#his personality and whats his deal is kind of stolen from my friend

[painonthebrain]

Flint’s introduction!

Basic Info

Name: Flint Blackstone

Age: Mid-twenties

Species: Human

Gender identity: Male

Pronouns: He/him

Orientation: Bisexual

Personality

On the surface, Flint appears socially awkward and incapable of survival — but only because hes more comfortable signing a demonic contract than talking to a human being. (Of course he tries to keep up appearances — but he barely finds himself capable of real connection.)

Although possibly the very definition of “lost potential,” Flint’s creativity shines when coming up with ways to stay self-sufficient: he invents aids for his physical pain, brews potions of various effects, and he has little hesitation finding money in crude ways.

His shaky independence comes from fear and a severely neglected childhood where he lived with his chronic hoarder parents. He dreads keeping things for too long, or staying somewhere for too long... or when the situation is calm and quiet for too long. He’s far too used to dealing with bullshit and constant pain and chaos, some of which is his twisted comfort.

So what’s his deal?

After losing a childhood friend to a loving religious family (read: cult) Flint started to indulge in supernatural activities as well for some kind of escape and way of living. So now a shack in the woods full of supernatural creature bits and trinkets is where he is.

[citrustan]

slipping through my fingers [1] (myg)

title: will i ever see you again?

pairing: min yoongi x reader genre: dilf!yoongi, exes and co-parents au, angst!, fluff, smut summary: yoongi usually has an explanation for everything. why can't he talk you through this? warnings: [it is important that you read the prologue before this]

It takes you a good five minutes to gather yourself. Yoongi doesn't dare to disturb you.

Still leaned against the wall, you take a few steady breaths.

You don't know why but you don't cry.

The news of him dating another person is enough for you to have an intense breakdown, let alone marrying someone.

This will forever serve as a reminder that you weren't enough for Yoongi.

You kind of just want to go straight to bed. Pretend this never happened. Just deal with it later.

After your break-up, a big part of you always thought you'd end up getting back together. And that no matter how long it takes, Yoongi would be your endgame. He was it for you.

Over the past year, your contact with Yoongi had reduced. He was always busy when you called. Always working.

But now that you think about it, it was you who assumed that he was working. He never claimed he was.

For all you know, he could've been dating.

Pfft. 'Could have.'

He most definitely was.

And he didn't tell you. Not even your friends told you about it.

You don't know what's worse.

You're pushing yourself away from going into a dark place. Where you begin to wonder.

The only question that refuses to budge is: What does she have that you don't?

In all honesty, you wish he never told you. You don't want to know what type of a person his future wife is. You do not want to know if they'd have children together. You do not care if they buy a house together, or if they already have one. You don't want to know.

And you don't want to think about what it'd do to Nao.

When you begin to truly register the possible consequences of Yoongi's marriage, you feel anger. It spreads through your veins in a millisecond.

Had Nao already met this woman? You doubt that because she never told you about it.

Would it be confusing for her to understand what's going on?

Is that woman going to be parenting your child too? You violently shook your head. You won't allow that.

You are her only mother.

The pressure in your chest only deepens the more you think about this.

Yoongi has stolen your peace.

How are you to move on from this? And you hadn't even confronted half of the thoughts you're having. The anger never subsides.

He's going to send you right back to therapy.

"_____?" Yoongi comes looking for you.

You cannot afford to lose your composure in front of him. You don't want to give him more reasons to be grateful for your break-up.

You had to step away for just a bit longer, "I'll be right back."

You were about to turn and hide in your room when you feel Yoongi yanking your arm back.

With a surprised yelp, you pull it back just as forceful.

"Talk to me." Yoongi pleaded with his eyes.

No.

"I...-" You trail off. The words were caught in your throat. I don't want to see you again, ever.

This was such a disaster.

How does one move on from this?

"_____. I'm sorry." He tried again.

Yoongi had it all planned. He was going to sit you down and ease it in on you.

Instead, he chickened out and ended up dropping a bomb on you out of nowhere.

He's usually the more composed one out of the two of you, and he screwed it up.

You sigh, "I don't know why you're apologizing."

After a moment, you swiftly walk away from Yoongi and peek into the living room.

Nao's attention is still on the movie.

"Has she met Nao?"

Yoongi shook his head profusely, "I wanted your permission first."

At this you're confused.

Unable to separate your emotions, you sarcastically laugh. "My permission to let your daughter meet her father's future wife?"

It's like a bell ringing in your mind. Your laugh transitions into a bit of a manic one, "What if I told you no? What happens then?"

Yoongi kept his calm, "Then she won't meet her now." You scoff.

Immediately, you give in, having no interest in continuing this conversation. "Then do whatever you want. She's your daughter too. I can't make decisions for you."

You start to walk away from him when he stops you, "_____. Let's just... talk."

“I don’t want to.” You sternly announce.

This would be a lot easier to handle this if he just got mad at you. It’d be easy to hate him if he were being unreasonable. In all honesty, even then you’d probably never be able to truly hate him.

“_____, I’m sorry,” Yoongi softly brings your attention to him. His eyes were directed towards your feet.

It doesn’t phase you. His blanket apology for whatever happened doesn’t make up for anything.

You want to ask him what he was apologising for. But you don’t really want to go there. Not in front of Nao.

You cannot subject her to this instability anymore than you already have.

“Ask your daughter if she wants to meet your wife,” you spat, “Not me.”

Yoongi knew you were angry. He also knew exactly why. Still, he can’t bring himself to talk you through it. It’s too soon. He needs to let it simmer.

As much as you don’t want him to think (know) that you’re just bitter for very obvious reasons, that ship has already sailed.

You don’t think you can do a whole lot to salvage it. Might as well ride it out for now.

With the risk of sounding pathetic, you turn your body towards him. “How come you’re marrying someone else?”

Yoongi’s mouth opens and closes a few times before he sighs deeply.

“_____...” He coos, “I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you.”

There's a pause, a moment where the air seems heavy.

The noises from the TV sound muffled. Time slows down for you to hold yourself together.

“I don’t want you to ever doubt yourself, _____.”

That’s not under his control. Hell, you yourself can’t help it.

“I don’t,” you lie.

“I want you to know that it wasn’t an easy decision. I just… She broke me. I don’t know how but I changed.”

…

That’s what you get for respecting his boundaries.

This is a slap in your face. He better not be saying what you think he is.

“She convinced you?” You question him pointedly.

So, you could’ve ‘broken’ him too? So much for not being an overzealous girlfriend slash baby mother.

“No! I just changed my mind about-“

You wouldn’t let him finish, “No.”

“No?” Yoongi was starting to get a little agitated.

“I… don’t want to know.”

“Okay. That’s okay. Let’s talk tomorrow,” Yoongi agreed.

The two of you take a little break from the almost heated conversation you just had.

“I’ll finish up in the kitchen. Are Mimi’s bags packed?”

“Yeah, just need to get her toothbrush after she’s done.”

Your ex-boyfriend’s nickname for your daughter was Mimi, and you preferred Nao. Nao prefers Nao too but she’d never break her daddy’s heart like that.

He gives your arm a subtle squeeze as he moves past you to get back to the kitchen.

You head to Nao’s room to get her bag as she excitedly follows you in.

Turning to her, you tilt your head towards her, “Did you turn the TV off?”  

“Yes! And I unplugged the wire.”

“Good girl.” You give her a genuine smile.

You don’t know what your future is going to look like with Yoongi’s wife in the picture. What if Nao doesn’t like her? What if she doesn’t like Nao?

Your heart drops at the thought of them having a kid. What if she pushes Yoongi to leave you and Nao?

No, he’d never. You’ve got to give him more credit than that.

Wait.

Is she pregnant? Is that why he wants to marry her?

You were pregnant too.

You already know you’re going to kick Taehyung’s ass for not warning you about this new woman in Yoongi’s life.

“MOMMY.” Nao’s scream brings you back.

“I’m sorry! Mama’s here. W-” - “Daddy’s calling.”

Okay. Deep breaths.

“Go on ahead, I’ll bring you your bag.” You then instruct her to brush her teeth at her dad’s.

Nao hugs your waist, burying her head into your side. It tickles a little.

Then, she runs off to find her father.

Soon, you follow her and drop her bag by the door.

Yoongi reappears from the kitchen, drying his hands with a paper towel. He stops in front of you and waits as Nao jams her feet into her pink Crocs.

Seemingly in deep thought, you stand by them. You don’t want to end tonight on a weird note. Even though you’re hurting, you can’t let him see it. For so long, you just assumed you’d find your way back to each other even though you never actively put effort into it.

Now, it seems downright outlandish.

Your next moves are not to save face but an attempt to actually move forward.

“Yoongi!” You call out to him as if he were miles away.

A little startled, he raises a brow at you in question.

“You should introduce them.” You nod, mostly to yourself.

At this, his expression changes. It’s softer and… almost aching.

“And congrats.” You added shyly. “You deserve to be happy.”

Your vision began to blur.

NOOOOOOOOOO. Not now. Please. PLEASE.

You gulp and smile. Yoongi knows the smile. He begins to extend his arms, inching towards you, as if he were about to embrace you.

“Mommy.” Nao winks, blows you a kiss, and runs out of the apartment, breaking whatever moment the two of you just had. You scrunch your brows at the now-empty doorway.

Yoongi scoffs in amazement.

“You should go,” you urge him out of the door, not allowing him to respond to you. “Now. Bye.”

Yoongi simply allows you to push him out, still a little stunned by the two of you.

“Make sure she does her math homework!” You get the last word in as you slam the door in his face.

Had your daughter not distracted you, you don’t know what you’d have done.

₊˚.🎧 ✩｡ underwater by red velvet ₊˚.🎧 ✩｡

note: these song recommendations go great w the story!! u should give it a listen :*

thank u for all the love and attention you've given to this little project 😍

[darkbluekies]

How would the yans react if their darling is already dating someone else

Warnings: killing, kidnapping

Silas: 

He hates to see you laugh and smile with someone who isn’t him. He knows he shouldn’t approach you. You’re so … pure, so normal … and he’s a beast lurking in the darkness. He knows that the second he approaches you, you’ll be sucked into his world and there won’t be a way out. But he cannot bare himself to watch you cling onto someone that isn’t him. Silas sighs. He could actually keep you safe if he really tried. If he doesn’t take you to be his, he will regret it for all eternity. He turns to his second in command. 

“See that person over there? The one leaning onto the one in gray? I want them. And I want the one in gray gone. Why? Personal reasons. Make sure that cute, little thing is in my basement by the end of the night, got it? Thank you.”

Dr Kry: 

His heart breaks when someone else tries to visit you at the hospital. It’s always the same person. He doesn’t dare to ask you about who it is, scared to hear the truth. Of course, he knows that it’s your significant other, but he doesn’t want to have it confirmed. A small part of him still hopes that it’s just a family member. Nonetheless, he has to get rid of them before you start to ask about them. Dr Kry pulls the threat into a supply closed, pressing a drenched cloth against the persons face. 

“Don’t take it personal, this is just for selfish reasons. It actually doesn’t have anything to do with you, just who you’re with. Y/N isn’t yours anymore and I’ve given you more than second chances to make you realize that … but here we are. Just go to sleep, breathe in. It’ll all be over soon.”

King Edmund:

He isn’t worried. He’s the king! Who can’t decline a king a favor? He doesn’t have to be worried about whoever has stolen your heart. Worst case scenario, he’ll rip you open and give you a new heart that only belongs to him. It can’t be so difficult, there are hundreds — if not thousands — of women who want him. If only you got to have one of their hearts …

“My good sir, I want to make a deal with you. You stay away from Y/N and I send you a portion of money every month to make sure you and your family can live comfortably. I know how hard you have it on your farm. All you need to do is to give me Y/N. Not hard, right? You’re winning. I’m taking her off your hands. You could never provide for her. If you refuse? How funny that you asked that … if you refuse, your entire bloodline will die.”

Jerry: 

Jerry hates being jealous, hates that someone can make her that insane. She hates the power you have over her, especially when you’re not doing anything. The person who leans on your shoulder makes her sick. She can’t watch any longer. She has to have you. Now. She storms over with her men behind her. They grab your partner, pulling them away and Jerry traps you in a corner. You trembling in front of her sends tingles down her body. She reaches out her hand, brushing your hair out of your face. 

“Don’t tremble, my love. You’re mine now. You’re with the wrong person. You might not understand it now, but I can assure you that you’re meant to be with me — be my little accessory. Don’t cry, I’m not going to hurt you for this. You had no idea. My pretty, little pet, you have no idea what kind of trouble you're pretty face has got you in …”

Hedwig:

She has been the best friend you could ever have. She has been by your side from the day you transferred … why didn’t you choose her to be your girlfriend? Hasn’t she been everything to you? Hedwig can feel a gaping hole in her heart when she sees you eating with someone else at lunch. She has to stay home. She can’t watch you be with someone else. All she does is cry in her bed. She doesn’t eat, doesn’t move, doesn’t bathe. A living zombie is what she’s become. One day, you come over to check up on her and she knows she has to take the chance.

“Y/N, you can’t do this to me! You have to break up with that … that bitch! P-Please! You have to be mine! I have to have you! I’m so lost without you! I can’t function without you! If … if you’re not going to leave them … I have to keep you here with me. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

[03jyh23]

— a dance with danger || song mingi

night deepens, there’s nowhere to go with my heart. i can’t pretend to be strong anymore. i can’t be in this space where you left me.

nonidol!mingi ex!mingi x afab!reader; exes to (?);

genre: angst, suggestive

trigger warnings: break-up; physical violence; blood and injury; relationship conflict; emotional distress; mature language; alcohol use; toxic jealousy;

words: 3.3k

written while listening to: one of those nights by key

reminder: what you're about to read is purely fiction, so let's keep it separate from reality.

minors do not interact

— hi there! the time has finally come for my first requested one-shot! to my lovely anon, thank you so much for being the first person ever to leave a request! i sincerely hope you will enjoy reading!

love, monika. ♡

It's been more than four months since you and Mingi broke up. You never exactly received an explanation for what caused him to end your relationship. You had told your friends that the breakup didn't affect you, but it was nothing more than a lie. You felt foolish that such a short relationship had affected you so deeply. The memory of Mingi leaving while you were starting to fall in love deep was a wound that still felt raw, despite the passing time. It was a brutal blow, one that shattered the fragile trust you had placed in him and left you questioning everything you thought you knew about love. 

You haven’t been dating for long before he decided to leave, maybe that’s why it left you utterly shocked. You had entered the relationship with the expectation that your love would blossom tenderly, gradually unfolding. Mingi was the kind of boy that teenage you had dreamed of, he possessed an effortless charm that drew you in from the moment you two met, his smile igniting a spark within you that you couldn't ignore. With his tousled hair and mischievous grin, he embodied the very essence of youth and adventure. He was everything you had ever wanted and more, a living, breathing embodiment of all your teenage dreams. 

In the early days of your relationship, you often found yourself lost in daydreams, imagining a future filled with shared laughter and stolen kisses. Mingi seemed to effortlessly fulfil all the fantasies you had as a lovesick teenager, his presence a constant source of joy and excitement.  

The memory of Mingi breaking up with you still haunts you, though his demeanour was devoid of emotion as if he just wanted to get it done with. 

"Please... say something," his voice was monotone, devoid of the passion or empathy you once knew, as he searched your eyes for a response. You stood there, stunned into silence by his cold detachment. How could you find the words to articulate the storm of emotions raging within you? How could he be so indifferent? As you opened your mouth to speak, the words caught in your throat, tangled in a mess of confusion and disbelief. What could you possibly say to someone who had already checked out, who had already made up their mind? At that moment, all you could do was meet his cold gaze with tear-filled eyes, silently begging him to take it all back, to tell you that it was just a cruel joke, a misunderstanding. The silence between you was heavy and suffocating, it became unbearable. As Mingi turned away, his expression unreadable, you knew that your chapter had come to a close. And though the silence he left you in was suffocating, it was also a relief, a release from the turmoil that had consumed you. 

You haven’t seen him since. 

It was a Saturday evening. You slipped into your favourite little black dress, taking extra care with your makeup. You were all dolled-up and ready to step out and begin living your life. Hitting a club occasionally with your best friend used to be your way of dealing with reality, but after the breakup, it took on a new significance.  

As you made your way to the club, the vibrant lights and pulsing music greeted you, offering a temporary escape from the weight of your emotions. Among the crowd, you found solace in the anonymity, allowing yourself to lose control and dance away your troubles for a while. Each beat of the music seemed to wash away a layer of pain, leaving you feeling lighter, freer. Tonight, you were determined to embrace the present moment and reclaim your sense of joy and independence. You had never been the type to hit on guys at the club; you simply wanted to have fun with your girls, sipping on colourful drinks and feeling pretty. But tonight was different. You craved the sensation of being wanted. 

As the pulsating lights illuminated the crowded club, you scanned the club eagerly, searching for someone to fill the void tonight. Unwilling to admit it but consumed by an undeniable desperation for closeness. Frustrated by the lack of intriguing prospects, you retreated to the familiar comfort of the bar, ordering your favorite drink. Downing it in one swift motion, along with a few shots of tequila for good measure, you felt a surge of determination coursing through your veins as you made your way back to the dancefloor. Once again you started to look around, hoping to spot somebody worth your attention when unexpectedly, you felt hands on your waist, gently turning you around. The boy before you weren't your usual type, but something about his touch ignited a spark within you. Without hesitation, you pulled him closer by his neck, ready to confront him. 

"Don’t waste your time on me" you said directly to his ear. He looked at you surprised; a smirk appeared on his face. 

"It’s not a waste of time when you are this pretty" you smiled in response, not expecting to hear such an endearing answer. Perhaps sparing him a moment wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. "Does this smile mean you’re down?" you nodded, arms linking around his neck, pulling him till the space between you was non-existent. His arms wrapped tightly around your waist. With each movement, you felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through your veins. There was something exhilarating about surrendering yourself to the music, about losing yourself in the arms of someone whose name you didn't even know. Song after song passed, and you couldn't shake off the blissful feeling that accompanied you as you danced with the boy. It had been a while since you had been touched like this, and your body responded instinctively to the proximity of the boy. It was getting harder for you to resist the temptation building in your stomach. The music pulsed around you, drowning out the voice of reason as you allowed yourself to get lost in the moment. You couldn't help but wonder what the rest of the night had in store for you, as your bodies grinded against each other. With each passing second, you yearned for him to draw even closer. You exchanged breathless smiles, as the music continued to pulse around you, the stranger leaned in, his voice barely audible over the din of the club.  

"Let me buy you a drink," he offered, a hint of warmth in his gaze. You hesitated for a moment, caught off guard, but then you nodded, a smile playing at the corners of your lips. "This might just get easier with a little more liquid courage," you thought to yourself, considering another drink to ease the tension. 

"I'd like that," you replied, your voice tinged with a mixture of excitement. You navigated your way through the crowded dance floor, your hands brushing against each other as you made your way to the bar. As you settled onto bar stools, the boy ordered your drinks, his eyes never leaving yours. There was something in his gaze, that left you yearning for more. And things took a turn as you leaned in for a kiss, a familiar face emerged from the dimly lit corner.  

Mingi. 

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as you two locked eyes. But as you glanced once again across the crowded club, your heart skipped a beat, and your breath caught in your throat. Everything unfolded so rapidly; Mingi came almost running to where you were sitting, and then he seized your companion by his collar, forcing him to stand up. The boy stood no chance, overshadowed by Mingi's towering presence. You sat on a bar stool, completely flabbergasted, your body refusing to budge. Mingi grabbed the poor boy hard, his legs started to dangle in the air. 

"Who the fuck are you?" Mingi gritted his teeth, his gaze not meeting yours again. Four months had passed since you last laid eyes on your ex-boyfriend, and in that time, you had begun to believe that he had vanished from the world altogether.  

"Why don't you just sit back and relax, man?"  And as your companion uttered those words, you knew it was a bad move. Mingi's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched tightly as he regarded your companion with a steely gaze. There was a dangerous edge to his demeanour, a simmering anger that threatened to boil over at any moment. You reached out, your hand trembling slightly as you placed it on your companion's arm, silently urging them to back down. 

"Mingi, let him go" you finally interrupted, but it was too late; the damage had already been done. Mingi's grip tightened, his knuckles white as he held onto your companion's collar, his gaze piercing and unyielding. The tension in the air was palpable, a silent standoff between Mingi and your companion, with you caught in the middle. 

"Are you fucking deaf? Who the fuck do you think you are, getting cozy with my girl?" Mingi's voice was low and menacing, his words laced with nothing but anger. Your heart pounded in your chest, torn between the shock of seeing Mingi again and the fear of what might happen next. You knew you had to defuse the situation before it escalated any further. 

"Mingi, please," you pleaded, your voice barely above a whisper. "Let him go. It's over between us. I don't want any trouble." For a moment, Mingi's gaze softened, a flicker of regret crossing his features. But then, as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, replaced once again by a steely resolve. 

"Fine," he spat, releasing your companion and taking a step back. But the relief didn't last long, as Mingi reached for your glass. "Let me teach you a fucking lesson, so you won’t ever touch somebody else's girl ever again." As Mingi's hand tightened around the glass, a sense of dread washed over you, a premonition of the chaos about to unfold. Mingi hurled the glass with a forceful motion, aiming it at your companion. Instinct kicked in, and without a second thought, you lunged forward, placing yourself between Mingi and the boy, shielding him from the oncoming projectile. The glass struck your face, cutting your brow bone, with a sharp impact, shattering upon contact and sending fragments scattering across the floor.  

“Y/N!” Mingi shouted, horrified by his action. Pain exploded through you, and an ache spread through your body. As you staggered backward, the club spinning around, you felt Mingi’s hands on you, catching you before you collapsed. A surge of adrenaline coursing through your veins. Mingi's actions had crossed a line, igniting a fire within you that burned with anger. 

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” you spat the words out, voice laced with anger and disbelief. As you locked eyes with Mingi, you could see the shock and realization dawning in his expression, a stark contrast to the anger that had consumed him moments before. With every ounce of strength you could muster, you pushed Mingi away. The boy you were supposed to spend the night with was nowhere to be found, and you couldn’t blame him, you also wished you could disappear from this mess. Mingi had crossed a line. You straightened your spine, refusing to let the pain and the anger consume you. You stood before him, blood trickling down your face.  

"Oh my god Y/N, is this blood? Is it yours?" Mingi's voice trembled with concern as he pulled you back into his arms, his touch surprisingly gentle as he rolled up his shirt and pressed it to your face to stop the bleeding. To say Mingi was shocked was an understatement; the disbelief in his eyes mirrored the turmoil swirling within you. You could feel the weight of his guilt and regret pressing down on you as he struggled to process the gravity of his actions.  

"No shit, Mingi," you gritted through clenched teeth, the pain pulsating through you like a relentless drumbeat. Despite the anger simmering just beneath the surface, you couldn't help but feel a flicker of gratitude towards him for his attempt to stem the bleeding.  

"Baby I am so sorry," your ex-boyfriend stuttered, tears falling down his face. Mingi's shirt absorbed the crimson stain of your blood. As you leaned into his embrace, a strange sense of resignation settled over you. "I never meant to hurt you, I’m so sorry," he was trembling "Let’s get you out of here" he murmured softly, his voice filled with a quiet determination. You didn’t have it in you to refuse him. Mingi navigated your way through the crowded club, his arm wrapped protectively around you.  

After you stepped out of the chaotic atmosphere of the club, a sense of calm enveloped you in the cool night air. Your ex-boyfriend led you away from the pulsating lights and thumping music, his arm still wrapped protectively around you. You walked in silence for a while, the weight of your history hanging heavy in the air between you. But despite the tension that lingered, there was also a palpable sense of relief in the space that had opened up between you. As you reached a quieter street, Mingi finally broke the silence, his voice tentative as he spoke.  

"I'm so sorry, Y/N," he began, his words tinged with regret. "I never meant to hurt you like that. I don't know what came over me." you listened in silence, the words hanging in the air between you like a delicate thread. It was clear that he was grappling with his own demons, struggling to make sense of the chaos that had unfolded.  

"Mingi, we are not together anymore," you whispered softly, unable to meet his gaze, fearing that another look into his brown eyes would melt your heart completely. "I haven't seen you in four months, and now you finally decided to show up?" you continued, your voice tinged with a mixture of frustration and longing. Despite your attempts to maintain a facade of indifference, there was an undeniable ache in your words, a yearning for the closure that had eluded you for so long. 

"I didn't know you were going to be here, Y/N," Mingi replied, his voice carrying a hint of remorse.  

"It doesn't change anything," you said firmly, mustering all the strength you had to maintain your composure. "I was finally having a good time, and you decided to ruin it? I'm not yours anymore, and that's only on you." Each word dripped with the bitterness of unresolved pain, a reminder of the wounds that still lingered beneath the surface. 

"Please don't say that you're not mine anymore," Mingi pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion. 

"But it's the truth, Mingi!" you countered, your own voice trembling with a mixture of sadness and frustration. "You gave up on us, remember?" you shouted, the floodgates of emotion finally breaking open. "And then you left me alone to deal with the heartbreak." Each word carried the weight of months of pain, a reminder of the scars that still haunted you. "I didn't even get the chance to tell you that I loved you," you sobbed, the weight of your confession hanging heavy in the air. "...I still fucking do," you added, your voice barely above a whisper, but carrying the weight of a thousand unspoken emotions. You hid your face in the palm of your hands. You groaned in pain as your hands touched your cut brow, the sharp sting serving as a painful reminder of the chaos that had unfolded moments before.  

"You love me?" Mingi's voice was tinged with disbelief, his eyes widening in shock at your confession. Even in his boldest dreams, he had never dared to imagine hearing those words from you. 

"I do," you sobbed, your voice muffled by your hands. "But it doesn't change anything." The weight of your words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the barriers that still stood between you, despite the depth of your feelings. 

"It changes everything," Mingi whispered, as you felt his hand touching your back gently, urging you to look at him. With a shaky breath, you lowered your hands, meeting his gaze with tear-filled eyes, bracing yourself for what would come next. 

"What do you mean?" you asked in disbelief. Mingi's gaze softened as he took a deep breath, his hand still resting gently on your back.  

"I mean," he began, his voice trembling slightly, "that I've been a fool. I let my fear get in the way of what's most important to me, and I pushed you away when all I wanted was to hold you closer." His words washed over you like a gentle wave, stirring something deep within your heart. Mingi's expression softened further as he met your gaze, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I need you to know that I never stopped having feelings for you. In fact, all of this happened because I started to fall in love with you." his words hung in the air between you, heavy with unspoken emotion. You felt your heart skip a beat, a surge of conflicting emotions welling up inside. "I was scared," he continued, his voice trembling slightly. "Scared of how much you meant to me, of how much power you had over my heart. I didn't know how to handle it, so I pushed you away." As he spoke, you could see the raw honesty in his eyes, the pain of his confession etched into the lines of his face. Despite the hurt he had caused, you couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him, a recognition of the struggles you both faced in navigating the complexities of love. And as Mingi reached out to take your hand, his touch gentle and reassuring, you felt a glimmer of hope stirring within you. "I love you, Y/N," he whispered, his voice filled with sincerity. "And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make things right again." Without a word, you reached up, gently cupping his face in your hands, your fingers tracing the contours of his jawline. At that moment, the world seemed to fall away, leaving only the two of you standing there in the quiet night. Finally, Mingi connected your lips, and you met in a tender, tentative kiss. As you pulled away, breath mingling in the cool night air, you knew that this was just the beginning of your journey back to each other. 

"You are a fucking idiot, Mingi" you giggled through your tears, your hand still resting on Mingi’s face. Despite the weight of the moment, a sense of lightness washed over you. Mingi intertwined your fingers, a smile never leaving his face. 

"But can I be your fool?" he asked, a boyish smile gracing his lips. In that moment, you felt a surge of affection welling up within you, softening the edges of your heart and filling you with a sense of warmth.   

"Yeah, I'd really like that," you replied, a genuine smile spreading across your face. Mingi pulled you in for another kiss, your hands linked behind his neck, his hands resting on your ass, igniting a fiery desire within you. The kiss quickly changed into a passionate, messy make-out session, both of you intoxicated by the intensity of your emotions. At that moment, you got lost in the heat, surrendered to the overwhelming rush of desire, knowing that you were exactly where you belonged, in Mingi's arms. As you started to lose your breath, you pulled back slightly, your lips brushing against Mingi's as you whispered, "Take me home."  

[beatificwrites]

—VALENTINE ##

pairing: joel miller x gn!reader

a/n: here’s a SUPER late valentine!! first joel fic!! i love tlou and pedro

WORD COUNT: 2.2K

CONTENT: established relationship!!

PREMISE: joel’s never rlly celebrated valentine’s day, especially since the outbreak, but after some convincing, he’s willing to make the day special just for reader

The advent of February meant that the famous romantic holiday was coming up and you were ecstatic. Pre-outbreak, you spent a few valentines by yourself and when you didn’t, none were up to your standards, unfortunately.

Not that you were expecting a dozen of bouquets along with a box of chocolate covered strawberries or any other form of love bombing. During those relationships, all you wanted was a simple day for you and your partner to relax and share meaningful gifts that you’d keep forever.

You had yet to find a person that could mean that much to you or provide that for you.

Post-outbreak, you didn’t have the time nor the energy to find such a thing. You moved around with a few groups and made friends, but that was it.

Until you moved to Jackson last year and met Joel.

Joel gave you a reason to push forward and to keep fighting against the end of the world.

You two found it difficult to warm up to each other at first, but within a few runs, things changed drastically.

Beyond the grump exterior, you discovered a man that was actually caring and protective. He could be hilarious at times with the puns he shared, which, you later found out were all stolen from Ellie.

Your relationship quickly moved from run buddies to two people who couldn’t keep away from each other.

Ellie caught on and she would constantly poke fun at you both; saying you two should basically just do it already.

Joel would look away awkwardly and tell her to shut it, meanwhile you would laugh and scold her for being so crass.

Now, almost a year of being together, you were so ready to spend this special day with him. Even if he thought the idea was silly.

“Honey, I appreciate you everyday. All my days with you are special.” Joel reasoned as he took his boots off by the front door.

He had just come back from talking to Tommy and Maria about something and you were on the couch reading a book you had picked up on your last run.

“Well, that doesn’t mean Valentine’s gets a free pass.” you said back, looking up from your book.

You have been trying to convince him for the past two days.

“Who even celebrates that anymore?” he asked with his brows furrowed.

He made his way over to you and gave your head a kiss before sitting down across from you. Your legs were stretched out before, so he placed them both on his lap.

You scoffed and spoke with a matter-of-factly tone, “Um, hello, couples still do! And didn’t you hear the council’s getting together to decorate the town?”

All he gave you was a “really?” kind of look.

You proceeded with, “even if it’s not that big of a deal anymore, we could still celebrate us, you know?”

“I would think about it, but Tommy and I got a run tomorrow.” he gave a long sigh.

You tossed your book aside and scoffed again, “you’re kidding! For what?”

“The community’s low on medicine.” he quickly said.

“They can’t send anybody else? I don’t know, somebody who isn’t as old and tired as you to go?” you questioned, genuinely concerned.

“Excuse me?” he squinted, not liking you bringing up the fact that he’s old.

“Oh my gosh, you know I’m right. Plus, you and I both know you need a damn break! They can’t just take advantage of you.”

“I’m Maria’s in-law, I should help out a bit.” he stated.

“By a bit, do you mean a whole lot?” you fired back.

“I can take care of myself.” he affirmed as he raised his tone.

“Then, you would know that you should stay home!” you suddenly yelled.

He moved to get up and though a little upset, he gently pushed your legs off.

“I’m leaving at dawn and goin’ on that run, end of discussion.” he asserted before disappearing upstairs.

It was your turn to let out a long sigh. He’s so stubborn.

You knew he didn’t like admitting he was getting there, partially because it most certainly meant that he couldn’t do as much as before.

You found it amusing, to be honest. Sure, the pandemic allowed him to stay fit through the ages, but it was catching up to him. You worry.

You figured it would be best to leave him be for bit, until he was ready to rethink about leaving tomorrow.

You sat up and began to think of what to get him. Joel might not want to do anything, but that wasn’t going stop you from getting him a little something. Just a small token of your appreciation.

You picked up your book and continued to read until you felt so tired that you couldn’t process the words on the pages anymore.

You sluggishly went up the stairs and saw his figure knocked out on your shared bed.

“Stinky.” you teased, groggily as you realized he didn’t even wash up.

You did though, before heading to bed and falling asleep right next to him.

───────── ☆

You woke up as you heard the rooster sing. Your eyes were still shut as you patted the bed next to you to check for Joel. Not there, hmph.

Your eyes fluttered as they adjusted to the bright, morning sun. You stretched out and yawned before hopping out of bed and starting the day.

After brushing your teeth, you made your way downstairs and saw the yellow note Joel left on the coffee table.

‘be home before nightfall’ it read.

You tossed the note aside and got started on breakfast. Ellie always stopped by for a bite.

As you took out the necessary ingredients, you came up with a great idea. You’d stop by the wood shop later and ask Rose, the owner, if she could carve your initials onto a piece. Maybe try to make it heart shaped.

If you could find a piece of paper to write on, you would write him a cute love letter too. Yeah, you’ll do that.

Ellie barged in with a loud, “MORNING!”

You grinned, “good morning to you too, Ellie.”

“Where’s Joel?” she asked as she took a seat at the dining table.

“He’s out on duty with Tommy. He left early this morning.” you replied, turning the stove on.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” was all you said.

There was a pause before Ellie spoke, “Maria said they found a few romance movies they’d be playing in the theater tonight. Cat invited me, do you wanna come too?”

You stirred the egg yolk around a bit before saying, “No, I think I’ll just wait for Joel, if that’s alright with you.”

“Sure, whatever. Lovebirds.” she muttered under her breath.

“I can hear you just fine, you know...” you laughed as you reminded her.

“Yeah, yeah, just make my eggs!” she laughed back.

You shook your head and went back to your eggs. They cooked quick and you took out two plates.

You served her first then you. You almost sat down before taking out the fresh squeezed orange juice for you both.

“Cheers.” you two said as your glasses clinked together.

Ellie chowed down on her food as always and thanked you for yet another awesome meal before heading for the door.

You, of course, took your time to eat.

“Bye, kiddo!” you shouted from the table.

She was half way out door when she yelled back, “Later, skater!”

After finishing breakfast, you hurriedly got dressed and left for the wood shop.

You stepped outside and the breeze of the freezing air immediately hit your face. You wore your own puffer jacket and scarf, but you could still feel the coldness run up your arms. Winter in Wyoming was insane and long.

Again, in a hurried manner, you made your way to your dream destination. On your way, you smiled as you greeted the people walking by. You didn't think you'd ever get used to the abundance of people, living people, and the overall amount of life in such a big space.

How you even got here still shocked you.

You chuckled to yourself seeing the heart decor being put up. It would've made more sense to hang them up earlier in the week, but you guess it's staying for the remainder of the month.

You opened the door of the wood shop, and the bell rang as you did so. Thank, goodness there was a fireplace. You felt warmer already.

You looked around but didn't see Rose anywhere in sight. You guess she's off and her eldest son is in charge for the moment.

"Morning, Luke!" you greeted, nicely as always.

"Morning! What can I do for ya?" he greeted back, as always.

"Is there any way you could carve out a heart shaped piece of wood. Not a huge piece, but maybe about this big." you asked as you demonstrated with your hands.

"Ah, for you and good ol' Joel, I see." he smirked.

You rolled your eyes and nodded your head yes.

"I want our initials carved on the front and a few words burnt on the back."

Luke grabbed his notepad and had you write exactly what you wanted.

"You got one very special Valentine's gift comin' right up! Come back around 12." he assured you.

"Alright, thanks, Luke." you thanked him as you waved goodbye and exited the shop. Ah, back to cold.

You spent the rest of your day at your friends' houses, chatting about whatever nonsense. You picked up Joel's gift a little after noon and then went to the pub, to catch up with Maria on town gossip.

You noticed the sun was starting to set so you bid your farewells to her and Seth before leaving.

You had stolen paper from Ellie's room and were able to make that letter before reaching home and to your surprise, Joel was on the couch waiting for you.

You started taking your boots and cold wear off as you looked at him the entire time.

"Was expecting you to be home a bit later." you told him as you made your way to him.

"I said I would be back before nightfall." he simply said.

"Well, you usually come back when the moon's out." you said, plopping down next to him and giving his cheek a quick peck.

"Well, I stayed true to my note this time, I guess." he said as he gave you a soft smile.

You leaned your head to rest it on his broad shoulder. He moved in closer and caressed the side of your face with his thumb.

"Darlin', I wanna apologize for last night. That was stupid. You were just worried about me, that's all and I brushed you off." He confessed, trying to look you in the eye.

"It's fine, love. You're stubborn, per usual." you joked, but also meant it.

"To tell you the truth, I was really scared." he admitted.

You instantly moved your head to look at him. Worried something might have come up.

"Of what?"

"Honestly, the community was never low on supplies. I needed that excuse, so you'd let me go on the urgent trip Tommy and I been plannin'." he revealed as he turned to fully look at you.

You were a bit confused at first, not understanding why a trip would be so "urgent". Your face swiftly changed to absolute shock after Joel pulled out a beautiful, silver necklace with a locket and bracelet to match.

Your heart swelled right then and there. You couldn't believe it. All this time he spent telling you the holiday didn't matter anymore and here he was.

“Baby, you’re kidding!” you cried as you immediately went for a kiss.

All he could do was smile against your lips. He’s glad he could make you happy.

You wrapped your arms around him, wanting for him to know how much you appreciated him and how thoughtful he was.

“Here, let me put them on for ya. Aw, don’t tell me you’re crying?” he teased and you shook your head as you wiped a tear or two.

“I got you a gift thinking you wouldn’t do anything! And you get me this! Of course I’m crying.” you defended as you put out your arm so he could place the jewelry around your wrist.

You turned around and he put the necklace on for you as well.

“How long did it take to find these?” you asked, wanting full details on heartwarming trip your boyfriend took.

“A couple of hours. Tommy knew where to find the rundown store; that’s where he found his ring for Maria.” he told you.

“I borrowed some other things from the town too.” he continued, sheepishly.

You turned back around to face him once he was done and said, “Oh my goodness, like what?”

“I got a few discs from Maverick and Maria gave me a copy of ‘Dirty Dancing’ since I told her you like it so much.”

All you could do was pout at how cute he was. No way he got all that.

“You can’t be serious, hun.” you said as you laid against him.

He put his hand on your hip before saying, “even in this world, there ain’t a thing I wouldn’t do for you.”

You snuggled in closer after he said so, and he gave your head a kiss.

“Let’s go slowdance to Otis Redding and watch your movie.” he told you as he signaled for you to get up.

You giggled at him calling it “your” movie. You took out the wood-piece that was still in your coat and the letter.

You handed him the wood first, and watched as he admired it slowly. You knew he wasn’t one to show much emotion, but you could see it in his eyes.

He read your initials in the front and your sweet message on the back.

“Thank you, darlin’. I’m gonna hang this near our door.” He thanked you with that soft smile once again.

He was about to open the letter, but you stopped him.

“Read it later, I want our time together now.”

And with that, you two spent the night upstairs. First, slow dancing as promised to the ‘These Arms of Mine’ record that Joel borrowed and then movie time with him trying his best not to fall asleep for your sake.

He did read your letter later on and one moment led to another since you two could not keep off each other.

You were in his arms the entire night, just what you wanted. No person or personal issues to distract you from each other’s company.

He was indeed the perfect valentine.

[morningstargirl666]

WIP WEDNESDAY

This is your daily reminder that there should be more Bonnie & Caroline friendship in fics, thank you for coming to my ted talk.

“God, I’m so excited for Tyler to finally be able to come home.”

“He won’t have to take orders from Klaus when he’s dead, that’s for sure,” Bonnie muttered. She glanced up when Caroline remained quiet, frowning slightly. “Elena mentioned he invited you to the ball? Why would Klaus do that?”

Caroline scowled up at the ceiling, annoyed by the direction the conversation had taken. “I have no idea.”

Bonnie stopped looking through the grimoire. “Well, what did he want last night?”

“I don’t know.” Caroline shrugged, a little lost, throwing a hand up. “He asked me to dance, we talked, he showed me his artwork-”

“Artwork?” Bonnie echoed.

Caroline frowned slightly, worrying her lip.

“Yeah, he’s an artist, I guess,” she tried to shrug off, like it wasn’t a big deal. Even serial killers had hobbies, right? She didn’t mention the drawing he’d done of her - nope, not happening. She scoffed, shaking her head. “I’m pretty sure interpol has half his art collection listed as stolen or missing - like the feds would have a field day if they raided that place.”

“So he asked you to dance, spent time with you, showed you his personal art collection…” Her best friend paused, slowly closing the grimoire, eyeing Caroline critically. “...like a date?”

Caroline shot up into a sitting position, glaring at Bonnie. 

“It was NOT a date,” she hissed, slicing her hands through the air, as if to ward the accusation off. “There was no ‘dating’ of any kind.”

Bonnie’s eyes widened a fraction and she deliberately turned her gaze back to the grimoire. 

“Sounds like a date to me,” she muttered under her breath, opening the book back up.

Caroline tried to push the memory of Klaus admitting he fancied her out of her head, something fluttering in her stomach. 

“He was just cozying up to me to get to Elena,” she tried to excuse. Her eyes shot to Bonnie, pleading with her to agree. “Right?”

Bonnie sighed, regarding her sadly. “Is it really that impossible to consider that a guy may actually like you?”

“Bonnie,” Caroline carefully enunciated, “It’s Klaus.”

Her friend rolled her eyes, closing the grimoire again and throwing it to the side. “Yeah, obviously I’m not saying you should date him, Caroline. I’m just saying you’re,” she shrugged, gesturing to all of her, “you know, a catch. Any guy would be lucky to have you.” 

Bonnie leaned forward, grasping Caroline’s hands in hers as she smiled softly. Touched, Caroline couldn’t help but smile back.

“Hell,” Bonnie continued, “Tyler doesn’t even deserve you after he left you for dead in the woods and then ghosted you.”

“He’s trying to break the sire bond for me, Bonnie,” Caroline pointed out, her glare half-hearted. Secretly, her friend’s fierce protectiveness warmed her heart.

“Even so,” Bonnie conceded, letting go of Caroline’s hands, “it was a dick move, one he made on your birthday of all days. You don’t have to excuse him all the time.”

Caroline sighed - Bonnie was right. She let her head fall into her hands, running her fingers anxiously through her hair. Biting her lip, she looked back up at Bonnie.

“And if Klaus does actually…like me?” she asked quietly.

Sheepishly, Bonnie smiled, the expression halfway to a wince. “Start growing wolfsbane in the garden?”

“Would that even work on a hybrid?”

“He’s part werewolf, right?” Bonnie shrugged, picking up her grimoire again. A wicked smile curled around the corners of her face. “You’d assume so.”

Caroline shook her head, grinning too as she pulled out her phone. “Guess I need to google where I can get wolfsbane from, then,” she said, like it was a great chore.

“Check Petco, maybe you’ll find the dog version of catnip.”

Unable to keep straight faces, they giggled, both of them doubling over laughing.

[interstellarlyinlove]

Time Travel (May 15th)

word count: 733

@wolfstarmicrofic

Remus is in Hogwarts, but not his Hogwarts. He doesn’t think so, at least.

Remus really shouldn’t have stolen Regulus’ time-turner. He really should stop fucking around to find out because that is what gets him in bizarre situations like this. 

Remus is standing in a DADA classroom staring at himself. An older version of himself. Older Remus looks like this is just something that happens. 16-year-old Remus is freaking out. 

“You really should dye your hair,” Remus says bluntly. The salt-and-pepper look really isn’t working out for him. Though, to be fair, older him looks a lot more comfortable than Remus generally is at any given moment. 

Older Remus laughs loud and deep. “Sure thing.”

“I really don’t know how I got here,” Remus says. “I’m a little���”

“Freaked?” Older Remus asks. Remus notices that older him isn’t fidgeting and he stops fidgeting as well. “I know.”

“How can you know?”

“I was freaked, too,” Older Remus says, smiling. He leans against the teacher’s desk. Remus scowls because he doesn’t lean. Remus notices a wedding band on his finger and he pretends he doesn’t notice it because that’s more than he wants to deal with at the moment.

“You remember traveling to the future to meet– oh, this is all kind of brain-numbing, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can follow.”

“Neither could I. Sirius helped me figure it out. It was quite a while ago, we needed a lot of drawn diagrams and colored ink. It hasn’t crossed my mind in so long, not until, well–” he smiles. “Until now.”

Remus’ heart aches when he hears Sirius’ name. That somehow seems like it should be the least consequential thing older him says but it’s the most important. Especially since he hasn’t really spoken to Sirius in five months, give or take, and has decided to take up hobbies like screwing with time-turners to not deal with the fact that Sirius had it in him to be so cruel. “Me and Sirius– I mean, er, you and Sirius, talk? After what happened with Snape?”

Older Remus’ eyes soften. “Of course. Sirius is the most important person in my life.”

Sirius is the most important person in Remus’ life. Or was. Or is. Or is going to be again, apparently. This is all terribly confusing. “Sirius and I–”

“Aren’t talking at the moment?” Older Remus guesses. Or he remembers, Remus corrects. He’s already gone through what Remus is currently going through. What a reassuring thought. “That was horrible. I’m sorry you’re experiencing it in real-time.”

“It fucking sucks,” Remus says, then he cringes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to–”

Older him shakes his head. “It’s okay. Don’t apologize to me.”

“I’m glad it doesn’t last forever,” Remus says, and he means it. What Sirius did was cruel and unkind but– “I miss him. I would’ve hated to have lost my friend forever.”

“Did you think Sirius and I– Sirius and you, sorry, would never figure it out?”

Remus shakes his head. “Of course not. It’s Sirius. I wouldn’t let it not work out, even if what he did is horrible.”

Older Remus nods. “It was horrible. Everything feels like the end of the world when you're sixteen, doesn’t it?”

Remus couldn’t really argue with that. “How does it work out? Between Sirius and me–you, I mean."

Older Remus grins. “I know you’re smart enough to know I can’t tell you that.”

Remus himself grins. “I guess. This is all rather cool, actually. I’m glad to know my acne clears out. How come you don’t have any more scars?”

“I’m afraid I can't really– what I can say, Remus, is that–” and Remus doesn’t know what he wanted to tell himself because as suddenly as he appeared in that classroom, he reappears near the Black Lake, the time-turner clutched in his hand. 

He wasn’t anywhere near the Black Lake before, he was in the Astronomy Tower. Why would he be–

“Oh, fuck me. Where did you materialize from?”

Remus jumps.

“I’m sorry. I’ll just–”

“Sirius,” Remus calls out, and it’s the first time they’ve spoken in so long and Remus knows it works out. “Sirius. I have so much to tell you.”

Sirius looks awestruck. Remus, despite everything in the universe, grins. He knows that it works out! He smiles, his heart lighter than it has been in so long, and starts talking. 

[heartshapedcreaturefromcriptoon]

I can't believe there is a "Cursed Cat Alastor Controversy" and that once again I had to have the evil lepreconartist who lords over the fandom making his gold off of Medrano's despair explain to me in order to understand what the fuck is going in on the fandom, yet again ... But I kind of hate you all so here's my hot take...

It's actual petty bullshit.

It's the equivalent of a fanartist calling out an AMV maker for "art theft" and demanding that a video they worked hard on be taken down because they used a piece of fanart for a character in an AMV tribute to the character that both the fanartist and the AMV maker (who is already an artist in their own right) already do not actually fucking own. Like, regardless if the AMV maker gives the fanartist credit. Instead of being honored by it, when they should know better that neither of them ever actually even own the shit to begin with, yet they still demand "credit" for fanwork.

I once saw a popular Asian artist in the svtfoe fandom demanding a boycott of the popular fan run merch store TheMysteryShack just as the beautiful fan made artbook Tales of Rebel Princess was about to launch exclusively through there because she alleged that the shop owner had stolen one of her friends fanart designs on a goddamn fucking Steven Universe tarot card pack of all things but I still really liked her Star fanart, so when I tried to respectfully explain to her that I wouldn't be boycotting the shop because of Tales of Rebel Princes launching and how I thought it was personally in very poor taste to not just contact the shop owner privately about the matter and instead making a big stink in public about boycotting his shop when she knew that one of her other artist friends that we knew she had also collaborated with in the past was just about to debut another big collaborative art tribute book dedicated to Daron and Star vs. there through this guys shop! And essentially it would be sad to see her knowingly taking business away from her other friend like that and demanding others in her following do the same and over something as small as a deck of Steven Universe cards, especially in understanding how little love svtfoe gets, since she was also a well known svtfoe fanartist ... All I got in response was "Well I'm happy for my friend but I'm Korean and you're just a Filthy American who couldn't possibly understand how disrespectful something like this is in my culture and blah blah blah if you instant on further harassing me about this I'll block you!"

And I was basically like "suit yourself being fake and having a stick up your butt honey I'm still getting my Star vs. artbook!"

And then she blocked me.

Good riddance. As if Miss Heinous would honestly ever head bang to Ruberiot...

But I guess what I'm trying to get here is that like...Oh, I'm sorry? You wanna make fanart for western cartoons? You gotta play by western rules then. Like it's late night here and I'm sorry if that sounds harsh. But it's true.

If Aurelio Voltaire honestly deserves to have a deal be cut in my opinion so he can finally officially own his share of the "Vampair" series after Daria Cohen stole his voice to make it (half dry humor, half serious here, to be quite frank about this) then coma0423 deserves to cut a deal so that Amir Talai can have a bit of financial comprehension and his percentage of whatever kind of (I'm guessing financial) ~"credit'~ that Coma is now demanding from other fanartists who make Cursed Cat Alastor fan merch since Talai , after all, did design the original concept sketch that would become Cursed Cat Alastor that Coma saw and then decided to just runaway with when they made the meme ...

Listen to me... Fanart belongs to everyone and no one by nature of it being made by fans and no one can truly own a "fan concept" expect for the true creator of the thing that it's based on. Unless that thing is already in the public domain. And if it is it becomes Schrodinger's Cheshire Cat.

Schrodinger's Cursed Cat Alastor belongs to everyone and no one, babe. He belongs to The Hazbin Hotel Fandom and The Hazbin Hotel. If he actually becomes canon in the show somehow, then he'll belong to Amir and Viv, actually, maybe Coma will get proper credit then, but the concept won't even really be theirs anymore, just as it even isn't really officially theirs now, even if they officially do get hired.

First you're telling me that I'm not allowed to fuck the radio demon ... Now you're telling me that I'm apparently not even allowed to kiss a cute wittle kitty cat plushie of him between the space on his head between his ears if said plush wasn't crafted by or sold explicitly by the fanartist who again, stole the concept sketch of him from Amir Talai in the first place?

No. This is nonsense.

Stop making all these petty dramas off someone else's work that only feed the evil leprechaun more gold off of someone else's work or start making you're own original work from your own original concept that you can actually claim your own copyright to I'm exhausted.

Ever hear the phrase once something leaves your brain it belongs to everyone, not just you anymore?

This goes triple for anyone making fanart of someone else's work and that's a fact. Especially if it's only ever an extremely memed up version of an already canonically existing character that you were only so lucky went viral.

Stop the bullying. No one fanwork is that special. Just do your best to honor the source material and be flattered by other fanartists imitations of your fanartist imitation... It's the circle of cursed kitties and it feeds us all. *smacks paw down*

[captainswanapproved]

Unpopular Opinion About That Scene in the context of Daemon's arc and Daemon x Rhaenyra's relationship - It Doesn't Matter

This will not win me any support, but here is my take on the confrontation scene.

Stans and Antis alike are all overreacting. I don't expect any different from the antis, but my friends and fellow stans of Daemon and Rhaenyra, the scene actually not a big deal.

In fact, in the greater context of the show, the "choking" doesn't matter at all.

Now, before all of you jump down my throat, your dislike of the scene is absolutely justified.

When we consume media, we bring our own personal experience into the consumption. If you felt triggered or uncomfortable by the scene, that is absolutely valid. If you want to forget it ever happened, that is valid. If you want to rave against the show runners because they included it, that is absolutely valid.

But I am going to try to analyze it objectively

Every one of Daemon's actions was, in my eyes, perfectly in character. From the moment Rhaenys arrived and announced Viserys' death, you could see the pain and devastation on his face.

He is certain, mistakenly so, that the Greens killed Viserys themselves. That is is BROTHER. The only person aside from Rhaenyra and his children that he loves. He believes his enemies have killed the king and stolen the Iron Throne.

He accuses Rhaenys of inaction, and he feels betrayed by his kin. Yet, he follows Rhaenyra's lead and does not accuse the Velaryons of treason.

Then Rhaenyra goes into labor.

Everyone knows that this will not end well. There is nothing Daemon can do about the outcome of the birth. What he can do is shore up their defenses and make plans so his wife and his Queen will be prepared to strike against their enemies when the time comes.

Also, he is in incredible pain himself, traumatized by Laena's disastrous birth, and probably his mother's too. And he is a man of action. He cannot just sit at his wife's side as the enemies are closing in. It is not in his nature. He HAS to act.

Yes, he sort of dismisses Jace coming to the Black Council with orders not to act. But he does not explicitly go against Rhaenyra's command. Instead, he does what he can do without flying with Caraxes to get the crucial support in the Riverlands.

He makes certain that the knights swear their allegiance to the Queen and her son. He shows Jace the true meaning of loyalty.

At Visenya's funeral & the coronation, his only focus is Rhaenyra. He is by her side at every moment. He is her strength. He places the crown on her head, kneels before her and calls her his queen.

Then we come to the bridge. He awaits Rhaenyra's arrival. He does not take matters into his own hands. and strike against Otto, even though he is sure that Otto murdered his brother and knows that the Hightowers stole his wife's throne.

When he snaps and wants to have the pleasure of killing Otto himself, Rhaenyra orders him to stop, and he does! He puts aside his own anger and lust for vengeance and puts down his sword. She is his queen and he obeys her.

Then we are in the council again. Daemon's wish for war and Rhaenyra's wish for peace is the main conflict between Daemon and Rhaenyra this episode.

He is frustrated with what he views as her vain hope for peace. Rhaenyra send everyone out of the council chamber.

Daemon is understandably angry.

But the thing of it is: Rhaenyra curbs his worst impulses, and I would argue that she always has. She expresses her reasons for wanting to hold the realm together.

He sees this as weakness, but as the viewer, we are made to understand that it is a different kind of strength.

I have seen Daemon be called an abuser, a wife beater, a monster and more. None of these are accurate.

He is at his breaking point and he grabs Rhaenyra, but it is not to hurt her. It is to make her come to her senses.

If he wanted to hurt her, he would have grabbed her with both hands, crushed her windpipe, and incapacitated her. He has the strength to do it, but he doesn't. He says that is brother is weak and foolish to believe in dreams. Also he is realizing that his brother never saw him as a true heir.

For a man who has been chasing his brother's approval his whole life, that is absolutely devastating!

Then he lets go, because Rhaenyra is not fighting back, she is not coming to her senses as she wishes he would.

And now, we come to why the choking doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter because of Rhaenyra's reaction. She is not disgusted with him. She is not truly hurt. She smirks and mocks him.

He walks away.

Now to the aftermath, further establishing that this does single action does not matter in the context of Daemon and Rhaenyra's relationship.

Corlys asks where Daemon is.

Rhaenyra has not told anyone, because she doesn't view it as an act of violence or treason against her. If she wanted to, she could have had him locked away or killed for laying hands on her. But she has already forgiven him.

She knows that he is occupied with going to awaken Vermithor. Because of course she does. I am sure someone told her. She's the Queen, and she knows what each of her councillors are doing.

Daemon still is not moving against Rhaenyra's orders. He is shoring up their forces because he knows this will come to war in the end. He knows that something will happen to force Rhaenyra to give up her hope for peace.

Now we reach the end. Daemon goes to Rhaenyra and tells her of Luke's death. He comforts her and she accepts his comfort.

They were divided, and they will surely disagree again. But Luke's death forces Rhaenyra to realize that peace is impossible. The Greens killed her son.

She said she didn't want to deal the first strike of this war.

Aemond dealt the first blow by killing her son who went to Storm's End as a messenger.

We see the fire in her eyes.

Now I will address the Inside the episode.

No one addresses the choking because IT DOESN"T MATTER. It won't be addressed. It has no bearing on Daemon and Rhaenyra's relationship going forward.

What matters is the clash between Daemon's wish for war and revenge and Rhaenyra's hopes to hold the Realm together because of the Song of Ice and Fire and because of her wish to not rule a kingdom of ash and bone.

But in Season 2, that dream of peace will be gone. Rhaenyra and Daemon will be on the same page again.

I still think Rhaenyra will be the one to restrain Daemon from his worst impulses. And even if he doesn't exactly follow her orders, he won't explicitly disobey them. Above all, he is loyal to Rhaenyra, even during the worst moments of his life.

Do I wish they had included more of Daemon's scenes? Of course I do. Matt is phenomenal.

Do I like that he took Rhaenyra's throat? No. But I understand it. And objectively speaking it is in character.

This is not being treated as abuse or violence against Rhaenyra in the context of the show.

And I honestly think the show runners and Matt and Emma will not address it. Because in the context of the greater story, IT DOESN'T MATTER.

You can argue all you want that it was rushed and OOC. In media, there is no one correct interpretation. Was it the best writing choice? No.

Do I hate Daemon and believe he is the worst character in the show and that Daemon and Rhaenyra stopped loving each other? Absolutely not.

Do I think many of the stans are overreacting? Yes. But you are entitled to your feelings and opinions.

What I'm saying is that that I believe it will not be addressed in the show moving forward, and because of that, it doesn't really matter.

If you disagree with me, that's fine, but like all of you, I am entitled to my opinions and interpretations.

Daemon and Rhaenyra still have the strongest relationship of the show. And I am excited to see them burn together and commit war crimes in Season 2.

[wolfsbanesparks]

I'm curious and making a seperate post about the forgotten and older Captain Marvel characters from the past comics, but what are your thoughts on them? A bunch of them aren't even used anymore, but have so much potential to them if they're ever brought back.

Like Joane Jameson, apparently she was Billy and Captain Marvel's secretary at Whiz Radio, who knew of both of his identities and helped them. I really like this idea and think it would really be useful for a Billy Batson that's a street kid and constantly wary of adults who might want to turn him back in to the foster system, she provides a safe example for Billy to look up to and actually trust. Not just that, but she could also provide assistance for Billy/Captain Marvel on missions, things he may lack insight on or informing him of villainous attacks/incidents.

Are there any characters you wish to see be brought back to the present day comics or see them be included in fanfictions more? I also really like the idea of Dr. Sivana's children be brought back into the action more, especially Beautia, since she's actually a good person (from what I remember) and on good terms with the Captain

So it's taken me literally forever to answer this because every time I do I go down a mini research rabbit hole about older/unused characters because there are SO many that I would like to see more of.

My thoughts under the cut because it got long.

This isn't even everyone, but it's a lot of cool underutilized characters I'd love to see brought back.

Because of the number of characters, I'm splitting them into categories for ease of reading:

Civilians

Cissie Sommerly: Billy's girlfriend and the niece of his boss Sterling Morris (who also needs to used more tbh) She is a sweetheart who loves her little brother (Pete) and is very kind hearted. She didn’t get much development in the older comics, but she often had to deal with Billy and Cap’s shenanigans. I would love to see more of her!

The Sivana kids Beautia, Georgia, Thad Jr, and Magnificus: we recently got an adult Georgia in the New Champion of Shazam but I want to see the whole family together! And exploring their family dynamics with only half of them being supervillains would be so fun! They love each other but it's complicated. Georgia and Thad jr were basically parallels to Mary and Captain Marvel Jr and that was a fun balance. Meanwhile Beautia and Magnificus weren't really interested in their father's evil scheme though they gkt roped into them sometimes. And of course Beautia's crush on Captain Marvel causes problems but she's still awesome and even tutors Billy for school.

Sunny Sparkle: basically he was so universally beloved by everyone who met him that they just gave him things. Bank robbers would just hand him their stolen cash. Car jackers would give him the keys. He was gifted so much stuff every day that Billy had to help him donate and sell stuff regularly. In modern comics, I think it'd be cool if he was unknowingly a metahuman whose power was being hypnotically charming.

Freckles Marvel: she was Uncle Dudley's niece and despite not having powers, liked to tag along on adventures especially with Mary. She's a lot like Darla with her upbeat little sister energy. I can see them being friends in modern comics (or maybe even related since they both have the last name Dudley)

Dexter Knox: a child prodigy and inventor who was good friends with Billy. He's basically the smartest person in Fawcett and he loves showcasing his inventions to Billy.

Villains

Arson Fiend: an insurance salesman that uses extortion and threats of arson to meet his sales quota. He drinks a potion that gives him fire powers which he uses to commit arson against people who didn’t buy insurance from him. We've talked a bit about his connection to other Captain Marvel villains like Lady Blaze who healed him and gave him his powers back when he lost them. He's such a simply evil character that works really well for comics.

Chain Lightning: a teenager with multiple personalities and the power to control lightning. She has 4 personalities: Amy (the "main" alter), Amber (the more angry/volatile alter who protects the system), the Inner Child (no name besides that but encapsulates their child like wonder), and ID (the embodiment of their id, thus more impulsive than the others). She actually absorbs some of the Marvel’s magic lightning which allows her alters to temporarily have their own bodies. Amy is in love with Captain Marvel Jr because he saved her life, but the other alters are more wary of him, especially Amber. While any adaptation of Chain Lightning needs to be conscious of the ableism that happens when depicting a system, I think there's a lot of great potential with this character.

Sabina: she is technically from the Trials of Shazam not Fawcett comics, but I think she's cool. Basically she was raised by a cult called the Council of Merlin. She was destined to be 10th in line to receive the powers of Shazam so she starts killing those ahead of her in the order to ensure that once Billy was mo longer the Champion the powers would go to her. But when Billy was transitioning to become the Wizard he chose Freddy as his Champion, bypassing Sabina and the predestined order of things. So Sabina decides to kill Freddy AND the gods he was going to get his powers from. She's so evil and cool and I really like her design. I definitely think there's a way to bring her back.

Fawcett Heroes: there are a ton of fun characters that weren’t necessarily Captain Marvel characters but were part of the same world before he was a DC property.

Bulletman and Bulletgirl: literally Billy’s favorite superheros! He reads their comics and everything! They were very popular at the time, Whiz comics second most popular characters behind the Marvels. They are a husband and wife duo that gave themselves superpowers (strength, durability etc) which they use to fight crime, particularly supernatural villains.

Mr Scarlet and Pinky: Brian and Pinky Butler are a father-son vigilante duo. They were so good at their jobs that Brian barely had any work as a district attorney because of such low crime rates. They were basically a working class version of Batman and Robin. They're good friends with the Marvel family and when Mary got her first solo series, part of the advertising was having Pinky send her pen pal letters inviting her to have new adventures with him and the other Fawcett characters.

Ibis the Invincible: an Egyptian prince whose mummy was uncovered and brought back to life (by Shazam). He uses the Ibistick, an extremely powerful magical wand, to help people as he adjusts to modern life. He can do just about anything as long as he has his wand and often gets thrown in the middle of conflicts between gods.

Kid Eternity: aka Kit Freeman, Freddy’s long lost little brother with ghost powers! After dying in a boating accident when he wasn’t supposed to, he was brought back and given powers as compensation. He can summon spirits, turn invisible, and become intangible, though his powers shifted over time. He's such a cool character and he deserves more love!

Whew that was a lot! If anyone else has characters to add (and I know there are many) I would love to hear about it! And if any of these characters intrigue you I encourage you to check them out and sneak them into your fics!

[opticfile]

𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐡é

—✦ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬 // in which a player (Lutz Beilschmidt himself) falls for real this time, and the girl he's enamored by has to overcome his reputation.

✧ taken from my old quotev!! not stolen work!!!

—✦ 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 // Lutz Beilschmidt (APH 2p!Germany)

—✦ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 // drinking, angst, assumed cheating, betrayal, fluff

3.3k words

The pounding in your head was only outweighed by the obnoxiously loud sound of the music blaring from the living room. It was another frat party, one you didn't intend on going to, but hey, you only live once. At least this time there was more of a theme, it was a Halloween costume party—though that mostly just meant sorority girls got to add a cat ear headband to their usual miniskirt and heels.

You and your friends were not dressed in the classic slutty animal costumes, and the more and more this party went on the more you were both thankful and regretful. Emma convinced you and Darcy to dress like... wizards. Not the cute, girly kind, the kind with the 2-foot beards and starry robes. Then again, Emma still managed to make the shapeless robes sexy, and she discarded her beard long ago. You were about to rip off your own, the synthetic material was getting itchy. 

The whole thankful and regretful part came in when you saw possibly the most notorious trio on campus, the biggest players to grace the university in about... what? 20? 30 years? Allen L. Jones (he claims the L stands for Liberty), Zao Wang, and none other than Lutz Beilschmidt stood in the middle of a group of girls, dressed as... holy shit, are they dressed as the Powerpuff Girls?

"Oh my god their shorts are so... short!" Emma giggled, "You can see every muscle..."

"When did the Powerpuff Girls get so slutty," You scoffed, itching under your fake grey beard. "...and buff."

"I see Lutz hasn't changed a bit," Darcy snorted, "Still as much of a manwhore as ever."

"I still can't believe he played you like that." Emma grimaced.

"Like a fiddle." You added in.

"Let's not revisit that..." Darcy dragged her hands down her face.

As Emma and Darcy got caught up in drinks and boys, you found yourself needing a breath of fresh air. Maybe if you were drinking right now, or at least a little tipsy, you might be able to deal with the sight of Allen showing off his biceps to four women. The backyard wasn't really that much better—toilet paper strung through the trees, the blaring music still within hearing, and a random couple making out behind a bush—but it was an improvement. You sat on the wooden steps of the deck, itching under your beard again. You hoped it wouldn't leave a rash...

“Merlin?”

“Huh?” You turned your head to be met with... Of course! Lutz! Probably the last person you wanted to see right now.

“Gandalf?”

“Oh, uh, more like… unlicensed no copyright generic wizard character…” You turned back forwards, praying he would go away.

“Gotcha, my favorite.” He sat next to you. Great! 

"Shouldn't you be, ya know, whoring out?" You snorted, glancing at him as his face distorted into an amused grin.

"Hey, I'm not all slut. I need breaks from the noise too sometimes." He nudged you, “I don't think I’ve seen you around.”

“Oh, we actually have the same world history class-" Unfortunately. "-with Professor Neilson?" He stared at you owlishly,  "Here, wait, maybe removing the beard will help.”

You pulled down the itchy beard and Lutz drank in your facial features. Scrunching up your face, you removed it completely and tossed it on the steps beside you.

“Oh, now I recognize you!" He smiled, before letting it morph into a more sheepish expression, "…Can I get a name though orrrrr…”

"...Y/n." You exhaled through your nose, turning away from him. "Don't worry, I already know your name."

"I'm glad!" He grinned broadly, "Introductions were never my favorite."

"..."

“Sooo... Can I get you a drink?

“I’m actually the designated driver so I’ll pass.” 

“Ah, respectable. Maybe something non-alcoholic then?”

“Actually I probably should be getting home to my, uh, my fairy godmother.” You internally facepalmed, god you were mixing up your fairytales. “Like in uh, Cinderella.”

“I didn't know unlicensed no copyright generic wizard character was a Cinderella character.” Lutz snorted,

“He’s from a remake, Cinder…wizard… It’s really popular overseas.” You checked your nonexistent watch, “Oops, clock is about to strike twelve.”

"Is your fake beard the Cinderwizard version of a glass slipper?" He chuckled, eliciting a genuine giggle from you—god you were gonna have to shoot yourself later.

"Sure, but it's stretchy so it's probably more like a one size fits all.

“Well… seeing as I know what you look like and where to find you, I’d say I'm a few steps ahead of Prince Charming.”

“Yeah, ‘I know where to find you’ isn’t creepy at all.”

“Sorry,” He laughed airily, “I’ll see you around then.” 

You quickly excused yourself and hurriedly walked back into the party to meet with Emma and Darcy .

"Was that Lutz? Why was Lutz talking to you?" Darcy inquired, hushedly but urgently.

"He was just asking for bathroom directions!" You made up an excuse.

"Isn't this... his frat house?" Emma raised a brow.

"Okay, okay, listen. He just- He just came over and he wouldn't leave and then told me he knew where to find me and- I don't know it was torture!" You whined.

"God, don't tell me you're his next victim..." Darcy shivered, "We need to keep you away from him, at all costs."

"Y/n L/n and Lutz Beilschmidt..." Professor Neilson continued to announce the pairs for a group project, and you felt like you were dying inside. Lutz's head popped up from his resting place on his desk.

"No way." You said in unison (though one was obviously far more excited than the other), and you glanced at him to see him grinning widely at you.

The moment class was dismissed and students began funneling out you made your way to Professor Neilson's desk with some very strong words and a lot of questions.

"Professor, not to question your judgment but why was I paired up with Lutz?" You frowned.

"I think you'll be a good influence on him-" 

"But-"

"-and he isn't a slacker so you won't be doing the project alone. You and Beilschmidt need to work together, just for this week." He said, sternly as he turned back to the various papers spread across his desk.

"C'mon, don't tell me you're trying to get rid of me already." A very familiar German accent purred behind you, an arm—a muscular arm but you tried not to go there—slung around your shoulder.

"Of course not, partner." You grimaced. "You smell like beer..."

"Sorry, süße, I'll wear cologne when we study." 

You shrugged off his arm with a groan, walking out of the classroom as Lutz trailed behind you. He easily kept up with your speedy strides, damn him for being so tall and quick on his feet, you were hoping all that muscle would weigh him down.

...You really have to stop thinking about his muscular build.

"Hey, wait, I thought we got off on the right foot." Lutz continued following you like a lost puppy until you turned around and glared straight at him.

"Listen, Lutz, I know a little too well what kind of guy you are and I really don't want to get involved so can you please just..." You sighed, "Just do your part and let's not get buddy-buddy."

"Hey, I was looking forwards to getting buddy-buddy..." He huffed, "Listen, Y/n, I know I have a reputation but that doesn't mean we can't be friendly, I mean c'mon, give me a fair chance."

You glanced between him and the crowd of students trailing the hallways, groaning as you gave in.

"Fine. But make one wrong move and I'm out."

"He's your what?" Emma gasped.

"My history project partner..." You whined, "I cannot believe Professor Neilson would do that to me, I mean come on I thought I was his star student. Why is he torturing me with Lutz."

"Not my monkey, not my circus." Darcy snorted, "You're on your own here."

"How did you get rid of him, Darcy?" You pleaded.

"I liked him." She sighed.

"Oh... Right..." You let your face fall into your arms, "God I'm never gonna shake him, am I?"

"She's your what?" Allen snorted. 

"My history project partner!" Lutz fist-pumped, "God, I thought Neilson was a hardass but he really hooked me up this time."

"She is kinda bad," Zao smirked, "You gonna... ya know..."

"She said no getting buddy-buddy but, well, you know me," Lutz smirked, Allen and Zao whistling and cheering. "I mean... I dunno, maybe I won't go too far with her..."

"What? Are you going soft on us, buddy?" Allen cackled.

"Hey man, shes not really like other girls ya know, she didn't really fold fast at all. I kinda wanna see where it'll go..."

"'Not like other girls' is wild," Zao snorted, "she's gonna end up like every single one of them did, in your bed. Or mine. Might snatch her up since you're hesitating~."

"I mean it, I kind of... like her. I don't really want to make her into another fling.." Lutz leaned back in his chair, groaning. "God, what am I gonna do..."

Lutz had been studying with you every day this week, and you don't think you've ever seen him this dedicated to the class itself. When he could, he would invite you to his place—goofily kicking aside the stray socks and boxers left strung across the floor by his roommates—but when he couldn't, you would study on campus.

Today, however, it was raining.

Lutz (yuck) 3:42 Y/N lemme just come to your dorm pls my place is busy rn zao is dealiong drugs or smth ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ Y/n3:43 no we can study tomorrow you're not coming in my dorm stay away far away ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎ Lutz (yuck) 3:43 P[LEASE ill be on my bestest behavior trust

You gave in eventually.

"-and in retaliation, they..." You glanced up at Lutz, scooting away a bit. "You're this close to sitting on me, dude."

"Sorry, the words are so small, I can't read them..." He slowly grinned, "Hey, maybe you should sit on me, süße-"

"Don't even start, Lutz." You groaned, punching him lightly as he practically giggled beside you.

"It smells great in here, what is that, vanilla?" He sniffed.

"I think my roommate has a candle in the bathroom," You said, "but I think its lavendar so I'm not sure where youre getting vanilla."

He hummed, and though you couldnt see it, he was staring at you as your rattled on about some random history thingy—he wasnt really listening in the first place. Lutz had grown a soft spot to you, much to Allen and Zao's amusement, it had gotten so bad he was turning down girls. Lutz Beilschmidt was turning down girls. He was whipped, but he was too lovesick to be ashamed.

You flipped the page gently, but Lutz reached over and flipped it back. When you looked up at him, his face was hovering inches away from yours and he was practically drowning himself in your eyes.

"I wasn't- I wasn't done reading." His voice came out low, his tone intimate even.

God, what was happening to you?

Charcoal nuzzled into your neck as you leaned back in Lutz's beanbag chair. He pouted at you from his desk chair.

"Charcoal doesn't even do that with me."

"What can I say, he must just like me more." You smirked, sticking your tongue out at Lutz as you rubbed the top of Charcoal's head.

"Maybe you're like his mom." Lutz grinned, "Which since I'm his dad that would mean-"

You threw his dirty socks at him.

Emma and Darcy were supportive of you, even if they did think you were a little stupid for falling for Lutz (though, Emma meant stupid in an endearing, cute way!). However, sometimes you wondered if Darcy was jealous, and sometimes it seemed like she was. When you were talking to Lutz in the hallways, him begging you to come hang out with him with the saddest puppy-dog eyes Darcy had ever seen, her browline creased and her lips downturned. When Lutz was texting you, begging for your attention, Darcy was glaring at your phone screen. When you were complaining about Lutz being a little too comfortable, Darcy was bitterly making comments like "must be hard" and "poor you".

"I was gonna go to a party at Theta Theta this weekend." Darcy said as she scrolled through her phone, "You guys wanna come with?"

"Isn't that Lutz's frat house?" Emma said, bobbypin in mouth as she braided your hair, "Ya know, the guy Y/n is head over heels for?"

"I am not head over heels for Lutz-!"

"I'm not letting that loser stop me from partying," Darcy grinned, giggling, "Plus, it gives little miss Y/n a chance to meet someone new~."

"Oooh!" Emma giggled, "We can find you a man to make Lutz jealous!"

"Guys I cannot believe youre trying to rope me into doing that in his god damn house, are you kidding me?" You griped, "I am not going."

You sipped lightly on a hard lemonade, the blaring music echoing through your ears as you looked through the crowd for any sign of Lutz. 

(Yes, you gave in)

Since arriving, you had lost Darcy in the crowd and hadn't seen a single glimpse of the fluffy blonde hair you were so familiar with. Emma suggested going up to his room, teasing you and saying you might've made him retire from his partying ways. You rolled your eyes, but carefully made your way up the stairs anyway. Immediately, you saw Lutz exiting his room, looking a bit dishevelled but, hey, he's a frat boy. You smiled widely as you went up to greet him.

You never made it to him.

No one other than Darcy, your best friend since before highschool, walked out of his room behind him. Her lipstick was smeared and her hair messy. She barely spared you a glance before wrapping her grimy hands around Lutz's bicep.

"Babe, come back~."

You and Emma drove home in silence. Emma was horrified at the news, you could hear her acrylics tapping away at her phone screen and you could only imagine the shit storm that Darcy was getting. Your own phone was blowing up, actually, and you had to put it on do not disturb to be able to focus on driving at all. The threat of breaking down and crying pricked at your eyes and made your nose feel ticklish, you felt ill, and you stomach wouldn't stop doing backflips.

When Darcy said you lose Lutz by liking him, she wasn't lying.

At the same time as you were fighting a breakdown, Lutz was cussing out a very smug Darcy.

"Holy shit what is wrong with you?" He scolded, "I'm sorry that I didn't like our fling and I'm not in love with you, but you are some kind of evil for doing this to your best friend. Like jesus fucking christ, what are you even getting from this?"

"Come on Lutz, we were better than whatever you had going on with her, she could never-"

"Don't even finish that thought." He spat, "Get out of my god damn house."

You were awoken from your sleep by pitiful, desperate pleas at your door. You heard the frantic knocking, the begging and crying and whining, and you knew who was behind it. You rubbed your eyes, still puffy from crying yourself to sleep, and checked your notifications.

Lutz <32:13 A.M. please its not what it looks like i know thats like a stupid overused excuse but its not an excuse darcy told me she wanted to talk to me about something she set it all up please i dont want anyone else

Lutz <3 2:43 A.M. please respond pick up my calls i swear to god Y/n i promise nothing was going on i'm not like that  i swear

You snorted at his texts, he was saying every excuse, using every cliché line that people use when they get caught.

"Y/n I know you're in there I just want to talk I swear nothing was happening," As you walked closer to your door you heard Lutz bang his head against the other side, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please just let me explain."

When you opened the door he stumbled in, his face painted in shock and sadness and relief all at once, and the moment he laid eyes on your pitiful expression he looked like the wind had just been taken out of him. He tried to place his hands on the sides of your face to wipe your tears, but you gently pushed his hands away by the wrists and stepped back.

"Y/n..."

"You have 10 minutes to explain." You sniffled. "And then I'm kicking you out for being a dirty, lying, unfaithful asshat!"

"No! No, nonono, I wasn't unfaithful nothing ever happened I swear. On my life, my brothers life, my mother, father, cat, on everything important to me I swear to you that nothing happened between me and Darcy." He pleaded, "When you guys got to the party I was just hanging out in my room, watching videos, you know how it is. Darcy had knocked on my door and I- I went to open it and she just walked in like she owned the place. It was gross she was acting like we're super close and she was all flirty and it-

"Either way, she was trying to be all handsy and I had pushed her off and stepped out and that when you came up the stairs. She just came out after me and I knew it looked so bad and I didn't know what to say and-"

Were his eyes glossing over?

"Look, look at my texts with her and- and you can see that there really isnt anything going on and I swear you're the only person I want. I don't even have her number saved in my phone, Y/n, she's nothing to me."

You snatched his phone, scrolling through countless texts of Lutz being so irreversibly angry and distraught while Darcy simply defended her actions. You checked her number, it was really Darcy, and you felt fat tears roll down your cheeks.

"Oh my god you're telling the truth." You sobbed as you launched forwards into his chest.

He smelled a little woody and his shirt still smelled like laundry detergent and yeah there was an underlying hint of alcohol but it wasn't nearly as strong as it was the day you became his project partner. You melted into him as he rubbed his (rather large) hands over your back, calloused fingers wrapping around your arm as he brought you closer and closer to him and if it weren't literally impossible you thought you might have ended up merging with him. He kissed the crown of your head, muttering words of reassurance and affection. 

Lifting your head up, he wiped the tears away from your face and brushed your hair behind your ears. He gently caressed your cheeks, letting his fingers dance over every detail of your cheek and jaw before shakily bringing himself closer and closer to you until his lips met yours and you melted into each other with so much passion and affection you thought you might drown

"I think I'm in love with you."

✧ navigation.

[bri-the-nautilus]

Blorbo Headcanon: The Tragedy of Gurranq

This is one I've been kind of mulling over, but was spurred to devote some serious thought to tonight. Maliketh/Gurranq is adorable. The best, hungriest boi. A faithful shadow, true to the Golden Order. But I think his tragedy extends beyond just feeling like he let Marika down on the Night of Black Knives. To start, we'll need some background.

Farum Azula is a crumbling city in the sky at the center of a time storm. The southern provinces are dotted with debris from Farum Azula, but the city when we visit it is not only reasonably intact, but frozen. Nothing is actively falling. There's no day/night cycle. Passing time doesn't alter the skybox and nothing changes based on when you enter. It's clear that Farum Azula exists outside the normal flow of time, and can even counteract it: when we travel to Placidusax's arena, a destroyed section of the city reforms itself and the Erdtree doesn't exist. Farum Azula is populated by a society of intelligent beastmen, who were blessed with intellect and five fingers as stated by the Cinquedea, Gurranq's clerical shortsword.

Gurranq, the Beast Clergyman, is a robed figure who makes his home in Dragonbarrow, protected by a Black Blade Kindred. He guides and leads the Hunters of Those Who Live In Death, who weed deathroot. Deathroot is said to be the source of Those Who Live In Death, and Gurranq eats it. The Stone and Claw of Gurranq incantations say that he once went by a different name, which meant "Death of the Demigods." If the player feeds every obtainable deathroot to Gurranq, he thanks them for being a friend but states that he has "done all he can for this world" and promptly disappears.

Maliketh, the Black Blade, is to Queen Marika as Blaidd is to Ranni. He wields and protects Destined Death. It was he who defeated the Gloam-Eyed Queen in battle (Godslayer's UGS) and he who was robbed on the Night of Black Knives to create the blades that slew Godwyn and Ranni. For a shadow like Maliketh, the feeling that he let Marika down and the tragedy is his fault must have been impossible to bear. He vows that Destined Death shall not be stolen from him again. We meet Maliketh in Farum Azula, where he first dresses as a Beast Clergyman and wields the Cinquedea before unchaining Destined Death and facing us with his black blade and armor.

The game makes it pretty clear that Gurranq is Maliketh. Besides their identical appearances, Gurranq's old name meaning "Death of the Demigods," and Gurranq's sanctum being guarded by one of Maliketh's black gargoyles, as you progress Gurranq's questline he makes repeated references to a "past sin" and speaks of Marika as if he knew her personally.

Upon dealing enough damage after feeding the fourth Deathroot

"Put it away. I won't forget... again... mine appetite... My sin... So please.... Enough."

Fifth Deathroot

"My thanks Tarnished.... Death... My sin... Should not be touched by the hand of man... I shall grant thee... my claws... Feed me... more..."

Sixth, seventh and eighth Deathroot

"I won't forget... again.... mine appetite... My sin... I must have more... I must consume more..."

Ninth Deathroot

"It is... it is all... consumed. Still., I am not sated... Not nearly sated..." 

"Marika... Is this... what it is... to sin?" "Will things... never be the same... again?" 

"..." 

"Tarnished... my thanks... for thy... long labor. But I have done... all I can... in this land. Henceforth, mine appetite shall be my sole companion. Farewell."

Moreover, if you complete Gurranq's quest before challenging Maliketh for the first time, Maliketh phase one has special dialogue where he recognizes you and laments that he has to fight you.

Tarnished, why wouldst thou... Why... Tis no matter. I hereby vow, that Destined Death shall not be stolen again.

On the contrary, killing Maliketh before/during Gurranq's quest doesn't affect the Clergyman's dialogue.

But this leads us to some questions about the true nature of Gurranq and the timeline of Maliketh's life. Other demigods, such as Morgott, show the ability to project illusory duplicates of themselves. The Omen King does this twice: once in Stormveil and once in the old battlefield. One could easily assume that Gurranq is such an illusion. But there's one problem: He exists even without Maliketh. If you kill Morgott in Leyndell before either Margit, the Margit(s) in question won't spawn. If you kill Maliketh before finishing Gurranq's quest, it doesn't despawn Gurranq. Now the question is, when is Gurranq? Where in Maliketh's life does he fall?

My headcanon is this: After the NoBK, Maliketh seals Destined Death in himself. Marika orders him to go to Farum. Outwardly, she says that having him in the Capital where Destined Death could be stolen was a mistake. Privately, she doesn't want him around when she rebels against the Golden order, similarly to how Iji suspected Blaidd needed to be removed before Ranni killed her Two Fingers. Maliketh has dialogue expressing a strong adherence to the Golden Order, so it's safe to assume that unlike Blaidd with Ranni, he would not have been willing to side with Marika over the Greater Will. Maliketh leaves, but he doesn't go to Farum immediately. Yet. Confused? So am I.

Marika sticks her head into Farum, sees a self-loathing ball of fur, and leaves to plot the Shattering.

Maliketh, meanwhile, feels a duty to help rid the world of the evil that he thinks he allowed the creation of. Those Who Live In Death are a new phenomenon. Godwyn being slain and buried caused his influence to spread along the Erdtree's roots, raising the dead. Although he has restrained Destined Death and no longer wields it, Maliketh is both qualified and honor-bound to fight Those Who Live In Death. And as long as he's in Farum in about half an hour when Marika goes to see him, everything's fine.

Adopting the name 'Gurranq', Maliketh heads for Caelid. There, he sets up shop leading a cadre of Golden Order adherents (eventually including Darian and the Tarnished) in weeding the deathroot that allows the dead to wake. When Marika shatters the Elden Ring, he feels lied to and betrayed, but he pushes it out of mind. The Tarnished succeeds in excising every major deathroot node from the Lands Between and feeding them to Gurranq. Gurranq has done all he can for this world, and thanks his truest comrade for their service before they part ways.

Farum Azula is a city out of time, and Maliketh is demigod and high priest of the city out of time. He arrives right after Marika dismissed him, on time for her to see him there. He knows what she's going to do, but has to bite his tongue. There he sits for all the years after the NoBK. Until one day, the Tarnished arrives.

For them, it's been just days.

For Maliketh, it's been centuries.

Maliketh was betrayed by Marika. He spent centuries simultaneously laboring to repent as Gurranq and sitting alone in a lost city and blaming himself for what went wrong as the time-displaced Black Blade. He had one companion who shared his mission towards the end of his time in the Lands Between, but they parted ways and Maliketh lived all that time again alone. But now, his truest of comrades has returned to kill him and steal that which he swore would not leave his side again.

A second betrayal, more painful than the first.

[skeptiquewrites]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you for the tag @tackytigerfic (here) and @maesterchill (here). Emerging from my post illness hidey hole.

How many works do you have on ao3?

32, a number that both seems too large and smaller than I thought

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

254,835. Wild.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly HP, although once in a while I peek over at other fandoms. And I have a joint Check Please fic in the works.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

All Drarry. None really surprised me but the final one, I hadn't realized it climbed that far up the kudos. Huh. 1. Yours Truly - my romcom fic about Harry feeling left out when everyone's coupled up, telling a lie that gets out of control, and also how hot magical ecology is 2. Home Truths - my Quidditch fic about the complications of fame, love of the game, Harry finding out who his family was and letting himself fall in love 3. Special Affinity - how quickly one can justify fucking one's coworker given a bonding spell while having no idea if the feelings part is reciprocal 4. Winner Takes It All - Draco feeling caught in impossible circumstances, working too much, caregiving for a parent, and how small kindnesses can mean the world 5. A Little Time - mistaken for a couple, forced proximity, Healer school, and everyone in a small town hating you and all your friends on sight

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I love responding to comments, but it takes me a while. I read every single one, and I try to wait until I have the time and energy to respond with something thoughtful. I'm months behind at this point.

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I'm a fairly happy ending sort of person. I tend to go more for straight angst for drabbles and micros. Maybe Beside Manner? They're formerly bonded and dealing very badly with the dissolution.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh, gosh, most of them. I'm most enamoured by the Big Damn Kiss at the end of Home Truths. I love No Distance because Harry and Draco are very much in love and not able to hide it. I am particularly fond of the end of Winner because I was able to leave Draco in a very good place that felt right for the fic.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really I think. I get the occasional rude bookmark rating. Once, a very unpleasant person who sent lots of hate for months over a fairly inconsequential aspect of a fic. And then there have been a few comments where it's clear the reader wanted me to write a different fic, which I don't really take that personally. Nice comments far outweight the negative.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not much. Tender, expressive, evocative. Light on details mostly.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I am not a crossover person.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think anyone has ever tried.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes. Two by the wonderful Bluebubbling which I was thrilled by.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I've always wanted to. I'm trying my hand with another fandom, but one day.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Drarry. It just hits different.

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I'm one of those people who has a dozens of ideas. I think I'm unlikely to finish my Veela!Harry fic, I just don't think I have the range. I have yet to successfully write and finish a PWP. Would be thrilled to finish some of my rare pairs.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hmmm. I think dialogue, efficiency, and atmosphere.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

More complicated or mystery-oriented plots, the mid-level between an ensemble cast and an intimate chamber piece, anything with significant length, spending lots of words on one scene.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

One of my ideas about writing is that not everything has to be maximally accessible to all to be an authentic expression in a fic. If that's what fits or feels right, go for it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

You know, I found out the answer for sure recently, and I will be keeping that information to myself. Highly embarrassing and yet formative. Let your imagination do the rest.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Winner Takes It All. Exactly what I intended, turned out beautifully. Some of my favourite writing.

tagging @magpiefngrl @lettersbyelise @lqtraintracks @quicksilvermaid @goblinmatriarch @teledild0nix @boxboxlewis and anyone else who is interested

[skrimbled]

do it coward

Ok- here is my rambling.

Bfau is a fantasy au indpired mostly by @hopepetal and @applestruda and their boatem knights au, but i put a spin on it and changed a lot. (sorry for tagging you two if you see this lol)

Rambling is under the cut :]

Basically- Grian the avian fire sorcerer is tasked by the king to assemble a small team of warriors to defend an ancient village called Boatem, which has an open rift to a dangerous void-like realm inside of it. It's dangerous as they will live there full time and will be the first (and only major) line of defence against anything that emerges from the rift. Grian agrees, and sends out letters to those he sees worthy.

The first was a ranger called Scar, his former party member and travel buddy. They used to adventure with Grian's adopted older brother Jimmy, and Jimmy's boyfriend of the time BigB, but due to a tragic event BigB passed, and Jimmy left adventuring for good to mourn, leaving Grian with a now unpredictable teammate. Scar died too in that event, but a stolen artifact they had brought his soul back to his body. The problem? Souls that are angry when they die become vexes, which are wild and violent. So when Scar came back to life, he gained otherworldly abilities which he couldn't control. They tried to continue travelling, but eventually Scar couldn't keep risking Grian's safety and they parted ways so that Scar could understand his new life and powers. He had to have control by now, after years of minimal contact, right?

The second invite went to his twin sister Pearl, who he hadn't seen for many years. She had left their home town in response to strange dreams and visions calling her somewhere. Grian hadn't heard from her for a long time until recently, when Tim got word from a traveller that she was alive and well, and strong too. She was some sort of paladin now, and neither of her brothers had any more information than that. Grian knew that his new life would be tough and he would be lying if he didn't admit that he really wanted his twin's support.

The third person to contact was another close friend, a vampire called Mumbo. Grian met him when he was weak and starving, having offered his blood in exchange for temporary shelter. They became fast friends, and talked often. Grian wasn't sure how he was in combat, but the guy was hella smart! He had so many ideas for traps and weapons, and knew hoe to make them. Grian felt that having a more technical teammate would be valuable, so Mumbo was a no brainer really.

The fourth and final invite was tough, as he had ran out of connections. Well- he had his older brother, but Timmy had been left flightless by the same event that took his lover. While he and Grian occasionally talked via messages, Tim was never a fighter, and what magic he did have wasn't suited for combat. Even then, even if Tim somehow said yes, Grian could never put him through all that pain again.

He settled on talking around, and found out about a veteran adventurer called Impulse.

Impulse was a bit of a wild card, and it also showed in his personality. He was noticeably older than everyone else, but his portfolio was nothing to sneer at. He had been a part of an adventure party like Grian, and had gotten pretty well known and respected. Impulse was a knight apparently, the brawn to a pair of brains. But when Grian first met him, he was instantly a little strange. He would frequently refer to himself as a 'we' or 'us', and Grian was convinced he'd caught him talking to himself once as if there was a response. Grian didn't know this yet, but Impulse wasn't just a knight. He was a human sharing his body with a (kind of stupid and annoying) demon, and had been for many years. By now it was almost second mature for him to include Skizz into conversations, even if no one else could see or hear him.

These five indeviduals were the only ones to guard and interact with Boatem, and just kinda have to deal with each other. Not much happens at Boatem, but at least the down time lets them get to adjust to each other and their quirks.

So yeah. Grian gets his sister, two besties and a random dude together to do nothing but bicker and train unless shit goes down, featuring LOTS of background characters with their own stories and development that don't matter as they aren't the pov. I will talk about them though. Just not now.

I hope you enjoyed my midnight ranting :]

[mylittleredgirl]

20 questions for fic writers

thanks @annerbhp for the tag! i really enjoyed reading her answers too!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

215

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

646,705 (average of 3k per fic, which sounds about right)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

stargate atlantis most often, followed by sg-1, various star treks, and the x-files (with other miscellaneous fandoms on demand for exchanges and gifts).

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

No Sooner Met (voyager, janeway/chakotay)

Career Day (sg-1, mini!otp)

Next Chapter (the good place, chidi/eleanor)

First Date (voyager, janeway/chakotay) editor's note: man my title game was weak in my voyager era

Occupational Hazards (the good place, chidi/eleanor)

it's so funny to spend my online time in small or inactive fandoms and look at statistics because i'm like yeah... i'm kind of a big deal... people know me... i have many leather-bound volumes... and not a single one of my fics crack 300 kudos (& very few over 100). the person i reblogged from topped out over 9,000! what's it like to write long fics for popular fandoms? is it cool?

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i do now! and it's awesome! for a long time i was intimidated by praise and had a hard time responding, but my brain works now and i really enjoy exchanging comments that turn into long threads of headcanon back-and-forth and sometimes new friends.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

oh god PLEASE let me unburden my soul about Twilight (sga, john/elizabeth). it's so uncharacteristically hopeless for me -- far future fic, complicated family dynamics, elizabeth has dementia and john is estranged from their son... really no one is having a good time. i think it's interesting and a cool departure from my usual writing style, but it's also a big sad mess.

i still feel sooooo guilty about these two thousand words of misery that i REGULARLY think about writing a sequel where john and his son fix it with time travel and mend fences. like i lie awake at night worrying about these characters because one time in 2007 i didn't give them a happy ending and suggested john might not break the bad father generational cycle. normal fic writer behavior.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Weaving Loose Ends (sg-1, sam/jack)! i love happy and hopeful endings but i think of all of them, this one is the most resolved and least complicated.

8. Do you get hate on fic?

nope. oh!!!! there was the one time when i caused Big Drama in a corner of the Dancing With The Stars fandom by turning people's headcanons into rpf, which everyone liked until one included porn. people got so heated with each other over this one smut fic (doxing! splinter factions! a fandom schism!) but somehow no one was ever actually mean to me. i didn't even get blocked or banned for my rpf transgressions, i was just standing there at the eye of the storm. so... i guess the answer is still no??

9. Do you write smut?

yes! i should probably write more, though. it has been all slow and gauzy the past few years, somebody should really get railed pretty soon.

10. Do you write crossovers?

nope.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i don't think so. happily toiling in obscurity.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

back in the x-files days i think someone translated some of my doggett/reyes fics for a spanish archive, so those might still be out there.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no i haven't!! i am really not doing well collecting my fic writer girl scout badges here!!

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

john sheppard/elizabeth weir my beloved.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

i have 10k of an sg-1 episode-by-episode soulmate fic that started really strong and i would love to share someday, but i lack staying power so it will surely just go to seed in my dropbox forever!!

16. What are your writing strengths?

hopefully character complexity and dialogue. dialogue is interesting in fanfic, because the dialogue on many TV shows is really different than how real humans speak (it's scripted to be clearer, more concise and direct, uninterrupted, etc), so it's a fun challenge to balance that and get something that sounds both in-character and realistic.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

long fics!

the big related weakness is that i find it incredibly difficult to keep writing on a fic after i show it to anyone (as a sneak peek, or because i want feedback / encouragement / brainstorming help). i lose steam on my own, but posting or inviting other people into the process is like pouring sugar in the gas tank. why is that!! how do i fix this!!!

and i don't know if this is a "writing weakness" or an "egregious personal character flaw" but i sure did finish an exchange fic this year literally forty seconds before reveals, so that's... pretty bad.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

SO SCARY aughhhh my fear of Being Wrong really nukes me here. it doesn't even have to be a real language. it's like the ghost of JRR Tolkein himself is standing over my shoulder telling me that if i don't backwards engineer an entire proto-latinate space language instead of just chucking words into google translate and calling it Ancient i'm committing unpardonable sins.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

star trek! first internet-published fics were x-files, but first limited-print-edition fics were xeroxed hand-bound voyager stories my sister and i would give as "gifts" to family friends (and then stand there staring at them while they read the first few pages and told us how clever and creative we were and promised to "read the rest later").

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

new answer! i have always answered this before with ain't no sunshine (sga, john/elizabeth) or career day (sg-1, mini!otp), but i think i really stuck the landing this year on pieces (sga, john/elizabeth). which, incidentally, is the one i finished forty seconds before reveals so i'm definitely not going to learn anything from that narrow escape.

tagging @ussjellyfish if you haven't already done this one, @coraclavia, @havocthecat, @lonesomehighways, and anyone else who made it through this long post and would like to do it!

[prince-kallisto]

Hey ya!

So I was rereading the "Schemer of the Scalding Sands," and I can across this conversation between Azul and Jamil:

I'm not sure if you had discussed this previously or not, but I was curious to know your thoughts on this.

Since Azul uses a person's weakness to form "It's a Deal," is it possible he was able to see something in Crowley's past? Or do you think this is a bluff to persuade Jamil to keep talking (considering we know he used Floyd's SM to prevent himself from getting hypotized.)

NABXHXJSJS you, my friend, have opened up the floodgates BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I LVOE THIS LINE

But…hm??? I could’ve sworn I mentioned this line in one of my theories but I can’t find it lol…I lose track of what I post and what I don’t Σ(-᷅_-᷄๑) Anyway, these lines are very interesting. I don’t think he got any information from Crowley at all, and it was just a bluff! “I know one thing he would never want others to know” is a pretty powerful statement to say about Crowley of all people…and sense we know he had Floyd UM, Azul was just buying time.

If I remember correctly, Crowley managed to free all the students who got their magic stolen by letting Azul continue with his schemes- and gets a percentage of the Lounge’s profits. Jack refers to it as “blackmail,” but I wouldn’t say Azul had specific information over Crowley- it was more of how a large portion of students lost powerful abilities.

His Unique Magic, “It’s a Deal,” can only steal abilities, such as magic, voices, etc., and his contract is just a form of protection against blot. I don’t think even Azul would dare try to steal an ABILITY from the Headmage himself. Azul’s knowledge of “weaknesses and desires” is more like…he knows their weakness because they’re coming to him for help, asking him to grant their desires. But I don’t think he trades in information specifically. Crowley did make a contract though regarding Mostro Lounge, if that makes sense haha. Besides, even if Crowley did give up information to Azul…I have a feeling it would either be false or unimportant. Crowley likes to act like a fool, but I doubt he would give away any information regarding his identity or powers. Plus, I think the “secret” in this arrangement is the fact that Crowley made a ridiculous arrangement with a student in the first place- that wouldn’t sound very favorable to the press, would it? I’d like to add how in the Glorious Masquerade event, even Azul himself is shocked at the amount of personal information Crowley leaked to Rollo- I think Azul underestimates just how much power and control Crowley has over them.

What I really love about these lines is how, if you notice across Book 4 and Book 5, I think Jamil is LEGITIMATELY trying to uncover something about Crowley- likely for revenge. In those lines you sent me, it definitely sounds like Jamil is trying to get his hands on reputation-destroying or even straight up illegal information to use against Crowley. But in Book 5, Jamil mutters about how he doubts the Dark Mirror is actually part of the Student Selection Process, and that Crowley is likely arranging some back door entries, like in the case of Kalim. NRC students don’t care about these kind of details, no one does! But it’s interesting that Jamil of all people, who got a first hand taste of Crowley’s schemes with Kalim getting chosen as housewarden over him, DOES.

I should probably making a post compiling all the times Jamil does this…because even in the Halloween events, he snarks about how it’s “expected” that the Headmage is neglectful or lazy or does shady things. While everyone else just gets disappointed, Jamil sees it as a given fact. It’s…quite sad honestly haha. But those lines from Book 4 really opened my eyes to this! And if Book 8 is about unraveling Crowley and Grim’s past, I hope Jamil is involved, because he certainly seems dedicated to finding out the truth about Crowley.

I’d like to point out a really old (well not really lmao) theory post of mine where Azul has yet another lore drop about Crowley. Well…it’s not really about Crowley but I think it’s important anyway!

Thanks for your ask, I really love these type of lines because I think there’s a lot of subtleties and “reading between the lines” that reveals a lot of these characters, like in Jamil’s case 💞💞💞🐦‍⬛