#i feel like he really enjoyed playing orpheus and made the most of it

[2024skin]

Orpheus' off-Broadway epic is WAY better than the official recording

[loquaciousquark]

Finished the Astarion origin run, got my Honour mode achievement, and have enabled my gold dice.

That said, and despite some very funny things that happened over the course of the run, I really did not enjoy playing as Astarion and don't think I'll be running any other origins anytime soon.

It didn't just feel like I wasn't playing with Tav, it hardly felt like I was playing with Astarion. As a companion he's richly developed, with a beautifully crafted arc and frequent colorful commentary and viciously strong opinions on just about everything Tav does. He grows and changes based on the events of the game and reacts to moments of doubt with fear or courage, depending on where in the plot you are.

Origin Astarion is almost as much a blank slate as Tav, with nearly all of that wonderful color stripped out. Aside from a handful of unique scenes (most notably a nightmare in Act 1 leading into the first bite), everything else happens exactly as it does to Tav, and there's no little voice in the back of your head informing your characterization. No notes on the Araj encounter like, "You fear being touched. Even now it brings up a sense of fear, loathing. Is it worth it to sacrifice your body, to bite this drow, for a potion?" No clear suggestions during your romance that you might have hangups about having spent two hundred years using your body to lure people to their deaths over and over, nothing suggesting outright that you might have some hesitation to engage in sex. Just a dialogue option here and there, one of four, that allows for that choice, if you choose to even think about it in the first place.

Even worse, things like the drow scene--which, in a Tav run, is a moment of great fear and uncertainty for him transformed into a moment of defiance & strength, a pivotal point in his characterization--has been revamped, if you'll pardon the pun. Araj is deferent and polite to origin Astarion, not assumptive and proprietary. She formally requests the bite and is gracious when you say no, and in-universe I couldn't find a single reason for him to be offended or to decline. You don't even find out her blood smells/tastes bad until you bite her; there's no forewarning, no choice, no crisis of exchanging your body for power. No companion steps in and says "you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Tav isn't there to support his first "no" in two hundred years. It's just a transactional offer, no harm no foul, and all the weight of it is yanked away.

It really felt like there was no guidance. All the strong opinions that made Astarion Astarion had been stripped out, and you really could shape him however you wanted, without much input from the narrator or his own history.

I tried my best to stay true to what I thought Astarion would do in each moment, and it turns out without someone (Tav or anyone) checking in on him and occasionally holding him back, he became this hedonistic possessive creature who slept with everyone and loved no one at all, not even himself. Tav wasn't around to make him feel safe, so he took power until he made himself safe. Tav wasn't around to suggest sex could be anything but physical, so he engaged in its physical transaction whenever he could to make sure he had everyone as hooked as possible. It didn't matter the trail of hurt people he left behind him. Nobody bothered to tell him he didn't have to sell his body for a potion. Nobody bothered to tell him they wanted to be with him with or without sex, and after two hundred years, old habits died hard.

Lae'zel - slept with immediately, but after the bruised "everything hurts" feeling the morning after, he decided not to pursue it. Successfully persuaded her to stick around after siding with the Emperor and letting him assimilate Orpheus, not because he really cared if she stayed but because he didn't want to have to expend the energy to fight her.

Gale - had sex with him in the Weave, then broke up with him. He became the God of Ambition at Astarion's encouragement. Probably the most hurt by Astarion's inability to love. As delighted as Astarion was by Gale conjuring up towers and libraries for him, I think for all Astarion's sexual experience he wasn't able to get his footing in the Weave, especially when Gale started growing extra arms and heads. He was put off enough by not having control of the sex that he never wanted to repeat it, and Gale was totally heartbroken.

Wyll - danced with him and kissed him, but broke up with him immediately when he stated he preferred a long courtship & old-fashioned romance. Encouraged Wyll to take as much power as possible, leading to him becoming Grand Duke.

Karlach - flirted with her the whole first and second acts, and for a long time I thought having to actually get to know her as a person and remember her likes & dislikes--actual facts about her outside of her sexual preferences--might finally teach Astarion how to let someone into his heart. Except then, thanks to a series of unfortunate cutscene priorities in late Act 2, other people's romances came first all in a row, and by the time Karlach's night finally triggered, he'd already made his way through Gale, Wyll, and two very tense scenes with Tavish-Emperor, and he'd hardened his heart again after hurting all three of them. Karlach ended up being endgame romance in that he went to Avernus with her, but I don't think he felt anything more than a possessive affection for her by the end. The dialogue option I picked even reflected that; it wasn't the "I know you're afraid to be alone, and this time it'll be different because I'll be with you" choice, it was the "I refuse to allow you to die. Get up and let's go" choice. Unfortunate.

Tavish-Emperor - slept with, and sided with in the final battle. She assimilated Orpheus and ran off into the city, so Lae'zel didn't even get her dragons.

Halsin - slept with regularly, much to Karlach's unhappiness. No real affection here, just a release of tension and I think a very selfish assurance to himself that Karlach didn't "own" him just because she loved him, that he was still free to do whatever he wanted.

Minthara - propositioned him, but because saying yes would have permanent consequences with Karlach, he declined. Again, not because he really cared about hurting Karlach at this point, but because it would get too messy and dramatic afterwards if he didn't.

Shadowheart - did not engage with romantically and ended up catty BFFs, which I honestly found such a relief. She saved Nightsong (mostly because Astarion couldn't be bothered to intervene) and moted her parents. :(

This Astarion also ascended, because that's what his search for power culminated in, and again, there was no one saying "my guy, I love you for who you are right now. You don't have to do this. Not because it would be sad to kill all those people, but because I'd be sad if you became something else." I hated that cutscene the first time I recorded it for the Astarion Supercut and I hated watching it again now as the Astarion origin. I won't be letting that happen again.

Anyway. I know I was in control of the character and could have made different choices, but I was really trying to play him as I thought he would react in those moments, and I didn't care for the outcome at all. I felt like I'd lost almost two whole characters this run, and even with as much as I really like Minthara, I'll be going back to my tried and true (and very much missed) Tavish as a palate cleanser in the next few days.

[thebreakfastgenie]

honestly the part of mash that i consider the time loop IS the syndication of it all. it’s already so screwy with time and now it must all happen over and over and over again, in its unstuck messy order or out of it, because we need it to, because it moves us every time we see it and we must keep it playing. it’s like the thing in the musical hadestown where they know they have to tell the story again, because we must keep ourselves hoping that things could turn out better, even if the story remains the same. that’s mash to me. the war goes on. which war is it anymore? we tell the story again, it all happens again, because every time it makes us laugh, cry, get angry, it keeps us connected to each other and to our humanity. or something like that wow i got maudlin as hell in your inbox excuse me. i’m normal about mash and i’m normal about cyclical forms of storytelling (lying)

Yeah I love the meta cyclical thing!!!! My thing is just that I'm a pedant and that doesn't make the narrative a time loop (though you can make a time loop out of it, plenty of fic writers do). MASH going on as long as it did had its pros and cons, but one of the pros is this sort of feeling that war is endless, that time loses its meaning.

I think what I dislike about the time loop thing is the "theory" approach. It's like "what if MASH is actually a time loop" like "what if this cartoon is actually a dream this character had while in a coma" or "what if this entire medical drama was the fantasy of an autistic child staring at a snowglobe" (iykyk). And you know, the idea that the time loop "explains" why the timeline is the way it is, or that that needs an explanation at all. It's not that deep! It is very funny.

I haven't seen or listened to Hadestown (I'm the opposite of most musical theatre fans and I rarely listen to shows I haven't seen, although there have been exceptions) and I'm not really the target audience because I don't care about Orpheus and I don't get that "maybe this time he won't do it" feeling from that particular story, but from what I've heard about how they do the ending it's really cool!! It would probably work on me if I saw it tbh.

I love cyclical storytelling! And I think a lot of people in the MASH fandom like the same things I like with regards to playing with time, I notice that when I get into actual conversations. To me the real potential is in the ability of time tropes to portray how something feels. This is why I keep coming back to Slaughterhouse-5 and the idea of being unstuck in time. What Vonnegut did was give us this war veteran who is trying to live out his life, but is frequently, against his will, transported back in time to the most traumatic experiences of his life. Sometimes he's abducted, taken to a place where he is an alien, observed and put on display for everyone. It's PTSD, but made physical by science fiction elements. It's brilliant. And MASH is so ripe to do stuff like that! You can use the funky timeline and the meta of the show lasting 11 years, being rerun again and again and shown in syndication out of order, to dig into that. And I mean I literally have a time loop WIP so.

I really enjoyed this ask <3

[all-seeing-ifer]

top five angel episodes 🔫🤭

oh you think you're being funny? you think you're being funny miles? well jokes on you angel is a good show sometimes and I can prove it! (sidenote I'm only a couple episodes into season 5 in my rewatch so that's why there's no season 5 episodes here)

Birthday - hehe it's that one episode that you watched and really liked, and you were RIGHT. obviously cordy is my favourite part of the show (pour one out season 5 is so sad for me) so I'm biased towards episodes that focus on her, but I also think this one is just genuinely really excellent. an amazing conclusion to the cordy's killer visions plotline that just does it in such a fun and engaging way with the whole "cordy gets to live out her dream life" plot point. also while it's not the most important part of the episode the baby connor era is (mostly) one of the favourite parts of the show and I enjoy that this episode has plenty of that

Are you now or have you ever been - haunted houses (hotels)... flashbacks bleeding into the present.... a mccarthy-era cold war setting... themes of paranoia and the potential for human cruelty.... gunn becoming a part of the angel investigations team... "this is a place of evil" "not anymore"... they actually made this one for me specifically they sat down in the year 2000 and said we need to write this episode specifically so a weird little guy called isabel who won't be born for a couple months will lose their fucking mind over it

The Pylea arc - cheating by combining like 3 episodes into one but I think the Pylea episodes specifically are connected enough for it to be understandable. not the most thematically deep or character focused of the show's episodes but it's just such good campy fun, man!!! getting to see the angel investigations team take part in this delightfully ridiculous high fantasy pastiche is so... it's just so fun!! and charming!!! and cordy gets declared princess of a hell dimension!! and lorne spends like a third of the arc as a literal talking head!! and we meet fred!!!! I love fred wish she didn't end up just getting reduced to love triangle fodder!!! it's just a really great time overall and honestly a much needed breather after how dark and angsty the rest of season 2 got

To Shanshu in LA - the episode that caused me to become Very Autistic about this show. angel investigations are a FAMILY and I LOVE THEM!!!! cordy buys angel art supplies bc she wants him to get a hobby bc she CARES ABOUT HIM. AND SHE TELLS HIM NOT TO FEEL EMBARRASSED ABOUT DRINKING BLOOD IN FRONT OF HIS FAMILY!!! it's fine i'm normal about it. also (surprising I'm sure from the guy behind the 9k pinocchio themed cordy and angel tax benefits marriage fic) I find the whole concept of the shanshu prophecy and angel's desire to become human again incredibly compelling, so this one really got the cogs in my brain turning

Orpheus - the fact that angel and faith friendship means enough to me that I'm willing to include a season 4 episode here really says it all. yes you do have to ignore everything with cordy and connor in this episode in order to enjoy it and I'm aware that that's a bit of a tall order, BUT faith and angel's little trip through the mindscape together is so good that for once I'm willing to let it slide! (though actually it does pain me to say this but the joke where fred asks the others if they think cordy and connor's relationship is a bit messed up and then it cuts to cordy (or fake cordy, rather) telling connor he needs to kill his dad did get a laugh out of me. i didn't want it to, but shoutout to mere smith for writing the one moment in this entire storyline that I kind of liked) BACK TO THE GOOD STUFF obviously faith's interactions with angel/angelus are excellent (like it's crazy how well the angelus stuff in season 4 suddenly starts working as soon as he's played off against faith SORRY I'M VEERING CLOSE TO JUST COMPLAINING ABOUT SEASON 4 AGAIN I PROMISE I REALLY DO LIKE ORPHEUS), faith making the choice to keep living and keep fighting to be better instead of accepting her death, the "I'm dying" "It's a lot easier than redemption, huh?" "I did my time" "Our time is never up, Faith" dialogue (GIRLS WHEN SHOW THESIS STATEMENTS) AUGHGGH. THEY MEAN SO MUCH TO ME. also willow's cameo is very fun and I enjoy watching her flirt with fred :)

[elvensorceress]

✨️💫🌿🤲🕯

If you're so inclined 💙💙

Ro, beloved! Thank you! (Sorry this took a few days. Work is 🫠🫠🫠)

✨What’s a fic you’ve posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

The Orpheus/Eurydice inspired series.

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

My favorite comments are when people point out their favorite parts or when they tell me what they enjoyed, how they felt, what moved them -- those kinds of things. :) I also think it's fun when people get really analytical and find little details I threw in or even when they ask questions about my thought process or how the story came to be.

I'm also very fond of all the comments from people telling me the way I write ace/demi!Eddie makes them feel Seen. I know it's helped me work through and accept a lot of things about myself, and I'm always so so happy when people tell me it's helped them, too. Identifying as ace/demi has always been something that made me feel very weird, wrong, insufficient, etc... and if it helps anyone else feel better about themselves and their own sexuality, there's nothing more rewarding.

🌿how does creating make you feel?

Lovely! Expressive and fulfilled. 🥰

🤲what do YOU get out of writing?

I mentioned this some when I wrote about why I write, but it's an emotional outlet for me as well as something therapeutic where I get to put thoughts, feelings, ideas into characters and make them tell a story. It brings me joy being able to write difficult things but give them happy resolutions, and one of the biggest things that made me want to be a writer was telling stories about people who don't typically have stories told about them.

🕯️was there a fic that was really hard on you to write, or took you to a place you didn’t think it would take you?

Most of my bigger, longer fics took turns that I didn't expect. I usually go into a fic with an idea in mind but sometimes when I go to write, it ends up completely different. Either the characters take over and come out differently than expected or something comes up that wasn't planned but seems interesting so I go along and follow it.

Now to answer more specifically, we're going to put this under a cut. I ramble a lot. I'm sorry 💕

Unless You Ask Me To is absolutely one of these. It started, conceptually, as a little, maybe 25K kind of fic (yes, this is little to me 🤣) where Eddie goes on a couple dates with a guy, Buck gets jealous, and they get together. I had a whole first draft and it was supposed to be simple, straightforward, over and done thing, and it wasn't even 20K.

And then I started thinking about it. And wondering about the other things I could do with the set up that I had. Such as, what if this random guy becomes Eddie's boyfriend and Eddie has to work through relationship issues like his traumas from past, his worries about abandonment, his difficulties with vulnerability and emotional intimacy, and (because this is me) him struggling with asexuality and wanting sex vs having sex, coping with having had sex that he didn't want but essentially forced himself into because it was something his partners wanted, and taking his canon anxiety/panic attack(s) and making him confront this in more depth.

And because I put him in a relationship with someone who was not his best friend, partner, coparent, love of his life, it let me play with things that imo wouldn't necessarily come up were he to be in a relationship with Buck. Or wouldn't come up in the same way since it's set somewhere beyond season 6 or at least beyond 6a, so Buck and Eddie are already SO very devoted, committed, and in love with each other. Even though they have yet to realize this. 🙃 But they're already in a place where even though they haven't addressed many of their Issues, they are veryveryvery close and vulnerable with each other and turn to each other for most everything.

So, this one has become difficult to write just because it is so massively flipping long now and there are a lot of struggles with sex, with panic and anxiety and bad triggers, with relationships, with self-worth that are not easy things to feel or confront. (There is also the whole part where I made two of Eddie's worst nightmares come to life, and it put him in a very very depressed broken state.)

But it's also been one of the most rewarding fics to write? It feels like people have connected to it and like they've been enjoying the whole epically long journey. I mean. We're over 150K now and the boys are still not together and 🫠🫠🫠🫠 what is that about. That's a hard thing to stick with when that relationship is the favorite core thing for most of us.

But that's been another fun, unexpected thing I got to play with -- because Eddie had a boyfriend for a good half of the fic, I really got to lean into the juxtaposition between a relationship that was good and healthy and didn't have issues per se, and a relationship that is the biggest best most beautiful and most right soulmate supreme kind of love. It's easy to write a messy incompatible disaster relationship and say that one with his best friend would be better. Obviously it would lol. But I think it was interesting and more telling to show him in a relationship that wasn't bad (and in fact eventually helps him resolve some issues) but it just wasn't right. And it makes the Buddie relationship shine all the brighter for it.

Anyway, this is a lot of midnight rambling 🤣 but tl;dr - Unless went completely off the rails, but I've really been enjoying the journey and I hope everyone else does, too.

And the next chapter should be finished and posted around Wednesday this week. It's going to be a very fun one. ;)

Thank you so much for the questions! I love and adore you and hope you have a wonderful week! 💕💕💕💕💕💕

[arguablysomaya]

not to bother you but do you by any chance have any more batfam fic recs? i read all the ones you recommended already and now im starved for content lmao

np lmao i have prepared for this

Just a friendly kidnapping by @Ceciliedr 

Jason decides drastic measures are in order, when his workaholic little brother refuses to take a day off. Tim is going on vacation whether he wants to or not.

As always the bat’s antics confuse the hell out of the team. Especially since Red Hood is officially a highly dangerous wanted criminal.

cryptid bats are such a good trope 

And the Scene Slips Away (To the Evenness I Fake) by @ Kirazalea

One mistake is all it took to force Jason back into the wonderful world of the Wayne family. Now publicly and legally alive once more, he's forced to spend the next two weeks of his life stuck in the Manor with the whole family. This leads to several strengthened relationships and the realization that maybe he's missed a few things over the years. Things that he's now determined to get to the bottom of.

Also known as the "Tim comes out to his family, the public finds out Jason Todd is actually alive, Jason finds out about Mirage and Tarantula, and they all are confronted with the fact that dealing with public relations as millionaire superheroes is actually The Worst (though not necessarily in that order)" Frankenstein of a fic that nobody asked for but I'm giving you anyways

*insert crying noises* this bad boy can fit so much emotion in it

American Ninja Worrier by @DangerBeckett

It's just like Tim to give a poor college student a start in the business world. Kid's a bleeding heart, and usually, that's the sort of thing Jason avoids at all costs. He prefers his bleeding hearts on the literal side, and despite Bruce's best efforts, he's never had a head for business.

Unfortunately, though, this time the business is ninjas, and that's the sort of thing that makes Jason take notice. Because Bruce is useless, and someone's gotta make sure Tim's new internship program doesn't take down all of Gotham.

That's Jason's job, after all.

most accurate tim drake i’ve ever read, added bonus of being fucking hilarious

the art of turning a bed into a home by @ anaksemuabangsa 

“We’ll feel better if we sleep in the same place,” Dick reasons, shifting the blankets and piling them on top of a stiff Tim. “When I was smaller, every time Bruce caught me having a nightmare, he used to stay with me until I fell asleep again,” he continues.

In which Bruce's kids develop a habit fit for princes and princesses.

(Somebody get them to sleep, please.)

the whole good habits series is pog asf but this one is my personal favorite. it’s so fluffy ;-;

“Get out of my room.” by @damthosefandoms

Dick likes to mess with his little brother. Jason enjoys being a little shit to his older brother. Everyone always says they’ll get along when they get older. They’re not so sure about that.

hands down the most realistic sibling relationship i’ve ever seen. fulfills my headcanon that dick and jason are just like me and my little brother. Also check out Older SIblings: A Plague on Our Society by the same author bc LMAO

Young Justice Visit the Suez Canal by @charleswaterloo 

There is an enormous container ship called the Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal. Young Justice is on the case. During their short adventure, they also: make a massive sand sculpture, enjoy some fanfiction and unblock the Suez Canal. Not in that order. * ‘I am thinking,’ Tim said, with extreme calm, ‘That you have made something that looks like a very large penis when viewed from above.’

‘It’s a dick and balls, yeah.’ Bart said without embarrassment. ‘It’s poetic! I’m ending the journey like it started.’ * ‘Did you -’ Dick began, laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe. ‘Did you really tell him to at least “make the shaft bigger”? Bart told Wally and he told me but I have to know if it’s true, Tim. My life depends on it.’

you remember that boat that ended capitalism for like a week? yeah.

contagious by @Valkirin 

In a happier Gotham where Robin insisted on bringing his new brother Jason home from patrol, the second Robin is dosed with Poison Ivy's cuddle pollen and finds their personal photographer.

an alternate take on tim joining the family that is much more happy

Whatever it is that brothers do by @ididloveyou_once

Jason’s fairly certain his evening plans hadn’t included playing nursemaid for a reckless, self-sacrificing and frustratingly stubborn vigilante. Not to mention that said vigilante was his dumb fucking brother.

Or: Nightwing is badly injured and Hood’s the only one around to help.

*melty noises* they care about each other...........

Way Down, Hadestown

In which Damian's dead and Tim has lost one too many people to accept that.

Platonic Orpheus-Eurydice not-AU set after Damian's canonical death (that I am still deeply bitter about). Likely throws Wonder Woman canon right out of the window.

*melty noises intensity* THEY CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER TO THE FUCKING GRAVE also the lore is cool as hell in this one

the entire Grade School series by KagSesshlove

Imagine that Damian goes to a regular school full time. And has to do things that normal grade-schoolers have to do. This is his life now: pretending to be a normal 10 year old at school all for the sake of the public. But, honestly, the public would rather he not.

fucking hilarious series, i especially like My Family by Damian Wayne

i have so many more LMAO 

[itsnothesameasitwas]

!!! - please be careful and read all the tags and/or warnings before start reading and left kudos and nice messages to the authors <33

❀ love so soft, you ain’t had nothing softer by neondiamond @neondiamond | 11k | GA | ABO

note: this series owns my heart and soul!!! it’s really cute and fluffy and I love the way the author shows hl supportive relationship

❀ lightning strikes the heart by bekita and fournipplesau @justalarryblog and @fournipplesau | 130k | E | ABO/MPREG

Shrewsbury, 1814

Dearest reader, I present to you your new bulletin of news regarding Shrewsbury citizen's activities. My name is Lady Merriweather and I will be in charge of the updates. I will make sure you are to know all the important details of what is to happen this season. You must know that you do not know who I am and you never shall. But be forewarned; I certainly do know you. I advise you to be on your best behaviour, lest you want the whole town to be privy of your business.

As expected every year, the Lockhart House hosts the season’s opening ball, and its invitation is the motive of the hustle in town, and every family hopes for the invitation. This year is no different, but this year everyone's attention is focused on the new Duke of Montgomery, His Grace Harry Edward Styles, and whether he will attend it.

All the omegas will be in their best manner, behaviour and clothes as it is expected. And here, dear reader is where we will find out which young omega might succeed at securing a match, hoping to not become a spinster.

Place your bets.

note: Beca is aware of how much I loved/love this fic, I’m obsessed with you both style writing and already read all your fics because of that, but this specific fic own an especial part of my heart, I literally made 30 girls read it because I needed someone to scream about how much I love this baby

❀ Love in the Dark by brightgolden @brightgolden | 90k | E | ABO/MPREG

Led by greed, the foundation of five kingdoms that once agreed to preserve the economy and balances the peace of the land crumbles.

The treaty made a hundred years ago is breached by a kingdom, and the peace that Harry knows in Saleigster all his life is threatened by war. As part of The Council, his parents decide to ask for an alliance from the biggest kingdom in the land, Mittelheim.

Everything takes a twist of a turn when the Head Council of Mittelheim offers to signify the alliance by bonding his alpha son to the valedictorian omega in Saleigster.

OR

Where Louis is an ambitious Advisor Council that is reluctant to find a mate, and his father takes the matter into his hand while Harry is the valedictorian in his kingdom destined for better things than an arranged marriage.

note: i enjoyed every single minute while reading this! Louis loved Harry and Harry loved louis but they both were too cowards to express their feelings for each other but it has a lovely happy ending (i cried a lot)

❀ To Hell and Back by poshboyfriends | 4k | NR | MDC (happy ending)

an au based off of the story of orpheus and eurydice, the one with the musical lute player who loses his lover and plays his way through the underworld to bring her back.

note: I called this fic “the muertito fic” hehe, it’s a MDC with a happy ending and one of my favorites actually (I’ve laughed and cried)

❀ Breakable Heaven by amomentoflove @daggerandrose | 44k | E

“What do you think?” Louis gets captured by Harry’s green eyes, unable to look away or even take a breath.

“I think you’re the most magnificent creature I’ve ever met.”

“You must not have met many creatures then.”

Harry’s eyes glance downward to Louis’ lips and his tongue darts out to wet his own. “None like you.”

note: this fic is completely amazing!! I got caught by Greek Mythology Aus right after finished this one and

❀ people fall in love in mysterious ways (maybe just the touch of a hand) | 13k | TUA

Set in a world where meeting your soulmate causes a literal spark, Louis Tomlinson has no time for fate. He knows all too well the heartbreak that having a soulmate can bring and he'd rather avoid the whole affair. But, when a chance meeting with up-and-coming popstar, Harry Styles, causes the biggest electrical surge the world has ever seen, Louis must confront the truth that sometimes destiny knocks when you least expect it.

note: this fic!!! Was written by many people but it’s really good and fun, exactly what I needed after a good cry lol

❀ take the time for you by pixies @tomlinbuns | 1.8k | GA

Dating hasn’t really been very easy for him, lately, not ever since he moved to London earlier in the year for his job. He’d had terrible luck with online dating and was too dedicated to his current projects at work to make time to go out to the bars or to try to socialize more than once every few weeks.

aka, Harry ends up at speed-dating to get his friend off his back and has a better night than expected.

note: all I need to say I “niall I love you” and I’m pretty sure hl too

❀ Paper Hearts by zouaylorgf @zouaylorgf | 27k | M

They haven’t spoken about it, just trailing the line of bringing it up and then ultimately avoiding it by changing the topic or letting the awkward silence swallow them whole. Neither of them have been through this situation before. Nothing even close. They don’t know how to deal with it, and maybe that’s better? Maybe it’s better to be completely unaware of what they’re giving up. Ignorance is bliss, right?

Or, Louis is the captain of his debate team, headed down the right path with no chance of anything getting in his way. That is, until he meets Harry, who completely derails him. Louis has to figure out how to deal with his feelings and getting wrapped up in the drama of it all, while he also attempts to not let it destroy his focus. But maybe it’s too late for that.

note: I read this one because I used to be in a debate team and was wondering how would be hl in a debate team, I really really like this one…Emily I’m in love with you writing style

❀ Trust Me Tonight by 28sunflowers @vintageumbroshirt | 10k | E | MPREG

After Harry’s eighteenth birthday, his father calls him into a meeting to say that he is to be married to Prince Louis of France in just over a week.

Harry is excited, of course. The arrangement is better than any he could’ve hoped for, with such a young, handsome and kind husband.

There is just one issue: Harry doesn’t know what happens on his nuptials, or how to get pregnant to give Louis the heir that he needs.

note: this one’s so cute!!! Louis was so sweet with Harry and they learn together, I fell in love with the fic

❀ Lies & Liability by 4ureyesonly28 @evilovesyou | 34k | M | ABO

Harry Styles has only three wishes when he leaves River Dane Manor to go to Town for his first season: that his sister has rented a townhouse that will provide him as many of the comforts of the country life he has grown accustomed to as possible, that he will not trip and fall when he is presented to Her Majesty the Queen, and that he will enter matrimony out of true love, no matter how favourable the match with any which alpha may be.

note: I read this one last night, is so cute (beca you were right), and wow… definitely this one is in now my list of fics I would drag to prison with me

—————

And that’s it, I loved all these fics so much, massive thanks to the authors for made my days better <333

[whorphydice]

Bread When I’m Hungry

Happy Re-opening, Heres a new fic. 

Bread When I’m Hungry

Those were words that, in the dead heat of summer, have Orpheus waking from a dead sleep. Somehow, despite the blazing temperatures, he wakes in a cold sweat. Fear likely responsible for the chill he felt in his heart at the memory.  It was a nightmare, quite literally, that he would never recover from. Eurydice, clinging to his hand, begging him to just listen please, we need food. A nightmare, a memory, that every night now, he experienced again in his head. Eurydice, his wife, his love, starving in front of his eyes.

Even when he woke, breathing hard and heart trying to beat itself out of his chest, he cannot shake the feeling. He always looks to his right, where his wife is there in the flesh, alive. The gentle rise and fall of her shoulders with her breathing comforts him, bringing him out of his fear. Yes. She was alive, she was here, and she was safe.

And yet, despite the very physical evidence of her beside him that they were safe… it all ate at Orpheus. The memories, the nightmares.  The look on her face when he had come for her, the hope in her eyes when she told him she needed so little-- bread, fire-- so long as they were together. He owed her- he owed her the most basic of comforts.

He had promised to see her needs, to meet them. He would be damned before he failed to provide for her again.

It is that next morning, right after the peak of summer, when he kisses his wife’s sleeping face, whispers a promise of “I’ll be back soon,” and slips out towards the door. The fact doesn’t escape him (he’s gotten better at remembering important things) that his wife had mentioned she was going to be helping Persephone and her mother with gardening all day and likely would not be home until that evening. Perfect.

He is the first person at the market that morning, with a cotton tote over his shoulder. He makes a beeline way directly to the corner stand that is filled with freshly baked goods, leavening agents, and a plethora of flour products. It’s earlier than he’d wake normally, but he can remember hearing about baking early in the day, and bakers waking before anyone else. Yes, this is what he had to do. What he wanted to do. He practically runs up to the stand, absolutely beaming at the town baker, despite the early hour.

“Good morning!” Orpheus greets, pulling a notebook from his pocket, as well as a pencil. “I have some questions for you.”

The baker, an older man, who had been baking in the town before Orpheus had even been born, looks up over his shelves of goods, a curious expression on his face. “Why, good morning Orpheus! What are you doing here so early, and where’s that girl of yours? Unlike you to be alone!”

A warm blush comes to Orpheus’ face, as he fiddles his pencil between his thumb and forefinger. “That’s actually what i’m here about. I want to learn to bake. Bread, actually. I promised her she’d have a home with warm bread. I need to make sure I keep that promise.” He gestures to the flours and sugars around him. “And, to be quite honest, I don’t even know how to start.”

The baker is a kind man, and he chuckles under his breath. It was just very..Orpheus..to take on a project and a promise with no idea of how to go about completing it. He wipes his hands on his apron and holds out both hands, gesturing for Orpheus to hand him the note pad and paper. “You’re the only man I know like you.” He remarks, scribbling down instructions on the notepad. “You’re going to start simple, alright? No starter, no add ins. Just a basic, white bread.”

Orpheus nods excitedly, clasping his hands infront of him. “Yes, yes, thank you! I appreciate it, and Eurydice will too.” It was fact, in the town. That Eurydice was nearly as beloved as Orpheus, maybe even more so, for the way she brought him the joy that she did. He is glancing around at the ingredients around him, trying not to show the level of overwhelmed he felt. “I can- what do I need to do that?”

“I’ll set you up right, don’t worry about it. And when you’re done here you’re gonna stop down there for your butter. It’ll be nice and fresh. Melts real well on the warm bread. And stop and grab some fresh eggs too. You can make a real nice toast for your girl in the mornin;.” The Man hands Orpheus the list back, and then begins to hand him the proper products he needs from the document. “If you really want to impress her, You make a few loaves, then it pushes you through the week. Shows forethought.”

Orpheus gives the man a genuine thanks and exchanges payment, before he carries on stopping at the rest of his target vendors. He grabs the additional ingredients, careful to follow the instructions exactly. He has to make sure Eurydice enjoys it, he has to make her see that he listened to her needs. 

Orpheus enjoys the walk home, noting to himself how melodic the birds sound. He finds himself humming in response, a beautiful distraction to exactly how exhausted he is. The combination of the lack of sleep from the nightmares and the early start to the day are surely to catch up to him. But for now, in this moment, he is simply too excited to surprise his wife.

Orpheus arrives home, tossing his shoes to the side as he soon as he passes the threshold of their apartment. They’ve lived above the bar since their return, Orpheus himself having lived their longer. They’ve talked about looking for more of a home, with a yard for their own garden, space out of the town where they could be alone. There was no rush, though. They were together, they were each other’s home. The four walls around them wasn’t what mattered most, anymore. 

Eurydice is gone, he can tell that much in their studio space. Besides the obvious of the lack of her physical presence, he notices the lack of her boots, the absence of her laugh, the missing smell of warm spices and earth. It used to be that her absence, even temporary, would set a panic in his chest. She’s gone, she’s never coming back. She left again. Doubt plays on repeat in his head, time and time again until he finally broke down to Eurydice one day.  He verbalizes his fear, and doubts, and through more than a bit of tears from them both they made it through. He can rationalize now, that when she went out to work with Persephone, she’d return at the end of the night. 

Now the pang he felt was just that he always did, when she was gone. Just a feeling of a  man who loved his wife and missed her presence.

Orpheus sits his groceries in their kitchen, setting them out before him. He grabs his work apron, the only one he had, slipping It over his head and then tying it behind his back. He re-reads the instructions diligently (one, two, then three) times before he begins preparing his work station and beginning his first loaf.

~

Maybe it was the summer heat beaming down on her all day, or maybe it was the practically sun up to sundown shift she worked today, but Eurydice was exhausted. Not that she was ungrateful, no not that at all. She thanked Persephone, and often her mother, profusely for allowing her to come help work around the farm and assist the goddesses. Yes, Eurydice was exceptionally grateful for all the opportunities Persephone helped to provide her with.

Eurydice’s thankfulness did not negate that sometimes, at the end of a long day in the field, she was bone tired.

“Love.. I’m home..” She pushes the door open, and after settling her keys on the table right inside their door, she has no chance to drop her bag or shoes before she is met by her husband directly inside.

He stands there, directly on the other side of the door, a goofy, proud smile on his face. He is still wearing his work apron from earlier, though rather than the usual drink stains, he is covered in a light flour dusting. Most importantly, now, is that Orpheus holds his arms out fully extended to her, with a steaming golden loaf of bread in his hands. “Look! ‘Rydice I did it!’

Eurydice looks out in-front of her, eyes going incredibly wide when the situation processes through her head. Bread. That is fresh bread. That is fresh, steaming homemade bread. That is fresh, steaming homemade bread created by her husband. Orpheus made this for her. Her husband did this for her. “You.. did that? Orpheus?” She’s in disbelief as she drops her bag carelessly and reaches out her hands to wrap around his. Her dark eyes flicker between his hands and meeting his face. Once she truly realizes what’s happened, the brightest smile spreads from her mouth to her eyes, and a little laugh of disbelief coming out. “you made us this?”

He nods so quickly that his head barely can move, gently transferring the loaf to her hands. “I wanted you to know I remember. I remember the promises I made you. I promised you would always have bread when you are hungry- and I am going to keep my promises, this time.“ Orpheus leans in and wraps his now free (but still warm) hands around her cheeks, holding his entire world in them. “I will always make sure you have enough to eat, Eurydice. I promise.” He leans in, now, to give her a kiss on the center of her forehead. His lips linger for a few moments, before he pulls back. He rests his forehead on hers for a few minutes, hands still cupping her cheeks.

Orpheus is struck with recollection, then, as he pulls back from his wife. “oh! And follow me! I have some fresh butter for you. I have a few more loaves to finish, but you can eat that one while the others bake. They told me, at the market today, to make a couple so we can have them all week!” He gestures for her to follow him towards the kitchen area where, on their dining table, flour is spread out after a few smaller piles of raw dough.

He goes back to kneading, as Eurydice follows him into their home. If he notices her tears forming, he does not mention it. Eurydice breaths deeply as she stares at the loaf in her hands, thumbs brushing over the golden crust. It is heavy and warm, fresh but ready to be eaten, in the palms of her hands. She would love to blame the feeling in her chest as a mix of exhaustion and love but Eurydice knows that, really, it’s the feeling of love and adoration alone that Orpheus is so capable of making her feel. No, exhaustion is not why her heart felt so heavy now.

And here he was, providing for them. Not that she had doubted his dedication, no, and she wasn’t expecting him to support her entirely either. They were a team. They worked together to meet the needs of them both.  Yet this loaf of bread in her hands made by the man kneading another small portion at the table, was a far cry from the boy who didn’t hear her pleas for food and firewood not that many seasons ago.

Eurydice wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand, directing her attention instead to her husband and his work.

She couldn’t help but stare at him, now. The way his hair had just a bit of sweat on the ends, a result of the hard work he had put into the heat of the kitchen all day. Then there was the way he bit his lip and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. The way his arms from his shoulders, the muscles of his upper arm, to the tendons in his lower arms twisted and contorted with his effort into the dough. His stature now, also, was quite a development in comparison to the thin, frail boy who came to hell and back for her. She supposed a healthy harvest and work did wonders for the body. Most of all, she was not ignoring his skilled fingers folding and flexing in the bread dough, as he incorporated extra flour. Kneading, she realized, was just another thing to add to the list of the things Orpheus’s nimble fingers were so good for.

Eurydice snaps herself out of her reverie, breaking the bread in half with her hands. The crackling of the crust has him looking up at her, and he gives her one of the most brilliant grins she had ever seen. “Is it good?”

Without even tasting it, Eurydice just nods. “Wonderful.”

[ange-de-la-musique]

My thoughts on the Hadestown US tour 2021.

Orpheus and Eurydice: I loved loved loved Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus. I went in not sure about him, especially since Orpheus is my least favorite character, and came out absolutely adoring him. He has the voice of an angel and I’m pretty sure he was singing slightly higher than the score just because he could. He really put a lot of thought into the character and clearly knows how to work with a script to engage with the audience well. Personally I liked Reeve Carney but enjoyed Nicholas a lot more. Morgan Siobhan Green as Eurydice was probably the weakest cast member but she was still wonderful so that says a lot about how good the cast was. Her voice was phenomenal, her only downsides were that she seemed a little nervous and stiff at times, probably just needs some time to get settled into the role. However by act two she was absolutely killing it in the acting department, especially Flowers and her return to Hadestown after Orpheus turns around. Also we love a short queen, the ensemble would be kneeling and she’d be standing and still be the same height as them.

Hades and Persephone: Kevyn Morrow was a great Hades. Like Nicholas showing off his upper register, Kevyn was clearly having a lot of fun showing off his lower register. He clearly knows the value of restraint in acting, as he didn’t have a lot of movement at times but made it work in such a way that it came across very regal rather than stiff, then energetically burst out with action during His Kiss, the Riot. Kimberley Marable was such a fun Persephone, she didn’t play it quite as drunk as Amber Gray, but it still worked. She was a riot, absolutely having the time of her life and she stole the show every time she was on stage. Even in the more serious moments that she was in the background for she was clearly focused on what was happening in the story and how her character would react, such great energy and stage presence.

Hermes and The Fates: So Levi Kreis as Hermes was the cast member I was the most worried about, given how extremely different he is from André De Shields and how the character was originally envisioned. However I should have trusted the actor, as Levi clearly was aware of this and worked hard to make his Hermes a very distinct, new character from Broadway. He played the role very camp, almost feminine at times and it worked extremely well. He has a hell of a voice and played around with the notes throughout the show to show it off. He really knows how to play up to an audience, but did a perfect job of balancing the comedic moments with the somber ones, to the point of his voice actually cracking in a near sob during the finale. The Fates were exceptional, very talented, and very good at reacting to their costars, with beautiful and elegant body language. Watching them in the background of scenes was always very interesting as they were always doing little things to add to their characters.

The Ensemble: As with everything else, the ensemble was amazing. I’m pretty sure I got to see Alex Lugo, one of the the swings, in the worker’s chorus. I can definitely see why Will Mann is the Hades understudy, even when singing in the chorus his voice was so deep it stood out amongst the others. While passing out the mugs during curtain call for We Raise Our Cups, Jamari Johnson Williams tripped over a chair and went sprawling on the stage but he played it off so charmingly and amusing that I could feel the whole audience instantly fall in love with him.

The staging: It was very interesting to see what they did for a touring stage as opposed to the stage built into the theatre on Broadway. While they still had the turntable, it did not rise or lower in the center to function as the train. Instead they had panels in the back of the set under the balcony that opened with smoke effects and lights facing the audience when they opened to act as the train. In some scenes this worked great, even better than the Broadway version - such as Hades’ entrance being made all the more dramatic that all we could see of him was his silhouette wreathed in lights and smoke until he stepped forward into the light. However for some scenes it was less than ideal - the panels stayed open during How Long and watching the ensemble run off and on stage before and after that song definitely spoiled the effect. For the most part though the change made little difference to the quality of the show and my enjoyment of it, and served as a good alternative to the rising turntable. The rest of the staging is the same as on Broadway (I think Eurydice danced slightly less, but that may just be me misremembering exactly how much she danced on Broadway).

The merch: Overall pretty standard merch, however there were two necklaces for sale that were absolutely lovely. They were also selling mugs in the same style as used in the show with the Hadestown logo, which is insanely cool.

Overall an extraordinarily amazing performance with an exceptional cast, definitely worth going to see!

[winter-fox-queen]

Kisses Like Wine Part 7

Thank you, thank you for all the kind words, clever tags…I hope this ending is a good one for all of you. <3

Summary: We end where we begin…at a party. Will the Thief get everything he came for?

Warnings: Making out…I don’t know why, the man exudes pure sex, but I couldn’t fit the smut in. Stealing things. The reader is female, blank canvass, no y/n.

I stared at the card.  All that blackmail, clever managing to break into a warehouse, avoiding getting killed…and all I had to show for it was an empty chair and a card.

A King of Spades. What the hell did that even mean?  It’s been a few days, and I had no idea where he was, if he was alright, anything.

But I did have a bit of luck.  I learned that there was to be a ball…and it was tonight. The Heart of the Rhine would be on delicious display, around the neck of a lady who claimed to be one of the “Last Habsburg Princesses” — though people made fun of her for her grandiose claims.  But still.  She was going to the ball, wearing the Heart, and I was going to steal it.

I had a glass fake.  It wasn’t a very good glass fake, but it would do with the time I had.  I also had a beautiful dress, a soft, filmy green that clung where it should and sparkled like a thousand diamonds had been sewn into it.

I then tried to treat myself to dinner, but the card was declined…finally, my father had cut me off.  I laughed…I had bought everything from the skin out for the ball, made sure I was the most beautiful and elegant I could be, and it was the MCDonald’s cheeseburger that got declined.

I told myself I was dressing for the part, not for the man.  I hadn’t picked out the most beautiful lingerie to wear under the dress that I could just in case he would get to see it.

I’d give my soul to know his name, and it scared me, how far I’d gone.

How much I wanted him.

So, there I was.  At the entryway to the Great Ballroom (which I’d cleaned yesterday, and helped set up this morning before collecting my paycheck and canning my maid outfit and wig for good, thank you very much) I paused.  It was going to end the way it began.

I told myself I was ready.

“I thought you’d be in the corner, singing to yourself, angel.”  His voice was like a heavy velvet wrap around my heart.  I was suddenly so very aware.  Aware of the warmth of his body near my back, the feel of his hand as he moved to take mine, bending low and kissing the knuckles, the dark pools of his eyes never leaving mine.

“It’s not a masquerade, this time.”  I was proud that I almost sounded unaffected.  Almost.  He was wearing a jacket of silvery grey, it shimmered a little in the light.  “All masks are off.”

“Are they?”  He presented me with a little pouch.  Smiled down into my eyes, his eyes so deep and dark — but warm, like summer shadows.

“What’s this?”  I took it gently.

“A thank you present, for later…hide it in one of the pockets you had sewn into your gown.”  He caressed my cheek gently.  “Thank you for rescuing me.”

I tried to feel it through the velvet of the pouch as I stowed it…paper?  Around something hard?  His caress distracted me.  “I can’t believe you got caught.”

“Perhaps it is time for me to retire.”  He held out a hand.  “Shall we?  We did not get to dance properly last time, and tonight, we have time to kill.”

I let him lead me out on the floor.  His hand on the bare skin of my back was warm, intimate.  He’s held me close before but this is different…my breath still came faster, heat still pooled in my belly at his touch, feeling his body move against mine, but it felt like home just as much as it felt like lust.  Would he move this smoothly, if we were alone in his bed?  Would be be this gentle, but this firm as he lead me?

“How…”. I shut myself off.  I had been about to say, “How do you fall in love with a Thief?”

“How do I plan to take it?”  He tapped his forehead to mine gently.  “You know better than to ask.”

“Well.  She has four guards around her everywhere she goes.  She’s never alone — someone is always talking to her, always saying something.”

He turned me gently in his arms, and now I was back to his front, as they continued dancing to the music.  His cheek was pressed against mine, and I felt the bristle of his beard.  “They’re all men.”  I said softly.

“Good.  Good.  And see how much she drinks?”

I spin away, his hand gently guides me back and we are face to face again.  “That can’t be it.  That’s too easy.”

“Sometimes it is.”  His nose brushed mine.  “Enough talking.”  He kissed me.  I stopped right in the middle of the dance floor.  The world was spinning, but I was still, tucked up against him, his mouth exploring mine, his hands pulling me close.  When I opened my eyes I realized he’d guided us off to the side, in a shadow created by one of the pillars that lined either side of teh room.  He looked down at me, as if trying to say something, then sighed, closed his eyes and placed his forehead to mine, cupping my face with both of his hands.

“Will you ever tell me your name?”  I whispered.

He pressed his face against my neck, I felt him smile.  “Maybe,” he said softly.  “Or perhaps you should make one for me.”

“I’d rather know yours.”  I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he started kissing my throat.  I was pretending to keep my eye on the mark, but failing.  “Stop distracting me…anyway…I am tired of calling you The Thief in my head all the time.”

He looked up.  “Really?  Is that all you call me?”

“Yes.”  I drew it out.

“Liar.”  He said, and kissed me on the nose.

“This is not what I expected.”

“And what did you expect?”

“Well.”  I played with the satin lapel of his jacket.  “I thought you’d drag me off to some quiet corner and have your way with me.”

His hands closed in on my waist, and squeezed.  “Is that you want, my darling?  To hide somewhere and taken so passionately that I need to keep my hand over your mouth to stifle your moans?”

I looked up at him.  “Sounds lovely.”

His mouth twisted into an oddly alluring smirk.  “Well.”  He said softly, leaning closer.  His eyes dashed a quick glance over my shoulder, and his frame sank.

“Is she heading for the restroom?  Already?”

He nodded.

I held up a finger.  “Hold that thought.”  I moved through the crowd, muttering about woman and their humming bird sized bladders.

I went in.  There was an attendant, the black cloth of the uniform shirt a little too snug around her arms and shoulders.  She was built like an amazon, and I thought, That is not coincidence.  I used the restroom, washed up, and was checking my makeup as my mark approached mirror.

My body was between the attendant and the mark.  Could I do it?  Dared I?  “Excuse me…the clasp of your necklace looks undone…”. I reached over to fix it, thankful that she had worn her hair upswept.  The fake was palmed in my hand.

“I’ll see to that,” the attendant said, pushing me aside gently.  “It looks alright.”  Her tone was less gentle this time, and she frowned at me.  The Hapsburgh Princess — the papers said her friends called her Norri — gave me a glare in the mirror, then kept fixing her face.

“Must have been a trick of the light.  I’d hate for you to lose your necklace, it’s really pretty!”  I backed to the door.  “See you around!”

He was leaning against the wall next to the door.  “Attendant?”

“How’d you know?”

He put an arm around my waist.  “You need work on your poker face, my love.  Which is a shame, because our next shot at the jewel is during the poker gamethey have set up for later.”

I let him lead me away.  “What?  You think to get her to add it to the pot?”

He shrugged elegantly.

“Oh, come on.  Tell me.”  He lead me to a balcony, overlooking the city.

“I have a plan.  You know how to play, right?”

“I do…I am adequate, but…”

He handed me a card.  “This is so you can join the game.  The chips have been purchased.  Just collect at the end and cash them in.”

“What happens if they figure out that I’m your accomplice?”

He reached over and tucked some hair behind my ear.  He looked very sad, in the golden light.  “They won’t.”

I cupped his face in my hands.  “Why are you so sad?  What are you going to do?”

He shook himself and gave me a blinding smile.  “Nothing!  Everything will go according to plan.  Now…”. He sat down in one of the wicker chairs on the balcony.  “Come, let me hold you for awhile.”  He unbuttoned his coat with careless flicks of his fingers, then looked up at me, held out a hand.

“Well.  We do have to kill an hour…” I sat down carefully.

“Shhh.  Give me your whole weight, my dove.  None of this awkward half sitting, eh?”  I shifted as his arm closed around me, and he traced my jaw with his knuckles, and kissed me.  His mouth was hotter and sweeter than sin, I shifted to get closer, pressing my chest to his.  I ached to be touched, as those soft lips met the skin of my neck, nipped and licked, burning a path that made me moan softly.

“That’s it, my beautiful girl.”  He whispers in my ear.

“What do I have to do to get you to tell me your name?  Just the first.  Lie.  It’s fine.  Just tell me…”

He’s playing with the strap of my gown, he’d been in the process of pushing it aside.  “I will not lie, not to you, not about that.  But I have promised myself — I will only tell my name to the woman I love.  The woman I want to…”. He cut himself off and looked at me.

“Alright,” I gave him a brave smile, trying to cover the hurt.  “Tell me something else.  Anything.”

He ran his hands up my arms.  “That you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

I let him pull me back, kissed him.  “I love you, but I know nothing about you, and I hate myself for it.”  I whispered in his ear.  His hands stilled and I slipped off his lap, made a point of looking through the glass door.  “Ah.  It looks like they are opening the poker tables.  See you there?”

The angle I was at, I couldn’t see his face.  I kissed the top of his head, enjoying the feel of his soft curls.  “It’s OK.  It really is.”

And I went inside.  I heard him follow, but like Orpheus, I did not dare look back for fear of losing everything.

In this case, everything was my sanity, my will not to start crying, not to berate myself…You know, no-strings screwing could be a ton of fun.  I felt a bit like Anne Boleyn, leading Henry the 8th of a merry dance to get what I wanted…knowing full well he could kill me if he felt like it.

I knew he wouldn’t kill me.  But I knew he’d probably leave me.  Maybe that was why he looked so sad.  Could the world’s greatest thief feel regret?

He across from me at the table.  There was another guest, then Norri, the mossy green diamond glowing.  I felt an unreasonable hatred for it, for her, for the whole place.  For diamonds worth millions but still not as unattainable as one Thief.  Hell, the moon would be easier to get.

Another man, me, the dealer.  I ran my hand over the tray that held my chips, the rough edges cool against my palm.  If I walked out with this tray I could get home.

We started playing.  I was surprised.  I expected silence, quiet desperation…but no.

The table wanted to talk about love.  LOVE.  I threw in some chips.

“I have been in love exactly three times in my life.”  The Thief said idly, accepting new cards and inspecting his hand.  The pile of chips in front of him was respectable, but not gross.  He was winning just a little more than he was losing.  Me?  I was annoyed and out for blood.  “The first one poisoned me.”

“Really?” Norri was fascinated.  So, of course, was I.  “Why?”

He nodded and threw some chips in.  “Difference in opinion about how to run the family business.”

“The second?”  I asked, despite myself.

His eyes flickered down to his cards.  “I made her sad.  She could not bear me, the way I am.”  He gave me the sweetest of smiles.  “It happens.”

“I’m calling.”  Norrie says.  “And you must tell me the third?”

We paused to show our cards, or not.  I had a full house, and won, scooping my chips in.

“She is the one I love most.”  The dealer was dealing cards again.  “I did not know how much I loved her, when I first met her I saw a beautiful woman, inside and out, underappreciated, stuck in a cage when she would be so much more.  I thought, I could give her a way out.”  He grinned.  “Vanity is one of my many, many vices.”

Everyone laughed.  Except me.  He reached over and took the cards from the dealer, despite the man’s protests.

“I wish I could start over,” he says, shuffling the cards.  He looked into my eyes.  “But it is almost midnight, Cinderella, and the fairy tale is over.”  I realized the backs of the cards were different…when had he changed them?  “I am so sorry,” he said, and raised his hands, and rained the cards over us.  The power went out, and the cards, as they flew into the air hissed and spat, flaring with fire for a second before becoming sparks and ash.  Norrie screamed next to me.  I felt a touch as light as feathers for the briefest of seconds.  A kiss on my temple.

And then the lights came up again, and the greatest thief was gone again.

I was searched…we all were.  The fake necklace was gone, but this time it was me who hid it in a small panel I’d found while cleaning.  The going away present he’d left me, the little pouch, was well hidden in my dress, so I was snot surprised that they did not find it. They also did not find the playing card.  I found it later, where the first card was.

The Queen of Hearts.  I never knew that looking at a playing card could feel like a kiss and a slap at the same time.

I traded in my chips.  I took my money.  I walked out the door, and thought, I am done with all of this.

There were no more diamonds.  No more clues to follow.  A black car was waiting outside.  I quickened my steps, wondering, hoping.  The door opened, and all hopes were dashed.  My brother came up to me, looking…relieved.

“Are you alright?”

“I am.  I failed.  So maybe not for long,” I joked.

“It’s time for you to come home.”  He looked so serious.  “No one’s mad…we just miss you, and this was good…you had fun, we tried to get the diamond back, but…enough is enough.”

“I hate to give up now…”

“It’s OK.  Just come back.”  He gave me a tentative smile.  “Where else are you going to go?  It’s your home.”

“I have options.”  I said.  I hugged him…it was as stiff and welcoming as I expected it to be, so it was short.  “I think…I think I’ll take a rain check.”

“Dad’s frozen your cards…”

“I know!”  I said cheerfully.

“What are you going to do?  I don’t understand…I…”

This time, I petted him, and my “I know” was far more serious.  I could never make him understand.  He was as much a prisoner as I was, but no one saw enough in him to show him a way out.  I started walking.

“Did he seduce you?  Is that what this is?”

“Sadly, no.”  I said over my shoulder.

As I walked, I took the pouch out.  Under a street lamp I looked at it.  A signet ring.  Heavy.  Old gold.  I held it up to the light, and etched in the blood red ruby was a little devil’s head.

I knew where he was.

And I knew his name.  I’d seen it — and the little sigil from the ring — enough times, researching the Midas’s Rainbow.

There is, if you know where to find it, a castle.  It overlooks a formidable bay that had been the bane of many a ship, in the old days.

It looks abandoned.  The land for a good distance around it is private, and it is very hard to get to.  People at the closest town will tell you it is haunted by a man who sold his soul to the devil, and that he has lived there for hundreds of years.  That his castle has a vault full of cursed treasure.

There are people there who will tell you the story with an almost mocking twist.  And you — and I — both know that these are the people who have been paid, and paid well.  To spread the legend.  To bring in supplies.  To try and dissuade lone women from walking the long, rutted path into the woods, to climb past rocks to the lonely castle over the ocean.  To approach it, the red painted drawbridge bound in black iron.

There’s a door, set in the drawbridge.  The knocker looks like the heraldic devil’s head in the ring I wear on a chain around my neck.  No one answers my knock.

It does look abandoned.  Quiet.  But I hear a song, sung softly, and I walk around until I am in a garden.

I call his name, and when he turns, he laughs, a sound of relief as much as pleasure.

I drop my bag, my purse, and throw my arms around him.  He crushes me to him, and I can barely whisper his name, over and over, and that I love him, I love him.

“Welcome to your home, my love,” he says, in a pause between kisses, “Thank you for coming to find me.”

The End.

(Unless the actual commercial gives me thots)

With extra, most loving thanks to the people who have been following this and loving it:

Thank you to you lovely people for being on my tag list, if you want added or dropped just let me know.  <3

@grogusmum @mishasminion360 @hnt-escape @littlemisspascal @pedro4ever @writteninthestars18 @fromthedeskoftheraven @sharkbait77

@quica-quica-quica @eri16 @the-blind-assassin @ayoungpascallover-readings @songsformonkeys

[infinitethree]

Dazzzz what are some of your favorite songs???

There’s no indication that Daz heard the question at first. He’s not in the Council rooms, though the room seems to be made of blackstone and obsidian all the same. It’s got cobble, oak planks, and oak logs covering the majority of it, but it’s pretty clear that this is some sort of bunker or safe room. That fact is most obvious by Daz not seeming to feel the need to pretend to be the chatty, bubbly person he had on his first appearance.

Instead his expression is blank to a rather creepy degree and he has a hand of cards. Seated around a table with him are the rest of the Council, who all have poker faces of their own. That’s fitting, because they seem to be playing said game—and by the looks of things, Daz has been winning. Not by much—the rest of them have decently sized piles, too. The smallest of them belongs to Aleph.

There’s only a slight raise of Raine’s eyebrows when he feels the strange sensation of the Observers starting to watch them. “I guess we all get to hear all of the questions directed at any Council member,” he says, earning a soft hum of agreement from Khons. It sounds a little odd because he has his mask on, which feels just a tiny bit like cheating. Then again, he was squarely in the middle as far as winnings went.

“Music,” Daz starts, expression still eerily blank, “Is...a bit weird, for me. If you know about me then you already know I don’t really care about Cat or Mellohi. Those are...relics. Relics of a life I’ve discarded twice over. No, now the music I like is more...mmm. It’s less specific songs and more a specific artist. Orpheus does wonderful work and has become a good friend because of my interest in his music. Not quite as much so as these chucklefucks--” he gestures at the rest of the Council, earning a soft scoff from Raine and a middle finger from Aster, “but moreso than most others. I don’t like them all equally and I don’t like all of them...but overall, I enjoy most of his original pieces and his covers. There’s a flair to them that clicks with me, especially now that I know a decent amount about what his influences are.”

“Make your move. Some of us have places to be.” Khons’ request is quiet, but still heard plenty well enough. Daz grins slightly at it. He gathers his cards and tosses them in the middle. “Fine, fine. I’m folding. Happy?” “Very. Feel free to continue waxing poetic about music,” Khons replies, sounding slightly amused.

“I planned on it. So, while Orph is unquestionably my favorite artist...I’m in the very unique position of having access to a massive library drawing from several realities. I have a bit of an eclectic taste and what I feel a draw to listen to depends on my mood,” Daz continues.

Raine rolls his eyes a little. “I know when he’s brooding because he puts on what I can best describe as opera but metal. It’s his brooding music. I fold too, by the way.” He pushes his own cards forward and then leans back a little. He gets shot a glare by Daz, who sounds indignant. “Go to hell, Raine, I do not brood.” “You definitely do, actually--” Aleph’s answer is cut off by Daz barreling on like he said nothing, “I plot. If someone pissed me off, they will regret that.”

It seems like Raine is enjoying this, if nothing else, because he continues, “I know when something good happened because he puts on pop music--” “Why are you telling them this?!” “--Spite and having fun seeing you show emotions. His sulking music is that sort of rock-alt emo stuff. Then you have the really bouncy stuff with a solid beat—that’s what he puts on when he goes and actually trains. He insists it helps him focus. I’m pretty sure it’s more that he enjoys seeing us be baffled as to what new song he put on the playlist.”

“I raise. Gotta admit,” Aster says, ignoring the righteous fury Daz is directing at Raine, “it does throw you off your game when it switches from an angry breakup song to something about going out to party and getting laid. It’s the worst kind of gamble because there’s no way to win. There are only degrees of losing. Much like anything with Daz--” “Why are you all being assholes?! I’ve done nothing to deserve this treatment--” The protest is met by four loud laughs.

“If you’re going to lie to the Observers,” Khons gasps between wheezes, “at least do it believably!” “You’re all horrible co-workers and I regret gathering you all together,” Daz scoffs, though he doesn’t really seem all that pissed off. More annoyed than anything else.

“Raise. You’re popular today,” Aleph says, that usual Techno monotone holding just a bit of amusement. Daz makes a face, though seems a little displeased by the question. “Dual daggers. We all have armor and weapons from Dee, though we’re not unique in that. There are a decent amount of people who are close with his family who he’s made stuff for. Armor is rarer than weapons because...what was the reason again, Raine?”

“His perfectionist tendencies. If he’s going to do it he’s going to do it right. There’s a lot that goes into making armor perfect for a person—at least, armor that’s been smithed rather than crafted. Weapons are easier, though he doesn’t do those that much more,” Raine answers. Daz leans back in his seat, watching the rest of the table like a hawk. “My style is fast. My favorite game...mm. Again, that depends on my mood. I have a lot of them that I like.” His attention flicks over to Khons, who pushes his cards inwards. “Fold. I’m the one he usually plays those games against. It’s fun, even if he’s insufferable when he wins.”

“You’re just as much so,” Daz says with a shrug. “Call. Also, nah. It’s just satisfying to see you get beat at your own game,” Aleph retorts. Aster sighs as he flips his cards over. “You probably win this one,” he mutters, looking unsurprised when he does, indeed, lose the hand.

Aleph smiles as he pulls the pot to his pile. He’s ahead of Daz now, though that doesn’t seem to bother him much. He rolls his eyes a little as he tells Aleph, “You would excuse anything Khons did. He could kick a three legged puppy and you’d say that the puppy probably deserved it.”

“Well,” the Techno says, eyebrows raising a tiny bit, “considering he’d never normally do that...he would have an explanation.” Khons laughs softly, bumping his shoulder. With a scoff Daz retorts, “That’s my point. He can do no wrong in your eyes—” Aleph cuts him off, eyebrows raising a bit more. “And for good reason. He knows me and I know him. Even if he didn’t have one, I’d still stand by him.”

Khons, despite his mask, is visibly pleased. He leans some of his weight against his friend and says, “Same here. He’s my person. I trust him more than anyone else, including myself.”

The rest of the table bursts into laughter that only grows louder at Daz’s clear confusion. “What the actual fuck are you talking about.” It’s not really a question, more just a statement of bafflement and quite possibly wondering if the asker is sane or not.

“But Daz,” Aster gasps between laughs, “do you have one?” Daz makes a noise of frustration as he says, “I don’t know! What the fuck is an ant brush?!” “Clearly something important,” Raine wheezes out, slumped over on the table from how hard he’s laughing. He manages to compose himself long enough to say, “Oh, that’s—thank you, whichever one of you asked that! He’s going to spend days staring at everything that might possibly be called a brush and wondering if that’s an ant brush. This is the best gift you could have given me.”

Daz glares at him, arms folding over his chest unhappily. “I’m feeling targeted. The rest of you answer the next ones too, or else--”

The threat is cut off by the question, and Daz grins. “I demand everyone else answer first.” “’Leph for both,” Khons says instantly, getting a nod from Aleph. “Moony for me, also both.” “We all get along pretty well—the occasional petty bickering aside,” Aster starts, “But...Raine for talking to, but working with really depends on the task. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.” “I’m close with Aster and Daz, though Khons and Aleph are good friends too. We all have things we do together outside of Council-related work. Partly so that Daz doesn’t lose his mind from the stress of keeping up his batshit web of lies and manipulation.”

“It's not as bad as you’d think,” Daz says, tilting his chair back a little, “it’s fun to keep it up. People are puzzles and talking to them is a game.” This is met by amusement from the rest of them. Aster grins a little and says, “That’s our borderline sociopathic jackass for you. Alright, we answered, your turn.”

Daz makes a soft noise of thought, visibly thinking. “...I get along, for a given value of such, with all of them. Aster the least so, because he’s a prick sometimes--” he pointedly ignores the middle finger he’s given by said alternate version of himself, “--then probably Aleph, then Khons, then Raine. Despite his prick tendencies, Aster is right—working with really depends on the task. For instance, I wouldn’t want Raine to be at my side if I’m trying to beat a problem best solved by brute force. If I need something done without drawing too much attention, Aster is a shit choice—too much focus is on him wherever he goes because of the perception and vague role he has as the public head of the Swords and Shields.”

The rest of them seem entirely unsurprised by the response. Daz gives a slightly sharp grin and adds, “I could rattle off cases where each of them is the best to work with, but why would I go and do that?”

All the good humor among the group vanishes in an instant, especially from the two who were asked the question. Daz turns icy, while Aster has a familiar spark of Tommy anger in his eyes. Even Raine looks pissed.

The ones who look least distressed are Khons and Aleph. It’s not that they’re without anger, it’s more that they have a carefully detached way of showing it. Aleph slowly says, “...We weren’t paying attention to their identities. They didn’t and don’t matter.” Khons says nothing, but there’s a tiny shiver that makes Aleph press against his side protectively.

There’s an edge of dark anger to the frigid tone Daz has. “Leave. You’ll get no more answers, not while you’ve made them feel unsafe.”

Whatever subject was touched on is clearly still raw, and the defensiveness from the rest of them underscores the point that was made—that they’re close, despite any disagreements or bickering. It also underscores that Daz is more than willing to find and use loopholes left in the deal he made.

That could go both ways, though. It’s not out of the question that there are loopholes that favor Observers that could be used in the same way.

Still—there’s nothing else to learn here, not while they remain this angry.

[caffeinated-cryptid]

Ok literally im so excited about this au I'm really proud of it :D (this got......long)

(It's prinxiety and logicality in case u don't like those ships, in which case, skip to the last three paragraphs)

So we've got Roman as Orpheus, bc who else would he be? Between the music and stubborn bravery and romanticizing everything (seeing how the world could be), it's gotta be Roman

That means Virgil is Eurydice!!! The cynicism and distrusting of everything really seemed to fit. She didn't want to be in love because she didn't want to get hurt anymore, and that feels very Virgil to me. Also I'm obsessed with prinxiety lol

Logan is Hades, which is the most common choice I've seen but it really fits!! He doesn't understand love; he opts for the steady, simple song of machinery instead of the confusing (though beautiful) song of love. He needs to be in control and to be seen as powerful so he can't get hurt (much like Virgil). Also, bass Logan is a Yes from me

Patton is Persephone, because of the Vibes lol and I like the idea of Patton as a goddess of spring by day, drug dealer and alcoholic by night (I don't exactly like it lol but again, the Vibes). He misses the Logan he used to love and doesn't know how to cope with all these "bad" emotions so he bottles (ha) them up :(

That leaves my two favorite parts!!!! The first is Janus as Hermes. He loooooves being dramatic, and I think his narration style would be different but similar, in a theatrical way. Also, Janus feels to me like he'd somewhat enjoy watching these losers make bad decisions that don't affect him (secretly he is actually worried of course). And I think he'd love getting to sing directly to the audience, and also wearing a cool suit

And my other favorite: Remus as the Fates. All of them. In true Remus fashion, he gives himself two extra sets of vocal cords to sing all three parts (two extra heads is also an option) and several extra sets of arms to play the accordion, violin, and tambourine all at once. I think he'd have tons of fun being all dramatic, and bothering the others (any way the wind blows, word to the wise, etc)

So yeah!!!!! I have a ridiculous amount of thoughts about this musical (if you wanna talk about the back into tune/time motif, the cycle theme, or the two different love stories I am HERE) and also i made a super cool hadestown background if you'd like to see it. Thanks for indulging me!!! 💜💜💜💜💜

ah yeah, i prefer those pairings in a familial sense, but your casting choices are solid! the reasoning behind remus' is very fun and i love the idea of him having the two extra heads to harmonize with fjdksks

thank you for sharing!! 🥺

[killiansprincss]

Never Forget You ch.12

Summary: Season 6A Canon Divergence.Emma is happy. Finally happy with her parents, son and boyfriend. But this happiness is taken away from her when the Evil Queen curses her and turns her into a toddler.Heartbroken and angry, Killian and Henry run away to Neverland to wait for Emma to break her curse.

But when she does break it and comes looking for them 25 years later, she soon realises this Neverland is very different now it is no longer under Pans rule. Will she be able to save Henry and Killian in time, or will this new ruler of Neverland keep them hostage forever?

So I’m around halfway through with this fic now which to me is amazing as I’ve never written a fic with so many chapters so it’s really special to me. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and let me know what you think!

Find on A03

Killian headed back to his ship in an attempt to cool down after his argument with Emma and talk with Henry.

“Mom?” Henry asks as he comes down the stairs, Emma still with her father.

Getting up off the floor, David just says, “I shall leave you two to talk.”

“What’s up kid?” Emma asks as Heney plops down beside her.

“I don’t like that you and Killian are fighting.”  Henry comments with a slight sad tone.

“We’re not arguing.” She lies.

Henry just rolls his eyes, “Oh please. We all heard get into an argument over going home.”

“Okay. So we were arguing. You’ve been with him for 25 years, what’s his plan? Why doesn’t he want to come home?”

Avoiding his mother's eye contact, he looks down at his feet. “I think you need to talk to him about that.”

“Henry please. I have not seen you or Killian in 25 years. When I woke up from my curse, the day I remembered, I cried so hard because I love you both so much.  I’ve not been your mother. I forgot about you. What kind of mother forgets her own child?” Emma sniffles, “Please. Tell me what to do so we can go home.”

“He’s not the same. Killian. He’s not been the same for a while.”

Emma’s heart drops. “Why? What can i do?”

Henry shrugs. “I don’t know if you can do anything, it’s not like we have therapy here in Neverland. He’s hurting, he lost you. It’s like when you lost him, before you decided to go to the Underworld and you were in a really dark place. Now he’s in a dark place and Neverland isn’t like Storybrooke, especially for him. Neverland, he says it’s the worst realm of all.”

Emma nods. She had lost Killian more times than she wished to. She lost him the first time in the alternate reality it hurt like hell, especially as she was too scared to tell him how she felt and it was suddenly too late.

When Henry returned them to Storybrooke and the few split seconds before she saw his face before the darkness took her, she felt sick at the thought of losing him forever. Then in Camelot, she has finally allowed herself to envision a future with him, she almost lost him again.

She did everything in her power to save him, unlocking every bit of dark magic she had. But it was no good as she lost him for good and wasn’t able to save him. It broke her, she didn’t know how she was going to continue, she couldn’t bear to live in the house he chose without him.

She lost him one last time in the Underworld, but they had come so close to their white picket fence. Going up the elevator shaft alone was the worst thing she ever experienced, seeing him below and not next to her, if it wasn’t for the fact she needed to make sure her family got back home safely, she would’ve broken down there and then.

Thankfully that was the final time she lost him, her soulmate then returned to her a few days later. But then they got a mere few months together until he lost her.

Fate was cruel.

_____

_____

On his first trip to Neverland, Killiian Jones was cursed with memories of Liam and Milah.

And now he was cursed with memories of Emma. They were playing in his head, over and over. Reminders of their times together when they were happy. And the awful times where they lost one another.

Killian is back in the Underworld. The bastard fiery hell he can’t escape from. Hades throne room. He’s beaten and bruised because Hades has taken a particular dislike to him.

He can feel Emma’s prescene. He knows she’s here, He can feel it. He hopes she can’t feel his pain, the way he feels her worry.  He can hear her yelling for him, wanting to know where he is. But Hades drained almost all the energy from him that he can’t even say hello.

Why did she come to rescue him? It’s far too dangerous. He didn’t deserve rescuing, he was a Dark One and he made Emma feel awful. He crushed Merlin's heart. He wasn’t the man he used to be. The man Emma fell in love with.

He refuses to write any names on the gravestones. He wouldn’t do that. Part of him still couldn’t believe they all came down here for him, Emma was a stubborn lass, but her family weren’t always so approving of their relationship-especially Dave. The fact they were even here was beyond belief. Hades can torture him all he likes, Killian Jones is still a man of honour. He will not write any names cursing them to the same hell he is in.

He ignores the beating and the torture. He can take that. But now he’s in chains. Above the river of Lost Souls. The moment the chains lower him into the water, he’s gone forever. Maybe that’s best. Then Emma and her family can leave and she can move on. He doesn’t deserve her. She’s too good for him.  He doesn’t deserve her.

But that doesn’t happen. He sees her blonde hair and red jacket in the corner of his bloodied eye.

“Killian.”

He hears her voice loud and clear. It’s music. She doesn’t give up. She crosses the traps easily and rescues him before he dips into the river. The way she says his name. Killian. His name, not his moniker. Not the name everyone associates with him. No. She sees the man beyond the Hook. She’s the only woman who has seen him that way.

“I told you to let me go.” He tells her.

“I never listen.” She says with a smirk. Gods this woman was amazing.

“You’re impossible.” He manages to say.

“And you love me for it.” Damn right he does. He was still getting used to this century, the one she’s from. The woman is no longer the one who needs rescuing, she’s the one who does the saving. This modern world may be confusing, but his Emma is so strong and he does love her for it.

For a short while Killian actually believes they’re getting out alive. That he will be able to go back with her.

Heart share.

He had heard the story, how her parents managed it.

It was possible.

But that was them. Snow White and Prince Charming.

Would it be possible for Emma and himself?

Gods he loved her. More than anything. He gave up the chance at finding peace with his brother for her. The brother he hadn’t seen in centuries.

But a heart share, it would require true love. Magic that is so powerful. A bond so strong nothing else matters. Could they have it?

And then it didn’t work.

Not because they weren’t true love. But because he was dead.

The Ambrosia. Orpheus and Eurydice.

It would allow him to walk out of the Underworld freely.

But there was a test in the way.

Weighing Emma’s heart. To test if they were true love.

Emma could only admit her true feelings when they were in grave danger or about to die, or both. And that’s why he feared they weren’t true love. He understood though, she had been hurt by Baelfire or Neal rather. She was afraid to open up her heart. He never pushed. He knew, even before she said the words how she felt about him. He would never have said it before she did, he didn’t want to scare her away. Not when she finally trusted him and was letting him in slowly.

Emma puts her heart on the pedestal to weigh it. And when it doesn’t move, his heart drops. It didn’t work, they’re not true love.

Until Emma falls on the floor in pain.

“Get my heart.” She tells him clutching where her heart should be.

When he reaches to grab it, he’s on fire. Literal fire. It burns.

He tells Emma to grab her heart. Worry about him later.

But she doesn’t.

As weak as she is without her heart in her chest, she takes all the energy she has and throws herself onto him, ceasing the fire.

And the doors open.

“It’s true love.”

He didn’t want to believe it. But true love, the most powerful magic of all. He was lucky enough to share it with Emma Swan.

If they weren’t on the hunt for ambrosia the things he would do to her.

True Love. Captain Hook, the villain had found true love, with the saviour, a hero no doubt. Except Emma didn’t see him that way. To everyone else, he was Captain Hook. To Emma, he was Killian Jones.

This next memory was the worst of all. When they found out the ambrosia was no more. Another one of Hades cruel tricks. It was then that he realised he wasn’t going home to Storybrooke. He had to stay here. He had to try and find peace. Without Emma. Maybe he would be reunited with his brother.

He had thoughts about finding peace, before Emma came to save him. But she was so headstrong he had only allowed himself to believe they were all going home. But now, he hoped he would land himself in a better place.

As much as it pained him to lose Emma, for her to go on without him. It was for the best. Fate was cruel, but he was glad to have found Emma.

His true love.

After Liam died, it broke him. He’d lost the only person who ever loved him. He thought he would sail the seas freely as a pirate, having women warm his bed, but never going further than that. Then he met Milah, and she ran away with him. They were going to see the world. She promised him they would go back for her son, for Bae, and they could have a family. And then the unthinkable happened. He lost her like he lost Liam.

And he went back to being a pirate, women warming his bed. He believed he would never find love again. Then a few centuries later, he met Emma Swan. She was unlike any woman he had met before, he was enchanted by her. His usual charms didn’t work on her, but there was something about her that told him to keep going. Looking back, it was the true love bond, but of course he didn’t know it at the time. And so he kept pushing and pushing, and she let him in piece by piece until she finally gave him her heart.

With Emma, she was so different to Milah. She was grounded, she would never leave her son behind. As much as she sometimes wanted to run away, she would never leave Storybrooke. With Emma, he had the prospect of a family, a real family with her son.

He loved her. More than anything.

Even though their time together was cut short, he was glad to even have that time with his true love. She saw past the pirate, past the villain which is more than any other woman had done before. He had changed, he wanted to become a better person, not just to win Emma’s heart (not that she was a prize to be won), but to be a better man overall. A man that he once was, a man his brother would be proud of.

He had found his true love and they had spent as much time together as they could. That’s all he could’ve wanted in life. Emma Swan. The true love of Killian Jones. Who would’ve believed.

That’s why saying goodbye was so hard. He had accepted his fate, but Emma not so much.

Seeing her go up in the elevator shaft instead of going up with her was the hardest thing ever. He held onto her hand until the very last moment, trying to remember what she felt like. He kissed her hand as tears rolled down both their faces, wanting to savour this moment. It was only a few seconds but it felt like a hundred years, this was the last time he would ever see Emma Swan. His true love.

This was the moment that played in his head every single time he closed his eyes. It was the worst moment. He avoided sleep because he didn’t want to be reminded of that moment. And when he was awake he would use rum as a viable solitude to stop thinking about her. Even the happy moments bring no joy into his life, because they are reminders, reminders of what he lost. He doesn’t know if she will ever come back for him, or if he’s lived a thousand years on this damned Island and she forgot about him, never broke her curse and died without ever remembering the man she once loved.

He thinks back to his confession in the Echo Caves. Kissing Emma for the first time revealed so much. He was flirting as he always did, he never expected her to actually kiss him, but she did. Everything seemed to click into place, he could imagine a future, he wanted to spend all his time with Emma, getting to know her and letting her know all of his secrets and fears.

300 years he had lived, and his heart had been broken many times over those years. He never thought his heart could be mended, that was until he met Emma Swan. He was a broken man, and slowly he was mending, but he had no doubt that he wanted every piece of his heart to belong to Emma Swan.

She was his future.

[mvsicinthedvrk]

mmm personality test sorting time !!

i’ve done one character a day for a while & now they’re all done, so: fun sorts for my characters alphabetically under the cut.

i took the 16 personalities test for the mbti, the eclectic energies test for the enneagram, for hogwarts house I was going to originally just choose based on instinct but i did end up using this knockoff pottermore test, and then I did the open psychometrics “which character are you statistically most like” quiz for the last one. 

henry strauss-- 

mbti: INFP (the mediator) -- “Mediators may feel directionless or stuck unless they connect with a sense of purpose for their lives. For many Mediators, this purpose has something to do with helping and uplifting others. Empathetic by nature, these personalities may feel other people’s suffering as if it were their own“ lmfao oh henry

enneagram: oh he’s a type 4 for sure. I agree with that 200%. -- “Fours are emotionally complex and highly sensitive. They long to be understood and appreciated for their authentic selves, but easily feel misunderstood and unappreciated.”

hogwarts house: 42% hufflepuff (then in order: ravenclaw, gryffindor, slytherin)

which other characters are you most like: 

#1: charlie from perks of being a wallflower (OUCH!!)

#2: wes gibbons from htgawm

#3: jonathan byers from stranger things

holland vosijk--

mbti: ISTJ (the logistician)-- “Logisticians have sharp, fact-based minds, and prefer autonomy and self-sufficiency to reliance on someone or something. Dependency on others is often seen by Logisticians as a weakness, and their passion for duty, dependability and impeccable personal integrity forbid falling into such a trap.” this is so funny to me. it’s very true. 

enneagram: type 8-- “People of this personality type are essentially unwilling to be controlled, either by others or by their circumstances; they fully intend to be masters of their fate... Eights have a hard time lowering their defenses in intimate relationships. Intimacy involves emotional vulnerability and such vulnerability is one of the Eight's deepest fears” legit

hogwarts house: 40% slytherin (then in order: ravenclaw, gryffindor, hufflepuff)-- this actually surprises me because I would have guessed ravenclaw instead. 

what other characters are you most like: 

#1: carolyn martens from killing eve (i didn’t know who this was but apparently she’s “principled yet ruthless” and that tracks)

#2: severus snape from harry potter

#3: mr. darcy from pride and prejudice (lmfao)

kaz brekker--

mbti: ESTJ (the executive)-- I don’t know that this is accurate because the whole first paragraph of the description is about how executives understand right/wrong and embrace honesty and tradition BUT later in the description some of it aligns: “Executives don’t work alone, and they expect their reliability and work ethic to be reciprocated – people with this personality type meet their promises, and if partners or subordinates jeopardize them through incompetence or laziness, or worse still, dishonesty, they do not hesitate to show their wrath. This can earn them a reputation for inflexibility.”

enneagram: type 3-- “They are frequently hard working, competitive and are highly focused in the pursuit of their goals... They are often self-made and usually find some area in which they can excel... They know how to present themselves, are self-confident, practical, and driven... They are good networkers who know how to rise through the ranks.” THAT’S accurate. 

hogwarts house: almost the same as holland, which is unsurprising-- 37% slytherin, then 30% ravenclaw with gryffindor and hufflepuff trailing far behind. 

what other characters are you most like:

#1: amy dunne from gone girl (lmfaoooooo)

#2: walter white from breaking bad

#3: vicious from cowboy bepop

martin blackwood--

mbti: INFJ (the advocate)-- “Advocates generally strive to do what’s right – and they want to help create a world where others do the right thing as well... Advocates may be reserved, but they communicate in a way that is warm and sensitive... Advocates might find themselves feeling especially stressed in the face of conflict and criticism. These personalities tend to act with the best of intentions, and it can frustrate them when others don’t appreciate this.” awww that’s sweet I do like that for him.

enneagram: type 2, with 6 being a close second. I definitely called that. “People of this personality type essentially feel that they are worthy insofar as they are helpful to others... Twos are warm, emotional people who care a great deal about their personal relationships, devote an enormous amount of energy to them, and who expect to be appreciated for their efforts.”

hogwarts house: 39% hufflepuff, and then the others are all fundamentally tied around 20-21% each. I’d agree with that. 

what other characters are you most like:

#1: landry clarke from friday night lights (initially i was like-- a football player? what? but then his wiki description is: “generally polite, awkward, and enjoys playing guitar” so lol ok)

#2: cameron james from 10 things i hate about you

#3: peeta mellark from the hunger games

melanie king--

mbti: ESTP (the entrepreneur)-- “Entrepreneurs keep their conversation energetic, with a good dose of intelligence, but they like to talk about what is – or better yet, to just go out and do it. Entrepreneurs leap before they look, fixing their mistakes as they go, rather than sitting idle, preparing contingencies and escape clauses.”

enneagram: like holland, she’s for sure a type 8: “Eights are strong willed, decisive, practical, tough minded and energetic.” I think the aggressive aspect of type eights is more obvious in her personality than his, though.

hogwarts house: 47% gryffindor! then, in order: slytherin, ravenclaw, hufflepuff. 

what other characters are you most like:

#1: erica sinclair from stranger things

#2: max mayfield from stranger things

#3: lois lane from smallville (yessss)

orpheus--

mbti: INFP (the mediator)-- I was actually surprised he got introverted instead of extroverted, but here we are. “Mediators’ creativity and idealism can bloom even after the darkest of seasons. Although they know the world will never be perfect, Mediators still care about making it better however they can. This quiet belief in doing the right thing may explain why these personalities so often inspire compassion, kindness, and beauty wherever they go.”

enneagram: oh, yep, he’s a type 9-- “People of this personality type essentially feel a need for peace and harmony. They tend to avoid conflict at all costs, whether it be internal or interpersonal... Nines tend to adopt an optimistic approach to life; they are, for the most part, trusting people who see the best in others; they frequently have a deep seated faith that things will somehow work out.”

hogwarts house: my sweet son is 43% hufflepuff, then gryffindor, ravenclaw, and essentially no slytherin.

what other characters are you most like:

#1: flounder from the little mermaid (ok that’s sort of rude)

#2: snow white from snow white

#3: dorothy gale from the wizard of oz (that tracks)

patroclus--

mbti: INFJ (the advocate)-- so, same as martin. “Advocates can speak with great passion and conviction, especially when standing up for their ideals. At other times, however, they may choose to be soft-spoken and understated, preferring to keep the peace rather than challenge others.” i love him sm.

enneagram: he’s a type 2, also like martin, the helper type. this half-surprises me because i thought there was maybe a chance he’d be a type 6. 

hogwarts house: it’s actually really close between hufflepuff and gryffindor? 31% and 32% respectively. then slytherin, then ravenclaw. 

what other characters are you most like:

#1: eliza hamilton from hamilton

#2: glenn rhee from the walking dead

#3: ben hargreeves from the umbrella academy

wei wuxian--

mbti: ENFP (the campaigner)-- “Campaigners, like all their Diplomat cousins, are shaped by their Intuitive (N) quality, allowing them to read between the lines with curiosity and energy... Charming, independent, energetic and compassionate, the 7% of the population that they comprise can certainly be felt in any crowd.”

enneagram: he’s my only type 7. “They tend to be extroverted, multi-talented, creative and open minded... They often have an entrepreneurial spirit and are able to convey their enthusiasm to those with whom they come in contact. When they are able to focus their talents, they are often highly successful. Focusing does not always come easily for Sevens, however.”

hogwarts house: this test says he’s 29% slytherin, 27% gryffindor, 23% hufflepuff, and 21% ravenclaw. 

what other characters are you most like:

#1: george weasley from harry potter (oh that’s genuinely really good)

#2: abby sciuto from ncis (that’s actually perfect too from what i know about ncis)

#3: nymphadora tonks from harry potter

yuri plisetsky--

mbti: ISTJ (the logistician), same as holland-- “Logistician personalities are no-nonsense, and when they’ve made a decision, they will relay the facts necessary to achieve their goal, expecting others to grasp the situation immediately and take action... To Logisticians, honesty is far more important than emotional considerations.”

enneagram: he’s type 3-- “People of this personality type need to be validated in order to feel worthy; they pursue success and want to be admired... When unhealthy, their narcissism takes an ugly turn and they can become cold blooded and ruthless in the pursuit of their goals.” lol

hogwarts house: 31% slytherin and 27% ravenclaw, then gryffindor and hufflepuff in last. 

what other characters are you most like:

#1: cordelia chase from buffy the vampire slayer (once again, hilarious)

#2: amy march from little women

#3: tahani al-jamil from the good place

[tornsuits]

Big Ask Pt. 2: 1) Would CG!Heracles or Oedipus consider asking Ashes about rebodying their family/wife? 2) "all the suits are neurodivergent"--you're probably right, and also pls elaborate. 3) Do you have any UDAD ships for the characters other than Orpheus, Eurydice, Narcissus, and Echo? 4) screw it: each of the individual Suits (as in the pinstripe 4+Ulysses+Daedalus) for the "realistic headcanon/haha funny headcanon/sad headcanon/my canon now" thing?

1) i think heracles might ask for them to be rebodied, but probably keep his distance from them, bc he did like. kill them. & he wants them to have an opportunity to get away from that, if they want to.

oedipus does not revive his family, because he hates them <2

2) theyre all autistic. all of em. & at least orpheus and heracles have depression (w orpheus it's basically canon) & i mean. all of them have been through so much shit that even if they're not traumatized per se they're definitely fucked in the head

3) i wouldn't say that i actively ship it, but i do enjoy heracles/oedipus on occasion <3 i'm also a sucker for ariadne & arachne having ANY kind of relationship, so i guess i'd say i ship them? girlboss4girlboss yknow

there's also ulysses/galahad but we don't talk about that one

4) will be under the cut bc that's gonna get long!

heracles

realistic headcanon: gay for hylus lmao. i didn't include that as a ship bc i haven't pinned down any kind of solid hcs for hylus but heracles was 100% gay for him

haha funny headcanon: hes lived on this godforsaken city for 124 years and he still has to do the Ls to tell left from right

sad headcanon: hes kind of tied all of his self-worth 2 his physical strength & athletic abilities at this point, so he feels like if people don't need/appreciate his skills hes basically useless :( which is part of the reason he played along with zeus for so long, because it just made him feel wanted

my canon now: he never killed his wife n kids they're alive and well and were waiting for him when he got home from the ulysses job <3

ariadne

realistic headcanon: shes aro!! doesnt use any other sexuality labels just aro <3 also demigirl ariadne supremacy bay bee

haha funny headcanon: in general she's not great in combat EXCEPT for with a garrote. people tend to underestimate her and then she pulls out this small piece of wire and they start REALLY underestimating her and then she cuts their head off

sad headcanon: i think she was actually really close with daedalus :( she stuck with him well after he started being Really Evil, just bc she refused to accept that the one good person she'd grown up with was Bad Actually

my canon now: beat the shit out of theseus and now she has actually good friends (even though she prefers working alone most of the time, which is okay bc they respect her boundaries <3)

oedipus

realistic headcanon: hes a smart guy :] no caveats here i just think hes a very smart dude w a special interest in the sphinx virus

haha funny headcanon: he says "stand back, i'm a doctor" even in situations where it doesn't apply at all. trying to cut in line? "stand back, i'm a doctor." threatening someone trying to hurt him? "stand back, i'm a doctor." someone specifically told him not to say he was a doctor? "stand back, i'm a doctor (and also fuck you)"

sad headcanon: when he was a kid he really wanted to go to space... he genuinely thought there was something up there, something he could study, yknow? and he still wants to go to space, now he just knows there's nothing up there.

my canon now: he and brian are friends i think both of them deserve it

orpheus

realistic headcanon: [points] emo phase. this "man" has emo phase written all over him. i don't know what else to say here he just 100% had an emo phase

haha funny headcanon: has a huge amount of useless trivia kicking around in his head. the suits go anywhere and orpheus can tell them the top ten facts they did not know about this place. number five will surprise you (he does not know anything practical about it)

sad headcanon: i mean canon does most of the heavy lifting for me there BUT i think he gets really horrible nightmares :( he's pretty much gotten used to waking up in the middle of the night crying and not being able 2 remember why :( i am not projecting be quiet

my canon now: he is living his best life with his husband eurydice and his boyfriend narcissus <333 they have a cat <333 also genderfluid orpheus so true

ulysses

realistic headcanon: theyre a nonbinary lesbian im actually not accepting criticism at this time

haha funny headcanon: when they're not horribly depressed they have the disposition of like, your weird grandparent that's mostly settled down now but got up to SO much shit in their youth. ulysses vc come bake cookies with me and i'll tell you about the murder i committed in '89

sad headcanon: again canon just does all of the hard work for me here. i think they died right on top of their wife maybe <3

my canon now: honestly okay i WANT to say they got therapy and a nice pet dog after udad but honestly i think they'd just be happier dead LMAO

daedalus

oh i could not give less of a shit about this man. i hate him. hes homophobic and gay and figured out how mechanization works and that's all i have on him. i despise him

[iwachans-beefyarms]

i know this is kinda really detailed and specific idea for a scenario so i hope that this is okay! it turns out tsuki is only really good at english because he kept his english penpal from primary school and they talk everyday and ft and she surprises him by turning up before the shiratorizawa match!! just some fluffy platonic feels please maybe she goes out with the team for dinner afterwards too? 💕💕💖

Omg, I really love this scenario! I’ve had my fair share of penpals so I was really excited to write this (: I remember having an Italian penpal 2 years ago and interacting with her inspired me to learn Italian on my own because she would often give me amazing Italian book recommendations hehe (I might have gone a bit overboard when writing about Tsukki training for the match lmao)

BTW for those interested, the quote from the beginning is from Donna Tartt’s ‘The Secret History’! It’s one of my favourite books of all time and it’s what made me start learning Latin, highly recommend it to all of you! Also, I love writing about platonic friendships soooo much so if any of you would like to request similar things in the future, please do!

Note*** Reader will be speaking to the team in Japanese, which will be indicated by bolded words

Okay, I’ll stop talking now, enjoy!

“I had said goodbye to her once before, but it took everything I had to say goodbye to her then, again, for the last time, like poor Orpheus turning for a last backwards glance at the ghost of his only love and in the same heartbeat losing her forever: hinc iliac lacrimae, hence those tears.”

Tsukishima sighed and put the book down. Pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, he leaned back and closed his eyes. It was a bittersweet feeling he often experienced when nearing the end of a compelling novel. This particular one, especially, had had him completely enamored. He almost felt wistful when he realised he was almost done with it.

He opened the book back up and carefully highlighted the phrase “Orpheus turning for a last backward glance”, making a mental note to look up the reference. It sounded like a literary allusion to a Greek myth of some sort, but he had to check to be sure. He glanced at his phone and opened his e-mail to type a quick message to you.

“I am almost done with this book… Honestly, what a ride! I can’t even bring myself to finish it because of how attached I am. I learnt so many new phrases and literary allusions too! I’m seriously considering reading all the pieces of work the author had referenced throughout the novel haha. But, it’s gonna have to wait until after my volleyball season ends because we have finals coming up soon… Anyway, talk to you later! BTW, how did you enjoy the poetry collection I sent you?”

He signed off as he usually did, packed his things up and left for after-school volleyball practice. He couldn’t help but feel that today was a particularly lovely day. When Yamaguchi approached him and draped his arm around his shoulder, he welcomed his friend’s affectionate gesture with a genuine smile of his own.

“Wow, that’s a big smile! Did something good happen?” Yamaguchi questioned curiously. He glanced down at Tsukkishima’s hands and noticed the book he was holding.

“Ah! Y/n’s book huh? Is it any good?” He asked, excitedly grabbing it from his friend and flipping through the pages. His eager expression morphed into one of complete confusion as he squinted his eyes at the flurry of words before him. “How do you even read this? It’s so hard…” He blurted out.

“Tsk, you just don’t have enough practice, dumbass,” Tsukkishima retorted jokingly. It was true, though, what he said. His regular emails to and from you since his primary school days had greatly improved his English linguistic skills. Even more so, it had made him more knowledgeable in the art of writing and analysis. Everytime he got a comment on his essays about his exceptional way with words, he would silently thank your influence in his head. It was quite ironic that Tsukishima, someone who found it immensely difficult to forge meaningful relationships with those around him, would have shared such a close friendship with a girl living on the other side of the world, but such was life.

As the highly anticipated match against Shiratorizawa loomed closer, Tsukishima’s mind drifted from you and the book he had yet to finish. His heart, soul and entire being was devoted to his team. While he greatly appreciated the daily messages of encouragement you graced him with every morning, he simply did not have the time to respond properly. For now, all that mattered was volleyball.

He trained everyday, much like his teammates. Where once he would have scoffed at the level of fervor he demonstrated in his journey towards becoming the best player he could be, he now relished in the passion that flooded him everytime he held the ball between his hands, or when he jumped in tandem with his teammates to form a block. He would be prepared for Shiratorizawa, for Ushijima Wakatoshi, and for whatever force that dared to reckon with him.

That was what he told himself before the match, repeating it in his heart like a mantra, with the hopes that the belief would materialise in the court. And, that was exactly what his teammates and he did. They won. They actually won. Tsukishima never viewed himself as a sadistic person, but dear God, the look of defeat in the faces of his opponents sent him to a high he had never experienced before. It wasn’t that he was glad they lost; they were decently nice people. It was that they had won; a game that, by all expectations, should have been lost. He was euphoric. In that moment, amidst the chaos surrounding him and the cheers resounding through the stadium, he felt an immense wave of love rush over him. Love for his sport, his opponents, and most importantly, his team; his family outside of his family.

After the match, as the team made their way out of the locker rooms, he let himself bask in the triumph of their victory as his friends cheered boisterously. Suddenly, he caught the eyes of a very familiar face approaching him with a slight jog. His eyes widened. Impossible.

“Tsukki!” You wrapped your arms around his neck. He didn’t hesitate to engulf you in a hug of equal intensity. It was either the excitement of winning, or the shock from seeing you in front of him that made him so easily reciprocate your affection, but at that moment he didn’t care.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, incredulously, ignoring the gawking stares of his team. “My parents wanted to go to Japan for the holidays, and of course I had to come see you at your big match! You were amazing! I mean, Amazing, with a capital A!” you rambled off excitedly. Tsukishima almost let you continue your enthusiastic rant but he was interrupted by Daichi’s hesitant tap to his back. He cleared his throat and announced, “Everyone, this is Y/n, my good friend from Y/c.”

“Hello everyone! It is so wonderful to meet all of you! Tsukki has said so much about you that I feel like I know all of you already,” you addressed them, bowing slightly. Your nervous blush made Tsukki smile softly to himself. Immediately, you were attacked with questions.

“How does Tsukishima know such a pretty girl?”

“Where are you from? Are you here on holiday? How do you know Japanese?”

“Do you play volleyball?”

You did your absolute best to answer all their questions, and in the process, gave the team a brief summary of your friendship with Tsukishima. Yamaguchi, in particular, was wonderfully excited to make your acquaintance. Eventually, the boys and their managers invited you to have dinner with them. You graciously took their offer and left the stadium with them.

The evening was filled with laughter and jubilation. Everybody was still riding the high from their win, and spent dinner reminiscing moments during the match, and of course, talking about Tsukishima and his pretty friend. Stories about his childhood self, his emo-phase and, for a brief tw months, k-pop phase, were shared by Yamaguchi and yourself. Usually, Tsukishima would have been incredibly annoyed at being the object of a joke, but tonight, he settled for a half-hearted shove to Yamaguchi’s shoulder and a teasing comment. “At least I pulled it off… Not like your cosplay phase, remember?” Cue another round of hearty laughter.

As he watched you and his team bond, he sat back and gently rubbed his chest. His heart felt so full at the moment, and although he knew it wouldn’t last, he cherished the feeling and took a mental picture of the scene in front of him. He leaned towards your ear and whispered, “Thank you so much for coming, it meant a lot.” You squeeze his arm gently and replied, “That’s what friends are for, Tsukki!”