions back to her, which she respected him all the more for. And at best…he cared for her the same way she cared for him. Either way, she had already figured she would need to answer this question for herself tonight as well.

“Honestly? The night we shared the Weave together was the most fun I have had with magic in a long, long while,” Nox said.

Gale snorted in response and quirked a brow. “I do not believe that night fits the criteria you placed on me. As I recall it, you were trying to upstage me for most of the evening,” he pointed out.

“Indeed I was! And that was the most fun I’ve had in ages!” When he frowned at her, she shook her head and nudged him lightly, enough to tease but not enough to send him sprawling on the ice. “I’m kidding…because you are correct,” she said, sobering. “I did spend most of that night trying to one up and impress you, mostly because I believed I still had something to prove to you. You were the first of our peers in over fifty years who, once you knew who I was, decided I didn’t have something to prove, after all.”

“And I still believe most of our peers are fools for that alone,” Gale interjected.

She flashed him an appreciative smile before continuing, “And yet…despite that, that night was also the first spark in reminding me how much I enjoyed magic on its own.” She glanced down at their still joined hands, her smile slipping with her thoughts. “It was a wake-up call for me to realize how long it had truly been since I last genuinely enjoyed magic for magic. It was also a blatant reminder for how much I used to enjoy sharing it with others, and a blatant contrast for how…”

Nox sighed, her eyes drifting towards the small expanse of snow and ice before them. “Well…for how isolating it has been since my mother passed, if I’m to be honest,” she admitted, her voice nearly cracking. It was a truth she had known for years, one she let lie dormant in the back of her mind, but not one she had ever voiced aloud before. It was high time to acknowledge it, she could acknowledge it now, because of him.

Gale’s hand squeezed around hers, but she didn’t dare look up. She had no desire to cry tonight, and she knew she could get through this small explanation without doing so, so long as she did not look up. If she saw the sympathy shining in his eyes—something she knew would be there no matter what—she wasn’t positive she would be able to hold back.

“I still have people, I know. Lux has quite literally been by my side since we were born, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for the Elturian refugees, I’ve made pleasant acquaintances all along the Sword Coast during my travels, and even now we have our little party of misfits whom I’ve grown to love. I’m not alone…but it’s not the same,” she sighed again. “Magic is the biggest part of my life, and it’s not the same when you can’t share something so instrumental to yourself with others. Or you can share it, but you know they can’t understand it in the way you need them to. I at least had Kalden for a time, but then I lost him in Avernus and…”

She gave one, sharp shake of her head and pulled back the tears pricking her eyes before they started flowing. In the back of her mind, she acknowledged this was probably the most she had spoken about herself since they had met, and the most she had spoken about all she had been through ever. It was not a topic she intended to discuss in full tonight, and not one she wanted to dwell on any longer than necessary, but one she knew she needed to explain—at least in part—in order to impart the sincerity of what she was about to admit. Vulnerability was, unfortunately, the only way she could think of to do as she needed.

Instead of continuing, she took a large breath and squared her shoulders before turning to look back up at Gale. He was watching her silently—a rarity for him—with the sympathy she knew would be there blazing in his eyes and a firm grip on her hand in reassurance.

“My point,” Nox said, forcing the shakiness from her voice. “My point is that you threw me a lifeline that night, Gale. One I didn’t even know I needed until I found myself clinging to it days later.”

“Nox.”

Gale’s hand tightened around hers as he slowed to a stop. He pulled her to stand in front of him once more and let go of her hand to gently reach out and grip both of her arms. “I had no idea that night meant that much to you,” he whispered. His eyes widened a bit with his words, and he was quick to add, “Make no mistake, I enjoyed it immensely and it has quickly become one of my fondest memories, but I never realized you regarded it as highly as you did.”

She gave him a small smile to assuage his concerns. She knew he was being genuine and not simply stating that to appease her, just as she knew that night likely did mean a great deal to him as well.

“No words could properly convey just how immeasurably flattered I am to hear that you do regard that night as you say,” he continued. His thumbs brushed over her shoulders, tracing circles into the bit of snow clinging to her robes. “And I am beyond grateful to know I was able to offer you such safety, however accidentally it was at the time.”

“How accidental it was is the beauty of it, I think,” Nox softly said. It was true they both had ulterior motives that night, but the connection they forged despite that was undeniably ironclad and had genuinely become that lifeline for her. There was something deeply poetic to it that she acknowledged but couldn’t articulate. “And it is also what ultimately led us here. It was what ultimately made me reflect, on myself of course, but also on you.”

“On me?”

She nodded and brought a hand up to lightly rest over one of his, delicately tracing down the backs of his fingers with her own. “The more you spoke of your own experiences—how few, if any, friends you had, how you were isolated away from the world you should have been a part of, the entirety of Mystra and the Orb—the more it felt…familiar. Not exactly the same, but enough. And the more it felt familiar, the more I wished to offer the same to you as you did for me.”

“Oh…” Gale breathed out. “I…” He stumbled over his words, a breathy laugh pushing past his lips instead. “I find myself rather lacking in the proper words at the moment. A year’s worth of isolation and no one, aside from Tara, ever so much as thought to do the same for me as you are now…”

“I know,” she whispered while gently threading her fingers through his. “You don’t have to say anything. Gods above, I rarely have the proper words for a moment and am often rendered silent, it is nice to have the tables turned for once,” she joked.

The corners of his eyes crinkled when he grinned at her, and she saw the twinkle of a few tears glimmering in the soft light of her magic. He said nothing further though, simply squeezed her fingers with his in silent appreciation.

“But truly, we all need a break,” Nox continued. She tilted her head to lay her cheek on their joined hands resting on her shoulder. “It has just been rather obvious that you had a higher need than the rest of us, all things considered. So, I wished to offer what I could, recognizing that I was uniquely capable amongst our friends in that regard. A wizard would know best what a wizard needs, after all.”

“It would certainly appear so,” he agreed quietly with a subtle nod.

His eyes trailed from hers down to where their hands rested under her cheek, and she moved her head back when she felt his hand shift against her shoulder. She watched, curious, as he clutched her hand and drew it towards his face. She only had a moment of recognition before his thumb traced down her palm and he leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between her hand and his lips.

“Oh.” The startled gasp escaped her without warning when he placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. Her wide eyes looked up from their hands to find a set of warm, brown eyes staring back at her, positively entranced. “Okay…”

“Your sentiment is well-received, Nox,” Gale mumbled, lips ghosting over her skin as his warm breath flitted down the back of her hand and wrist. “And I cherish it well beyond what I am able to properly voice.”

“I am more than satisfied with knowing you are enjoying yourself, though I assure you it’s—” Her lips parted with another sharp intake of breath when he moved up, pressing a kiss to the base of her middle finger. Nox bit down on her bottom lip, barely catching an overwhelmingly exuberant giggle before it bubbled out. A smile still tugged at the corners of her mouth. “—It was truly no trouble at all, hardly worthy of such gratitude.”

“That you genuinely believe it to be no trouble means it is only all the more worthy,” he refuted softly, before kissing her finger one more time and meeting her gaze again. She saw the hints of his smirk hiding behind their hands before he added, “Even if I cannot quite fathom why you believed it was a good idea to bring an old wizard with bad knees into such a cold snap.”

She was lightheaded, her heart ready to burst with the happiness from knowing she was successful and all the praises he was offering her. She couldn’t prevent herself from laughing this time at the absurdity of his teasing in comparison to everything else. “Oh, come off it! You’re hardly old, and you’ve been perfectly fine since we started,” Nox scoffed. With her hand still in his, she pulled him back into moving again as she resumed skating. “You’re truly not going to let this go, are you?”

“It is simply an interesting choice, is all I am implying,” Gale chuckled. He allowed her to guide him back on the ice, though. “And a far cry different than sharing the Weave.”

“Naturally. I had to figure out something different to sharing the Weave, you already laid claim to that,” she responded as if it were obvious. “So, I got to brainstorming and…admittedly, probably lost myself to the nostalgia of everything else.”

His fingers threaded through hers as they fell into a comfortable speed gliding around the ice once more. He appeared confident enough by now that he likely didn’t her as a safety net anymore, but she was in no spot to complain that he was still holding her hand.

“The truth is…I did this often as a child,” Nox admitted. She glanced up at him for a brief moment, and then turned her attention to the falling snow. “I was…not the most social of individuals in my youth—” That was the kinder way to put it. “—I was…different. There are not many elves in Elturel, and not many children were quite as taken with their studies as I was. So when Lux wasn’t around, I often found myself alone with nothing to do, and taken with my studies as I was, practicing what I could of my magic helped ease the boredom and loneliness.”

She smiled as her face turned upward, a few flakes landing on her nose and cheeks. After a moment, she tugged him forward, pulling him towards the center of her magical winter. “It also helped for me to create my isolation in the form of something beautiful. You have enjoyed many a Waterdhavian winters, have you not?” she asked, slowing to stand in the middle of the icy patch on the river.

“Several during my time, yes,” Gale answered.

“Then you understand what it is like to stand in a snowstorm in the middle of the night?” she asked softly, violet eyes searching his face in earnest. When he opened his mouth to answer, she held up a finger and lightly shook her head. “You know the stillness of it? To be surrounded by nothing but the darkness of the night and the white of the snow? To hear nothing but the quiet snowfall mixed with the sounds of your own breath?”

He didn’t try to speak again, and her hand slowly returned to her side. Instead, his gaze focused on hers as their breaths fell in sync. In place of their words, the slight patter of snowflakes against the ice could be heard interspersed between every quiet inhale and exhale they took. There was nothing else, no sound coming from the Last Light Inn or the ravaged, cursed lands around Moonrise Towers. No screams, no laughs, no fighting or struggling for survival.

For one, blissful moment, it was just her and Gale and the quiet snowfall.

It was the stillness she spoke of, the one she knew resided in her heart and the one she had conjured for herself a hundred times. The one she never realized until now—until her chest tightened the longer she gazed up at him in this moment—she had been aching to share with another who would understand.

And Gale did understand, given how his hand tightened around hers and given just how easily his face smoothed into a wonderful tenderness the longer he smiled down at her. Hesitantly, his other hand reached out and gently grabbed at her waist, drawing her just the slightest bit closer. When she didn’t resist—when she couldn’t resist with how erratically her heart beat at the gesture—he settled his hand on her hip and gave the slightest bit of a nod.

“Can you feel it now? How it is to be a single, solitary creature witnessing something marvelous?” she breathed out, her words catching a few times. “To witness something mystical and so tremendously beautiful you only have the opportunity to experience it in the utmost privacy away from the world around you?”

His eyes dipped, slowly trailing down her form and back up again in admiration and—if she dared believe it—longing. “I have always found winter beautiful, but never quite to this degree,” Gale said, barely above a whisper. “Though with you—” He looked over her again as he cleared his throat, presumably to remove the roughness from his voice. “—With how you speak of it, I certainly understand the appeal.”

She spared a sidelong glance towards the snow, her smile light as her face warmed. “It is likely the predisposition towards ice magic that makes me speak of winter as if I’m insane,” Nox joked, feeling an indescribable need to lessen her words for a reason she couldn’t quite place. Embarrassment hung off of her shoulders, but it was not the type she was used to feeling in the face of her own earnestness. It was softer now, and she didn’t quite mind its presence as much.

“I enjoyed it immensely when I was younger, if that isn’t obvious,” she chuckled. “I still immensely enjoy being able to conjure my own personal winter to dance and play in as I see fit. But it’s been well over fifty years since I have last indulged myself, and even then…the last time I did, it wasn’t for myself.”

The last time she had done this had been for Kalden, for his first date with his future wife. It was a fact she briefly acknowledged when the idea first struck her and then one she did not consider again. She was rather keen on avoiding it altogether, having no desire to unpack the implications of that fact, or even let on that any implications existed at all.

“So, with some reflection accidentally brought on by you, I decided it was time to try again,” Nox said instead. “And I thought that this time, perhaps I could share a little piece of my own, personal serenity. I figured, perhaps, you needed it more than I did.”

Gale didn’t respond immediately, choosing instead to study her silently with a warm, near-hypnotic gaze. She was enraptured again, unable to glance away from his penetrating, brown eyes as he stared into her own, and unable to speak on anything more. He searched her eyes as if he was looking for an answer to a question he hadn’t voiced, and she was uncertain as to what that could possibly be. When he evidently found whatever it was he sought from her gaze, he finally ducked his head and chuckled in embarrassment.

“I…suppose I should rescind my prior complaints,” he muttered. His head was still bowed, but he glanced over at her from his position and gave her an apologetic smile. “That is monumentally thoughtful, and as only you are wont to do, you have endeared me entirely to the concept.”

She blinked, caught off guard that he was even concerned about that. “You were only joking, I know,” she reassured and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I took no offense, I swear.”

His eyes slid to look at her hand, then back to her face. “Still, this is sincerely one of the most heartfelt things anyone has ever given me,” he said and straightened. “If I had understood how much it meant to you…”

“It’s fine, Gale,” Nox cut him off with a small laugh. “You didn’t have the context because I never gave it to you, and I understand how it could have been easily misconstrued.” She sighed quietly and squeezed his shoulder. “You know, I only ever intended this to be for you.”

It was Gale’s turn to be caught off guard, if how he stared down at her was any indicator. “How do you mean, exactly?”

“The stuff earlier with the refugees and the Harpers?” she asked rhetorically and then shook her head. “That wasn’t in my plan. This was only ever meant for you, but after rescuing the prisoners and reuniting everyone, the atmosphere still felt quite dour.” Understandably so, they had rescued everyone from Moonrise Towers, but that didn’t eliminate the ordeal and all the prisoners had already been through. “I felt obligated to do…well, something, and I already had most of the logistics of it worked out. It wasn’t…this…”

Nox sighed, motioning around them at the snow and lights. “It wasn’t the quiet and the solitude, it wasn’t me trying to impart the peace the snow grants me, but it was a few hours of playful mischief with some winter weather,” she shrugged, “I understand how you could have believed I was asking for the same with you.”

“You care for the refugees a great deal,” Gale said, something like realization lighting up behind his eyes.

“I…do,” she agreed with just a touch of hesitation. “I’ve never made that a secret.”

“Then…I would not be presumptuous to say you also care for me a great deal,” he added quietly. It wasn’t quite a question—if anything it was the second half to a logic puzzle—but his desire for an answer was evident.

“I…suppose,” she agreed tentatively.

She immediately regretted the words the moment they left her lips. That answer was far too hesitant, far too uncertain for a truth she had readily accepted for well over a month now. He deserved to know that truth if he was questioning it. She deserved to say it wholly.

“Yes, I do,” Nox corrected after a moment, sounding much more determined in her answer. “And if you have to question that, I suppose I’ve made that more of a secret than I’ve intended.”

“Or perhaps I was simply refusing to believe what was in front of me,” Gale mumbled, his mind obviously distantly in his thoughts. As if shaking himself, his eyes refocused on her with a sudden clarity, a renewed brightness, and a subtle hint of absolute terror. Her heart flopped over in her chest.

“I understand now, Nox,” he said softly.

After flopping over, her heart leapt into her throat as her wavering gaze snapped up to meet his, startled by his words. “Understand…what, exactly?” she forced out. What was there to understand?

“I understand…” His eyes searched hers again while he trailed off. She probably would have accosted anyone other than Gale, but with him, all she could do was stare back, mystified.

After a moment, he released a breath and shook his head. “I…understand why they call you Archmage,” he answered with a weak smile.

Disappointment dropped low in her gut, though she couldn’t quite place why. His admittance was not what she expected—she wasn’t sure what she expected—though it was enough to calm her racing heart. She swallowed back the lingering lump in her throat before daring to speak. “That’s a people’s title, Gale, nothing more,” she smiled wanly.

“It means the world to them. It matters to them,” he disagreed. His hand pressed into her hip a bit as his eager eyes sought out hers. “Just as it matters to me. It’s admirable, and worth much more than simply being gifted it.”

The sentiment was kind, but she still blew out a breath and shook her head. “Most mages would disagree with you.”

“And as we’ve already established, most of our peers are fools,” he said resolutely. “Most of our peers are quick to write off everyone they meet based on a first glance and snap judgment. The people who know you, who have spent time with you, those who have been under your protection and those who have fought by your side…they are the ones whose opinions matter, because they are the ones whose opinions are true. And the refugees?” he asked rhetorically. “They are the people who know you. They are the ones who like you, who trust you…you make them feel safe, Nox.”

“’Safe’?” she echoed, incredulous. He had a point, and though she was taken aback at how eager he was to get it across, she could admit it was there. She had not given much thought towards what most of their peers considered of her in a long while. But…safety was not where she expected him to end that proclamation.

“’Safe’ is not the word I would expect to be associated with,” Nox chuckled with no small amount of self-deprecation coloring her voice. “Irritating? Sure. Confusing? Certainly. But safe? The blunt, wandering hermit more interested in whatever book her nose found itself stuck in rather than those around her? I doubt most people come away from an interaction with me feeling safe.”

“I mean it,” he insisted. Her gaze started pulling away, uncertainty flooding her veins, but he hooked a finger under her chin and forced her attention back to him. She refused to dwell on the small, surprised breath she sucked in at his action.

“Verbosity aside, I am not one to speak words I do not believe in,” Gale said. “We are all rough around the edges. I have heard my ego likened to that of a strutting peacock, for instance. Perhaps you are brusque and blunt or uncertain and awkward, but you breed a sense of safety wherever you reside, and people can feel your sincerity. After all, who else would manage to free every individual trapped in a cult’s high security prison, and then throw them a small party in celebration to ease their nerves?”

It was hardly fair to expect her to be unaffected by his words or the closeness they now shared. The snow started falling harder above them, and her eyes turned upwards to watch the path of a few flakes as they descended from the sky and landed in the soft brown locks of his hair or the velvety purple fabric covering his shoulders and arms. When she returned her attention to him, he was still gazing down at her with a blazing sincerity that made her chest constrict and stole the breath from her lungs.

Gale’s visage staring down at her now, under the light and snow of the magic she orchestrated in the Weave for him, was an image she would carry with her for the rest of her long life.

“At the very least, I know that there is no one else in my life who would witness me struggling as I have been and decide—correctly, I might add—that I needed to have some fun with magic, and that means something. It has to mean something, it is worth so…so very much,” he whispered.

Her eyes fell shut and she bit the edge of her bottom lip. It did mean something.

“I have understood for a while now how you earned your title,” he continued, and she opened her eyes back up to watch him. “You are well-versed in the Art and undeniably talented, but over time I have realized it is so much more. Beyond power and intelligence—both you have in abundance, mind—being an Archmage is about capability and safety, strength and kindness…”

He sighed and shook his head, almost in disbelief at her. “You have earned the title twice over by those standards since I have met you alone, just as you have earned the admiration and love and camaraderie of the people around you. You…you are the promise of a better tomorrow, Nox’ani,” he said quietly, “You are the brightness of a better future, and I am a better man simply by knowing you.”

“Gale…”

She faltered in the face of such praise. What was there that she could possibly say to that? Under normal circumstances, she would mutter her gratitude, an apology, and then walk away, but this was not normal circumstance. This was Gale, and such an admittance coming from him required eloquence in response, something she lacked on a good day, let alone when he stunned her into silence.

“Gale, I…”

Nox struggled again, trailing off with a sigh. After taking a moment to regain some grip on her composure, she blew out a long breath and nodded. The only appropriate way to respond was as she had done before, with vulnerability. The best option was by speaking what she felt in her heart. “If that is all the requirements for the title, then perhaps that is why I am so willing to grant it to you, as well.”

Surprise sparked to life in his dark eyes, only to be snuffed out by a profound sadness. “I am afraid I lost all rights to that title over a year ago. Not…entirely unjustly, at that.”

“We all make mistakes—a part of a wizard’s charm, really,” she joked with a tight smile. “You are twice the man now you ever were then, I can tell. There is no reason you cannot work towards rectifying your mistake and reclaiming the title,” she said, her smile growing more sincere. “And if that is the case, then all I ask is that you allow me the honor to be the first to call you Archmage once more.”

With glassy eyes, Gale smiled down at her, and traced his thumb just under her bottom lip. “Coming from you, that carries a lot of weight,” he whispered. “It carries a grand amount of meaning, and a grand amount of hope. It…” He paused, grief briefly flickering across his eyes. “It would be nice to live up to your expectations, one day.”

“No more than it would be for me to live up to yours,” she breathed. “But you will, I believe,” Nox added, “And maybe through that, so will I.”

A small hum rumbled in his throat in agreement. He said nothing further though, his eyes instead flickering downwards, mapping a delicate path over her nose and cheeks before settling on her mouth. She waited for several seconds, not moving, not breathing as his hooded gaze rested on her lips, until his thumb moved up to trace over the curve of her bottom lip.

“Gale…?” she asked on a shuddering breath.

His eyes snapped back to hers, and she could’ve easily gotten lost in the dark, heated depths. “Nox…” he mumbled, leaning closer to her. He tilted her head up a little further and his eyes fell back down to her parted lips. “May I…”

Before either could move any further, a violet light flared between them that had them both peeling back from one another. Nox watched, flabbergasted, as the Orb flared to life in his chest, seemingly in response to one of the globes from her Dancing Lights floating too closely to them. She looked up to Gale in question, but he appeared just as shocked and harried as she felt, his frantic hands smoothing over his chest as he stared down at the Orb.

“I guess it still likes my magic,” Nox remarked, the logical part of her brain apparently ahead of the rest of her.

It made sense, Dancing Lights was the spell she fed directly to the Orb when they were bereft of all other options. Despite being calmed, the Orb still responded to magic it recognized—that was the only explanation for what just happened, and she supposed it was lucky that it only responded to the one spell she gave it directly and not all of her magic in general.

But it just had to happen now. Though, perhaps that was for the best. As her eyes locked with his, she understood the Orb was serving as a grim reminder for the realization that just tore through her with its flash.

You are in love with a dead man, Nox.

In love. For the first time, she was in love. That was the only explanation for the rush of emotion that surged through her veins once she realized they weren’t in imminent danger. The disappointment at the moment lost, the fear—not for her life, but for losing the man in front of her, and all the grief that carried, the loss itself, and the desire to go back. The overwhelming urge to hold him in her arms again, to assure him this was alright, that everything would be alright and they could—they would get through it. Gods, if nothing else, there was nothing more she wanted than to feel the hand he was using to readjust his robes back under her chin again, guiding her back to him.

She was in love, for the first time. That should have been terrifying enough on its own—and it was—but of course there had to be more. Of course it had to be with Gale. Of course, it had to be with a man slipping through her fingers as easily as the Weave did when she cast a spell, as easily as the water of the Chionthar on a hot, sunny day. A man so brilliant and breathtakingly bright who was divinely charged to burst and fade away, to dim until there was nothing left of him at all.

She was in love with a dead man walking. A man she desperately, desperately wanted to save.

“Apologies,” Gale said, a panic-tinged, embarrassed chuckle escaping him and ripping her from her thoughts. His other hand rested over his chest, covering the offending light as it slowly dimmed back into dormancy. “Leave it to me to ruin the fun, eh?”

“No!” she was quick to dispute. “No, not at all, Gale, I…”

I love you. I love you. I love you.

Before she knew what she was doing, Nox glided forward and rested her hand over his. She almost regretted it when she looked up and could see a reflection of her fear in his gaze. Reticence and awkwardness thinly masked the terror sparking behind his eyes. Fear at the sudden realization they had gotten close, closer than perhaps either one of them intended. Fear at the realization of what exactly this was buzzing between them, fear that it was much more than either of them believed, and how all of it should have been wonderful. But when mixed with the sudden, blazing reminder of what they couldn’t…what they shouldn’t have, how wonderful a thing it was blossoming between them was cast into shadow.

It was…it was why she never considered it before now, not consciously anyways. Some, subconscious part of her had kept this fact hidden from her. Now though…well, there was no way of unknowing it now. She loved him. She still couldn’t speak the words, but she loved him. Yet, judging by the way he was staring down at her, wide-eyed and silent, he didn’t want to hear those words any more than she wanted to say them.

Fear choked them both. Fear left her love gasping before it could even breathe.

“I…had a lovely time,” Nox said softly. As quickly as she went to him, she reluctantly pulled away. “I only hope you can say the same.”

“I can…I did,” he nodded. “It was wonderful, Nox.”

“I’m pleased to hear it,” she smiled, hoping it appeared genuine. She meant her words, but the act of smiling now left her stomach feeling ill. “I suppose we should end it here, then, lest the Orb decide to go back to its old ways.”

He took the cue and followed after her as she turned around and led him back to the bank of the river. Once assured he was on solid ground again, she gave him another half-hearted smile before trudging over to her staff. She only dared to look back once she reached Mourning Frost; with one hand on her staff, only then did she finally feel steady enough to glance back.

Gale still stood on the edge of the riverbank, having not moved an inch. He was watching her closely, dark eyes unreadable despite the dim light illuminating him. Her cantrips still hung around the area, casting everything in a rather romantic light and making the snow sparkle. The scene she had so carefully crafted, so lovingly put every ounce of her heart into in order to offer a few hours of peace, now left a bitter taste in her mouth. And Gale…and Gale.

The snow still fell around him, blowing slightly on the breeze blowing between them. In the center of the snowstorm, he was the stillness she was looking for, she understood that now. He was the peace. It was a sight, an indescribably powerful feeling she desperately needed to imprint onto her deepest memories. If she could have nothing else, she never wanted to lose the image of the man that stood before her now.

She never wanted to lose the man either, but that…that was not for her to decide, no matter how much she raged against that fact. All she could do…all she could control was how she remembered this moment.

She wanted it to be good. She knew it would only ever be bittersweet.

Nox always knew a little moment of serenity was never going to last forever. It never did. It was just a shame it was ending like this. There was nothing more she wanted to do than run back to him, to wrap him in her arms and kiss him like they were about to, and then never let him go. But no matter how much she desired it, she couldn’t urge her legs forward. She wouldn’t…she couldn’t do that, for the exact same reason she knew he stood several paces behind her, watching her silently and nothing more.

She loved him. There was nothing either of them could do about that.

Her hand gripped tighter around her staff, knuckles white with the effort, until she plucked it from the ground and settled it on her back. The lights began fading, and the snow slowly stopped its descent. She waved a hand and the Weave relaxed between her fingers, while a part of her mind finally sighed in relief over the concentration no longer being necessary. The magic was gone, and the sorrow that always accompanied her at the end of a time like this clung extra tightly to her heart now.

“I suppose we should all take our rest, now,” Nox muttered and turned away, uncertain if he even heard her. “Good night, Gale.”

“Good night,” Gale responded just as quietly. “And thank you for tonight, Nox’ani.”

[identity-library]

Diverse Sexuality (TV Shows)

A:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013)

José "Joey" Gutierrez (Gay)

Marcus Benson (Gay)

All Saints (1998)

Charlotte Beaumont (Bisexual)

American Dad (2005)

Greg (Gay)

Terry (Gay)

Andor (2022)

Cinta Kaz (Unspecified WLW)

Vel Sartha (Unspecified WLW)

Arthur (1996)

Nigel Ratburn (Gay)

Patrick (Gay)

B:

Battlestar Galactica (2004)

Felix Gaeta (Bisexual)

Big Mouth (2017)

Ali (Pansexual)

Charles Lu (Unspecified MLM)

Connie LaCienega (Pansexual)

Elijah (Asexual)

Jayzarian "Jay" Bilzerian (Bisexual)

Jessica "Jessi" Glaser (Bisexual)

Matthew MacDell (Gay)

Maury Beverly (Pansexual)

Megan (Bisexual)

Mona (Bisexual)

Nadja El-Khoury (Lesbian)

Shannon Glaser (Lesbian)

Simon Sex (Bisexual)

Sonya Poinsettia (Bisexual)

Tyler Pico (Pansexual)

Big Nate (2022)

Amy (Unspecified WLW)

Dee Dee Holloway (Lesbian)

Bob's Burgers (2011)

Natalie "Nat" Kinkle (Unspecified WLW)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013)

Jenny Gildenhorn (Bisexual)

Jocelyn Price (Lesbian)

Kevin Cozner (Gay)

Raymond "Ray" Holt (Gay)

Rosalita "Rosa" Diaz (Bisexual)

C:

Chicago Fire (2012)

Clarice Carthage (Bisexual)

Darren Ritter (Gay)

Emily Foster (Bisexual)

Leslie Shay (Lesbian)

Chicago Med (2015)

Lawrence Dayle (Unspecified MLM)

Peter Kalmick (Unspecified MLM)

Terry McNeal (Gay)

Code Black (2015)

Carla Niven (Lesbian)

Malaya Pineda (Lesbian)

Noa Kean (Bisexual)

Community (2009)

Craig Pelton (Unlabeled MLM)

Frankie Dart (Unspecified WLW)

Craig of the Creek (2018)

Alexis (Pansexual)

Courtney (Lesbian)

George (Gay)

Jasmine Williams (Lesbian)

Kelsey Pokoly (Lesbian)

Laura Mercer (Lesbian)

Raj (Gay)

Secret Keeper (Gay)

Shawn (Gay)

Stacks (Lesbian)

Tabitha (Lesbian)

D:

Dead End: Paranormal Park (2022)

Barney Guttman (Gay)

Logan Nguyen (Gay)

Norma Khan (Bisexual)

Zagan (Pansexual)

Doom Patrol (2019)

Kay Challis/Crazy Jane (Lesbian)

Larry Trainor (Gay)

Dr. Who (2005)

Adric (Pansexual)

Bill Potts (Lesbian)

Canton Everett Delaware ||| (Gay)

Chris Cwej (Bisexual)

Clara Oswald (Bisexual)

Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw (Bisexual)

Heather (Lesbian)

Jack Harkness (Omnisexual + Polyamorous)

Jennifer "Jenny Flint" Scarrity (Lesbian)

Madame Vastra (Lesbian)

Melony "River Song" Pond (Bisexual + Polyamorous)

Nyssa of Traken (Bisexual)

Oliver Harper (Gay)

Olivia "Liv" Chenka (Bisexual)

Patricia Haggard (Lesbian)

Rogue (Gay)

Tania Bell (Lesbian)

Tegan Jovanka (Bisexual)

Toshiko Sato (Bisexual)

Yasmin Khan (Queer)

E:

Equestria Girls (2017)

Sunset Shimmer (Bisexual)

ER (1994)

Courtney Brown (Lesbian)

Kerry Weaver (Lesbian)

Kim Legaspi (Lesbian)

Maggie Doyle (Lesbian)

Sandy Lopez (Lesbian)

Euphoria (2019)

Cal Jacobs (Bisexual)

Elliot (Unlabeled MLM)

Jules Vaughn (Unlabeled WLW)

Nate Jacobs (Unspecified MLM)

Rue Bennett (Lesbian)

Ever After High (2013)

Apple White (Unspecified WLW)

Darling Charming (Unspecified WLW)

F:

G:

Glee (2009)

Adam Crawford (Gay)

Alistair (Unspecified MLM)

Blaine Anderson (Gay)

Brittany Pierce (Bisexual)

Dani (Lesbian)

David "Dave" Karofsky (Gay)

Elliott Gilbert (Gay)

Hiram Barry (Gay)

Kurt Hummel (Gay)

Leroy Barry (Gay)

Santana Lopez (Lesbian)

Sebastian Smythe (Bisexual)

Spencer Porter (Gay)

Grey's Anatomy (2005)

Amelia Shepherd (Bisexual)

Arizona Robbins (Lesbian)

Callie Torres (Bisexual)

Carina DeLuca (Bisexual)

Dayna Knox (Lesbian)

Eliza Minnick (Lesbian)

Erica Hahn (Lesbian)

Levi Schmitt (Gay)

Mika Yasuda (Bisexual)

Nico Kim (Gay)

Taryn Helm (Lesbian)

Teddy Altman (Bisexual)

H:

Harley Quinn (2019)

Basil Karlo/Clayface (Gay)

Edward Nygma/The Riddler (Gay)

Frank (Asexual)

Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn (Bisexual)

Leslie Wills/Livewire (Lesbian)

Mari McCabe/Vixen (Bisexual)

Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy (Bisexual)

Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Unspecified WLW)

Sylvester "Sy" Borgman (Bisexual)

Hazbin Hotel (2024)

Alastor (Aromantic, Asexual)

Angel Dust (Gay)

Charlotte "Charlie" Morningstar (Lesbian)

Cherri Bomb (Bisexual)

Husker (Pansexual)

Sir Pentious (Bisexual)

Vaggie (Unspecified WLW)

Valentino (Pansexual)

Vox (Bisexual)

Heartbreak High (2022)

Darren Rivers (Gay, Queer)

Donald "Ca$h" Piggott (Asexual)

Dustin Reid (Unspecified MLM)

Malakai Mitchell (Bisexual)

Missy Beckett (Bisexual)

Quinni Gallagher-Jones (Lesbian)

Rowan Callaghan (Bisexual)

Sasha So (Lesbian)

Heartstopper (2022)

Ben Hope (Unspecified MLM)

Charles "Charlie" Spring (Gay)

Darcy Olsson (Lesbian)

Isaac Henderson (Asexual, Aromantic)

Nick Nelson (Bisexual)

Tara Jones (Lesbian)

How I Met Your Mother (2005)

James Stinson (Gay)

Human Resources (2022)

Claudia (Lesbian)

Danielle (Lesbian)

Flanny O'Lympic (Bisexual)

Van (Lesbian)

I:

J:

K:

L:

M:

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (2015)

Alix Kubdel (Aromantic)

Caline Bustier (Unspecified WLW)

Gisèle (Unspecified WLW)

Juleka Couffaine (Unspecified WLW)

Marc Anciel (Unspecified MLM)

Max Kanté (Asexual)

Nathaniel Kurtzberg (Unspecified MLM)

Rose Lavillant (Unspecified WLW)

Zoé Lee (Unspecified WLW)

Modern Family (2009)

Cameron Tucker (Gay)

Gil Thorpe (Gay)

Mitchell Pritchett (Gay)

Pepper Saltzman (Gay)

Ronaldo (Unspecified MLM)

Mom (2013)

Bonnie Plunkett (Bisexual)

Ray Stabler (Gay)

Rudy (Bisexual)

N:

Nanbaka (2016)

Jyugo (Bisexual)

NCIS (2003)

Ned Dorneget (Gay)

New Amsterdam (2018)

Elizabeth Wilder (Bisexual)

Iggy Frome (Gay)

Lauren Bloom (Bisexual)

Leyla Shinwari (Lesbian)

Martin McIntyre (Gay)

New Girl (2011)

Melissa (Unspecified WLW)

Reagan Lucas (Bisexual)

Sadie (Lesbian)

O:

P:

Peacemaker (2022)

Christopher Smith/Peacemaker (Bisexual)

Leota Adebayo (Lesbian)

Private Practice (2007)

Amelia Shepherd (Bisexual)

Q:

R:

Raising Dion (2019)

Kat Neese (Lesbian)

Roswell, New Mexico (2019)

Alex Manes (Gay)

Allie Meyers (Unspecified WLW)

Anatsa Mufaro (Unspecified WLW)

Blaire (Unspecified WLW)

Forrest (Gay)

Isobel Evans-Bracken (Bisexual)

Michael Guerin (Bisexual)

Shivani Sen (Unspecified WLW)

Runaways (2017)

Karolina Dean (Lesbian)

Nico Minoru (Bisexual)

Xavin (Pansexual)

S:

Safe (2018)

Pete Mayfield (Gay)

Saving Hope (2012)

Bree Hannigan (Lesbian)

Maggie Lin (Bisexual)

Sydney Katz (Lesbian)

Shadowhunters (2016)

Alexander "Alec" Lightwood (Gay)

Aline Penhallow (Unspecified WLW)

Magnus Bane (Bisexual)

Olivia Wilson (Unspecified WLW)

Samantha (Unspecified WLW)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)

Adora (Lesbian)

Bow (Bisexual)

Catra (Lesbian)

Double Trouble (Gay)

Entrapta (Bisexual)

George (Gay)

Glimmer (Bisexual)

Huntara (Lesbian)

Kyle (Bisexual)

Lance (Gay)

Light Hope (Lesbian)

Lonnie (Bisexual)

Mara (Lesbian)

Mermista (Bisexual)

Netossa (Lesbian)

Perfuma (Unspecified WLW)

Rogelio (Bisexual)

Scorpia (Lesbian)

Sea Hawk (Bisexual)

Spinnerella (Lesbian)

Station 19 (2018)

Amelia Shepherd (Bisexual)

Carina DeLuca (Bisexual)

Dayna Knox (Lesbian)

Eli Stern (Bisexual)

Emmett Dixon (Gay)

Maya Bishop (Bisexual)

Michelle Alvarez (Lesbian)

Nikki (Bisexual)

Pam Williams (Lesbian)

Travis Montgomery (Gay)

Steven Universe (2013)

Bismuth (Lesbian)

Dogcopter (Gay)

Harold Smiley (Gay)

Pearl (Lesbian)

Peridot (Asexual, Aromantic)

Ruby (Lesbian)

Sapphire (Lesbian)

Stumptown (2019)

Dex Parios (Bisexual)

T:

The Babysitter's Club (2020)

Dawn Schafer (Unlabeled WLW)

Janine Kishi (Lesbian)

The Magicians (2015)

Eliot Waugh (Gay)

The Owl House (2020)

Amity Blight (Lesbian)

Darius Deamonne (Gay)

Eda Clawthorne (Bisexual)

Gilbert Park (Unspecified MLM)

Harvey Park (Unspecified MLM)

Hunter (Bisexual)

Lilith Clawthorne (Asexual, Aromantic)

Luz Noceda (Bisexual)

Willow Park (Bisexual)

The Resident (2018)

Jake Wong (Gay)

The Rookie (2018)

Jackson West (Gay)

Gino Brown (Gay)

The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy (2024)

Dr. Vlam (Bisexual)

Klak (Unspecified WLW)

Slug Girl (Unspecified WLW)

The 100 (2014)

Bryan (Gay)

Clarke Griffin (Bisexual)

Eric Jackson (Gay)

Lexa (Lesbian)

Nathan Miller (Gay)

Niylah (Lesbian)

Zev (Gay)

Titans (2018)

Tim Drake/Robin (Bisexual)

Total Drama (Franchise)

Bowie (Gay)

Raj (Gay)

U:

V:

W:

X:

Y:

Z:

#:

9-1-1 (2018)

David Hale (Unspecified MLM)

Evan "Buck" Buckley (Bisexual)

Henrietta "Hen" Wilson (Lesbian)

John Russo (Unspecified MLM)

Karen Wilson (Lesbian)

Michael Grant (Gay)

Tommy Kinard (Gay)

9-1-1: Lone Star (2020)

Carlos Reyes (Gay)

Tyler Kennedy "TK" Strand (Gay)

[yeomangamer]

Tymora's Twist Chapter 3

Summary: Dammon has promised to help Karlach with her engine problem, but that help doesn't end when he puts the next repair in. It was just luck that they found each other, but how long until that luck runs out? Canon-compliant, spoilers for all Acts. Pairings: Dammon/Karlach Chapter summary: Act 3 A/N: thanks for all the support, see Ao3 version for full author’s notes

Chapter 2

Act 3

It had been several tendays since they’d gotten to Baldur’s Gate, and Dammon wondered when he would stop feeling restless. They made it, they were in the city. Even with the extra measures against refugees in place, Rolan had managed to rescue them again, leveraging his apprenticeship with Lorroakan to smuggle himself and his siblings, plus Alfira, Lakrissa, and Dammon into the Lower City. 

He knew that Rolan couldn’t have taken everyone, and yet he once again felt Tymora’s luck twist in his favor, skinning him in the process. He didn’t deserve it. Not more than Danis and Bex, or Mattis and the other kids, or any of the tieflings they’d lost along the way. So many faces and names, gone.

He rented a forge near the Elfsong with the flat above at a decent price. By day, he worked on horseshoes and tools and his original specialty: tin. By night, he studied the diagrams he had of infernal machines and wished Tolna would let him see the books Sorcerous Sundries had on the topic. (Rolan had been no help in that area, but Dammon supposed the wizard had done more than enough for him.) He worked on his own infernal forge in his basement, and tried not to feel like the Steel Watchers could sense what he was doing. 

He’d gotten a few good looks on those huge, hulking machines, and felt like he recognized the mechanisms from somewhere. But it was so difficult to place it. 

And when Dammon stumbled to bed after drinking too much mermaid whiskey, he thought about Karlach. 

Their parting had been unceremonious and unexpected. A light had appeared, streaking across the sky and Jaheira ordered the Harpers to move out. Dammon and all the remaining tieflings (more than when they’d arrived thanks to their own godsent heroes) were ordered to pack their things; they were leaving for Baldur’s Gate immediately. 

“Our attack on Moonrise will be the best distraction you have,” she told them and assigned a Harper to lead them out of the Darkness.

Dammon had been putting out the fire in the forge for the last time when Karlach and company arrived. Tav spoke to Isobel, but Karlach made right for Dammon. 

“We’re leaving,” they’d told each other almost at the same time. 

She’d given him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek before sprinting back to join her group. “I’ll see you in Baldur’s Gate!” she called over her shoulder. 

There were so many things he’d wanted to say and do. And he wished he had. He wished he’d kissed her lips and told her “I’ll wait for you.” in that low voice she always went mad for. He wished he’d asked her even once what this meant, them stealing kisses and fucking in dark corners. 

Everything at Last Light with Karlach felt like a dream, like the rules of real life didn’t apply. They had stolen away in the loft above his meager forge and he’d had her bent over the scratchy hay. She had cheekily moved his bedroll to her tent without telling him, and when he’d finally went to ask her after a lengthy search, she’d grabbed him by the horns (literally) and yanked him into her tent for the night. In his room, he’d spent what felt like hours worshipping her body, between her legs and over her chest and stomach, along her back, and every part of her. 

He had been a means to an end, he knew that from the start. She was looking to blow off steam, and he was happy to help her, in more ways than one. Dammon was kidding himself if he wanted to believe it meant anything more than that. 

Still, he had the memories, and that would have to be enough. And besides, never seeing her again was probably for the best. At least then he wouldn’t have to see her engine overload. So long as she was out there, she could still be alive, could still have found a solution from someone much more talented than him.

And that’s what he was telling himself when he saw her again, coming to his forge. 

Their reunion was much like their last one. He was hard at work, as he usually was, and her voice cut through all the thick fog of thoughts clouding his senses. His heart leapt as he whirled around. 

Karlach looked as nervous as he felt, hands clenching and unclenching absentmindedly. 

“Hey, soldier,” she said with a smile and any dignity he’d tried to build up in case she rejected him was melted away. 

Dammon didn’t know how it happened, if he’d even asked or if he’d just done it, but the next moment they were kissing. And this felt real, not at all like he had at Last Light. She tasted like cinnamon and smelled like smoke, how could he have forgotten that. She squeezed her arms around his waist in a hug as their lips met again.

A cough made him pull away and he saw Alfira looking in bashfully. 

“Oh, Alfira brought me,” Karlach supplied helpfully, scratching the back of her neck. “She wants to grab dinner and hopefully Lakrissa will be off work by then.”

He cleared his throat, sure he was red-faced from neck to horns. “Thank you, Alfira. I’d love to come.”

Alfira giggled. “I think you two have a lot of catching up to do, some other time.” She said her goodbyes and winked at Dammon, whistling the lovers tune she was so fond of. 

Dammon looked at Karlach, still within reach, and tried to convince himself his senses weren’t playing tricks on him, this was fine, everything would be good now. “Come in, I’ll give you the tour,” he said finally. 

“Shouldn’t you be working?” she asked as he flipped the sign to “Closed.”

“The boss won’t mind,” he said, taking her by the hand and into his home. 

“Are you the boss?” she asked with a grin. 

He nodded, taking her other hand. They were the lower level of his flat, more of a loft really, with the kitchen and privy and all of his supplies that he hadn’t bothered straightening up the past few days. He was tidy enough, but he grimaced at the tools strewn about on his bench. The bed was on a platform above their heads.

Karlach looked down in nervousness and his heart seized. This was a mistake, she knew it. He should have expected this to be too good to be true. 

“Dammon…” she trailed off, biting her lip. “I don’t know what I can promise you.”

His anxiety abated, if only slightly. He nodded his head. “I know.”

“I’m not going back to Avernus, not for all the silks in Cormir.” She had the same hard look she’d had whenever they talked about it. Or, more realistically, when he tentatively brought it up and she shut it down every time. 

He looked down. “That’s your choice.” 

“I want you to know that this…” she let go of his hand to hold his face. He felt her blazing heat against his cheek and met her eyes. “This means a lot to me. I don’t want you to think I’m… I dunno, having a laugh. But I can’t promise you a future. Tomorrow, this,” she tapped her chest. “Could burn half the Gate down, and there I’d go.” 

He wanted to scream at her, to yell that she deserved life, she deserved a future, even if it meant he wasn’t in it. A tear trickled down his cheek and he only nodded. “I know. But to spend any time with you, whether that’s one night or a hundred, is a gift that I will treasure forever.”

Karlach pulled his face towards her and they kissed, tears mingling together. 

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

They saw each other most days, but sometimes she would be out with her adventuring party and he wouldn’t see her. She told him about the Nightsong and the Absolute and he tried to keep it straight in his head. 

“The murders in the city are all by this one guy who’s trying to gain favorability by this cult.”

“The Absolute Cult?” he asked as they ate at his meager kitchen table. 

“No, that’s a different cult. This one’s a Bhaal Cult, like the ones in those stories, you know? Anyway, we were put on his trail when we were meeting Kith’rak Voss--”

“Kith-- Kith-what?”

“Kith’rak Voss, he’s a Dragon rider and betrayed Vlaakith, the Lich Queen of the Githyanki. Now there’s a cult if I’ve ever seen one, a different one of course.”

The two of them tried to snatch bits of normalcy when they could. She took him to her parent’s grave and they had dinner at the Singing Lute, watching the sun set over Grey Harbor. He packed a picnic for them to have in the park. 

It wasn’t always easy. Sometimes she was stopped in the street by people who had seen her illustration in the Mouth. Other people jeered at her and even tried to sic the Steel Watchers on them. Once her engine overheated and he’d had to do an emergency repair.

Dammon had tried not to grimace as he looked at the machine. She was laying back on the bench by his forge, sweating profusely with her chest plate open. His previous upgrades were still intact, more or less. But it was still only a bandage on a rotting wound. He put another patch on it, his hands shaking. 

“Look at me,” she’d said after. 

He’d turned his back to put some tools away and to try and let go of some of his frustration without getting upset at her. He rested his hands on the counter in front of him and breathed before turning to look at her. 

“I know what you’re going to say,” she said, sweating and breathing heavily. 

He tilted his head back in frustration. “I don’t want to have this conversation right now,” he’d tried to say.

“Say it, Dammon. Just say it.” Her lip was turned up almost in a sneer. He wondered if this was the last sight most of her foes saw. 

“Don’t!” he snapped at her. “Don’t try to goad me. I’ve made my opinion on this very clear, Karlach.”

“And now you just dance around the topic. But I know you look at me and all you can think about is ‘how can she be so stupid? Why can’t she just go back to Avernus and everything will be fine.’”

“Don’t put words in my mouth!” he said. 

“At least then something useful would be in it!” she said back. She stood and stalked out of his forge. 

He’d stoked the fire as hot as it would go and hammered a sword nearly to breaking. 

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

They didn’t see each other for a few days. Dammon vacillated between worrying that something had happened and telling himself it was fine, if she wanted to act like a child, best not to around fire and sharp objects. He had dinner with Rolan, his siblings, Alfira and Lakrissa and he could tell they wanted to ask where Karlach was but didn’t necessarily want the answer. 

Rolan was the new master of Ramazith’s Tower and let Dammon look at as much literature on Infernal Machines as he wanted, despite Tolna’s disapproving gaze (Dammon was sure he was wearing her down though. He’d helped make a book wheel for her to reference several books at a time). Lia was in training to become a Flaming Fist. Cal was helping Rolan with the shop. Lakrissa was working to earn her and Alfira’s keep as she started her school, the two of them had a nice flat not far from his shop. It felt like everyone was getting their happily ever after, except him. 

It was just desserts, he told himself. All that good luck had run out finally, and if all he lost was a woman who didn’t even seem to want to keep living anyway, there were worse outcomes. At least, that was what he told himself. 

Karlach came back, like he knew she would. He had hoped it was to have a good conversation about this, or maybe another another fight. But it was much worse. Dammon awoke to tapping on his door in the middle of the night. He picked up one of the axes he’d brought in after the shop closed and crept towards the door. 

“Who goes there?” he said, trying to sound strong and imposing and definitely not scared out of his mind. 

“Dammon it-- hic its me,” Karlach’s voice came from the other side of the door. Even through the door, it sounded like she was crying and had been for a while. Something was very wrong.

Opening the door revealed Karlach, looking smaller than he’d ever seen her. She stood dejectedly on his stoop, arms crossed and tears falling in rivers down her face. 

“Can I come in?” she asked shakily.

He didn’t hesitate, letting her pass and locking the door behind her.

“What happened?” he asked, guiding her to a seat. 

“I killed him--” she said, holding herself tight. “He’s dead.”

He sat next to her, leaning as close as he felt appropriate. Dammon had thought several times about what he’d say or do when she came back, and discarded all of it. That subject would keep. 

“Who, Karlach?”

“Gortash…” She whispered in a small, broken voice. 

Suddenly it all fell into place. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her face into his neck. She started sobbing then, clutching him like a lifeline. He rubbed soothing circles into her back and hushed her cries with what he hoped was a calming voice. 

Karlach had told him a lot about her time in Baldur’s Gare and Avernus, but always left out the man who sent her away. However, Dammon could see the hatred and hurt in her eyes whenever he was brought up. It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together: she’d trusted him, relied on him, looked up to him, even loved him. And he gave her away without a second glance. His picture was everywhere in the Lower City, no matter how many Dammon ripped down for kindling. 

Karlach hiccuped through the tale then, how they fought their way to the top of Wyrm Rock and planted barrels of smokepowder to explode him.

“We lit him up like a whizzbang, Dammon,” she said to him. “They even let me light the fuse.” She wiped her nose on the towel he’d given her. “He survived the first blast, and I-- I just felt this… rage. Ten years of it pouring out.”

He nodded, keeping an arm around her. He’d fetched her a blanket as well, something to make her feel safe and protected. She’d insisted on sharing it with him.

“And now he’s gone and I feel… nothing. We did it and I’m still going to die! I don’t want to die!”

He nodded again, tears now coming to his eyes. 

“They took my heart, the one my mum gave me,” she said. “It wasn’t a liver or a kidney, my heart!”

She sobbed again and he held her close. 

“It’s alright, I’m here,” he told her.

She sobbed loudly again. “You always are. And I said-- I’m so sorry, Dammon! I didn’t mean it!”

He chuckled despite himself, such a thing seeming so trivial at that moment. “It’s fine, Karlach.”

“It’s not. Do you know how infuriating it is to look at you almost every day and know that you’d give me anything if I’d ask? And I can’t give you even tomorrow.” 

“Karlach…” He was speechless.

“You’re so good, I don’t deserve anything you’ve given to me. If I really cared about you, I should turn my back and never darken your door again but I-- I can’t…” she whispered this last part, as if all her energy had been spent trying to hold herself back from him. 

He held her tight, his own tears falling now. “Stop that, you deserve everything I give you and more, Karlach. It’s me that doesn’t deserve you. Who am I? Nobody. You’re one of the Heroes of Baldur’s Gate and I’m just a blacksmith, kicked out of his home. You’ve had to save my skin again and again. I can’t wield a battle axe, or inspire people, or even fix a goddamned engine.” 

She lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes sparkled with tears in the low light of the candles. “You’re not nobody to me, Dammon. I love you.”

His heart leaped into his chest as she spoke those words he never thought he’d hear from anyone, much less her, the most amazing person he’d ever known. 

“I love you too, Karlach.”

There was no question in the arrangement. Karlach stayed the night at his house after taking a bath (at Dammon’s insistence, “You smell like smokepowder.”) She slept in as he opened the shop and he made them lunch to eat. They topped it off with dinner at their favorite spot, the Singing Lute, and retired to his flat. 

They made love in his bed, staring at each other as if closing their eyes would make the other disappear. He’d gotten very good at taking her apart by then, and his cock was only one tool in his arsenal. His old master had told him a Blacksmith was only as good as his tools, so he made sure to use only the best steel wand to massage that spot inside her that made her sob in pleasure. 

Then he asked her to use it on him. He liked when she put the hand-restraints on him too, leaving him completely at her mercy.

“I love the way you look like this,” she told him as she once again took him to the edge before stopping and he whined a high-pitched sound that hardly sounded like himself. He was laying face down in the bed, ass in the air and hands tied behind him.

I love you, he would have said if he wasn’t past the point of words. A breathy “Please…” was the best he could manage. 

She pressed the wand back into his hole, the tip polishing his insides as he moaned, his cock straining, leaking, and red. Karlach took him in hand and kissed the back of his shoulder as he came on the towel they’d laid out. 

They laid out on the bed afterwards, tools cleaned and tucked away.

“I should go back tomorrow,” Karlach said, staring at the ceiling. 

He sighed. He hadn’t wanted to ask, but he knew it would have been coming eventually. 

“There’s still so much to do,” she continued without any reply from him. “And I know we’re running out of time.”

“I felt another tremor,” he said.

She nodded. “That was Gortash dying.” 

“You’ve got one more stone, yeah?”

She nodded. “Then we take on the big one, the Elder Brain.”

“You can do it, we’re all here to support you,” he told himself more than her. 

She nodded. “And then everything will be normal,” she said. 

He sighs. “I feel like I keep saying that. ‘Oh, we’ll just get out of Avernus and everything will be normal.’, ‘We’ll get out of Elturel and everything will be normal’, ‘We’ll get away from the goblins and--”

Karlach sighed even louder. “I know… Me too.” 

She turned on her side to look at him and he did the same. “Can’t we just stay here forever?”

He chuckled. “Sure, I’ll invent a contraption to feed and water us.”

“Oh but I’ll miss sunshine. And rock cakes. And someone has to tend my folks’ graves.”

“Then I guess there’s nothing for it. We should move this bed into the graveyard and fund a rock cake shop next door.”

She laughed so beautifully it almost made him cry. 

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

When the time came, he wasn’t there. Of course he wasn’t. It was just rotten luck that her engine failed right after the fight with the Elder Brain. He was with Rolan, helping keep the cannons going as he watched the brain go down into the Chionthar. And even still, he didn’t worry. She would get out, she always did. 

It wasn’t until after that he felt strange, like something was missing. And then Tav told him. 

[dani-ya-dig]

THE ABIGAIL VIDEO!!! I HAVEN’T TALKED ABT MY WIFE!

Ok so like chronological order bc I have listened to the audio like a million times at this point lmao. And I WILL talk abt it bc everyone needs to be obsessed with this channel like I am it’s SO GOOD GUYS PLS I SWEAR!!! Kk

Glenwood’s magic is doing its thing, and I’m really glad that plot point keeps getting brought up. Like ofc right now most of us are definitely more focused on the romance between Abby, Wielder, and Rose (which same. Love my ladies) but also like HELLO??? Abigail, a nonwielder, was the first person to really think there was something behind how strange glenwood was! And she is actively trying to investigate it (with Wielder and maybe Rose), and now she has even more resources for that!!! Like I just love that Miss Castle is making sure we don’t forget abt this bc I think abt it all the time.

Abby knowing her mom was gonna get on her ass about buying shelves from Amazon rather than thrifting some >

Abigail apologizing every time she swears in the voicemail >>>>>

Also I wonder how far away Abby lives from her family now? She obviously misses them a whole lot regardless of how far away they are, but it makes me wonder if they are just like the next state over, or if this is an across the country situation. (Aka, Dani is desperately trying to figure out where Glenwood would be geographically so I can get more info). I think Rose mentioned something about her flying??? Unless I made that up. But if I didn’t that would mean her family is likely too far for Abby to be able to warrant driving there.

Abby telling her mom about her channel even if she doesn’t fully understand makes me wanna cry. ITS SO CUTE GUYS I SWEAR!!! imagining Abby sending pics of her streaming setup to her mom is fucking adorable and if you don’t see it idk what to tell you.

Also the audible cringe in Abby’s voice as she prepares herself for the knowledge that she would have to deal with everyone asking why she didn’t being a date to the wedding. So Harper coded lmao.

Maybe not a plus one… but a plus two???

“And they’re…. hah mom they’re really cool” IM GONNA FUCKING SCREAM!!! THE WAY HER VOICE WENT ALL SOFT IM COSBSOXSBHDKDKCJC GOD IM SO GAY HOLY SHIT

“Please don’t play this for Sammy, when he comes back home, please Ma…” makes me giggle so hard because yeah, that sums up what having older siblings is like exactly, if you slip up once they will NEVER let it go

It makes me so fucking happy to hear Abby going all soft talking about how she had made a home in Glenwood, and how she feels safe with Wielder and Rose. Especially after she has dealt with not feeling like she fits in and, no doubt, bullying for most stages of her life. I’m just really happy to see the silly little gay people talking in my headphones get to be happy.

I NEED WIELDER AND ROSE TO MEET ABBY’S FAMILY ASAP! I know that they would both just be so overwhelmed with love from Abby’s (most likely) massive family. Rose especially would be so flustered from all the attention and love, having not come from a home that gave that love freely and unconditionally. It would probably be so refreshing for her. I KNOW Abby’s mom is gonna be feeding all of them well, too!

OMG IMAGINE!! Abby’s mom doing the usual embarrassing family stuff like pulling out baby pictures, and telling embarrassing stories, and Abigail obviously red in the face but still taking it on the chin until her mom pulls out the voicemail that Abigail had sent her when she first moved to Glenwood and all of them lose their shit in very different ways. Abigail is embarrassed beyond belief, Rose is also flustered from the “going at it” bit, and Wielder can’t stop laughing hysterically.

UGH ITS A NEED! YOU DONT UNDERSTAND!!!

[dream-in-35mm]

– Midsommar, 2019

  Studio: A24

  Director: Ari Aster

Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhem Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, William Poulter

  Horror, R

  2h28m

A couple travel to Sweden to visit their friend's rural hometown for its fabled midsummer festival, but what begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

Spoilers Ahead...

There are horror films that rely on darkness, blood, and jump scares. Midsommar does the opposite. It’s bright, slow, and oddly serene. But somehow, it still manages to be deeply disturbing. Every frame feels carefully crafted to get under your skin, and it stays with you long after the credits roll. It’s a breakup movie disguised as a folk horror, and it’s honestly kind of brilliant.

🌿 The Setup

We meet Dani (Florence Pugh) in a moment of unimaginable trauma. Her sister has just committed suicide and taken their parents with her. Dani is devastated, and instead of offering support, her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) pulls further away. He doesn’t want to be in the relationship anymore, but he’s too spineless to break up with her.

Christian and his friends, Mark, Josh, and Pelle, are planning a trip to a rural Swedish commune for a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival. Out of guilt, Christian invites Dani to come along, not thinking she’ll actually say yes. But she does, and things take a strange turn as soon as they arrive.

☀️ The Horror of the Hårga

At first, everything in the commune looks like a fairy tale. The villagers wear white, the sun never fully sets, and the landscape is all flowers and fields. But something feels off. That sense becomes a certainty when the group witnesses an ancient ritual where two elders leap from a cliff to their deaths. When one of them survives the fall, the community finishes the job by smashing his head in with a ceremonial mallet. The outsiders are horrified, but the villagers are calm, even proud.

From there, things spiral. Mark disrespects the community and disappears. Josh sneaks into a sacred temple to take forbidden photos and is killed. Christian becomes increasingly detached from Dani and gets seduced, actually drugged, into a bizarre sex ritual while the village women literally moan along in unison.

Meanwhile, Dani begins to feel something she hasn’t in a long time: accepted. She wins the May Queen dance and is lifted on a throne of flowers. The villagers celebrate her. They cry with her. They surround her with something that looks a lot like love.

🔥 The Ending

The final ritual requires nine sacrifices. Four are villagers, four are outsiders, and the ninth is chosen by the May Queen. Dani is given the choice to sacrifice either a volunteer from the village or Christian. After everything he’s done,or more accurately, hasn’t done, she chooses Christian. He is sewn into a hollowed-out bear and burned alive in a ceremonial temple.

As the flames rise and the villagers begin to scream and writhe with emotion, Dani lets out a final scream of her own. But then something strange happens. Her expression shifts. Slowly, a smile spreads across her face. It’s twisted, peaceful, maybe even triumphant. It’s one of the most haunting final shots I’ve seen in a long time.

🎭 What It’s Really About

Underneath the cult rituals and psychedelic horror, Midsommar is about grief and emotional isolation. Dani spends the first half of the film trying to hold onto someone who doesn't care about her. The Hårga give her structure, ritual, and the illusion of family. It’s manipulative and terrifying, but it feels safer than the loneliness she’s used to. When she chooses to let Christian burn, it’s not just revenge. It’s release.

There’s also a subtle critique of Western entitlement. Christian and his friends treat the village like an anthropology project, not a real culture. They’re arrogant and dismissive, and their deaths feel inevitable. The horror here isn’t just about creepy traditions. It’s about what happens when you come into a place with no respect and think you’re untouchable.

🌸 Final Thoughts

Midsommar isn’t scary in the usual sense. It’s slow and beautiful and strange. But it gets under your skin because it taps into something real. Anyone who’s felt isolated, stuck in a toxic relationship, or desperate for meaning will find something unsettlingly familiar in Dani’s journey. It’s not a happy ending. But it is, somehow, a satisfying one.

⭐ Rating: 9 out of 10

It’s one of the most original horror films of the last decade. Florence Pugh is incredible. The visuals are unforgettable. And the emotional impact hits harder than most horror movies even try to.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💙💜🩷 99 Books for Bisexuality Visibility Month 🩷💜💙

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💜 How incredible is it that I made a list of 99 books for bisexual visibility month, KNOWING there are so many NOT featured on this list? I'm so proud to be bi. Having these characters and stories intertwine with mine warms my heart.

💜 What's your favorite book featuring bisexual characters?

💙 The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar 💙 Perfect on Paper - Sophie Gonzales 💙 Imogen, Obviously - Becky Albertalli 💙 Red, White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston 💙 Queens of Geek - Jen Wilde 💙 Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster - Andrea Mosqueda 💙 Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute - Talia Hibbert 💙 Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake - Alexis Hall 💙 A Merry Little Meet Cute - Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

💜 Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli 💜 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid 💜 Radio Silence - Alice Oseman 💜 The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee 💜 You Exist Too Much - Zaina Arafat 💜 Wolfsong - T.J. Klune 💜 The Pairing - Casey McQuiston 💜 Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail - Ashley Herring Blake 💜 Heartstopper - Alice Oseman

🩷 Going Bicoastal - Dahlia Adler 🩷 Some Girls Do - Jennifer Dugan 🩷 Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating - Adiba Jaigirdar 🩷 Autoboyography - Christina Lauren 🩷 Written in the Stars - Alexandria Bellefleur 🩷 They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera 🩷 Cool for the Summer - Dahlia Adler 🩷 Delilah Green Doesn't Care - Ashley Herring Blake 🩷 One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston

💙 I'll Be the One - Lyla Lee 💙 Running With Lions - Julian Winters 💙 Take a Hint, Dani Brown - Talia Hibbert 💙 Felix Ever After - Kacen Callender 💙 Not Your Sidekick - C.B. Lee 💙 Ophelia After All - Racquel Marie 💙 Iron Widow - Xiran Jay Zhao 💙 Something to Talk About - Meryl Wilsner 💙 The Girls I've Been - Tess Sharpe

💜 Iris Kelly Doesn't Date - Ashley Herring Blake 💜 Never Ever Getting Back Together - Sophie Gonzales 💜 Her Royal Highness - Rachel Hawkins 💜 Call Me By Your Name - André Aciman 💜 I Wish You All the Best - Mason Deaver 💜 Mistakes Were Made - Meryl Wilsner 💜 Hang the Moon - Alexandria Bellefleur 💜 Kiss Her Once for Me - Alison Cochrun 💜 The Brightsiders - Jen Wilde

🩷 Wild Beauty - Anna-Marie McLemore 🩷 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - Victoria Schwab 🩷 Payback's a Witch - Lana Harper 🩷 A Dowry of Blood - S.T. Gibson 🩷 Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo 🩷 Dark Rise - C.S. Pacat 🩷 If This Gets Out - Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich 🩷 Let's Talk About Love - Claire Kann 🩷 Carry On - Rainbow Rowell

💙 Under the Whispering Door - T.J. Klune 💙 I Kissed Shara Wheeler - Casey McQuiston 💙 Pumpkinheads - Rainbow Rowell 💙 Icebreaker - A.L. Graziadei 💙 This Poison Heart - Kalynn Bayron 💙 A Lot Like Adiós - Alexis Daria 💙 Sorry, Bro - Taleen Voskuni 💙 We Are Okay - Nina LaCour 💙 Count Your Lucky Stars - Alexandria Bellefleur

💜 Hot Dog Girl - Jennifer Dugan 💜 Verona Comics - Jennifer Dugan 💜 They Hate Each Other - Amanda Woody 💜 The Disasters - M.K. England 💜 The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater 💜 You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson 💜 These Witches Don't Burn - Isabel Sterling 💜 My Dearest Darkest - Kayla Cottingham 💜 City of Shattered Light - Claire Winn

🩷 The Unbroken - C.L. Clark 🩷 Dread Nation - Justina Ireland 🩷 House of Hollow - Krystal Sutherland 🩷 Love & Other Disasters - Anita Kelly 🩷 Ace of Shades - Amanda Foody 🩷 The Lost Girls - Sonia Hartl 🩷 Of Fire and Stars - Audrey Coulthurst 🩷 This Is Kind of an Epic Love Story - Kacen Callender 🩷 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz

💙 If You Still Recognise Me - Cynthia So 💙 Melt With You - Jennifer Dugan 💙 The Charm Offensive - Alison Cochrun 💙 That Summer Feeling - Bridget Morrissey 💙 The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School - Sonora Reyes 💙 The Luis Ortega Survival Club - Sonora Reyes 💙 The Fiancée Farce - Alexandria Bellefleur 💙 Flip the Script - Lyla Lee 💙 Role Playing - Cathy Yardley

💜 I Think I Love You - Auriane Desombre 💜 Truly, Madly, Deeply - Alexandria Bellefleur 💜 Gearbreakers - Zoe Hana Mikuta 💜 Finally Fitz - Marisa Kanter 💜 The Spirit Bares Its Teeth - Andrew Joseph White 💜 Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl - Brianna R. Shrum & Sara Waxelbaum 💜 Late Bloomer - Mazey Eddings 💜 A Darker Shade of Magic - Victoria Schwab 💜 Love at First Set - Jennifer Dugan