#i fully intend to do the rest of the cast at some point but i have to switch my laundry and then go to bed lol

[theradicalace]

slowly working my way through making these little character refs for the whole htf cast... just basic info and lil bits of trivia :3

these were Heavily inspired by @hostilemuppet's art because their interpretations of the characters are so perfect and their art is super swag!!

[always-just-red]

I loved the Drunked Call with Sylus scenario you made! I like the way you write it and I see you accepting request hehe. Can I request about... Sylus, Zayne and Caleb reaction meeting fem!reader, dates or accidentally met (you name it) and they noticed her long hair has been attached with chewed bubblegum? some kid pulled a prank on her before and she didn't even aware of it

Aw thank you so much!! 💕 I did different pranks for each of the boys just to keep things interesting- I hope you don't mind! They're all equally silly haha, and I had SO much fun writing them. Added Xavier and Raf for good measure, too!

It's Just Not Your Day...

LADS Boys (& Caleb!) x Reader

Summary: It's you against the kids of Linkon City, and guess what? The kids are winning.

Genre: Humour + fluff!

Warnings/Additional tags: gn!reader, established relationship, swearing, canon pet names, reader gets a little stressed (and with some of these boys you can understand why 🙃)

| Word count: 4k | Masterlist | Opt-in to my taglist here!

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Love and Deepspace. All work is my own, so please don't repost or plagiarise!

Xavier ⭐

One of the perks of being a Deepspace Hunter is the way people look at you. You’re used to respect: appreciative nods and gestures, wide-eyed admiration. You’re out in Linkon almost every day, putting your life on the line for everyone in the city. You’re a hero, right?

So why is everyone looking at you so… funny?

“Xavier,” you speak in a hushed whisper, tugging at the sleeve of your partner’s uniform. “I don’t like this. Something weird is going on.”

He yawns. “What do you mean?”

Can he really not see it? Sure enough, a businessman strolls past you, his eyes locked on you as he frowns, mid-telephone call. You think he even stumbles on his words. “Just look around,” you whisper again. Someone is watching you from across the street, their head cocked.   

Xavier is already looking around. You’re on patrol; that’s sort of the point. But he trusts you, so he follows your instruction: casting his sky-blue eyes around a little more carefully. They narrow. “Sorry,” he says, because you’re usually on the same page, “what are you talking about exactly?”

You fold your arms impatiently. “People are looking at us, Xavier.”

“Oh, I…” he seems to hesitate, “I think they’re just looking at you.”

The words could be romantic, but you don’t get the impression they’re intended to be. He’s implying something. He’s uncertain. “What makes you say that?” you ask, hands moving to your hips.

He shifts awkwardly on his feet. “I think it’s your, you know—” his finger waggles in front of his mouth.

You don’t know. “My what?”

“Your moustache.”

“What?”

Your hand shoots to your upper lip, but you don’t feel anything out of the ordinary. Xavier is staring, though, so you reach for your phone and turn the camera on yourself.

A black, cartoon-villain moustache has been sketched onto your face.

You gape at your reflection. “H— how…?” you stutter, tracing your new feature. Then a memory of this morning flashes through your mind: how you’d fallen asleep on the train to work. How there were those two schoolkids, sniggering, when you’d woken up just in time for your stop. Ugh. Really?

Wait— this morning?!

“Xavier!” you exclaim, turning to him like you’d just found his sword in your back. “Why didn’t you say something?”

It’s just gone three in the afternoon, and he’s been with you for hours. “I thought you knew,” he mumbles, rubbing his neck gingerly.

“You thought I…” You’re too bewildered, too betrayed to repeat it fully. Worst of all you feel guilty; how the hell can he look so freaking innocent? You turn back to your phone, desperately trying to rub the ink from your skin. It doesn’t budge. It doesn’t fade.

“Are you ok?” Xavier asks.

Of course you’re not ok, you feel like an idiot. Your cheeks are hot and the redness is spreading to the rest of your face as you fail to reclaim any of your dignity. “No,” you spit back, “honestly, Xavier, how could you just let me walk around like I’m some kind of—”

You glance up to discover he’s no longer listening. He’s not even here; he’s over there, talking to an old man who’s sat completing a sudoku. Great. Wonderful. Why not? At least one of you is making a good impression on the citizens of Linkon City.

With your eyes close to watering, you have one last, futile attempt at wiping the moustache from your upper lip. It’s not working. Gods, you’re gonna be stuck like this, aren’t you?

Someone taps you on the shoulder, and you look up to see Xavier, back at your side. He smiles reassuringly, sporting a drawn-on moustache of his own. The ends of it are curled even more theatrically than yours.

“Xavier…” you half-laugh in surprise, your eyes watering even more. “Why would you—? Now we both look stupid.”

“I look stupid,” he corrects, running a thumb over your wet cheek. “You look really pretty, moustache or not.”

Zayne ❄

“What… happened?”

You sit across from Zayne on a picturesque park bench, like something from a postcard: blue sky stretched above, wildflowers sprouting from the grass below. Birds are singing, butterflies are flittering about, and even the doctor looks perfect— unmarred by the first half of his work day, no matter how stressful it’s been.

It’s a fairy tale you covet: a little reunion with the man you love, on the odd occasion where your lunchbreaks match up and he isn’t drowning in paperwork. And it would be a fairy tale, if it wasn’t for you. You— your uniform soaked and your hair dripping wet. The wooden bench has gone damp beneath you; you’ve literally only just sat down.

“Gee, I don’t know, Zayne,” you hiss, face almost buried in your phone, “what do you think?”

Not too far away from you, some kids are locked in a water-gun battle, their shrieks of laughter loud and infuriating. Zayne glances between you and them, making his deductions. “Why—” he starts.

“Doesn’t matter,” you sniff, wiping your forehead with the back of your sleeve. “They messed with the wrong person, and we’re gonna make sure they know it.”

“We’re going to?”  

“Yeah. Me and you. That a problem?”

You shoot him a glare that sends a shiver down even his spine. “No,” he answers quickly— a survival instinct, uncharacteristically submissive— but his composure returns as you turn back to your phone. “Haven’t you got—”

Another dark look.

“Haven’t we got better things to do than start a war with some children in the park?”

“Not really. Justice is justice.” You shrug before pointing a finger at yourself. “Deepspace hunter.” Then at him. “Cardiac surgeon. Precision is kind of our thing, right? They really don’t stand a chance.” You’re laughing, now: “Gods, I almost feel sorry for them.”

Zayne has been watching your descent into madness with a calmness that does him credit. When he interrupts, it’s gentle. “I don’t think—”

Too gentle; you don’t hear him. “Pick your poison, Dr. Zayne!” Your phone is angled at him to reveal the all-too accessible armoury of an online store. “You’ve got your standard water pistols. Your water blasters.” You’re scrolling and indicating his choices as though you’re the salesman. “This one has two options, single shot or power shot, and— ooh! Look at this one! The AquaJet3000!”

With a soft laugh, Zayne pushes your phone out of his face. He would buy anything you’re selling, although— having seen the prices on your screen— he knows he’d be bankrupt within a week. “Linkon City is fortunate to have you defending it, and whilst I would be honoured, as always, to fight at your side, I was hoping we could… relax. You’re on a break, remember?”

You pout as he peels a wet strand of hair from your cheek. “Justice doesn’t take breaks.”

“Well, justice is going to have to on this occasion, because I said so.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” he chuckles. “Besides, you shouldn’t fight fire with fire, or water with water. A lot of people look up to you, you know. Me included. So, set a better example. Save violence for the Wanderers.”  

It ought to be patronising: him, lecturing you on right and wrong when you’ve already added three types of water-gun to your virtual cart. He’s always so righteous. So collected. So moral. You want to be mad at him, but how can you be when he’s looking at you like that? Like he thinks the world of you, even when you’re plotting revenge against ten-year-olds.

You have a point to make, so you fold your arms and turn your back on him, even though he’s making your heart feel so frustratingly warm and fuzzy.

“I have something for you,” he says quietly.

To hell with the point. “What is it?” you ask, spinning eagerly around.

He smiles as he retrieves something he’d concealed behind him. It’s a small-ish box, pale pink, with patterns printed to emulate white lace. There’s a logo in the centre and you recognise it at once. “No way,” you enthuse, “that new bakery finally opened?”

You’ve both been waiting for months. “I couldn’t resist when I saw it,” he confirms, lifting the lid. Inside sit two unbelievably pretty cupcakes, buttercream icing spiralled high and adorned with sprinkles of gold leaf. Zayne plucks one from the box. “Perhaps—” he offers it to you— “perhaps this can make you feel better? Without us needing to, well… attack children.”

You giggle; it does sound pretty stupid when he puts it like that. “Thanks, Zayne,” you grin, reaching out for your reward. You’re glad one of you is vaguely sensible— those water-guns were expensive.

The cake is an inch from your fingers when a jet of water sends it flying from Zayne’s hand. It lands at your feet with an unceremonious splat, and from somewhere behind you, laughter roars.

The doctor blinks down at it in disbelief, his hand still hovering beside yours. He grieves for a long moment, then looks to you solemnly like you’re a colleague and he’s about to ask for a scalpel:

“The AquaJet3000,” he says.  

Rafayel 🎨

“Rafayel, call me stupid one more time, and I’ll—”

You’ll… you’ll… what? He’s looking back at you with wide eyes, his hands frozen when they had just a moment ago been drying the plate you’d handed him. He has some nerve, pretending he’s the victim when he’s spent the entire evening insulting you. This is supposed to be a wholesome moment of domesticity— doing the dishes together before he has to disappear to a late-night gala— so why is he ruining it? Ever since you got home, it’s been: so how was your day, stupid? Hey, stupid, want a hand washing up?

He said he was fine with you sitting out the gala tonight, but maybe he’s not.

“I’ll do this,” you finish, lifting a palmful of suds from the sink and raising them to your lips, ready to blow.

“Puh-lease, you bought me this suit. You really think I can’t tell when you’re bluff— hey, wait! Stop!”

You do blow the bubbles at him, and he recoils, holding the plate and dishcloth up to defend himself. He blocks some of them, but not all of them. “Honestly, Raf, if you’re not ok with me skipping out on tonight then you can just say so.”  

He puts the plate gently aside. “I mean, of course I’m sad you’re not coming,” he thinks aloud as he sets about sweeping bubbles from his suit, “but I’m ok with it, really. You’ve had, like, a crazy week at work. You deserve a quiet night in.”

Compassion? Really? After you just—? Ugh. “So why were you being so mean, then?” you sigh, taking the cloth from him and dabbing away the bubbles he’s missed.

“Mean?”

“You’ve called me ‘stupid’ like fifty times in the span of, what— three hours?”

“Yeah,” he shrugs innocently. “Because you told me to.”

Huh? You stop what you’re doing. “Since when did I—”

He reaches over your shoulder and you feel fingers on your back. “See?” he answers, bringing a piece of paper in front of you. It looks like it’s been torn hastily from a notebook, and it says, in bold, capital letters: ‘CALL ME STUPID!!’

You take the note from Rafayel sheepishly, your lips parted in surprise. How did it—? Wait. “Those kids!” you exclaim, thinking back on your walk home from work. “Oh I knew they were spouting bullshit when they said they saw a Wanderer!”

Your dish-washing companion doesn’t seem impressed by your lightbulb moment. He’s watching you, confusion etched across his face, but you can see right through it. “Rafayel!” you slap a soapy hand to his chest, “you had to call me stupid that many times before telling me?”

“I thought you wrote it. Pet names can be weird sometimes— I don’t know what you’re into.”

He’s still acting. Still lying. Fine, two can play at that game.  

You fall deathly silent, turning back to the sink to retrieve the bowl you’d dropped in there the last time he’d called you your new ‘pet name’. “I guess it suits me,” you mumble, half to yourself.

“What d’you mean, cutie?”

He can call you cutie as many times as he wants; you’re out for blood. You give the bowl another once-over with a sponge. “Some hunter I am. Can’t even tell when some kids are messing with me.”

Rafayel frowns. “Hey, it’s been a long week, yeah? You’re just tired.”

“Tired,” you echo, and you drop the bowl back into the water with a dramatic plop. “Tired? No. I’m exhausted. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I work, there’s always… something. To make me feel like an idiot. To make me feel… stupid.”

“Hey,” Rafayel tries again, and his voice is fraught with worry. “Don’t say stuff like that. You’re not stupid. I’m stupid. I’m supposed to make you feel better and instead I was just screwing around. I’m sorry, ok? Don’t be sad. Please?”

He wraps his arms around you and pulls you close, resting his chin on the top of your head. You don’t give in, not at first, but then you hug him back. “Thanks, Raf. I’m ok— really.” You hear his phone buzz from where he’s left it on the counter. “You should go. Thomas will kill you if you’re late.”

“Nah, he needs me,” the artist chuckles. “You get first dibs, though. You sure you don’t want me to stay?”

“Yeah,” you laugh quietly back; your heart not quite in it. “Quiet night in, remember? Go on. Go.”

He steps away from you, though not before planting a light kiss on your cheek. “I’ll make it up to you when I get home,” he says, collecting his phone and the rest of his things. He gives you another kiss when he’s done, dodging your efforts to shoo him away. “Miss you already, cutie.”

“Go!”

And he does as he’s told this time, no matter how listlessly. It’s sweet he wants to stay and make things better, but he already has— he just doesn’t know it yet. It wasn’t the hug. It wasn’t the apology. You lean back against the counter with a smirk, savouring the view as he leaves.

It might have something to do with the note you’ve stuck on his back.

…

Rafayel retrieves the note the moment he closes the door behind him, stuffing it smugly into his pocket. He’ll have a story ready for you, by the time he gets home, about just how much you humiliated him. About how he walked around for a good hour before Thomas spotted the note and gave him a lecture about his ‘image’.

He smiles to himself; he’s a really good boyfriend.

Sylus 🩸

“You should know better than to keep me waiting, sweetie.”

Oh, great. This is just what you need.

You peek over the saddle of your motorcycle from where you’re crouched behind it. “Hey, Sylus,” you greet. The man is watching you, his arms folded. “Yeah, sorry.”

“Sorry?” he repeats, an eyebrow raised sceptically. “What— no ‘patience is a virtue, Sylus,’ no ‘oh please, Sylus, we both know you’ve nothing better to do?’”

You had disappeared behind your bike again, but you steal another glance at him. “Wow,” you marvel, “is this what you did before we met? Have arguments with yourself?”

“More or less,” he smiles dryly, then shrugs: “I’m not bad, as far as sparring partners go. You of all people can vouch for that. Besides, what were my other options? Mephisto?” He laughs. “Luke and Kieran?” He laughs harder.

“I’d rate Mephisto above you,” you add distractedly, no longer looking at him.

“Is that right?” he purrs, and it’s very obvious he doesn’t believe you.

He sounds close— too close— so you stand, re-entering his eyeline so he doesn’t come closer. Gods, this is embarrassing. Those stupid kids; he’s gonna have a field day if he finds out. “Yeah.” You wipe your hands slowly with a cloth, disguising the fact that your mind is scrambling. “The things that bird comes up with, just… scathing, honestly. Emotionally devastating.”

“Oh really?” Sylus tuts. “That’s awful. I can’t imagine where he gets it from.”

You smile back at him, resting your hands on your hips. You do feel bad, actually; you’d completely forgotten you were supposed to meet him this morning for breakfast before work. He’d received no texts to cancel. No calls. How long was he waiting at that sweet little café you’d picked out?

Then again, this morning isn’t really going to your plan, either.

“Something wrong with your bike?” he asks, because he’s already figured out that much. “Besides the usual, I mean.”

Your smile drops. Your whole act drops. “It’s nothing, Sylus.”

“You’ve already stood me up this morning, sweetie. Are you really going to lie to me, too?”

You let out an exasperated sigh. Fine. “Some kids graffitied it, ok?”

“This piece of junk? Really?” He toes the front wheel of it, then catches onto the withering look you’re sending him. “Oh no,” he tries again, with absolutely no enthusiasm, “what a dreadful crime against such an advanced, state-of-the-art vehicle.”

Prick. You keep the label behind tight lips as he wanders around the motorcycle to join you, assessing the damage. You’re stood by a bucket of water and the litany of rags you’ve used to try to scrub it clean— each one a testament to your failure. The sight alone makes you want to burst into tears. The skin of your hands is pink. Raw.

You feel cheated; you wish you were at that café right now.

Sylus taps a finger against his cheek, eyes narrowed pensively. They’re spoiled for choice of what to look at: misspelt obscenities, a generous number of crude symbols. All in permanent marker, naturally. “An improvement, wouldn’t you say?”

“I wouldn’t say. No.”

“Art is subjective.”

“Yeah? So is your face.” Not your best effort. Sylus glances up at you, amused. “Shut up,” you dismiss proactively. “Besides, this is my work vehicle. I can’t ride around Linkon on this. It would be—”

“Too staggering a blow to your professional reputation,” he finishes like he’s bored.

“This isn’t funny, Sylus.”

He points at a particularly chaotic drawing of a penis. “It is.”

You smack his hand away. “It’s not.” Your voice wobbles, ever so slightly betraying you. This is serious; you could get in trouble. You stare down at the graffiti, despair setting in.

Keys dangle in front of your eyes. “Here. Borrow my bike.”

“You’re joking, right?” You swat at them. “You really think that’s gonna help? Me— rolling up to work on a bike that costs twice my annual salary?”

“Twice? That’s cute, kitten.”

You glare at him, any guilt you felt about standing him up long gone. “Can you just stop? Being you? For like, two seconds? Please? This is the last thing I need today, Sylus. I’m gonna be late. I’m gonna embarrass myself in front of everyone. And worst of all? I was actually looking forward to seeing you this morning. Before all of this—” you gesture dejectedly at your bike— “all of this shit happened.”

Sylus is looking back at you, his arms crossed again. He does nothing for a few, slow seconds, and it’s just long enough to make you feel like you’re overreacting. Then he leans over, running a hand across your bike, and you watch as the graffiti flakes and lifts, turning to ash under the influence of his Evol.

He brushes his hands together when he’s done, straightening with a hmph and a self-satisfied smirk. Content (more than content— thoroughly impressed with himself) he turns back to you. Your bottom lip has dropped in surprise and he chuckles, reaching a finger to lift your chin. “You can thank me later, sweetie, and I intend to spend the entire day thinking about how you might. Don’t disappoint me, hmm?”  

You’re still silent, and it takes him a moment to realise you’re bristling with something other than awe and adoration. He frowns. “Sweetie?”

The second ‘sweetie’ breaks you, and not in the way he wants. You slap his chest, hard; he doesn’t really feel it.

“Sylus! You could have done that the whole time?!”

Caleb 🍎

“Sit still, dear.”

Sit still? How are you supposed to sit still when you’re brimming with rage? Every inch of your body is tense, waiting, yearning for you to spring into action. It wants you to retaliate. It wants revenge.

“I can’t, Grandma,” you whine, crossing your arms as if to hold yourself back. You’re still fidgeting on the chair as she navigates your hair with her scissors. “This sucks. Everything sucks. The only thing that could make this worse is if—”

You hear the front door swing open, then closed. Why couldn’t you keep your mouth shut?

Sure enough, Caleb strolls into the kitchen mere moments later. “What’s happenin’ here?” he asks, dropping a bag of groceries onto the countertop.

“Nothing,” you mumble. “Grandma’s giving me a haircut, that’s all.”

“Ok. So what’s actually happening here?” he tries again. He’s known you forever, after all; he can tell when you’re lying.

You swing a foot out at his shin as he tries to step closer. Nuh-uh. No investigating. No sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. “Nothing,” you hiss again. “Gods, Caleb. What’s your problem?”

“You’re my problem, pipsqueak.” He uses his foot to push yours away. “At least Gran’s on my side—” his amethyst eyes seek her— “can you tell me what’s going on? Please? Pretty please?”

A hand breaks their eye contact. “You don’t have to answer that, Grandma.” You glare Caleb down. “The DAA has no authority here.”

“It does.”

“It doesn’t.”

“It does.”

“It doesn’t.”

Grandma sighs; she’s had far too many years of this. “You know Mr and Mrs. Lee’s children? Down the road? Well, they—”

“Grandma!” You round on her. How long did she last— all of three seconds? You bitterly regard Caleb, your voice dark with resentment: “They put gum in my hair, ok?”

“Really?”

“Yeah." He wanted the truth, didn’t he? “They lured me in with some nonsense about a Wanderer. I didn’t realise until, well, until…” You wave at your hair. “Too late.”

He considers the story, then shrugs. It’s clearly not as thrilling as he was anticipating, because he disappears from the kitchen, leaving you and Grandma in peace once more. The silence is as uncomfortable as it is sudden. You’d expected laughter— a lot of laughter. Teasing. Maybe even a shot at how gullible you are.

You release an uneasy breath, resting your head back on the chair.

“Sit still,” Grandma repeats, nudging you, prompting you to sit up straight. “I’ve almost got it. Just one more… here!” There’s a decisive snip.

“Thanks, Grandma.” You slump again, staring up at the ceiling.

You’re not sure what you’re waiting for. Maybe for the blush of your cheeks to cool, or for a Wanderer to spring out of the floor, killing you, so you can be dead and not so embarrassed. You hear heavy footsteps— Caleb returning— and you really wish the Wanderer would hurry up.

“Caleb…” Grandma’s tone is wary. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?”  

You readjust your head so you can look at him. He’s clutching what must be a dozen rolls of toilet paper; they’re piled up to just below his chin, almost spilling out over his arms. “How about it, pipsqueak?” he asks as he struggles to balance them. “A little team-up between the DAA and The Association— wanna do your part in reclaiming your neighbourhood?”

Now that’s more like it. “Fuck yes! Sorry, Grandma.”

You’re really as bad as each-other. She tuts reproachfully as you leap out of your chair, and she's disappointed, but not surprised.

[elenawritesxx]

Hiiii your writing is SO good hun. Could you do a fluff fic where the reader has low self confidence about the way they look and bucky’s all Nuh uh.

Thank you so much hun

IN YOUR EYES

PAIRING - bucky x reader

SUMMARY - in the ask box

WC - 455

requests are open

EXTRA - established relationship, reader feeling insecure, use of pet names (doll, baby), no use of y/n, lower case intended

NOTES - hi angels, sorry for disappearing (again) just lost some motivation to write lol. but thanks for the ask and the compliment it made my day🫶 hope this is what you were looking for💞

PS - english isn’t my first language so if you see any grammar or spelling mistakes please don’t hesitate to point them out<3

—

the soft glow of the evening sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm hue across the room as bucky lounged on the couch, engrossed in a book. you, on the other hand, sat across from him, absently fidgeting with the hem of your shirt, lost in your own thoughts.

a sigh that escaped your lips caught bucky’s attention, only to notice your distress look. he knew you like the back of his hand, he could read you like an open book, so of course it wasn’t a surprise when he noticed immediately your discomfort.

his eyes filled with concern as he set the book aside, now fully focusing on you. "is everything okey, doll?"

you couldn’t look at him, because you knew he was already looking at you and if you did, the tears would fall. you hesitated, feeling a lump form in your throat as you struggled to voice your insecurities. "i don't know... i just... sometimes i look in the mirror and... i don't feel good enough, you know?"

bucky's heart ached at the vulnerability in your voice. without a second thought, he crossed the room and knelt in front of you, gently taking your hands in his huge compared to yours. "baby, look at me," he urged, his eyes searching yours with unwavering intensity.

reluctantly, you met his gaze, feeling a surge of warmth wash over you as you drowned in the depths of his ocean-blue eyes.

"in your eyes," bucky began, his voice soft yet resolute, "i see beauty beyond compare. i see strength, kindness, and a soul so pure it takes my breath away. and every flaw you think you have? they're just reminders of the journey you've been on, the battles you've fought, and the strength you possess."

tears welled up in your eyes as you listened to bucky's heartfelt words, feeling a weight lift off your shoulders with each reassuring syllable.

"i love every part of you," bucky continued, his voice barely above a whisper as he brushed a stray tear that escaped from your cheek. "and i'll spend the rest of my days reminding you just how incredible you are."

with bucky's words echoing in your heart, you felt a newfound sense of confidence bloom within you. leaning forward, you pressed a tender kiss to his lips, pouring all your love and gratitude into the gentle embrace.

in that moment, surrounded by love and acceptance, you realized that true beauty lies not in the eyes of others, but in the unwavering love of those who see you for who you truly are. and with bucky by your side, you knew that together, you could conquer any doubt and insecurity that dared to cross your path.

[harque]

" vows "

summary ੭୧ 0.8k — SFW “innocent” prince kunikuzushi, only son of the almighty shogun, is desperate to overthrow his mother after being abandoned. he ends up marrying the leader of an enemy nation, who promises to help him get his revenge.

features — gn!reader, kingdom! au (?), reader in a suit, enemies and lovers, manipulation, mild angst, murder mention, kuni's planet sized ego (we love to see it)

As Kunikuzushi gazed into the vanity mirror, mindlessly smoothing invisible creases from his flowing veil of purple tulle, he could hardly bring himself to believe that the vision of beauty staring impassively back was his reflection. His hair was perfectly arranged, his makeup was precise, and if he tilted his head the right way his eyelashes would catch the candlelight and cast a sparkling shadow across his cheeks.

With an expert touch, he straightens to apply the tiniest amount of blush to the outside of his eyes, a blossom of color to freshen his ghostly complexion. Then, he adjusted his narrow lips—adopting a look of serenity closely resembling his Mother's calm, composed frown.

(Where was the carefree boy who loved craft and dance more than anything in the world? When had he been replaced by a man with ancient eyes?)

He'd been molded into a perfect copy of her.

Kunikuzushi's passive expression twisted into something between rage and disgust at the sight. He wished his reflection showed someone else. Anyone else.

“You know, you look a little pale, doll,” came a voice from behind, and he turned to see you leaning in the doorway. “If you're getting cold feet, it's not too late to change your mind.”

“I'm fine,” Kunikuzushi huffs dismissively, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. The suit you're wearing is immaculately clean and well tailored—the expensive fabric drapes tastefully over your figure, demanding attention. (It's ridiculous how well it fits you.)

“Don't you have somewhere else to be right now?” He knows his voice sounds more sour than he intends, but he can't help it. You annoy him.

“Oh please,” you scoff, brushing past the door frame. “I'm just here to check up on you, I thought you might need some company.” He watches you casually saunter over to him, your footsteps making quiet clicks against the marble flooring.

“I don't.” He answers flatly. However, he already resigned himself to your presence, shifting to make room for you on the plush bench. You sit, smiling, taking a moment to observe him.

His simple, yet elegant white kariginu robe fit snugly, but it was the dark purple veil embroidered with flowers that gave him an air of softness. You don't think it was supposed to look gorgeous, but he'd always been pretty, it was hard not to notice.

Kunikuzushi's gaze was now directed at the wall, carefully blank and eying decorations, as if he's trying to avoid letting you see any hint of feeling.

Cute. If he could trust you fully, he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off you.

“I'm sure you do, no need for all the attitude.” You lean your shoulder against his, the scent of your fragrance filling the space between you. His nose wrinkles, trying not to inhale too deeply.

“Besides,” you say, brightening your tone. “I do have another reason for visiting! The Shogun just sent a letter inviting us to the capital.” Kunikuzushi whipped around to give you an incredulous look.

This is the opportunity he's been waiting for, after all—the chance to eliminate his mother in a public setting.

You've already mapped the assassination out together very thoroughly (so precisely to the point where every detail was accounted for). However, you also know there is a slim opportunity to seize the throne after. He wasn't thinking about that right now, but with a little nudge he was sure to pick up on the rest.

“She wants to officially recognize our union with a celebration. I think we should go.” You stand and pull him up with you, flitting past the vanity, twirling him out into the empty space as if he was your personal puppet.

“The entire empire will be there for us. They'll applaud the bravery of their precious prince for his sacrifice... marrying a monster to spare them from war.”

When you tug him back in, he automatically rests his free hand on your waist. You adapted easily, splaying your opposite hand over his shoulder. There was something undeniably hopeful in those dark eyes of his, a glimmer of greed he could try to choke down all he wants, but you know him too well to ever truly forget.

Kunikuzushi guides you in a proper dance, the veil swaying behind him with enviable grace.

“...they'll be cheering for her too, of course. The poor citizens will believe it was all her idea.” You went on, sounding wistful. “Soon, they'll have no choice but to see she is nothing but a pathetic imitation of a person; a shadow designed to deceive. They deserve someone real.”

You feel his delicate hand pressing into the small of your back as he makes a particularly sharp turn, leading you into a dip.

“You can be real. What do you think, doll?” The words slip from your tongue, but you don't even feel it.

“I think,” he finally responds, leaning close enough so his breath ghosted against your lips, “you should stop calling me that. I'm not a doll.”

“I never said you were,” you amended, tilting your head. “It's a term of endearment. What would you like me to call you instead?”

His heartbeat is pounding so forcefully that you can almost feel his pulse through your own chest.

“Lord,” he says.

That was the only confirmation you need. He's so eager, you find it sweet that he already confidently claims the title. Oh, the things you do for him…

“Fine,” your smile widens. “If you insist, my lord.”

© harque — all rights reserved — notes & reblogs are much appreciated ¡¡¡( •̀ ᴗ •́ )و!!! thank you for reading!

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

Idk if anyone asked you this, but what's your take on the alpha kids?

I have a feeling that the alpha kids were a bit rushed? Especially Jane! (because of the trickster stuff + her being controlled by the Condesce) And the problem Dirk and Jake had was resolved so quickly that idk, it didn't feel natural to me??

ANYWAYS, I just want to know your thoughts on the alpha kids and how they would work things out and everything! :)

Less "rushed" and more "literally unfinished" imo - the same with almost all of the rest of the cast. They do get themselves into drama a lot faster than the beta kids do, but by that point in the comic, we kind of Get It, y'know? We did the song and dance already with the beta kids and trolls, there's no real reason to draw it out.

That being said, I do think if I had any major writing critique for Homestuck - like if I were being paid to edit it professionally for some sort of hypothetical director's cut - then it would be to have the alpha kids have more of a presence through acts 1-5, even if not necessarily the alpha kids exactly. More stuff like Jake sending John a happy birthday letter. Bro Strider/Momlonde/Nannasprite remain mysterious and vague in ways I think don't necessarily contribute to the story; it'd be neat, for example, for Rose to have stumbled upon some of her Mom's writings from when she was a kid, or for some second avatar of Bro in the form of a programmed robot to heckle Dave and foreshadow Dirk's splintered self/HAL.

This isn't to say I think Hussie did a BAD job, it's just going to be an issue with serial works in general - the alpha kids, their personalities, and their drama were not fully developed, if at all, at the time that the guardians were introduced, so there are things that Act 1-4 Hussie literally could not have written in that Act 5-6 Hussie probably would've. Hence, this would be a change to make in a theoretical director's cut; adding more alpha kid presence in Acts 1-4 makes it so we have to play less catch-up when the alpha kids are properly introduced.

As for how their arcs resolve... or, rather, literally don't resolve. Well, I personally believe that everything after Game Over is a heavily truncated version of the ending that was originally intended, and the alpha kids - along with most of the other characters - were kind of at the low points of their respective character arcs when Condy showed up and shit went south, and never really get the chance to pull themselves out. So, y'know, I personally believe the original ending would have had... more of that. I'm realizing now that, with the way retcon/dream/etc. mechanics work, it's totally possible for Roxy to have made a Choice with Nyx to die, but transfer her memories to an earlier version of herself, and for (Dirk) to finally make it out of the Furthest Ring to arrive in a completely different timeline. and it would be really funny

[fincalinde]

I see you have done some really thoughtful metas. What're your thoughts on Nie Mingjue? IMO he's a lot more complicated than he's usually assumed to be...

One of my classic absurdly late ask responses! Glad you enjoy the meta.

I think NMJ occupies a fascinating place in the narrative, because his ultimate fate is inevitable despite the fact that he theoretically has more agency than most (all?) of the rest of the main cast.

For a start he becomes clan leader at a young age, and while that comes with its pressures it's undeniably an influential position. He's the leading general of the Sunshot Campaign. Then, after the Sunshot Campaign, the Nie and the Jin are by some margin the most powerful clans. So, in a political sense NMJ has immense power. In theory he has the ability to make far better choices. He could stop persecuting JGY, who literally has no choice but to follow his father's orders, and he could choose to focus his ire where it belongs: on JGS. And he could also choose to counter JGS in ways that don't push the jianghu back to the brink of another devastating war.

Except he can't make those choices. And I want to make a strong distinction here: he is not like other characters such as JGY or LXC or JC, whose choices are limited by their clear understanding of their own limitations and the political landscape (including but not limited to the fact that a post-Sunshot descent into war between the Nie and the Jin would be catastrophic). No. NMJ's choices are limited because by the end of the Sunshot Campaign his mental capacity is irreversibly compromised.

Not only is NMJ terminally ill, but we're given clear examples of contrast between NMJ early in Sunshot and NMJ late- and post-Sunshot. Pre-Sunshot NMJ understands the Wen have political and cultivation power that utterly outclasses him and his clan, so he stands by and tolerates their existence. He knows it would be suicide to go up against them, and it's only when the Wen cross a line and all the clans unite that he's able to actually do anything about the fact that WRH murdered his father.

Contrast that to NMJ by the end of Sunshot, so irrationally obsessed with JGY that he's willing to jeopardise the hard-won (and fragile) stability of the jianghu by trying to kill him. Reminder: when NMJ kicks JGY down the stairs, he starts to follow him down with the express intent of killing him. As in, he fully intends to murder the legitimate son of his main political rival and an immensely powerful clan leader on the steps of his own home. That is ludicrous. Pre-Sunshot NMJ wouldn't have done something like that for his own beloved father, let alone for a grudge.

All of NMJ's flaws are obvious from the earliest point of his timeline: he's proud, he's inflexible, he's righteous but he's hypocritical. But early on we see examples of NMJ bending a little, of recognising nuance and showing, in his own inelegant way, his compassionate side. By the end, that's gone. The fan-burning incident alone (the fantrum!) demonstrates it. That's the way he treats his beloved didi, never mind how he treats his san-di.

Of course the narrative claims JGY can always talk NMJ round, but it's simply not true. In the end, the only way JGY can preserve himself is by making NMJ a promise he can't keep (to deliver XY's head) in order to buy himself enough time for NMJ to die and no longer be an immediate mortal threat. If JGY had not accelerated NMJ's decline, NMJ would have killed him and plunged the jianghu into another needless conflict.

I've spilled ink on the staircase scene already so I'm holding back on digging into this in more detail, but the fact is any discussion of NMJ's downfall is inextricably tangled up with JGY. The focal point of NMJ's descent is his obsession with JGY in particular, and it's important to remember what's relevant is not so much what JGY has or hasn't done but how NMJ treats him.

I do think one of the best ways to put it in context is to compare the way NMJ reacts to WRH to the way he reacts to JGY. WRH literally kills NMJ's father but NMJ has a cool enough head to know he has to bide his time. JGY on the other hand absolutely does betray NMJ's trust, in a situation where, again, if he does as NMJ wants (turns himself in) he's going to end up dead. And from that moment on, NMJ has no intention of giving JGY the benefit of the doubt. Yes, after LXC intervenes (remember, JGY would be dead without that intervention!) NMJ backs off and ends up agreeing to the sworn brotherhood, but he enters into the brotherhood in entirely the wrong spirit, seeing it as a way to monitor and subjugate JGY, who is already answerable to his father over and above any obligations to an elder brother.

Would NMJ at fifteen years old have listened to LXC and JGY's explanations in Qishan or later on the stairs at Golden Carp Tower? Possibly. But we don't have any examples of a time when he truly listened to JGY, and he was always going to end up this way regardless, taken out by a qi deviation and turned into the stuff of nightmares. JGY accelerated an existing process to save his own skin, but he didn't invent it out of whole cloth. So the tragedy of NMJ is not what JGY did to him. It goes back further than that, to when his ancestors first started cultivating the resentful energy of beasts.

Even then, contrasting NMJ to another character is illuminating. The text tells us NHS is in a bind: if he cultivates with his sabre, he's dooming himself. But if he doesn't cultivate with his sabre, he's pissing off his ancestors. The instinct then is perhaps to think—poor NMJ! He's in the same bind!

But NMJ never has a moment's doubt about sabre cultivation. NMJ knows the price and he pays it without question. NMJ doesn't agonise about how to balance his duty to his clan and his ancestors against his desire to not go violently insane. He accepts it as a fact of life and never thinks to question it or push back against it. He marches down the path that extirpates all his good qualities and leads straight to his worst self, and never so much as glances around in the hope of sighting a different way.

Again we're getting to that tension I find most interesting about NMJ: agency rubbing shoulders with inevitability. NHS finds a way to lead his clan and Word of God become Xiandu without cultivating with his sabre. Does that mean NMJ is responsible for his choices and he can't be absolved of his actions by blaming his inheritance? I don't necessarily have an answer for that, but I hugely enjoy exploring the question.

[fizzigigsimmer]

Do you want to know what really fucked me up and got me good about Steve Harrington in S1? What I MISS SO MUCH and wish the Duffer Brothers had a clue how to tap into?

Steve was the Queen Bee. Which is hilarious because the Duffers fully set out to write him as the Jock Bully archetype but through a happy marriage of poor writing and even poorer casting (for the intended goal) they ended up with a completely different character archetype.

It was utterly fascinating to me. Because we don’t see male Queen Bees pretty much ever unless it’s part of a gag or some Very Important Point within the plot. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one who just is one, while the narrative keeps on telling you he’s the Jock Bully... when he’s so clearly not.

Don’t believe me? According to exhaustive research on archetypes.com: 🤪

Common traits of the Queen Bee = Cunning and glamorous, often materially wealthy, confident,socially ambitious, and charismatic.The recognized ruler of an academic setting. Deep inside she’s an angry girl, because she has been disappointed or seen how the world really is and has no outlet. She is in need of boundaries and guidance. Unable to deal with her emotions, she projects her anger into selfishness and protects herself from the outside world climbing the social hierarchy. The Mean Girl falls when she loses her power. Her power is always directly tied to her social status and her story ends with her no longer resting atop the social hierarchy. If we’re humanizing her, she’s a sad rich girl in need of a true friend she can be imperfect with. She may soften, but often her legacy as ‘Queen Bitch’ will continue to haunt her.

Common Traits of the Jock/Jerk Bully = an alpha male who dominates the school/college environment through physical violence and threats of brutal retaliation. Typically blond, he is rarely seen without a letter jacket or some connection to the sport he draws his self value from, as he is also typically dumb and unlikely to go far in life. If we’re humanizing this character his father is a jerk with unrealistic expectations. He has a posse of enablers who hype his excess anger and poor impulse control issues. His low levels of empathy and radar for weakness in others can be played for laughs if he is the villain of the week or border on sociopathic if he is the heroes arch nemesis.

Now don’t get me wrong. I can so clearly see how the Duffers started out writing Steve as the Jock Bully, but it’s also pretty clear that things went haywire once they fell in love with Joe. I think it’s obvious that in an effort to highlight what they liked about Joe (a sensitive artist and definitely not a Jock Bully) they lost the one trope and accidentally created the other.

So when they create Jock Bully 2.0, AKA Billy Hargrove and decide he and Steve are gonna be rivals for the school crown and ALPHAHOOD or whatever... instead you’re just left with the keen sense that these two characters are supposed to be together. Because they are.That’s the formula. And I would bet money they realized it too.

[atrenchcoatfilledwithbeees]

Okay this has been on my mind for a while but I haven’t seen anyone else talking about it so I’m gonna have to make this post

I hate every single secret reveal in the reboot

They mean nothing, they tell us nothing about the characters, and the would you rather questions don’t do anything either.

In the original seasons, the characters do have secrets: No one asked Heather to the Prom, Dakota’s need for fame is really a depressed cry for love, and Sam farted on the first and only date he ever had.

These all tell us something about the characters: Heather’s forceful mean outlook may be a defence mechanism or something that has left her lonely in the past, Dakota gains some depth, she wants attention to fulfil her need for love and is going to a therapist to talk about this, Sam is established as a stereotypical unlucky in love nerd, setting him up to gain a love interest later on.

The would you rather questions in the reboot tell us nothing relevant or interesting about the characters because they’re so random.

We learn that Bowie would rather wear clown makeup than publicise his DMs. Maybe he’s a private person but it’s never revisited and he continues being incredibly confident and outspoken. It conflicts with how he confronts the rest of the cast about his actions in the previous season. He stands by them and doesn’t care if people criticise them. Surely the same would go for his DMs. The response doesn’t match his personality because it wasn’t intended to help build his character. It was just random trivia that seems rather thoughtlessly attributed to him.

Axel likes poetry. This isn’t inherently bad except it seems like it was only added for the shock value of buff girl likes something we wouldn’t normally think. And also to give Ripper a way to work his way in as a love interest. She literally refuses to read something in one of the episodes shoving the paper at Caleb. Does that seem like the action of someone who values poetry and writing? Not really.

MK sleeps with a stuffed unicorn. Cute, but also seems to be a shock value, you weren’t expecting this kind of thing. Also we never see this stuffed animal despite seeing her bunk several times.

Emma would rather eat toenails than not shower. The episode establishes that she bites her fingernails purely for this part. If I remember correctly she doesn’t bite her nails at like any other point.

Priya would rather be merged with a warthog than have Chris as her dad. This is true for everyone and therefore tells us nothing.

On the whole it just felt kind of lazy. Some of the questions did reveal bits and pieces of characterisation like Caleb being on good terms with his one ex, but most of them just set up one off gags or were completely random.

All of this sort of culminates in an episode that felt like it was trying to give the characters more depth but didn’t want to fully commit to any new traits they’d have to add for the rest of the show.

I’m probably reading too much into it but I just felt kinda disappointed.

[jgroffdaily]

In all of the rush of getting home and back to my real life, I didn’t get a chance to write up the experiences that we, your faithful JGD-ers, had this last weekend in NYC.

On Saturday morning, we did a tour of the front of house sections of the Hudson Theatre. It’s a gorgeous building, with a fascinating history, and I would recommend the tour to anyone who is interested in Broadway - the company was Broadway Up Close.

In the afternoon, we went to the matinee of the show, the first matinee (and thus the first two-show day) of this Broadway run. We had great seats in the first row of the mezzanine / dress circle, from which we had a decent view of the actors’ facial expressions (although not as good as from the orchestra seats / the stalls on Thursday evening) and also a fab view of the actual orchestra, who sit “upstairs” in Frank’s apartment.

I loved the show again, of course. I had fully intended to turn my attention to different elements this time - to watch Frank during Franklin Shepherd, Inc; to watch Frank and Beth during Not A Day Goes By, to check out what the orchestra were doing. But in fact I was entirely dragged into the story, and the performances, once more, and my eyes snagged on the exact same things as last time.

As for Sunday, my final day in NYC: well, we had realised a few weeks ago that there seemed to be *something* due to happen on the Sunday evening - there was no show listed for that afternoon, which broke the pattern of all of the rest of the weeks from Opening onwards. So we wondered if that date might be the Opening Night (which it kind of turned out to be, amidst some confusion around “industry opening / red carpet interviews / after party” on Sunday vs press night / release of embargo on Tuesday).

So, on the off chance that we had guessed correctly, I changed my flight home to the UK, so that instead of an 8pm flight, I had an 11pm one. That meant that I could stay in Manhattan until 7pm ish, and we could investigate what was happening.

Earlier on in the day, we went to the Broadway Up Close booth to buy some Broadway themed merch, and I had to laugh when the guy manning the counter asked me “have you seen any shows?” and when I replied “Merrily”, he said “aha, I had a theory…” and pointed to the Groff sweatshirt that I was wearing! Might as well wear your heart on your sleeve (chest), I guess!!

We walked to the theatre in the afternoon, and there were some union guys / security people chatting outside, so I asked them if anything was due to happen outside that evening. They said: “oh no, no, nothing at all, it’s all going to be inside; not at all worth you coming back here”, then blew their own cover a little by adding “unless you want to watch us work, setting up!”

Setting up what, you may ask? And indeed, that is what we did ask ourselves, after we had thanked them and wandered away. If they were setting something up outside, there must be something worth seeing. And so, at around 5pm, we “accidentally” found ourselves back at the theatre, and located a spot close to the steps, where we could semi-nonchalantly linger.

While it was true that the red carpet was happening indoors (not entirely surprising, as the lobby of the theatre is, as previously noted, stunningly beautiful, and the scaffolding outside is decidedly less photogenic), the security and queuing / ticket checking system was happening outside, as was a good deal of “people in fancy clothes loitering and waiting for their friends to arrive before going in”, and thus we had a great view for an hour or so, as many people arrived and went in.

We spotted Anna Wintour (sharp haircut, giant sunglasses and all - but having to queue with the masses - quelle horreur!), Zach Quinto with a friend, Raul Castillo and Alexis Forte (newlyweds! 💍🎉) and Cynthia Erivo, who arrived with Lena Waithe.

Although we didn’t see Jonathan - the cast must have gone into the theatre much earlier, or via the stage door, or both - I am so pleased that we were there. There was a fantastic buzz of excitement amongst those arriving for the show, and it felt to me like one of those real “Covid is over [note: I know it isn’t!] and the world is back!” moments. It made me so happy and grateful to see all of those people there, to support and celebrate our favourite guy (and his friends and colleagues), and it was the perfect end to my perfect NYC trip!

[bacchanal-if]

Hi! How are you!?? Hope you had a lovely year so far~ as for me is ok as of now, lots to do and none of the motivation but i am healthy?lol better than nothing haha

i do feel really guilty for no giving any feedback about the update... sorry!!!!

i am so sorry bacchus i am the worst so embarrasing, i swear that this if & the characters live in my head 24/7 i love it so so much

But when i try to comment is like i forget all the words?! Broken brain i swear lol

SPOILERS AHEAD i think?

Welll i was just passing for the nsfw blog & bacchus omg i love it, giggling kicking my feet, all of them are sooo 🔥🔥🔥 but i am really really soft for all of them also?! All these feelings lol

So i just played the update a bit & loved it~ francis is my most beloved (only)parent and if i am forced to separate of them i am gonna riot i swear

Ellis my sweet little sister~ i love her your honor~ hope i can be a lovely enough sibling to her

Mother dearest can choke for all i care, and father as well, hilarious that he got played by E(i asume tho) thats totally a point in favor of E gotta admit

Played the animal whisperer (lmao i forgot the right word!) & i love it so much?!whiskers and Bulwark my beloveds omg thats so cute i love love love it

That cliffy tho!totally killed me T my love~

Also loved the options given to mc about their take & hopes about love & their fears? Thank you~

Cannot wait to meet the rest of the cast!!! I am so curious~

Forgive me but i cannot remember if you plan to make ros povs? And can we expect a oportunity to be with ellis?(like hang out? I swear i forgot the word lol) i love her & wish her all the happiness

All in all i love your writings, i wish i had the words to make them justice but all i have is this word vomit lmao i am sorry!!!

Mmm i was planning to make some notes about my mc from bacchanal, would it be alright to tag you? It is mostly hcs but if i say nonsense i would love if you give me some thoughs? Is not biggie if not though

Thank you for your work!!!! I am marching to ask smth in the nsfw blog rn so see you there ;)

🥰🥰🥰🥰

Hello!! 🥰

My year has been great so far and I'm finally getting rid of this cold. I hope you get the inspir/motivation you need! You are not the worst at anything, I assure you!

I am so humbled that you love my characters so. I have to say that I'm tempted to pay for portraits of Whiskers and Bulwark just because. And Ellis just needs someone to be their friend 💜 (they are nb btw!)

As for RO POVs... I am always open to them, as I love reading them, but I think for this I am going to keep it to the MC's POV so you are always in the driver's seat.

However... I did say I love reading them, didn't I? After the story is wrapped up I fully intend on making additional paid content with the RO's POVs as well as some pivotal scenes that happen before and during the course of the story but outside of the MC's view. It would be in the form of a new IF where you can upload your save file/put in your character details to make it more personalized.

The MC and Ellis should have at least one scene together before the Bacchanal, but in which chapter(s) I'm not 100% sure. I know what the scene will look like, but I still need to figure out when it should happen. Don't worry, Ellis fans!

Please do show me your notes! I would adore reading any of them!! The tag I follow is #bacchanal-if.

As always, thank you for your interest in my work 💜

[thenugking]

🌤️🌪️🪐 please!

🌤️How do you interpret the game mechanics in your fic?

I try to avoid going into a lot of detail about game mechanics, because they can make things really clunky and unnatural. I can’t use the phrase “spell slots”, it sounds far too gamified to me, so I stick with a more general “using magic takes energy”. From First Rest we have:

Wyll’s able to convince Shadowheart to use the last of tonight’s spellpower on summoning up a bucket of clean water,

Because I’m not going to fucking say “Wyll gets Shadowheart to use her last available Level One Spell Slot on casting Create Water, and then she needs to have a Long Rest to get some more back.”

Some things that are clearly just there for game balance I ignore. Like, sure, it’s useful in game to be able to pay Withers 200 gold to bring back your party members whenever they drop dead, but in fic, it really cheapens the emotional weight of death to have Withers be doing that all the time. That said, as much as I hate when fics feel beholden to the “only four party members” rule, I do kind of want Gortash telling Lee that nope, sorry, Orin can’t come on this mission, we already have four people, it’s just not possible to bring any more because of Reasons, sorry, I’d love to bring your freak of a sister along but everyone knows adventurers can’t hang out in groups of five.

(Lee: Well that’s all right, Orin’s basically just an extension of me so she’s a Summon actually--)

🌪️Is there a nugget of game lore that fascinates you, but you haven’t written about yet?

Hmm. If something fascinates me enough, I usually have to write something, just to get it out of my head. Although I would at some point like to write pre-game fic about Astarion’s siblings. Astarion too ofc, but there’s six other people here being horrifically abused and developing their own relationships and issues with each other and having their own terrible trauma responses. I want to dig into that and make things horrible for everyone.

🪐Who’s your favourite non-companion character, and why?

Orin Orin Orin my beloved baby girl who has done nothing wrong in her life, except for all the horrifying atrocities.

I will hold up my hands and admit that the reason I started liking her was aghsj Hot Evil Lady. But then I started really getting into exploring Durge, and Lee specifically, and goddd this girl is tragic. She’s my poor little meow meow who’s been groomed and abused by every family member she has, and honestly what fucking chance did she ever have to be a good person, or even a normal person? She’s tragic, and sympathetic, but has also, yknow, hurt so many people, and done shit that’s way too fucking evil to just be excused with, “well she’s an abuse victim.” Which ofc is a big theme of BG3 generally, but the game never fucking explored that fully with Orin, so now I get to do that. 

I’m loving writing her in No Highly Esteemed Deed, having her be very clearly Lee’s victim and, I hope, entirely sympathetic for her eventual decision to stab them right in the brain, but, well. She’s still clearly utterly fucked, she was obviously intending to rape Lee before they raped her, and it’s not exactly a spoiler to say that getting rid of her abuser isn’t going to suddenly fix her. Like, I’m currently writing Ketheric seeing an Innocent Victim and looking out for her, and you might notice that this is very much not the dynamic we see with them at the end of Act 2!! I love writing Orin destroying any positive relationship she has because she doesn’t know how to have a healthy friendship and is too disdainful and afraid of the whole idea to try.

I love putting her in Situations and have her fucking maim her way out of them and then voluntarily go back in them because she maimed everything outside her Situation too and now there’s nothing else left <3

[quiveringdeer]

so I took a nap with my cat, but since I woke up I haven't been able to get the above observation outta my head. And dunno how to make it into a character post so figured I'd just share here. 

This started as a long-winded scene idea I was typing up in dms to @marleysfinest after they commented about reading about Reiner cursing in that silly incorrect quote post I made where Pock pushed him down the stairs--just hit real different. And I couldn't agree more.

But instead of becoming the filthy smut I was originally trying to get at, my weird as fuck brain created this spiral of I don't even know what! It's highly self indulgent self insert as Reader. (I mean isn't that what we all write these as?) Though I did try to curb some of my more ridiculous dialogue options I initially intended to use.

Anywho, before the fluff and silliness have some meta musings:

Definitely see Reiner growing up with his mom being the type that doesn't allow bad language in the house. So he's careful about not cussing. And he definitely does, more so in high school and college when he joins a few sports teams because teen boys and all that jazz. But he tries to even outside of that or just hanging with friends because Gabi's been born and he wants to be a good example and such. 

But so I was thinkin about dating Rei and never really noticing that he tends not to curse until finally hearing him curse for one of the first times. And because it's the number one cause for yelling expletives, it happens when you're having movie night at your place. There isn't a lamp near the couch --cause who can afford a lamp in THIS economy! (okay maybe you just moved in and things are still in boxes but you both have a standing date night that moving was not going to interrupt I dunno! I dunno why my brain insists on giving convoluted scenarios that really are unneeded 🙃)--

Reiner x Reader

Anywho, no lamp. So of course you do rock paper scissors to figure out who has to get up from the snuggly warm spots on the couch to go turn off the overhead light and he loses. And after turning off the lights, in a rush to get back to the warm snuggling on the couch, he stubbs his poor bare toes on a sturdy box. "Shit!"

No, like reeeally hard. "SHIT MOTHERFU-!" Perfect. So yes. He stubs his toe so hard it throws off his generally great balance and as he's trying not to land on anything important he falls to the floor with a big thud! "Fuck!" 

And the whole thing happens in a number of seconds. 

You've launched yourself over to the side of the couch closest to him now. Peering down in the dim light of the DVD Title Menu screen, "Rei, honey you good?" 

He's sitting up by this point, groaning and muttering as he squeezes his poor, traumatized toe. "Yeah. 'M good." Casting those warm amber eyes over to you, Reiner tries for a grin but manages more of a grimace as he starts to pick himself up. "Too eager to get back to cuddling you." 

Settling back into your previous spot on the couch you notice him not putting his assaulted foot fully on the floor. "Aww, sweet baby." 

His large body sinks gingerly onto the sofa beside you. He's not trying to sustain any more injuries just dropping himself heavy onto the cushions like he wants to. 

"You sure you're good? Don't think I've ever heard you swear like that before." 

Reiner dips his head, masking his face in shadow as he feels his cheeks heat. Not that you could see it in the minimal lighting anyway. "Sorry. Didn't mean to. But yeah. I'm okay." To prove his point he lifts up both his legs and wiggles his toes, back-lit by the TV screen. "All in working order." 

A tiny amused huff of air puffs past your lips at the endearing little gesture. "Okay." While patting around the fleece blanket with one hand for the remote, your other arm lifts to rest across his broad shoulders. Your fingers curve around the top of his head, sinking into the soft blond strands as you begin massaging gently. It's an unconscious action at this point. You've argued before that running your fingers through his hair feels just as nice to you as it does for him. 

Reiner's neck is tilted back, by the time you finally locate the remote beneath the folds of endless fleece. Eyes closed, completely content to just listen to the movie he's forgotten the title of already. 

"Also, you didn't have to apologize. For cursing." He turns his head just slightly to see you looking at him with a fond smile. "I don't mind. I honestly can't believe this is literally the first time I've ever heard you do it. And we've been dating for months." 

You settle the remote on your lap and keep your eyes on his face. There's a short silence as you watch Reiner's mouth twitch. His brows pull down slightly like he's sifting for the right words. 

"My mom always said it was a vulgar habit. So I grew up making sure I didn't slip up at home or in front of strangers." 

You laugh and have to quickly follow it with words when you notice Reiner's face go tense. "Sorry, was just laughing cause I'm happy to know after three months of dating you no longer see me as a stranger." 

Immediately Reiner starts to sit up straighter, eyes going wide as he angles his large body toward you. "That's not what I–" 

One of your fingers presses to his lips, silencing his rebuttal. The hand that'd been occupied in his hair now lays comfortably on his shoulder. "I know honey. Relax. I'm just teasing." 

Grin still present from your earlier laughter, you lean in for a slow, tender kiss that has Reiner melting further toward you. Your foreheads rest together as you part from his lips. You have to bit your bottom lip to seal in another delighted chuckle when your eyes open to see his, closed. Honey blond lashes fanned against his cheeks and pretty, wet lips still slightly puckered for more kisses. It never ceased to charm you how such a large, handsome and objectively intimidating man could simultaneously produce the most adorable mannerisms. 

"I hope you can feel comfortable enough to do it more in the future. If the urge strikes. Liiiike another lost battle against a box. Or anything really. Whatever. You don't have to hold any part of yourself back from me, Reiner. Okay?" 

His eyes had fluttered open as soon as you began to speak. His head nods a bit. A slight up and down motion you feel more than see, with your foreheads still touching. Reiner's eyes close again as he presses forward for another kiss. 

You pull back, increasing the distance between your faces as both your hands move to cup his cheeks. "I mean it." 

Finally his mouth quirks up in a smile, "I got it." 

"Good." Index fingers from both of your hands twiddle the short hairs just above his ears. "So you get that also means if the urge strikes to curse in a positive way?"

"Positive way?" Rei's brows knit together as he tilts his head just a smidge to the left. "Maybe I don't, got it." 

Another short burst of laughter leads your response, "Yeah. Positive way. Like overcome with such positive feelings the only words that can truuuly harness the euphoria are curses."

His head cants further at an angle before things click in place. "Oooh. Really?" 

"Mmmhm. Actually, if you wanna be more vocal in general, I'd like that. I love the sound of your moans, but the right words can really hit different." 

"Oh. I can try to talk more, if you like that." 

"Ideally, you'll like it too."

"Mhm." 

You can tell by that short response that he's getting caught up in his head. "Reiner?" Your palms squish in his cheeks gently. "Are you trying to think of what things you'd say?"

"Uh. Maybe. I feel like it'll be awkward. No one's ever asked me to talk more during sex. Didn't know it was a thing, to be honest."

Pulling your hands from his face you mute the TV. The DVD Title Menu music was becoming a bit overestimating for this conversation. With the repetitive sounds silenced you maneuvered your body to more comfortably talk with Rei. One leg tucked up between you both, other still situated over the front of the couch. Soft, fluffy blanket redistributed over both of your lower halves.

Reiner, resettled himself in a more comfy position too. Elbow resting against the back of the couch so he could lean his cheek on his knuckles. It wasn't uncommon for conversations to bloom up and distract you both from previously set plans. While it had been a bit unsettling at first, he really relished them now. He was unused to people asking questions and genuinely wanting to hear his thoughts. Okay, that wasn't entirely true. Bertholdt had always been an active listener. So was Pieck. But they'd known each other since elementary school and were close friends.  

Maybe that's what it was. He wasn't used to these kinds of conversations happening so frequently with a romantic partner. None of them had ever been so curious to ask and he'd never gotten around to offering up the information freely. Perhaps that was something he should bring up in his next therapy session. 

"Hmm, do you think it's awkward when I talk while we're having sex?" 

There's quiet confidence paired alongside genuine curiosity situated in your tone. And while it's been many years since he's been a virgin, this simple straightforward question has the tip of his ears flushing hot. 

Reiner forces himself to meet your gaze as he responds, "No. I just figured…I don't know. Just never thought about it."

"Not that anyone should use them as any kind of blueprint for real sex, but is there no dirty talk in the porn you watch? Like, the dudes. Do they not say anything?"

If he'd been eating or drinking, he would've certainly choked. Mark this down for another topic he's never discussed with a partner before. "Uh, no? Maybe? Like you said, I don't really watch to pick up tips or tricks." Okay. Maybe that wasn't fully the truth. Some videos had certainly sparked fantasies he's put into motion once or twice. 

"Okay, fair." Lifting up the blanket, you move the leg you've had extended over the front of the couch, across Reiner's lap. "Hmm…We'll have to find you more memorable porn, babe." 

You snort out a laugh and the sounds eases the tension of embarrassment coiling in his gut. His free arm slips beneath the blanket to hug your leg close to his body. The heat from his palm is distinct as he smooths his hand up and down the outward side of your leg. "You've got to be the first girl I've ever met that wants their boyfriend to watch more porn." 

"I'm most definitely not. You just haven't reached that stage of information security clearance with other women yet. And I'll have you know, I was implying you need to watch better porn, not necessarily, more." A giant grin stretches across your face after putting on a mockingly serious voice for that last sentence. Obviously, you're in a very playful mood tonight and the energy is infectious. 

"Ah. Forgive me, that's a very important difference right there."

"Damn right it is!" 

Reiner can't help but shake his head at the ridiculous exclamation even has laughter rumbles out through his lips.

[raraeavesmoriendi]

dast-pilled tinfoil hat speculation about last voyage of the demeter below:

(written when my adhd meds have worn off a fair amount so like reader beware)

alright, I’m cobbling together few different adaptations/timelines of dracula here so bear with me

obviously we’re not doing this movie strictly by the book (pun v much intended). we’re taking the log entries from the novel and running with it (which is. just how Adaptation Theory works, I know. but hang on.)

the introduction of new characters/fleshing out of people who were just barely named in the novel got me thinking about how in the lugosi/villarías simultaneous films in 1931, which were in turn based off the 1924 hamilton deane stage play (revised by balderson in ‘27 but w/e), renfield is present on the demeter. he is part of the journey as drac is picking off the crew one by one, instead of just waiting and growing more agitated at whitby, and it’s highly implied in the 30s films that it’s this trip that sent him fully over the edge into the manic state we see him in for the rest of the film.

this big reveal at the end of the journey, his discovery as the lone survivor of the ship by a horrified crowd, is a moment that was heavily referenced (beautifully, I would argue) in the recent nicholas hoult film, in which I think he knocked his dwight frye impression out of the fucking park.

(top: frye in 1931, bottom: hoult in 2023. again I say: goddamn!!!)

(not pictured: pablo álvarez rubio, who played renfield in the spanish language drácula filmed on the same sets during the same period but only at night IIRC bc Studio Racism to put it v bluntly, and who I honestly think was almost more horrifying in his manic laugh moment than frye.)

but so the thing I’m getting at, here, is there is room for a little… creative wiggle room, in just who turns out to be onboard this boat in this upcoming movie.

so I watched the trailer today while I was sitting around waiting for the new insidious (which imho was good if you like the franchise but that’s another post), and as someone who was already stoked for this movie and then got More Stoked when dast was cast, I found something kind of… interesting.

he’s really not featured in it a lot.

I mean I didn’t have a stopwatch out or anything, but in the most recent trailer, we maybe get a couple quick closeups of his face looking Alarmed/Concerned. but comparatively, we do get more footage of other crew members getting menaced/hunted/stalked/mauled.

so I was like “okay, maybe this is like the boogeyman, where he did a lot of press for it and then [spoiler].” so I went and checked imdb just to see what was up:

…he’s fourth billed.

so clemens is obvi the protagonist, anna seems to have a lot of lore to talk about in the trailer so she might be around as a key member, and then obviously the captain bc he’s our main point of view in the novel through his logs, IIRC. and there isn’t anyone else in the cast blatantly named “renfield.”

this does raise the question of “why is renfield using an alias and disguising himself as a deckhand to travel with drac” but then again, if I came onboard a ship and was openly associated with mysterious giant boxes of earth as cargo, and then something began fucking picking people off one by one when it got peckish, people would probably figure out there’s something fairly fishy about me and my giant fucking Dirty Boxes p quick. and in the ‘30s versions, the chapter was really presented as more a montage with some voiceover IIRC, only revealing renfield in the hold at the very end.

so what is dast doing in that particular spot if he’s just playing Some Guy? and why is he billed higher than dracula himself, javier botet? (whom I must add I adore from many things, and is one of my favorite Creature Guys next to the man himself, doug!)

(he’s like - eighth or ninth I think? and I get that he’s not billed v high bc we want to keep his onscreen presence fairly minimal to be properly scary, but in a film that’s ostensibly about dracula, it does make me wonder about the significance of the other characters listed before him.)

now look, I could be totally wrong on this - dast is also fourth billed in the boogeyman on imdb, and if you’ve seen it - well, You Know. but still! I don’t think this is totally impossible here!

bc he’s also been plugging an interview he did with botet in this month’s upcoming issue of Fangoria, which has LVoD as its cover

(I haven’t got my copy yet so I can’t confirm what all’s in there)

and one with horrorhound to boot:

so like! Idk! I could just really really want this to be the case, and the movie marketing team knows dast has a reasonably sized fanbase they can use to plug the movie to (me being a perfect case in point).

but I’m just saying… it’s not impossible we might get a second or third act plot twist that ends with dast having his own hysterical laughter closeup at the bottom of the deck stairs, yknow??

(god, that would be so rad. as a fellow horror nerd I would legit be so excited for him to get to have his own version of one of Thee Big Moments in film history.)

anyway, if anyone’s read anything somewhere that shoots this down, please feel free to lmk so I can adjust my expectations accordingly. I think I’m going to go back through the original chapter and see if there’s a Wojchek I happened to totally forgor (and not the historic bear I already associate with the name).

do with this what you will, maybe I’m totally delulu but I did at least want to bring up the possibility bc if I’m right that would just be the coolest shit in the world, imho.

also watch the old 30s movies if you can find them — they usually have cheap dvds of them at walmart during spooky season, in my experience, or try your local library. the lugosi version is iconic, but the villarías never got the recognition it deserved imho.

[paigemathews]

idk why but in the prandy P3 daughters au i feel like piper would have a girl first and then her boys (maybe twin boys? i'm just bullshitting here tbh)

Okay, so, I can genuinely guarantee that this over three thousand word outline is not what you intended when you sent this, but I got this and another ask about the prandy girls AU and decided that I needed to sketch this out to at least have an idea of what happens and who else are around the prandy girls and it... spiraled. I did put this under a read more because, like I said, over three thousand words. But to actually answer your question, and I guess spoilers for the outline ahead, Piper actually ends up with two girls: Proserpina "Prose" Patricia Halliwell and Petra Penelope Halliwell. (Abi, you may say with dismay, there's no way that Piper would name her daughter Proserpina and you're not wrong! Special circumstances apply for why she did, and I actually did initially begin to dive into the next gen girls' powers and personalities here as well before realizing it was way too long already, but that information is available if anyone cares lmao.)

I also had to break this up more because Tumblr yelled at me, so we have different headings.

The Beginning

I think that the first two seasons would still primarily shake out the same, besides Andy's death, since season two is still pretty episodic

instead of that unnamed Cupid in "Heartbreak City," however, it's Coop, who kind of just gently bullies Phoebe into admitting that she's afraid of love and of losing people. (we're gonna set the stage early here.)

Additionally, Prue and Andy are still not fully together yet (bc they had been, y'know, broken up when he died) so Coop reveals to Phoebe that he's there to help them but doesn't tell anyone else yet.

Anyways, Prue and Andy end up hooking up at one point and accidentally ends up pregnant around three quarters of the way through season two but we end season two with them finally committing to one another and Perri is born about halfway through season three

During season three, however, we first see the sisters go head-to-head with the Source. They try to vanquish him, and Prue goes down hard. The Power of Three doesn't work and they're about to die when they're suddenly beamed out, revealed to be Phoebe wishing she could've confessed her love to Coop before they died. (Look, we're doing very broad strokes here rn.)

The sisters are confused because that was the strongest spell and potion that they got, and Leo goes to talk to the Elders and says that there's something blocking the sisters from their full potential and Phoebe is like "okay, what does that mean" and Leo has no idea so that takes up the back half of season three as they try to discover what's blocking them.

Meanwhile, Prue, a new mother, is having this breakdown about how she nearly orphaned her daughter and lashes out and has her plot about dealing with all of this with Andy.

Anyways, at the end of season three, we finally figure out what's limiting their powers and spoiler alert:

it's because there's supposed to be a fourth sister with them: Paige

but the Source discovers this before the sisters do and attacks once again, and this time, they're slightly more prepared but something happens and Piper is (seemingly) killed while the Source is seriously weakened so he retreats.

The Power of Four

In reality, Piper has actually ended up between planes, alive in the place you're meant to go before you die. Also, as we later find out when Leo is tearfully confiding to probably Coop, she's pregnant as well. (This will be relevant to our Pleo kid.) The rest quickly figure out, however, that wherever Piper is, she's not in the Beyond like their mother or grandmother.

But anyways, Prue is furious and going after every demon like a madwoman and casting any and every spell to locate a sister. Phoebe, meanwhile, graduated at some point during season three and is adrift and unsure what to do. She starts working with social services to help people down on their luck, where she begins running into a chaotic young Berkley grad named Paige.

Meanwhile, Piper is trying to figure out a way home and starts casting her own spells to contact her sisters. She ends up in Paige's dreams, who at first dismisses it as just being lonely and wanting family as the anniversary of her parent's death approaches and being alone for it for the first time (as Glen is unable to get back to the States in time).

Paige is a bit creeped out when she first sees a picture of Piper and sees that she's identical to the woman in her dreams but continues to dismiss it as her wishing she had a sister like Phoebe.

Anyways, something happens and Prue and Phoebe realize that Paige is their sister and Paige realizes that she's a witch. (For this, they initially believe that she's a telepath since she's able to mentally connect with Piper through planes and displays this mental connection with all of the sisters, but it's later revealed to be a product of their collective power. Her actual primary power is photokinesis, the ability to create and manipulate light.)

There's some growing pains at first, but Prue, Phoebe, and Paige manage to connect with one another and discover a way to save Piper, which is something like at the height of All Hallow's Eve or whatever.

Anyway, they save Piper and the Power of Four is established.

Either during or soon after, Piper gives birth to her and Leo's daughter: Proserpina "Prose" Patricia Halliwell, named after the mysterious woman on the plane who helped Piper and likely gave her something to help her keep the pregnancy (a life growing where one is not meant to exist)(look, I wasn't intentionally trying to sketch out stuff here, we're just going with vibes now.

Prue is also pregnant again about halfway through the "getting Piper back" arc and, if Piper gives birth end of season four, Prue gives birth to Presley about half a season afterwards.

Now, back to the sisters. Let's say that Phoebe finally confesses to Coop and they deal with their feelings and are going strong. But the Source has been working to regain his strength, and so, we get some kind of enemy sent the sister's way. With the reveal of Paige's existence and Piper giving birth, the Source decides to try to divide the sisters to weaken them by targeting the most obvious weak link: Paige.

We Still Have a Demon Romance

With Piper's return, Paige feels unnecessary, like she was a placeholder only meant to hold the second sister's place until she came back. And it isn't helped by the fact that Piper came back and had a baby, Prue is now pregnant/close to having another baby, and Phoebe is dancing around Coop who may or may not have tried to set her up with someone else.

And Paige isn't impressive to the magical community, not like the original Charmed Ones and she doesn't know what she's doing yet, not really, so it doesn't go well. But there's someone who seems to like her and look up to her and they're a fellow witch (except they're actually a demon) and he gets her and understands her.

So instead of Phoebe, Paige gets a demon romance, except she doesn't know of course. And she learns more about magic and how to use it differently than anything her sisters had taught her and a lot of it is on the up-and-up for the most part but some of it just tilts Paige a bit of a different direction.

The saving grace is that Paige is also given a charge during this time, so her Whitelighter side is tugging at her consistently so her demon lover can't pull her too far, even if Paige doesn't know yet why some things he shows her she is instinctually repelled from. And through her Whitelighter side, she gets a charge, who also happens to have an infuriating parole officer named Henry.

They butt heads a lot but both care a lot about their charge, so slowly and reluctantly become friends against their will. But Paige's demon boyfriend is getting impatient at the lack of progress, especially because the Source is starting to get vexed and regaining his strength, so he kicks it up a notch by starting to steadily bewitch Paige, a la Phoebe in s4.

In the interest of having a backup, the Source also sends a demon to befriend the sisters, especially in an attempt to target the kids and Prue's pregnancy. (After all, what better way to destroy the sisters than from the inside?)

And it takes a minute, because everything has been so hectic with everything going on for the sisters (Piper going missing and then giving birth, Prue getting pregnant again, finding Paige, etc.) that they've kinda just been lingering with this chill atmosphere for once, but start to realize something is wrong with Paige.

Andy is the one to investigate and find out that something is off about the demon boyfriend, like how he did with Rex and Hannah in s1. An oracle or seer (depending on who we wanna add in here) warns the demon that his cover is blown before Andy can get to Prue, and he knows he's no match for the Charmed Ones, so he decides to try to forcibly turn Paige, and potentially the sisters, in one fell swoop through a Dark Wedding (like Zile marrying Prue in the canon s3.) To distract the sisters, he infects the sisters, Andy, Leo, and Coop with sin balls.

This has a two-fold purpose: one, I love Sin Francisco, so shoutout! Two, Phoebe gets infected with lust and Coop with envy. Coop is envious of the men that he's tried setting Phoebe up with, and Phoebe is. lusting after Coop, so. Under the influence of the sins, they have sex! (I'm sure you can see why this will be very important later on.)

Anyways, Henry, who the demon boyfriend (who I probably should've given a name tbh) had deemed unimportant, figures out that something is wrong with Paige and tries to go to the sisters to ask about her, only to be like what the fuck.

He ends up somehow helping them realize something is wrong blah blah and they all break their individual sin/remove their sin in the case of Prue.

Meanwhile, Paige and the demon boyfriend are seemingly about to get married but Paige just looks around dazed and asks softly where are my sisters? and he gives her some bullshit about how he's the only one that cares about her or whatever and then is blasted halfway across the room by a very furious Piper going get away from my sister!

(Imagine this as being the turning point between Piper and Paige's relationship since they'd been so iffy around each other because they had no idea who the other was and thought that the other was intended to be their replacement or whatever.)

Her sisters rush to her side and Phoebe hands her a potion and gently asks her to take it, sweetie, and Paige trusts her so she does and all of the demon's tricks fail when his enchanting is abruptly wiped from her sister. Paige hesitates only for a minute before joining her sisters in the vanquishing spell.

Also Henry finds out about magic from this and has to sit down.

And this has probably been going on for the about three quarters of the season and uhhh, Prue goes into labor at the end of all this and hi ya, Presley!

And they hustle her off to the hospital and- Oh my God, Prue is cradling Presley in her arms with Andy beaming next to her and they need a middle name and everyone's making suggestions and Prue kind of just looks up at Paige, who we'll say have bonded over Paige's love of art and Prue's experience with antiquities and art knowledge, and says Artemisia after Artemisia Gentileschi and Paige points out that's a big name for a girl to handle and if Prue's sure if she handle it and they're not really talking about the name at all but Prue says that she knows she'll be able to handle anything because she's so strong and brave and will always have her sisters.

And Paige beams and Piper and Leo are standing together and Phoebe goes and leans her head on Paige's shoulder in one of those cute sisterly moments and gets a premonition of, oh, about nineish months?

Congratulations, Paige, it's a demon-witch-Whitelighter hybrid!

(Phoebe does not tell them in that moment but definitely brings it up later.)

I Feel Like Everyone is Just Having a Kid RN Here

Anyways, we get a break from all the heavy plot stuff for a minute because Phoebe and Coop are. Not talking about what happened between them and Paige and Henry are being a little weird with each other and Prue is having a crisis with Andy about what if she goes and dies on her kids like her mom and Piper isn't sure if she and Leo will be able to have another kid after her experiences on the plane between life and death, and that's all just the romance and family side of things.

On the professional side of things, Prue is struggling with the desire to stay at 415 Magazine or move to the Bay Mirror to be able to be there on the streets seeing what's going on versus the glossy photoshoots that she's been doing. Piper, after quitting Quake, had basically been working as a caterer without the money to actually buy a physical location for her building but is taking the plunge on the restaurant. Phoebe has been working at social services with Paige but isn't sure what she actually wants to do. After an episode where something forced Phoebe into helping Prue at the Bay Mirror, she begins doing some editing work there, eventually taking on a column role. Paige meanwhile finally becomes a social worker.

But anyways, Paige is struggling with what happened, her deteriorating friendship with Henry, and her impending motherhood. She finally explodes on Henry calling him out for slowly drifting away and revealing how terrified she is of becoming a mother. The two reconcile when Henry tells her that, regardless of magic, he knows that she'll be a great mother because of the way that she cares for her charges and her work and promises to be there for her. There's also plenty of bonding with Prue during this time because Paige (and Henry) definitely have a plot about babysitting little Perri and Presley for "practice."

Meanwhile, Phoebe realizes about halfway through the season that she's pregnant and she and Coop finally have to sit down and talk about it. They confess their feelings but are concerned about the forbidden romance aspect of it. Despite that, with Phoebe being spectacularly less burned this time, they decide to try and pursue it anyways.

About halfway through season six, Paige goes into labor about the same time that a demon is attempting to devour ghosts' powers or something so we get an episode featuring Melinda Warren because Paige deserves to meet her too and Henry gets some magical shenanigans. Also some nice moments with Melinda commiserating with Paige about being tricked and how she, and her baby, are still Warrens. But anyways, Paige delivers not one little demon-witch-Whitelighter baby but two! (No one expected this. Phoebe's premonition helpfully left out Henry cradling the other baby.) Either way, we now have Lillith Prudence Matthews and Morgan Melinda Matthews!

Remember how I mentioned that the Source had a backup plan to befriend the sisters? Yeah, she's still here, slowly worming her way into their lives. Due to the twins' half-demon natures, she begins often volunteering to be a babysitter with the goal eventually being to turn them completely. None of the sisters expect anything as demonic activity begins ticking upward again and she becomes closer to their kids. It's her that lets it slip that Phoebe and Coop are in a forbidden romance soon before Phoebe's meant to give birth, and the Elders recall him to the Heavens in punishment.

Phoebe gives birth soon afterwards to Philomena "Mena" Cordelia Halliwell, naming her daughter after love and heart.

She challenges the Elders for him back, and with her sisters behind her, they falter enough that she's able to press them enough that they give her an option. She came to them on the claim of true love, and so it's that claim they'll make her prove herself on. If Phoebe is truly in love with Coop, she just has to find him. They'll send him back, no memories and in-disguise, but will guarantee that they'll be in a position to meet once more and interact. If she kisses him, it'll return his memories and they'll be free to be together. However, to prevent her from just kissing every guy she finds to try to find Coop, she has only once chance, and her next kiss will be the only chance she gets. (I did decide to add in a fairytale ass plot bc I can, thanks.) Phoebe accepts, and her romantic plot for the rest of the season and the beginning of the next is on finding Coop.

Meanwhile, the demon friend decides that if she's going to poison the Warren line of witches, why stop at only a set of twins when there could be a death-touched witch and the first ever Cupid-witch hybrid at her command? (She looks at Perri and Presley, fully witches born with no complications, and dismisses them. She is the first demon that will do this but will not be the last. Like her, others will learn that this is a mistake.) Knowing vaguely of the potion Piper took to be able to keep the pregnancy, the demon creates a fertility potion to give her to see if she'll be able to utilize another child's powers to even greater strengths. She gives it to Piper in the season six finale.

The Final Battle

During this time, the sisters begin to prepare for the final battle against the Source. Their last major battle at this was at the end of season three, and we're now at the beginning of season seven. The Source has fully recovered from their battle, and the sisters themselves are at full power with Piper recovered and Paige at their side.

Piper finds out she's pregnant again a few episodes into the season.

Phoebe finds Coop at the midseason finale, which is also when the demon friend is revealed to be a demon when she makes a move for the kids. Someone gets stabbed (idk who. Andy? Henry?) stopping her but is narrowly saved and the sisters vanquish her.

Phoebe and Coop get married around midseason as well, while Paige and Henry discuss if they want to take that step soon.

The sisters take on and vanquish the Source in the season finale once and for all, which is where I think the big storylines stop.

Shortly after the finale, Piper gives birth to Petra Penelope Halliwell. Phoebe and Coop may or may not have a second kid? Still undecided on that one. Paige and Henry move in together in the flashforward in the series finale and marry a year or two later. Andy and Prue have Pamela as the last next gen kid.

[sercezgazety]

Hello, I read your fic Variations and Fugue on a Theme, and I liked it! I always like when the narrator goes from talking about the present and the past smoothly, without spelling it out for the reader.

Do you have any further ideas for why Herbert mentions being put on Thorazine and (I assume) committed to a hospital as a child? You also write that his parents taught him that breathing through your mouth was bad manners, and that's all I saw that could point to his parents. He's obviously focusing on the most recent important event in his life, but it surprised me a little to see his mind not wander back to his childhood more while in solitary confinement.

I was also wondering what you intended with the repetition of the phrase "you take what you can get". I took it to mean that Herbert is trying to reevaluate every situation he thinks of, and the one he's currently in, to make himself more competent. He can't delude himself into thinking he made no mistakes, but he can delude himself into thinking he's smart enough that the mistakes don't really affect him that much, or actually have secret upsides that no one but him would be smart enough to utilize (like how he insists he likes solitary confinement because unlike him, other people need "contact with the rest of the primates") He has less paper but it doesn't matter, he has most of it memorized, and then he just needs paper for more advanced calculations, and then he can barely remember the word tinnitus and then he's only been writing the word Dan. But he brushes this off; he's "not sure how it happened", and then just flushes it down the toilet. Of course, mentally, and physically since the toilet backs up and overflows, Dan always comes back.

And, why did Herbert break all the fingers in that man's hand, if you have a specific reason.

Hiii, thank you so much!

As for the thorazine mentions, that's how I imagine it went down after Gruber's death - in the extended cut, Meg does mention he was put on a psychiatric observation after the, uh. Exploding eyeballs thing. I'd assume he wasn't concerned that much with his parents; from what the novelization tells us, they died early on and there's a strong suggestion that it was Herbert who was responsible for their demise (something that would probably be very traumatic to a child, but Herbert compartmentalizes shit; also, in my head, the not breathing through the mouth thing was something Herbert was taught not by his parents but in the institution he grew up in). It was Dr. Gruber that Herbert actually trusted and considered a father figure. In the greatest scene in cinematic history, we get to see That Single Tragic Tear Rolling Down Herbert's Cheek when Hill mentions Gruber. After all, Herbert comes to Miskatonic because he has a vendetta against Hill - though it's not his but Gruber's work that the asshole plagiarized. Gruber's death is something that clearly affected him, and I think Herbert dragged Dan into his work not only because he needed an extra pair of hands or, as the fandom tends to think, because he was attracted to Dan. I think Herbert wanted to recreate the mentor-mentee relationship to some extent, though this time, given how much Dr. Hill sucked and how there was no mentor figure available, he cast himself in that role.

Plus, of course, he latched onto Dan for... Reasons, whatever they were, and I'm not sure Herbert's fully prepared to face them, especially after Dan's betrayal. While Gruber's death must have hurt, it was easy to rationalize - but what Dan did? Oh boy. The second person in Herbert's life to be trusted, and he went and violated that trust like that. So, like you said, Herbert tries to brush the entire experience off, treating Dan as less than a person, denying any bond they might have had, swearing up and down this doesn't concern him at all, and still obsessively coming back to the memory of Dan - the man he thought he moulded into something he needed, but in reality, the man he was entirely dependent on. The guy who had the nerve to be his own person anyway, to show Herbert wasn't completely in control. The audacity!

It's pretentious as shit, but I intended to make the fic similar to a fugue - a piece that's sort of structured by a returning theme or a set of them, with numerous repetitions and variations on what we've already grown familiar with. The "you make it work" phrase is one of numerous things that keep coming back (the sound of the lightbulb being the most prominent one). Moreover, it's one of the many lies Herbert repeatedly tells himself (like "you don't remember much," "he'll come," the notion of settling for Dan, not choosing him, the assumption that Herbert remains unaffected by his surroundings and by Dan's betrayal). He's fine. He's fiiiiine, doing great.

He obsesses over those things to such an extent, he doesn't have the time to obsess about more distant past (like childhood). His brain is way too busy trying to delude itself into believing it's not fixating on Dan. Which it very, very obviously is. As for the broken fingers, well, I didn't want to be too specific and I intentionally left things vague, but there are, hmm, crumbs of context for that in the last chapter of The Pending Details (an attempted assault by an inmate who didn't know who he was dealing with and what is Herbert capable of. The answer being A Lot).

Anyways, thanks for reading and thank you so, so much for the lovely message!

[pokerninja2]

Rabbid Luigi's vamp powers have only gotten stronger since the first Mario + Rabbids, and by the time he joined the volleyball tournament with his other Rabbid friends, he's turned into a full vampire! Try not to get bitten on the field, or he'll steal your stats to make his even better!

I just finished Rabbid Luigi today, so I guess I can break him down now! First and foremost, I actually had this idea for quite awhile, and it started a few months ago when I saw my good friend @bramble-scramble post this:

(by the way check her out she makes good art)

But this post gave me an idea for what I should do with Rabbid Luigi here. The Rabbids tend to be way more extreme in their new designs and abilities than the standard Mario characters, which fits because they're already insanely wacky. So for this guy, he's fully embraced his unique vamp abilities from the first game!

Of course that's only half of it - Paper Mario fans must surely recognize him wearing Mr. L's outfit! I thought this was really fitting - he was already a dark alter-ego of Luigi, so Rabbid Luigi's vampire getup being considerably darker than his normal look made total sense. Only thing is his logo doesn't have a black patch like Mr. L's, but him using his actual team emblem felt more important, heh.

As mentioned, his vampire abilities are pretty much entirely based on his Vamp Dash from the first Mario + Rabbids, especially his Vamp Rush. Anyone he attacked with it would get damaged, and he'd heal himself by some of the damage he dealt. So translating that as him stealing opponents stats, their life force as it were, is both fitting and really fun for a unique gameplay mechanic. His stats are already good, but get in his way, and they'll just get even better!

Vampire Punk is mostly original, just being a silly breakdance with those purple bat things that appear whenever someone uses vamp. The idea of the dance itself did come from his weaken ability in Sparks of Hope though!

That's about all I have for him. Like all Rabbids, bringing out the most insane aspects of him for this was really fun, and it made for a character who plays pretty unique compared to the rest of the cast. What's not to like?

EDIT: two of my friends pointed out that the vampire wings resemble the Vampire Candy from Mario Party 8. I actually didn't intend for this, and in fact the wings were a bit more designed after Ridley's. Still, fun coincidence that there was a vampire form that's pretty identical in function to how I made these vampire mechanics work!