#like a lot of sorcerers do (strange for example)

[musclesandhammering]

A Concept: Loki gets in a situation where his magic is bound or he’s facing someone with stronger magic than him or something and everyone expects him to just be screwed, but instead he simply starts drawing runes and reciting spells and proceeds to wreck their shit.

“I’m not the most powerful sorcerer in Asgard because my magic is the strongest, I’m the most powerful sorcerer in Asgard because I know how to use magic the best.”

[mask131]

There is a trope I really like when it comes to magic in fantasy, and it is the "inhuman wizard/witch".

In fantasy nowadays, the origin of magic mostly boils down to two things. On one side: "learned" magic. It is an art and knowledge you can learn, train and develop and anybody can be a wizard, witch, sorcerer, warlock, whatever. On the other side: you are born with your powers, magic is something inherent in you, that you cannot control.

But the third way is the trope I enjoy and I don't see it being brought up a lot: certain characters have magic because they are NOT human. (And I am not speaking of The Owl House style where witches are just a separate species, no, no no).

This trope is literaly as old as time, it being highlighted by folkloric, legendary and mythological characters like Merlin, Circe, Baba-Yaga, Vaïnamoïnen: most of the great enchanters and sorcerers of legend, most of the powerful witches of myth and folklore, were demigods, half-devil or even minor gods themselves. Being a wizard wasn't just a random business, and it wasn't just being born "special" - it was about belonging to an entirely different level of existence.

I do note that it is quite strange for this trope not to have gotten more of a success because it was a key part of THE great work of the fantasy genre, The Lord of the Rings, + The Silmarillion. In it the Five Wizards, the Istari ; but also Sauron (in his necromancer/sorcerer persona), and Melian (the closest thing Tolkien had to an enchantress or sorceress), are all applications of this trope. They literaly are Middle-Earth's embodiments of wizards, witches, enchanters and sorceresses, but they are such powerful magic users precisely because they do not "come from this world" but rather are divine spirits made flesh, angelic beings disguised as humans/elves, minor gods who bound themselves to these appearances. And yet, when you look at the many Tolkienesque imitators or renewers (Shannara, Belgariad, Wheel of Time, Fionavar Tapestry) they all insist on the wizards and witches being... human.

C.S. Lewis, in his Narnia books, also followed Tolkien's trope, by having his wizards be literal fallen stars stuck on Earth - a concept of "astral magic" that will be reused in works such as "A Wrinkle in Time" where the trio of planet-travelling witches are pointed out to have had previous existences as suns and other stellar phenomenon. Lewis' witches also originally were depicted as otherworldy, inhuman entities (half-giant half-jinn entity working as a sort of angel for the fantasy equivalent of God, giant demonic snake taking the shape of a lady) before he gave us a new Jadis backstory making her more "human", so to speak, or at least part of a neat and clear-cut species.

There's also Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, where the two great magic-users, Sheelba of the Eyeless Face and Ningauble of the Seven Eyes, aren't just hyper-powerful and very weird sorcerers, but also strongly implied (if not outright said) to be interdimensional alien entities.

This trope does creep up and shine in some fantasy works from time to time, but it is quite rare. A recent example I ABSOLUTELY adored is the Witch of Sarnwood, from "Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone". The trope is also used frequently in French fantasy (probably because it has closer roots with fairytales and medieval tales, where enchanters and witches are more inhuman) but since it probably won't evoke anything to people here I won't do a full list, just point out the character of The Enchanter in Michel Pagel's great "Les flammes de la nuit". (But it isn't very surprising given Pagel's work is part-Shakespearian fantasy, and Shakespeare was a famous user of this idea of "inhuman magic users", with his Weird Sisters from Macbeth, for example)

And of course, I have to speak about The Lich from Adventure Time, which is probably THE big highlight of this trope in modern day. The Lich is presented as, well, a manifestation of a D&D lich, as just your typical undead "evil lord sorcerer", but then as we move more and more down the story it is revealed he is literaly the embodiment and vessel of a cosmic force of destruction and mass extinction that dates back to the primordial monsters before time itself... This is notably such a Tolkienesque move, because I don't think I ever saw such a big character-exploration/twist reveal since Tolkien slowly revealed the Hobbit's Necromancer was Sauron, and then who Sauron originally was - in fact when you look at Youtube "lore videos" trying to piece out the background and evolution of the Lich, you will notice they do bear a striking resemblance to videos discussing the "Necromancer" of the Hobbit and how it ties to Sauron... Someone should one day point out all the Tolkienesque elements in Adventure Time, but that will be for another day.

Conclusion? It is quite fascinating to see how magic-users started out a lot of the time as these otherworldy divine or demonic beings, these inhuman forces that merely appear human somehow, but today people seem to REALLY like and REALLY prefer their wizards and witches to be human, and I guess relatable? The biggest example being the Harry Potter phenomenon, and even more recently the Owl House because while they are not "humans" per se, they are still basically an alternate humanity, instead of being stars in human masks or unique alien beings travelling time and space like Doctor Who.

(By the way, did you ever notice that Doctor Who was literaly designed to be a sci-fi version of the fantasy genre? If not, then I have another post to make... But yes, the Doctor is literaly an alien, sci-fi version of a wizard/sorcerer, down to the magic wand/sonic screwdriver.)

[destiny-in-the-universe]

Intern! Randy: RC9GN AU

So, I've decided to retouch on the fic and figure why not talk about it a little!

For those who are aware of the older posts, intern! Randy is a canon divergent storyline (set sometime in between the two seasons-) where it follows Viceroy's - I mean McFist, duh, latest plan to capture the Ninja. While I like to think they know the Ninja's a student, they're still under the impression it's an 800-year-old immortal and not literally a teenager for ahems reasons. Viceroy suggests the best way to uncover the Ninja's identity is by hosting an internship program for Norrisville High students.

Somehow, through silly cartoonish ways, Randy lands the interview though I like to think he still has skills Viceroy would be interested in (such as math). Things are going well at first surprisingly, and of course no one is suspecting a thing but then McFist - who isn't entirely as dumb as a bag of rocks - starts putting two and two together, realizing Randy sounds and acts somewhat like the Ninja. Though given how Viceroy has seen Randy's clumsiness, he easily dismisses it- thinking it's one of McFist's insane assumptions.

At some point because McFist is hardly subtle, Randy discovers the true purpose of the internship program - only he can't exactly quit without arising suspicion and decides he might as well use being an intern to his advantage. Deciding to keep each other on their toes, between McFist still convinced Randy could be the Ninja and Randy trying to stop their plans, things are only a mess waiting to happen.

Now on to my favorite part!

Due to the nature of this AU, I like to think that the Sorcerer isn't so involved just to further push the adoptive father-son narrative I want between Viceroy and Randy. This is going to be a fairly lighthearted and comedic storyline, but I felt like covering other stuff that might be included too!

Thoughts for Intern! Randy

One thing I thought of was the idea that Randy lives at the McFist manor-? Now, I will say Viceroy lives there too since that seems vaguely implied in canon- (and because I said so, duh). Instead of Randy having to commute so much, at least it saves him time in getting to McFist Industries.

Randy happens to be good at coding since it makes sense to me- like, the hyperfixation of video games aside, I just thought it would be neat but guess what: I, in fact, do not know coding so bear with me here. On the account of I wanted to, I also felt it would be a great way for Viceroy and him to bond- also that if Viceroy is somehow involved in the production of video games (sort of, if you count "Weinerman Up" as an example of this!), then Randy's going to flock to him more than McFist.

I do think there's the potential that Bash and Randy get a little closer, but they're not fully friends - they just learn to tolerate each other a little better.

Due to some potentially wacky shenanigans, I do like to think Viceroy eventually catches on there's something strange going on with Randy- if the odd timing's between his disappearances and the Ninja's sudden arrival isn't already a strange coincidence. (coughs except every adult in the show is stupid coughs)

But moving on!

I am honestly just looking forward to the other general shenanigans that may happen in this because- there's a lot that has to be considered if, well, everyone's convinced the Ninja is literally 800 years old. Like are they just blind?? (or is it some ancient magic coming into play whenever the mantle is handed down to the next freshman because Finja was absolutely not a freshman- when did the switch happen to freshmen being the ones to take on the title? I'll talk about this later, as per usual)

Anyway-

There's probably going to be some angst coming into play, but nothing too major because the purpose of this AU is honestly pretty light in comparison to say, The Kitsune and the Ninja or ITNV. Though I want to keep things interesting- hence why other stuff will be coming into play eventually.

Now unfortunately, I am considered scrapping the original WIP and making it slightly more interesting because my latest introductions to the fanfics have felt somewhat boring in comparison to what I could write. Though without much further ado, I hope you come to enjoy this!

I don't have the slightest clue when the fanfic will be complete, but hopefully this will be soon!

[ironstrange1991]

A Real Man

+18 Smut

Pairing: Defender!Strange x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: Y/n's past traumas and inexperience with relationships lead her to start a romance with one of the worst students at Kamar Taj. When her heart is broken, Stephen offers to teach her what it's like to love a real man, leading her to experience sensations she never imagined before.

Word Count: 10,5k

Warnings: Mentions of childhood sexual abuse, mentions of trauma and psychological issues, huge age gap, sexual content including oral sex with both male and female receiving, masturbation with male receiving, p in v, creampie.

A/N: Hey guys I finally managed to find time to post!

I'd like to clarify that this version of Defender belongs to another timeline, it's not the same pair I usually write about. We have a Stephen here who has just created the Defenders, is still teaching at Kamar Taj, and is not yet the Sorcerer Supreme. The reader is also a student of kamar Taj, but is decades younger than Stephen. I'm so happy with this fic, I hope you like it. ;)

Stephen approached you from behind while you were absently sitting at the desk in the library trying to read, but he could see from afar that you weren't reading anything, your head was turned forward and not to the book and your gaze was fixed as if you were contemplating an immense abyss within yourself.

You were one of his students at Kamar Taj, you were young, twenty-two to be precise and yet you had so much weight on your shoulders and a shadow in your eyes that he himself could recognize as trauma. Maybe that was what made you stand out among the other students.

Not that you weren't beautiful, you were very beautiful, but what made him see you was this sadness, an almost palpable melancholy that surrounded you. He'd been dying to walk over and ask what was wrong, but he never had the courage to do so.

He went so far as to ask Wong about what he knew about your past and Wong sighed heavily "That girl has endured more than anyone should. There's a lot of strength in her, Strange, but there's also a lot of anger, bitterness, pent-up feelings that perhaps one day come to light in catastrophic ways."

Stephen didn't ask any more questions, but Wong's answer only increased his curiosity about you. It didn't help that he was your teacher and saw you every day, even with all the sadness that never left your eyes he was the only person tham seem to make you smile.

A beautiful smile, shy, discreet, but full of sincerity. You once blurted out at the end of a class that he was your favorite teacher. That filled Stephen's heart with a new feeling he didn't remember feeling before, but it also made you apologize for your boldness and run away with your face completely pink.

A friendship was born between you. Sincere, serene, respectful. Even though he knew that deep down he felt more than just affection for you, he was determined to keep things as they were, after all you trusted him as your teacher, maybe you saw him as a father figure or something, he was more than twice your age. When Stephen thought that way he felt not sad, but uncomfortable. Could it be that a friend was all he could be for you?

Things got worse for him when you started an affair with another student. Hugh was older than you but certainly younger than Stephen and was not considered an example or good company for other students by any Master at Kamar Taj.

Stephen felt jealous, but it wasn't just that, it was more, it was a feeling of alertness, of concern, as if he'd known from the start that Hugh meant you no good and was taking advantage of you feeling lonely.

For a while he convinced himself that it was just jealousy, but as your relationship blossomed in front of him and the feeling that something was wrong grew, Stephen did what he did best: playing the detective and digging into Hugh's personal life and it didn't take long for him to discover that the young man was married, had a daughter in the hospital undergoing treatment for terminal cancer, and was at the Kamar Taj seeking enough knowledge to save his daughter.

Stephen thought about how to tell you all this without it sounding intrusive, in the end he decided to gather all the files he found, put them in an envelope and left them on your desk with a note.

I AM REALLY SORRY. STEPHEN.

He feared that it would push you away and destroy your friendship, but it was just the opposite. You started to trust him more, to be more open with him and, little by little, you even managed to tell him about the abuse you suffered as a child, abuse that lasted for years and only stopped when you ran away from home and found shelter at Kamar Taj. You were 12 years old. The Ancient One was still alive and she saw your future clearly deciding to keep you as some kind of maid until you reached 14 so you could begin your training.

Stephen had been at Kamar Taj for 2 years and was already Master of the NY Sanctum when you arrived, he basically watched you grow and turn into a beautiful woman and then somehow he couldn't stop inappropriate feelings from taking over him even though he was more than determined that he never would try anything.

It had been weeks since the truth came out and you ended your relationship in a painful way as witnesses reported. And there you were now in the library pretending to study, not eating well, not sleeping well and he worried about you in ways he couldn't describe.

When the Ancient One died, in fact the day she died she told you that you and tephen had enormous potential together and that he would need you on his journey to become the new Sorcerer Supreme and that you would need him to free yourself from the darkness that inhabits your heart. It took you months to tell him that and he has never been able to forget those words.

Hence the desperate feeling of protecting you from any harm that led him to discover the truth about Hugh.

He cleared his throat to let you know he was close by.

"Can I sit next to you? I know you're not reading anyway."

You smiled nodding sadly at him, your eyes filled with tears. He sit.

"Y/n I'm so sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have butted in, I just felt like something wasn't right and when I found out I couldn't keep the truth from you. But now I am not so sure anymore."

You shook your head understanding. "I know. Thank you, Stephen, I guess I can call you just Stephen isn't that right?" I just realized I keep doing it, sounds disrespectful."

He smiled reassuring "Never. Of course you can call me Stephen."

You sighed closing the book that coincidentally dealt with forgetting spells. He looked at the book and looked at you worriedly "These spells are way beyond your level and if Wong finds out you're considering trying using any of them..."

"Are you really going to rat me out to Wong?"

"If it's to keep you safe, yes. Besides, you can't forget a whole life, just pieces of it, Y/n and it's still too dangerous."

You shook your head negatively and he held your hand firmly "If you don't tell me I won't be able to help"

You nodded and remained silent. There were tears on your eyes.

Stephen had to restrain himself from pulling you into his arms. He wanted to protect you from your past, from your parents, from the world, to tell you that he wouldn't allow anyone else to hurt you, but he stopped himself. "Tell me what exactly do you want to forget"

You sighed "The things Hugh said to me before he left"

Stephen waited for you to continue.

"It's embarrassing, I don't know if I should..."

"Only if you trust me. If you trust me, Y/n, you can tell me anything"

You nodded, running your hand over your face and wiping away your tears. "He said he was only staying with me because he was looking for what his wife didn't give him at home."

Stephen barely noticed when his teeth ground together.

"As you well know I never had anyone, because of what happened when I was a child I was always afraid, I always thought that sex was something bad and wrong, but with him... well, it never felt right, but I thought it was. I didn't… I don't know if I did things the right way or not, but he liked it and I thought it was okay, but..."

Stephen was holding back from showing how furious he was. "Go on"

You covered your face with your hands in embarrassment "He said only a whore has sex that way and that he was disgusted with me..." You started sobbing "I don't know what he's talking about, I thought he liked me, I thought I was doing everything right..."

Stephen pulled you into his arms instinctively and you sighed in surprise but wrapped your arms around him anyway and allowed yourself to cry and he let you, he just stayed there for you. When the torrent of tears had passed he cupped your face and made you look at him "There's nothing wrong with you, do you hear me? Hugh lied to you, saw your weakness and inexperience and took advantage of it. If there's anyone wrong and disgusting in this story is him."

Stephen stopped wondering if he should continue that conversation, but decided he was already too deep into it to stop now. "There is no right or wrong way for a woman to have sex, we are not in the 15th century anymore."

You nodded and then your face got red probably from realizing the kind of conversation you were having. You were friends but never talked about sex before.

"I probably shouldn't be talking about this with the Sorcerer Supreme."

He shook his head, "I'm not the Sorcerer Supreme yet, as you well know."

The position had been taken temporarily by Wong while Stephen went through all the tests the Vishanti demanded.

You sighed running your hands over your face to wipe away the tears "Can I ask you something?"

Stephen sighed pushing the book as far as possible on the desk "I would do anything for you. Even a forbidden spell like this that would get me in trouble with Wong..."

Stephen nodded already knowing what you would ask.

You pushed the book towards him "It’s too advanced for me anyway, but definitely not for you so… could you make me forget the things he said to me?"

"But..."

"I don't think this is the best way to deal with what happened. Y/n, there's always been a shadow over you and your sex life. You told me about the horrors you were inflicted on at home and as far as I know, that shit man was the only man you had besides your abuser."

You nodded, mortified that Stephen was saying those things so openly to you.

"Forgetting what he said won't erase your traumas. Neither the old ones nor the new ones that Hugh created. You'll forget the reasons, but the feeling will still be there."

You traced the scars on Stephen's hand with your fingertips nodding vehemently and he sighed with relief that you understood.

He sighed and held his shaky hand out to you. You held it in yours.

"Imagine for a second…” He said “…that I use such a spell to forget my trauma, my accident. The shaking, the scars would still be there, I just wouldn't remember why."

"I just wanted this feeling to go away. I keep hearing his voice in my head, the things he said, the way he said, it makes me sick. I just want to feel better and normal."

Stephen nodded "There are better ways to make you forget him. To make you feel good about yourself and show you that sex isn't a bad thing."

You looked at him confused and he smiled sheepishly "You can refuse if you want, dammit, you might even hate me for bringing this up now, but… Y/n I've always been in love with you."

You still seemed to struggle to understand what he was saying. "You never said anything to me. I thought I was your friend."

Stephen nodded "You are. My best friend but I've always wanted more. I just never got up the courage to say so because you're my student and you are so young,  I've known you for years, I saw you growing and it seems inappropriate..."

"Stephen…"

He put his index finger to your mouth. "Please let me finish."

You nodded.

"I've never tried anything because I'm so much older than you are, but after everything you've told me, after everything that's happened... maybe you need a little experience to show you what it's like not just to have sex, but to make love."

You were speechless, your mouth went agape, your heart was pounding so hard in your chest it felt like it was going to burst. You've always had a crush on Stephen, ever since you were a little girl and had just arrived at the Kamar Taj, but it was always something silly, you never thought you had a chance precisely because you were too young. You thought he wouldn't be interested in you.

Stephen grew more nervous with each passing second that you remained silent. Had he crossed a line? He shouldn't have said that right then, it was inappropriate, it would seem like he was also trying to take advantage on you. Damn it, maybe he used the spell after all, but to make you forget what he said.

"I've never been kissed" You said suddenly. "Hugh... he used to kiss my lips quickly, with his mouth shut. Maybe he was disgusted of me, I don't know. I don't even know how to actually do it"

Stephen smiled at you and touched your face, pulling a strand of your hair behind your ear "Can I show you how it feels like?"

You nodded vehemently. Stephen could feel your entire body shaking as he approached. He rested his other hand on the back of your neck gently and pulled you close, your mouths so close he could feel your warm breath.

He kissed you. Just a touch of lips and then he ran the tip of his tongue between the line of your lips and you parted them instinctively. You sighed in surprise when Stephen's tongue entered your mouth. It was so intimate, so different and at the same time it didn't feel bad or wrong. He caressed your tongue gently with his, gently touched the roof of your mouth and you couldn't help but let a soft moan escape your lips.

Stephen ended the kiss with a light bite on your lower lip and then pulled back and stared at you as if analyzing your reaction. Your face was red, as were your eyes full of tears, but there was a smile on your lips, a happy smile that Stephen had never seen before.

"So…how was your first real kiss?"

You blushed even more and Stephen had the feeling that he was dealing with a virgin and that didn't make him back down or intimidate him, on the contrary. He wanted to erase all the bad experiences from your mind and show you how life could be something good, and that sex was special and good when done with someone who cares about you. Not that he had much of that. In recent years Stephen only had one-night stands with women he couldn't even remember the names and which only served to increase his loneliness. But he had someone he cared about once, who sex was something special, so he knew what he was talking about.

"Can we do more…now?" You asked and he sighed in relief realizing that you hadn't been even more traumatized by his onslaught.

He smirked "Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather take you to dinner with me first, far away from here."

"Like on a date?"

"Precisely on a date"

Your smile widened even more "I would love that"

"Tomorrow at 8pm?"

"Tomorrow is Friday, I have a spell class at 7pm"

Stephen smirked "And who is your teacher?"

"You"

"Well, consider yourself released from tomorrow's class. You are much more advanced than your class anyway. I'll ask another Master to administer the class and we can go."

He got up to go and you took his hand "Stephen... thank you"

"For kissing you?"

"For being you. For everything"

He took a step towards you and leaned down and just when you thought he was going to kiss you again he planted a long lingering kiss on your forehead and somehow it felt as intimate as the first kiss. "See you tomorrow, Baby. Try to sleep, okay?"

You nodded.

"And put that book away or I'll tell Wong"

…

You couldn't sleep a wink at night, but this time it wasn't because you were thinking about all the horrible things that had happened to you, you were thinking about Stephen. That charming, educated, extremely intelligent and handsome man. Above all Stephen was beautiful. Maybe it was probably the full beard that adorned those high cheekbones, but then there was also the hair. That always perfect ponytail, with strands of silver hair that somehow made those blue oceanic eyes stand out even more. You realized you've never seen Stephen with his hair down...

You gave up trying to sleep and got up around 5am and went to the kitchen to make some tea. You imagined that the kitchen would be empty at that time, but you found Wong doing the same thing you intended to do.

"Couldn't sleep either?" The Sorcerer Supreme asked.

You grimaced as you sat down and accepted the cup of tea that Wong handed you. "Too much on my mind I guess"

He stared at you as if he could read your mind and then he smiled to himself going back to making tea for himself now " I always wondered how long it would take for you and Strange to get it right"

You looked at him confused and your face turned slightly red. "What do you mean?"

"The walls have ears and eyes here, y/n, and they all work for me."

You sipped your tea "I think everyone should mind their own business instead of spying on others." You paused for a second "With all due respect, sir"

Wong pretended he didn't hear what you said and just continued talking as if he was talking more to himself than to you. "At 22 you have exceeded all my expectations, just as the  Ancient One predicted. Stephen is also progressing fast, I believe he will take over as Sorcerer Supreme in less than three months. It is good that you have each other, the universe needs protection and Stephen needs your support."

You sighed "Right now I need him more than the other way around"

Wong shook his head, sipping his tea "Destiny's plans can be difficult to understand, but I never doubted the Ancient One's prophecies."

You choked on your tea "Did she make a prophecy about me and Stephen?"

Wong just smiled and left the kitchen with his cup of tea in hand.

…

You spent the day between one class and another and your free time hiding in the library, Stephen was busy and you constantly looked at the clock counting the minutes to finally see him again. The things Wong said in the morning kept coming to your head and didn't help much and you were anxious and nervous for what was to come, but most of all, you were feeling good. It was as if Stephen had the power to take all your negative thoughts and turn them into expectation, an opportunity for something inexplicable.

You finished your last class at 6:30pm and instead of heading to your last class of the day as you normally would, you went up to your room and took a shower to get rid of the Kathmandu heat, but mostly to clear your head. When you got out of the shower and sat on the bed distractedly combing your wet hair, you saw a small piece of paper folded on top of your bedside table. You recognized Stephen's handwriting.

MEET ME AT THE NY SANCTUM AT 8PM. STEPHEN

You smiled, staring at the note in your hands and dedicate yourself to drying your hair and curling it and then finding a suitable outfit for your date. It would help if you knew what exactly Stephen had in mind. In the end, you ended up opting for a short pink dress.

…

Stephen heard the sound of a portal opening. He remembered perfectly the first time you opened a portal, you were so young, you must have been fourteen at the time. He pushed the thought away before he started to feel old and dirty.

He finished lighting the last candle on the table he had carefully set for the two of you. A smile played over his lips as he heard the sound of heels clicking against the hardwood floor in the foyer. He snapped his fingers getting rid of the apron he was wearing so as not to soil the impeccable suit he chose to wear that night, his hair was tied tightly in a ponytail.

He was getting to you when he heard your voice calling to him in a bit of confusion and when he finally saw you his heart sped up in his chest. You were beautiful. He was so used to seeing you in student robes, your hair always tied back. That night you were wearing a pink dress and heels and your hair was curled carefully, curls falling to the middle of your back. You took your time getting ready for him.

"Stephen..." You looked at him with owe. You were also just used to seeing him in his black and red robes. He walked over to you and touched your face which immediately turned pink "You look beautiful, Y/n. I hope you had a productive day."

You shrugged "Not much to be honest, I couldn't stop thinking about you" You looked away when you realized what you said and then tried to correct yourself "I mean... in the things you said to me yesterday". It didn't make much difference.

He nodded extending his hand to you and you held it tight "Come with me"

You followed him a little confused, in your head you were going out to dinner or something, but instead he led you into the Sanctum. You only understood when you arrived in the dining room lit by candlelight, the table set beautifully.

"I figured you wouldn't mind having dinner with me here at the Sanctum rather than going anywhere else" He explained "I opted for the privacy and intimacy of just the two of us and no one else to interrupt us"

Your mouth went agape and the words seemed to fly through the window of your mind. He pulled the chair for you to sit in and with a pompous gesture of his fingers filled your glass with red wine. He sat down and did the same with his own. "I hope you're hungry, I cooked your favorite dish"

If you hadn't been sitting down you probably would have fallen over, you could feel your legs go weak with every gesture, every word, damn it, just Stephen's surreal beauty was enough to put you in that state, but the reality of the whole thing, being there and understanding that this was really happening and wasn't just a dream was enough to render you speechless.

He sipped his wine in silence and you finally found your voice "Did you cook for me?" He smiled "Yes I did"

You took a long drink of your wine "I didn't know you could cook"

He smirked and with a flick of his fingers your plates materialized in front of you.

The delicious smell of the food made you salivate. "There are so many things you don't know about me, you'd be surprised"

You smile shyly "I'm already surprised, but go ahead, surprise me more"

"First you are going to taste your food and tell me what you think." You did as he asked and oh my god it was perfect, you couldn't remember the last time you had such delicious food. "It's perfect, delicious. I wonder how you knew this was my favorite dish..."

He finally allowed himself a taste of his food and then dabbed his lips gracefully on his napkin before answering. He was so…elegant. That was the word you would use to describe Defender Strange.

"The secret is never to use magic to rush things. Food needs time to cook, its own time. And the answer to your question... I may have used my magic to find out."

You felt your face hitting up "You read my mind"

He chuckled "No, I didn't. I would never do such a thing. I asked a few people, that’s all."

You nodded "But if you wanted to, could you?"

"Read your mind? Yes. There are some spells that are used to interrogate people."

"I did not know that"

"Although you are extremely advanced, there are many things you still don't know, but I will be happy to teach them to you."

You couldn't define whether or not the double meaning you caught in those words was intentional, but your cheeks grew even pinker and tried to hide it.

"You won't have anough time to keep teaching once you become the Sorcerer Supreme. You already don't spend as much time at the Kamar Taj as you were used to since you created The Defenders"

Stephen shook his head "I know. But I promise I will always find time for you. Always."

You smiled happily and took another mouthful of food and sipped your wine "I ran into Wong this morning and he mentioned something that got me thinking about the Ancient One making a prophecy about you and me."

Stephen just smiled, but you insisted "Did you know that? Did you always know?"

He sighed and extended his hand across the table to you. You put your hand over his, his hands were so warm and you knew he was using a spell to keep them steady while he was eating.

"It's not a prophecy, it's just a statement she made." He seemed uncomfortable but continued "The Ancient One knew a lot about the multiverse, she could see through realities, she told me that the first time I was at Kamar Taj. She knew me even before we met for the first time and I bet that was the same with you."

"What did she see?" You asked, your voice just a whisper.

"She saw us together in all the universes. Different versions of us living together and in the few universes where we didn't, for one reason or another, there was only pain and suffering for the two of us. She realized that at some point we would be together because it is just as the universe predestined."

You were silent and Stephen sighed heavily. He didn't want to say that to you. Damn Wong and his huge mouth. "I never believed that, I don't want you to think I'm doing this because of a stupid prophecy..."

"I think it's beautiful, romantic. I remember when I arrived at Kamar Taj, I always felt a connection with you. You were my favorite teacher. It was innocent but I had a crush on you. I thought at first it was just because I thought you were beautiful, but it was more than that. You became my best friend there and…”

Stephen was surprised by your reaction. He thought it would push you away from him, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. "And..."

"It feels right. My whole life things have always been wrong, felt wrong, but not this, not you. You feel right"

He got close enough to kiss your lips, just a touch of lips and then you both smiled shyly

"You still haven't told me about the things you know how to do. Come on, surprise me, Master Strange"

He gave a short giggle amused by you "I can speak six different languages, seven including Sanskrit"

You tried to show how impressed you were, so you smirked "Everyone at Kamar Taj can read Sanskrit, Wong forces us with those books and Google translator only helps so much..."

"Eres la mujer más hermosa y encantadora que he tenido el placer de conocer."

You smiled confused but delighted to hear him "What does that mean..."

"That you are the most beautiful and charming woman I've had the pleasure of meeting. In Spanish. I could repeat it in Portuguese, French, Italian, German..."

You stopped him by pulling him to your lips and this time he kissed you passionately. You only stopped to breathe.

"You did it" You confessed "I'm surprised and delighted."

"Trust me Baby, I'm just getting started"

…

You were in his room. His room in the Sanctum of NY was big, heavy and dark curtains, shelves of books in one corner, wardrobe in another and the bed in the middle. His bed was big, a four poster bed, it was so elegant and just looking at it made your face blush.

"Who cleans all this up?" It was the first thing that crossed your mind to say to break the silence once you knew he was standing there watching and analyzing you. He chuckled "We try to keep it clean as much as possible, there are spells that help but we have some people that come here to clean from time to time"

You shook your head walking decidedly towards his bed and sitting at its feet. The mattress was soft, but not too soft, but the duvet that covered the bed was extremely soft and comfortable. You caressed it with your hands. "Much better than our beds at Kamar Taj, don't you think? Although now that you're going to become Sorcerer Supreme, maybe you got a better room there."

He shook his head, smirking "I certainly don't. My room has been the same for years and it's identical to everyone else's, you're welcome to see it whenever you want... I mean, if you want."

You held out your hand for him to come closer and he did, walking slowly towards you until he was towering over you, the scent of his perfume was making you intoxicated. He put his palm up and you placed your hand in his, he touched your face with his other hand, the touch was rough on your soft skin but it was warm and comforting.

You closed your eyes in delight in that shaky touch and barely noticed when he lowered so that your faces were at the same height and then kissed your lips lightly. You wrapped your arm around his neck and deepened the kiss keeping him close to you and even when your lips parted to breathe he stayed there so close you could feel his warm breath.

He got up and pulled you up too and turned your back to him gently. His hands struggled to undo the clasp on your dress, but he managed and then zipped it down to your ass. He did it slowly and as he did he brought his lips to your ear and spoke so low it was almost a whisper, but firm and sensual "I will not ask permission for anything I'll do to you tonight, but if you need to stop just tell me, is that ok?"

Your skin crawled and your voice sounded shakier than you expected "Okay"

He threaded the straps of the dress through your arms and then pulled it down to the ground at your feet. You could almost hear him smirking looking at the lingerie set you chose for him. Black and red, with lace.

"Is that all for me?" He asked again with that baritone voice in your ear. You nodded biting your lip when you felt his fingers playing with the strap of your bra. He still hadn't done anything to you and yet you felt like you were melting.

"Then let me have a good look" He asked and you turned to face him. He bent down, pushing the dress off your feet, but made sure to keep your heels on. He get up again and touched your breast lightly with the back of his hand and the bra did little to hide how quickly your nipple hardened at the slightest touch of his. "You're beautiful, did you know that? Has anyone ever told you that?"

You shook your head no.

"But you believe me, don't you? You're beautiful." He said again. His blue eyes locked with yours to make sure there was no doubt that he was telling the truth. You nodded shyly and without holding back cupped his face in your hand, he leaned his face towards your hand and that gesture was enough to pull a sigh from your lips. "I always thought you were so handsome, I never had the heart to say it, but I'm sure you've heard that from many women."

He shook his head, "Baby, it's been a long time since I've been with a woman long enough for her to even bother saying something like that to me."

You understood what he meant. Even if you didn't understand, people spoke. At the Kamar Taj there was a lot of talk about Stephen and his relationship with women. He never stayed with a woman more than one night and according to some he always had a different woman in bed. Not that you would judge him for that, but that fact alone was enough to prove your point. Women only got into it because he was handsome, but more than that, Defender Strange was gorgeous.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" He asked pulling you out of your reverie and only then did you notice that your hand was now in his hair. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything"

You ran your fingers up to his hair tie "May I? I realized I've never seen you with your hair down." He sighed nodding "Nobody ever sees it, but of course you can."

You pulled the hair tie slowly and his hair fell loose like a soft curtain just below his shoulder length. The silver locks adorning his face perfectly. "Should keep it that way"

He chuckled dryly disagreeing "It doesn't help much in a fight, especially if you have physical combat." You were forced to agree. "Promise you'll let me see you like this more often?"

He smirked as your hands caressed the soft strands of hair "I don't know, are we going to have more moments like this?" Without thinking too much you nodded vehemently causing his smirk to turn into a grin "Baby, I haven't even touched you yet. As far as I know I could be a big disappointment."

You shook your head "I know you won’t"

He kissed you now with more ferocity, more tongue, more spit. A wet, tempting kiss. Before you could contain it, a soft moan escaped your lips.

"As much as I love this lingerie set..." He ran his arms around your body looking for the clasp on your bra and then unclasping it. "I want to see you completely bare to burn the image in my brain and replace the one I've imagined so many times alone at night in this room."

You felt your face turn red, not only because of the fact that he took off your bra and left you naked from the waist up, but because of what he just revealed to you. Stephen thought about you at night, imagined you naked, what else did he do in those moments, you wondered.

He touched your tit lightly trapping one nipple between his middle and index fingers and without holding back he took the other one to his lips and you moaned in surprise this time louder. He took the other in his mouth sucking lightly and then he moved his lips down your belly and as he did he knelt before you, his hands on the waistband of your panties. He pulled it down to your feet and reached down to remove your heels, first one then the other and then you were completely naked and he was kneeling before you with a look of owe on his face.

"Stephen... it's my turn"

He got up "What's fair is fair." He replied.

You attacked him as soon as you had his permission, getting rid of the coat, untieing his tie and then unbuttoning his shirt and without holding back your lips were on his neck, kissing him and sucking on his skin. You didn't know where that desire came from, but you needed to have him right away.

"Fuck, baby..." He took your hand from his chest and brought it to his hip where his bulge was waiting for you. "Feel what you do to me"

You palmed his cock "You feel so big."

He smirked with the surprise in your voice "Haven't you ever imagined me naked?" You bit your lip "I tried not to, but sometimes I did."

He unbuttoned his pants and kicked his shoes away and without waiting time got rid of the pants and boxers he was wearing. Your eyes widened when you saw the size of it. "Isn't it what you imagined?"

You wrapped your hand around him and oh my god he was hard and warm and was pulsing already just for you.

"My imagination didn't do you justice." He groaned softly as you tightened your hand around him giving a little more pressure and then moved up and down. He was wrong about you, you were nothing like a virgin, you just needed a real fucking man to take care of you.

"Can I put it in my mouth?" You asked and he grinned satisfied "Yes you can, but I'm going to taste you first."

You stared at him in surprise as if he had said something absurd. "What’s wrong baby? You don’t like it? I won’t do it if you don’t want it."

You shook your head "It's not that, it's just..." You were blushing so fucking hard. Somehow him saying he was going down on you made you blush more than when you asked to give him a blow job. The reason was obvious.

"Nobody's ever done that to you, right? You don’t even know how it feels, how can you tell if you like it or not?" He kissed your lips, your hand was still wrapped in his cock, but it was still.

He took your hand and walked around the bed and laid you down gently on the soft duvet, your head comfortably resting on the pile of pillows. He came on top of you, but his lips moved down your neck, your tits, your belly, then he stared into your eyes and continued down until his lips were between your legs.

He took a long, wet lick all over your slit which made you moan in surprise and automatically close your legs trapping his head with your thighs. He chuckled with your response. He wrapped his arms around both of your thighs opening them "Keep them open for me, okay?"

You nodded.

He turned his attention to your pretty pussy. Licking the folds gently, teasing his tongue at your entrance. He hadn't even touched your clit yet and you were already moaning, your entire body shaking with the sensation, your hands gripping his hair and pulling at it sometimes painfully and it surprised him how arousing it felt somehow. He didn't want you to stop and he couldn't wait to see your reaction when he took your clit into his mouth and sucked on it just like that. You went back to pulling his hair now with more force and he groaned satisfied.

"Oh my god Stephen it feels so good"

He put two fingers slowly inside you analyzing your reaction and grinning to himself when he felt you contracting around them, your pussy fluttering so nicely in his fingers and when he added that to the suction on your clit you moaned so loud, it was almost a cry. "Stephen... I think I'm gonna cum." He didn't stop to answer, he didn't want the sensation to leave you for even a second, instead he curled his fingers to precisely reach a spot where he knew no other man had ever reached in you. And as quickly as he found it, you came. Hard. Loud. Wet. It was delicious. To bring you to that state knowing that he was the first to make you come so fucking hard like that just with his mouth and fingers was so powerful.

You were slowly coming back from your high still stunned by the surprise of the strength of your orgasm. You've never come so hard, no one has ever made you come before and to be honest what you do alone in your room at Kamar Taj was nothing compared to what Stephen just did and the result you get doing it by yourself couldn't even be compared to what you felt just now .

He came slowly leaving a trail of kisses on the way up and then he smiled at you pleased with himself, but he seemed so much more pleased for you, for giving you pleasure. You. For the first time in your life you felt that you were the protagonist of it. Stephen was there to give you pleasure and most important, somehow you knew he took pleasure in what he was doing. He took pleasure in giving pleasure. That was inconceivable for you who never had love before, never had a real man before, but it felt so right.

Stephen frowned when he saw that you had tears in your eyes "You're okay? We don't need to go on if you don't want to. I'm glad I pleasured you" Somehow those words made you cry even more, but at the same time you were smiling so happily.

"Baby, tell me you're okay." He asked worried.

You nodded "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was crying. Everything felt so intense. I think I am just overwhelmed.”

 He shook his head "But it's a good thing, right? Because it felt like you were enjoying it very much." You agreed and pulled him to your lips kissing him soft but there was an urgency in your kiss and then he rested his forehead on yours "No man has ever made me feel so good, Stephen. This that you just did was the most wonderful thing I've ever had and I didn't know sex could feel so good. I think that's why I'm crying, damn it, I need to stop, I'm ruining the moment."

He smiled at you reassuring "It’s okay baby, I don’t mind, I am happy for you. That’s what I promised you, wasn't it?"

You nodded "I want to do the same for you." Your hand got between you, and you wrapped it around his cock stroking him nice and steady making him moan softly

"You're already doing it. Oh fuck baby, if I let you keep stroking me like that I wont last. Its too good."

Stephen was angry with himself. He hadn't had sex in a good few weeks, he couldn't even remember the last time he jerked off, what did he expect? He should have relieved himself first to last longer for you. Although once he came he would soon be ready to continue. For his age, Stephen had a lot of stamina, but how to say that to you? If you asked him to fuck you right now he couldn't help but being a big disappointment.

"Stephen… tell me what you want."

He groaned as you increased the speed with which you stroke him. "Baby I want to cum so badly. I promise I will get ready for you right away, but right now I just need to cum."

You nodded "Like this?" You asked and he nodded leaning his forehead on yours "Exactly like that, please baby don’t stop, say I can cum"

You moaned satisfied to see him lost in his own pleasure like that "Yes Stephen, you can cum, cum in my hand, show me how much I make you feel good."

You didn't have to say it twice. His dick was throbbing and pulsing so hard. He groaned loudly burying his face in the crook of your neck and you felt hot cum spurting all over your belly, dripping through your fingers. You didn't stop stroke him until he spilled the last drop. His heavy breathing made your entire body shiver.

"Is it too soon to say that I love you? Since the Ancient One has already foreseen all of this? I wonder if she has seen it all, I mean, until this moment..."

Stephen chuckled and then kissed you "I really hope not. It would be weird, don't you think?"

You giggled and he smirked standing up.

"Where you're going?" You complained automatically when he walked off towards what you assumed was the bathroom. He only took a minute and then he came back with a damp towel and started to clean you up.

He got rid of the towel and went back to bed and you clung to him like a koala, one of your hands firm on his waist and the other stroking his hair. Stephen realized how much he liked when you did that. It went against everything he knew about himself, usually he never let anyone touch his hair, but you, you were different, he should have known.

"Can I tell you something?" You asked after a minute of comfortable silence. He nodded "Anything. I am your best friend, remember? This don’t change that"

You nodded with a smile and then went back to being serious "I've never had an orgasm with a man before. I thought this was a problem I had, you know, physically, so I faked it."

Stephen caressed your face "I know there's nothing wrong with you. Now you need to understand that cuming like you did, here..." He took his hand between your legs and gently touched your clit ".. .It's a lot easier than cuming with penetration, but I'm up for the challenge, baby."

He circled your clit with his fingers lightly and you felt that electricity coursing through your body again. You still wanted him, you weren't sated and he wasn't either because you could see he was already half hard again.

You hummed reaching for his lips. "I like that"

He kissed you intensely "What?" He asked.

"The way you call me... baby."

Stephen barely realized he was doing it, much less could say where it came from. "I've always called you that, haven't I?"

You shook your head "Not really, it started yesterday."

He sighed, lowering his lips to your neck, his fingers playing with your clit managed to elicit a loud moan from your lips "I'm glad you like it because from now on you will be my baby, I will love you, and take care of you and I will make sure you cum over and over again in my mouth, in my fingers..." He reached down and thrust two fingers inside you, the sound of his fingers in and out of your totally soaked pussy was obscene and delicious. "...but especially on my cock and you'll never have to fake it again, because you will have plenty of the real thing."

You moaned pulling him to your lips and you so wanted to believe he meant every word he said.

You could feel another orgasm welling up in the pit of your stomach, but just as fast as it came it died when Stephen pulled his fingers out of you.

You whimpered and he chuckled "I know baby, but I'd rather have you cuming around my cock this time."

You nodded and before you could say anything he took your hand and led it to his cock. He was already hard again, not as hard as before, but you were impressed. "You are ready already, Hugh used to take a lot of time to get ready."

Stephen grimaced "Let's make a deal, don't compare me to that idiot."

"I am sorry" You replied shyly "It's pretty much the only reference I have."

Stephen agreed sighing heavily as you wrapped your hand around him and started to move up and down slowly. "I'll be your only reference now, okay?" You smile satisfied. The idea of ​​having Stephen not just for one night, but for something more serious appealed to you in many ways, but you realized that the most important thing was that you felt safe around him.

"Baby can I have your mouth now?"

You nodded vehemently, you wanted to please him, you wanted to surprise him with the one thing you knew exactly how to do when it came to pleasing a man. After all, you lost count of how many times Hugh came in your mouth, but of course you didn't say that to Stephen.

You knelt between his legs and he settled back into the pillows, but as soon as you reached down and looked directly at his cock you lost confidence. There was no way it would fit in your mouth, at least not whole. But you did as you knew, you licked the tip getting the salty taste of his precum and put the tip in your mouth bobbing your head up and down, going just a little below the tip but striving to get more of him each time you went down. .

Stephen moaned loudly satisfied with the pleasure you gave him, he took his hand to your head and held your hair to have a good view and you waited for him to push your head down, but he never did. He just left his hand there and when you risked looking at him, he had his eyes closed and his head lolling back totally in pleasure. "Oh my god baby, you have no idea how many times I've dreamed of this. Definitely more times than I care to admit."

You felt your chest swell with that revelation and moved by the desire to satisfy him, you committed yourself to going all the way to the bottom, putting it in your mouth as much as you could until your nose touched his pubic bone. He groaned in satisfaction and you felt his cock throbbing violently in your throat which made you gag around it shamefully, tears streaming down your face. Stephen opened his eyes when you took him out of your mouth

"I'm sorry... you're... too big" You said shyly

He caressed your face wiping away the tears with his thumb "Its okay, no need to take all of it. It was already really good before. Don’t push too hard on yourself."

You nodded and he motioned with his hand for you to come closer and you sustained  yourself on both hands crawling over him. He wrapped an arm around you and cupped your face "Come here, kiss me" You kissed him ardently and he moaned on your lips "Fuck, your little mouth felt so good on my cock."

"I want you to fuck me" You buried your face in the crook of his neck to muffle your own words. You weren't used to verbalizing your wishes, but with Stephen you felt like you could.

He put his hand between you, the tip of it rubbing your folds and then he directed his cock at your entrance "You just got one thing wrong, I wont fuck you,baby, I will make love to you."

Your body responded to him automatically, your hips lowering as you took inch by inch in. He felt so big inside you, but you took it all at once and you felt so proud of yourself for that. He waited for you to settle around him, but instead of starting to thrust, he held your waist gently squeezing "Move baby, ride me"

You've never been in that position before and didn't know exactly how to do it, but you mimicked the movements you already knew by moving up and down slowly and then increasing your pace.

Stephen moaned loudly, jaw clenched, eyes closed. You felt so good, so tight, your little walls clenching around him.

You rested both hands on his chest for balance and increased the pace, the silent room was flooded with the wet sound of his cock moving in and out of your pussy and your heavy breaths and moans followed by the sweet nothings that escaped Stephen's lips. His husky voice cracked with pleasure, dripping with honey. "Just like that baby, you're doing so well, taking me so good inside you. you feel amazing, your sweet pussy it’s so wet and nice..."

Stephen could feel your walls fluttering around him and couldn't help but smile to himself, satisfied with keeping the promises he made. You were about to cum again, this time on his cock. He knew that once he had cum, he wouldn't come again so quickly, but he didn't care, he wanted to see you cuming again. That was his goal that night, to pleasure you over and over.

"You're doing amazing baby, I can feel your pussy getting tighter. You're gonna cum for me?"

You couldn't respond, you were too wrapped up in all the sensations in your body. You've never felt so much pleasure from penetration before and as incredible as it seemed you felt like you were one step away from cuming but you didn't know how to get there and you wanted it, god you wanted it so badly "Stephen please, make me cum"

 He smirked satisfied "I'm your teacher, remember? I'll teach you how to get there by yourself."

The grip of his hands on your waist tightened "Relax your body for me, let me move you." You did as he asked and Stephen started to move you back and forth and at the same time he forced your hip down allowing his pubic bone and hair to provide you delicious friction on your clit. You moaned loudly. It was as if an electric current was running through your entire body. "You see, its better this way, isn't it?"

You couldn't answer so you just nodded your head yes, your eyes were closed, your head lolled back "Now do it by yourself, at your pace" He instructed you.

The moment he let go of your waist and his hands lazily descended to your thighs you took control moving exactly as he taught you only much faster and harder as your breathing grew more ragged, your moans louder.

"Oh my god Stephen I am gonna cum..."

He didn't even have time to respond. Your entire body convulsed over his, your pussy squeezing him so tightly he couldn't contain a groan himself. His arms supported your body as you came down from your high collapsing onto his chest. He hold you tight in his arms, with the other hand he brushed the hair from your face and kissed your forehead affectionately.

"You're okay?"

"uh hm"

"You did it so well, I am so proud of you."

You hummed again looking for his lips and when you kissed him with such intensity, he felt his cock pulsing inside you so hard that it was impossible for you not to feel it too. And as you were you, you giggled "Oh you need to cum too"

He couldn't contain the cocky smirk that rose to his lips. "Yeah, it would be amazing. Do you think I deserve it?"

You lifted your head facing him and pretended to think about it "Yeah, I think you do."

"Right? Only now I'm going to come inside you. Is that okay? You're in birth control, right?"

"Now you're asking?" You scolded him.

He sighed and in a second he turned you, your back on the mattress and with his hand went back inside you "I'm a doctor, I know what I am doing. Now answer my question so I know if I should cum in or out."

You moaned as he thrust against you, even though you had just come your body still seemed to react to him. "In"

He chuckled "That wasn't the question" He thrust again, this time a little harder.

You nodded trying to think clearly "I am in birth control"

"That’s great, baby"

Stephen kissed you ardently as he thrust against you in a slow, rhythmic way, it was different, sensual and while he did it the most beautiful sounds you've ever heard escaped through his lips and made your chest swell with a newfound passion and a love that somehow you always knew it was there.

You touched his face, brushing away the lock of hair that fell over his eyes. He groaned softly turning his face to kiss your hand. You were sated, more than that, your body felt like jelly beneath him and even though each slow, rhythmic thrust had your walls contracting around him you doubted you'd ever be able to cum again and you didn't care, now all that mattered was his pleasure, his moans and grunts, his sweaty body over yours as he leaned on one hand, the other gripping the headboard, while his mouth never seemed to get enough of you, kissing, sucking and biting every bit of skin and flesh that he achieved while looking for his high, for his own pleasure now and even if that was the only thing you recognized as sex, with Stephen it was different. You didn't feel like you were being used, at least not in that way, the wrong way. With Stephen you felt loved.

You noticed when his breathing got more ragged, the thrusts lost rhythm and his moans got louder, he was being so loud and you loved it.

"Fuck baby you feel so good, I wanna cum so deep inside you, mark you as mine, tell me I can."

You couldn't hide your smirk while remembering what he said earlier.

"I thought you weren't going to ask permission tonight."

He bit his lower lip "It's more pleasurable than I imagined." He seemed to think for a second "You know what, pull my hair"

You stared at him not sure you understood "You... really?"

He thrusted hard "Please baby, do it, do it now and talk to me, tell me I can cum"

You threaded your fingers in his hair and pulled as hard as you could, his head lolling back and you could feel his cock throbbing violently inside you in response "Cum for me, Stephen, you can cum, please... cum inside me."

Stephen groaned loudly when you pulled his hair again and then with one last thrust he spurted his load inside you. It felt so warm and nice to have it all filling you up.

Stephen's hands gave up and he collapsed on top of you, crushing you with his weight for a second before he propped himself up on his elbows, but his face was in the crook of your neck "I love you baby, I guess I always did. You have no idea how hard it was for me to see you with him."

He confessed finally looking at you. There was a sparkle in his eyes that you've never seen before.

You kissed him tenderly "I am here now with you, that's all that matters.

He smiled lazily, gave you a quick kiss on the forehead and stood up. He came back a minute later dressed in sweatpants and a towel in hand, he cleaned you up slowly, carefully and patiently and before you could protest, he used his magic to heal the hickeys and bite marks he left on your neck. When he finished, he got rid of the dirty towel and went to the wardrobe where he grabbed a shirt and handed it to you.

You smiled shyly, but put on the T-shirt.

"I'm going down stairs to make sure everything is in order. Do you want anything?" He asked

"Water"

You lay down next to him, your head on his shoulder, your arm around his waist.

He nodded and left the room leaving you alone with your thoughts. Did that really happen? Was this really happening? Did you just had sex and were really going to sleep with Defender Strange?

Before you could come to any conclusion he returned with the glass of water you asked for and handed it to you. You drank it all quickly and put the glass on the bedside table. Stephen was already lying beside you, his arm outstretched for you to snuggle close to him.

"Stephen..." You called him breaking the silence.

"Hm"

"Did you mean it?"

He stared at you without understand

"We are really together, I mean, like a couple? Is that what you meant when you said I'm yours?"

He smiled reassuring and placed a tender kiss on your lips "Yes, baby."

You bit your lip, still not convinced.

"What’s wrong?" He asked

"It's just that it's hard for me to believe something a man says while having sex... that's why I need to know if you mean it."

"Y/n..." He touched your face affectionately and then sighed "I love you. That thing I said about not believing what the Ancient One predicted? Bullshit. I know it’s true. I think I've loved you since the first time I saw you and yes, I know it's sounds creepy, but I didn't see you that way back then. I always had a lot of affection for you, but I fell in love with you when I realized what a beautiful woman you had become."

He shook his head like he was mad he couldn't find the right words to explain and was afraid you'd get it all wrong. "What I mean by all this is that I mean it. We are together and I want everybody know that you are mine."

You were silent for a minute and the next thing you knew your hand was in his hair, absentmindedly twirling a strand around your index finger.

"I love you too. I guess I always did" You cooed. "You make me feel normal and special at the same time. What we did, it was... I really enjoyed it."

Stephen shook his head "I'm glad you did." He sighed melting with the way you played with his hair. He was still amazed that he had made so many discoveries about himself that night. He who thought he knew everything was surprised by the way he took pleasure in submitting to you. Slightly, but that's what he did. He wondered how far he could take this and was excited by the idea of being yours.

"Are we going to talk about the 'pull my hair' thing?" You asked suddenly and although your voice had a sleepy tone, he could almost listen to the smirk on your lips. Stephen chuckled dryly "Not much to talk about. It's as new to me as it was to you"

You lifted your head, staring at him. "So you've never done this?" He shook his head, feeling the smooth movement of your fingers in his hair. "I just like this so much..."

You seemed to understand what he was talking about because you moved your fingers to his scalp stroking and eliciting a low moan from his lips that almost sounded like a purr. "Like this?"

"Uh hm" He hummed holding you tighter in his arms. You seemed to enjoy having him under your control. He enjoyed it, he was sure he did. "I do, baby, I like it very much."

Reblog please! Leave a comment if you liked it. Interact! I will love to read all of your comments and opinions. It inspires me to keep writing ;)

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[y-rhywbeth2]

Arcane Magic #1

The perception of magic and its users by 'the common man.'

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. There's a lot of lore; I don't know everything. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest]

Public Perception | Types of Mages | The Weave | Specialisations | Obscure types of magic | Elven High Magic | ??? [WIP]

Public attitudes about magic and its users and how they might vary through the realms. Mostly: don't spam cantrips for every minor thing and keep your weirdness to yourself.

Mostly the human societies that cover 99% of Toril, as usual, with the demihumans covered at the end.

'Life's better when you're not a frog.' - A saying that roughly translates to; 'avoid mages'

Supernatural and magical shenanigans have shaped much of Toril's history and still do, and human history has a legacy of ancient mage empires like Netheril and Imaskar, so the world is very conscious of it. However, considering the large numbers of disasters it can cause and the level of power whose workings are unknown to them, a lot of people are uncomfortable or at least cautious with magic. Probably especially so recently, what with the giant wild magic apocalypse that tore apart Toril in the wake of Mystra's murder in the 1380s.

(On the other hand; divine magic, or '[the] Power' is the gods' work and thus perfectly respectable.)

The average person does not know the difference between the various types or arcane spellcaster - 'wizard,' 'mage,' 'warlock' 'sorcerer,' 'spellsinger,' and 'witch' are all interchangeable umbrella names to them. Psionicists aren't mages but that doesn't matter to the public opinion either. You're somebody with magic, and thus you're probably dangerous and power hungry and do strange things and that's all the 'common man' needs to know about you. ('Bard' at least is recognisable as a unique term that means 'minstrel, but with training in magic' it's the arcane spellcasting that earns you the title of bard.)

Not helping is that most people also don't get the opportunity to see magic on a regular basis; mages are a minority of the population and generally have the sense not to be using it for every little thing (and/or have decided to be recluses). A Waterdhavian or Baldurian might be able to find minor magics for sale on the markets and places where the resident arcanists can hold conferences at or whatever it is they want to do, but not everybody in the world lives in a diverse trade city. And adventurers are a minority of weirdoes and very much the exception to all norms, so the growing collection of magical things or the mages your stereotypical DnD party is used to are not indicative of what the rest of the planet is experiencing.

Having a healthy dose of caution or even fear around the arcane (and/or a helping of ignorance) doesn't mean that anybody's rushing off to fetch kindling for a witch burning though: Magic is powerful and useful, and so many (rival, if not hostile) governments and organisations have mages on their staff, that even wary societies aren't a hurry to throw the whole thing out.

Societies that truly despise arcane magic and kill or drive away people who show signs of it are typically small and isolated from the larger world. Some orc and nigh-extinct dwarven tribes to the South, and human cultures like the Uthgardt of the North and the Bedine of the Anauroch are examples.

Of course popular attitudes regarding the Art depend where you go - the realms of Rashamen, Thay, Aglarond, and the city of Silverymoon, are ruled by mages, and Halruaa and Calimshan both place prestige upon arcane education. Waterdeep is the most open minded place on the planet. Meanwhile in the North mages are likely to be met with fear and distrust due to being associated with the Host Tower mages of Luskan (who are, in general, a bunch of power-grabbing corrupt assholes) and over in Amn, notably the capital of Athkatla, magic is heavily policed and its practitioners distrusted. The Mulhorandi see magic as the domain of the gods, and wizards to be usurpers and sinners stealing it for selfish - and probably dark - purposes.

Even for people where the Art is a commonplace thing intertwined with their culture and history, like Halruaans and the elves, magic is treated with caution and respect ('I cast fireball' is not an acceptable approach to life's problems). While Rashemen is unofficially ruled by its masked priest-witches, the Wychlaran, mages also must live apart from the everyday people, being tested for magic and taken from their families at a young age so that they can devote themselves to their gifts and the needs of their country. Men in particular must live segregated and in utter secrecy, and don't do any ruling (they're crafters and enchanters). ...Thay, historically, has ignored such cautious attitudes to magic and had evil mad scientist wizard-overlords running the country.

(And then there's the Dalelands, where mages are expected to dress like everybody else and some guy with a funny hat and colourful robes is going to make people roll their eyes - they've already got one Elminster: no more.)

Magic isn't illegal in most of the world, though it might be subject to laws:

On the simplest levels legal codes will usual have clauses outlawing non-consensual uses of mind-affecting magic and such. Within Athkatla one must pay for a license to legally practice the Art, attained by paying a fee and registering with the Council of Six. Rashemar men who are discovered to have magic are given the ultimatum of exile or a life of segregation as Vremyonni, where they are taught to become master enchanters, hidden away from the world. Cormyr requires that all mages of a certain power (5th level or higher in mechanics) register with the government. An unregistered 'renegade' mage is liable to be executed on discovery although Cormyr has a lot of laws regulating people and mages aren't special here (weapons must be 'peace-bonded' (ie tied in their sheath so you can't draw them in public), adventurers must have a registered charter, etc).

Many cities have their own official mage organisations serving their government (or being part of it) such as the Cloaktower Mages of Neverwinter, the War Wizards of Cormyr, or the Cowled Wizards of Amn, etc. Magic is commonly used in criminal investigations, and may be called upon in courts of laws to verify truth from lie with divination, if need be (although this role may be given to priests). In places that are more relaxed about magic it may be used for cosmetic or practical reasons, though it won't necessarily be cheap.

Since the Spellplague, when wild magic tore the world apart and left scars that lasted decades, the church of Gond has viewed magic as something dangerous - while they don't seek violence against mages they feel magic's influence must be limited and replaced with the stability (and equal power and potential) of science and technology.

The faiths of the gods of magic, in particular the church of Mystra, are charged with spreading education about the Weave and the Art, so that people aren't afraid and can come to see how magic can improve their lives - as well as impressing upon mages the importance of being humble and not abusing their power and giving people a reason to fear magic (the current incarnation, formerly Midnight, was a mage who loved magic for itself rather than its power and her dogma goes thus: 'Love magic for itself, not just as a ready weapon to reshape the Realms to your will. Learn when not to use your magic.'

On the demihuman side of things:

Halflings have little to no use for magic and their few spellcasters mostly focus on spells that help with daily life like cooking and farming and continual flame to make sure the streets are lit at night. It's the Strongheart who are most likely to practice said magic.

Gnomes are known for being illusionists; it's a large part of how they keep their societies hidden from getting stomped all over by the other, louder, violent races and their nonsense. Svirfneblin have a particularly strong cultural focus on it, and also tend to keep an archive of ancient spellbooks and powerful magical items they uncover (finding relics of ancient empires buried in the earth as they excavate it) They also have ancient traditions of rune magic, which is a guarded secret and only taught to women.

Orcs have little place for it (to begin with it's very elvish and respecting arcane magic is like respecting them). Grey orcs are basically theocratic and divine casters - usually women - rule the roost. Some mountain orc tribes may begrudgingly accept the tactical advantage of arcane magic but mages are disrespected for their cowardice in using the trickery of elves and humans rather than relying on their own orcish strength and gods. Orogs (underdark orcs) don't distrust arcane magic but lack the patience for wizardry (there's many other more important crafts to master) also favour their clerics as spiritual guides. Bards are actually the most common route to arcane magic in orog culture, where they play an important role in the military as healers and support.

Dwarves, historically, have had a heavy focus on divine magic and didn't have arcane magic until the 14th century. Some had a fascination with the stuff, but outside of enchanting weapons and tools it failed or went wrong at their hands. Mostly they're probably going to share the attitude of the non-dwarven culture around them. The dwarven-specific cultural attitudes that have grown around the arcane are mostly of a martial home-defence mentality. The Duergar have few mages but respect those that can contribute to crafting.

Dragonborn have never developed a cultural tradition of magic. I have no idea what their opinion is on the Art in general.

Elves are the magic race of the bunch, innately tied to the Weave and insisting they were the ones who taught humans magic in the first place. Only copper elves are bored with the arcane, having traded it in for the joys of Druidry. They're still usually careful with it, as shown with the absurdly powerful Elven High Magic although that's going extinct partially because the few remaining High Mages are so cautious about who they're willing to teach, apparently if you even ask to be taught then you haven't learnt enough patience to qualify (the elves have accidentally blown up continents with this stuff). Drow in particular love magic. Dwarves despair of dark elven architecture because it's often completely structurally unsound and held up only by magic. Surface elves have a strong stigma against necromancy and won't teach or learn it in elven lands. Excluding Eilistraeean drow, the dark elves don't share this issue.

[mistrdctr]

@ironifiicd cont. [x]

Everything that Tony says, speaks out into the silence between them - occasionally interrupted by that tennis ball colliding with the opposite wall with a dull thud - hits so very much home that Stephen can basically taste it at the back of his tongue; He swallows, takes a soft inhale of air, bright gaze watching that ball bounce back and forth as it is being thrown and then caught by a metal hand that hasn't been there before.

The whole battle against Thanos was trauma-inducing, definitely so, and all of them are tired. Exhausted. Just want to sit down and not have anyone talk about it for forever, really. A sentiment that Strange understands oh so well.

"---It has taken a lot of us. Perhaps more than we were really able to give.", are the soft-spoken words that leave the sorcerer then, thoughtful, accompanied by a bright gaze continuing to take in the sight of the other.

"And yet we had to give. We had to give and, in return, take from others. Make sacrifices against our will." Many have died, others have gotten badly injured. Stephen is still carrying the weight of having seen so, so many futures on his shoulders, the sensation of having watched everyone die so many times... It's hard to carry sometimes. A burden a sorcerer like him has to take with him wherever he goes.

He saw Tony die thousands of times, for example. Lived through so many alternate futures and realities that, sometimes, he wonders if this is truly the real one where he belongs...

"We did it, yes, but... at what cost? ---I get it. I understand. I do ask myself the same, and... I do think the same. Wished for things to be different. For... people to be quiet. To stop talking about it."

Lips purse and Strange blinks, gaze trailing away as he inhales, exhales, folds his hands onto the small of his back.

"I am glad that... you're here, though. Alive. And despite having been afraid - just like me, I've been oh-so-afraid - you made it. You were very brave."

[halfetirosie]

⋆⁺‧₊🛸 This is a better mystery than the Detectives Event! 🛸₊‧⁺⋆

(Star Message 06 - 07 React-os!)

1) That's strange. I wonder why the Wood Territory was marked?

Based on Brahe's notes, I'm guessing that some sort of alien encounter happened in the past; so maybe the spot in the Wood Territory is where the starscape creatures went last time?

2) Oh no!!! Not those puppy dog eyes!!! (≧∇≦)

You know how Quincy often compares Eiden to Topper? This is probably the strongest example of that---maybe because this time Eiden is wearing white clothes too, reminiscent of Topper's fur!

3) New Edmond Lore just dropped: he's a Skeptic! :D

(I mean, in some sense it isn't "new," since from the first time he met Eiden he was "skeptical" of his credentials as the New Grand Sorcerer. Be when I say "skeptic" now, I mean it as a noun---to describe a person that doesn't believe in the supernatural or extraterrestrials.)

⏳ PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION TIME! ⏳

Time for me to read too much into character dialogue, and make it seem deeper than the devs intended!

I love Eiden's line here. It's a lesson that many people forget; even if you don't subscribe to another's beliefs, you should understand that their beliefs are just as important to them as your beliefs are to yourself.

You'd think that something like this is obvious and doesn't need to be said. But, in most cases, people are hyper-focused on how the other person's beliefs are just wrong (factually or morally), and immediately get aggressive in disagreements.

There's always exceptions, or course. (Especially is someone's safety is at risk---you would need to get aggressive.) But for the most part, I don't think this is the best way to do things.

If people approached issues of clashing beliefs more level-headed and understanding, it would be a lot more productive. Or, at the very least, it wouldn't make people so miserable and angry.

4) PFFFT!!! (≧∇≦)

I love how much of a big softie Quincy is---he'll put up with their silly bullshit at any hour of the day (or night)!

5) Blade, you're killing me!!! 🤣🤣🤣

♡ Miles and miles of fabric ♡

6) Usually I don't care for this "something threatening has made a noise---oh wait, it was just a peaceful creature!" trope, but---

Seeing Edmond make a bit of a fool for himself, but continue to act composed while blushing profusely is great! 😈😈😈😈

/ / / Flustered Edmond / / / for the win!!!

7) Oh? So this is how the random cabin from the Event PV comes in?

That's not exactly what I was expecting.

I thought that, if the marked spot on the "map" was an area for making contact with the starscape creatures, it would be something more impressive-looking. Like a landing pad, or another tower. 🤷‍♀️

But instead it's just, like, Brahe's personal cabin???

8) Yeah, I knew it was going to be just a kid hiding in there.

(That-same-trope #2)

How did the kid know about this place, tho???

I thought, from the looks of it, that Brahe's book that they found at the orphanage was the only record of his starscape-observations/this place of contact.

Is this kid Brahe's descendant? Or an apprentice???

9) Aha, so there were other records from Brahe.

I thought someone like Brahe---an Alien Buff---wouldn't be particularly popular in academia, so I didn't really expect that kids to have some of his records, too.

But hey; I guess, since Eiden and Co. are investigating a niche subject, they're bound to encounter more members of this niche community.

Honestly, I can't wait to see Blade geek out with other Starscape Theorists!!!

🛸 End of report! 🛸

[artistsfuneral]

🐾 Topaz the Griffinslayer 🐾

Vesemir gets a cat. It's a very special cat.

---------- ao3 ------------

Chapter Two - mages and towers

After leaving town the old witcher follows a wide mountain path along summer meadows and thin patches of trees. They ride past several shepherds and their herds, cross a short wooden bridge over a sparkling river and make their way northeast towards the keep that has been his home for centuries.

The cat doesn't really budge from its place in front of the witcher for a couple of hours. It stays docile the whole time even when he has to shift in the saddle or reach back to adjust his bags. When he touches it out of curiosity it starts purring again and he decides then and there that he likes cats. Or at least, he likes this cat.

So it comes to a total surprise when suddenly and without warning the cat's head shoots up and it starts caterwauling. He honestly would have never imagined that such a small creature could scream so viciously. It actually startles him.

The cat jumps off of Daphne in one wide leap and takes a few steps into the direction of a small game trail, then stops and continues its yelling. The witcher might not know a lot about cats, but he's seen enough to know when someone or something wants to be followed. The cat is screaming for attention. Literally.

The trail is too narrow for him to ride through safely, so he follows the example of what the creature he hopes is a cat and dismounts Daphne to lead her along. His mare is still completely unaffected by the cat and their sudden change of plans, which he tries to think of as a good sign, given that witcher horses are trained to react when they sense danger nearby. And while Daphne might not be the youngest lass out there anymore, she's certainly always been a trustworthy companion on the Path.

That doesn't stop the deep frown from appearing on his face as he goes after the cat. His gut feeling isn't exactly telling him that something bad is about to happen, but one does not survive the life of a witcher for so long by following every strange cat-like creature into the woods. Actually- This is exactly the kind of situation they used to warn the trainees about. Rennes, very helpfully, called it rule number one; Don't do anything stupid. And he is probably about to break said rule, but it's not like Rennes is there to witness it.

So he follows the maybe-cat that leads him further and further into the woods. It runs ahead, stops and turns to look at him out of its big round eyes, then continues to run. Once again he wishes he knew more about cats so he could tell if that kind of behavior is normal or not. It is strange, sure, and the cat shows very obvious signs of intelligence but he simply cannot tell if it's too strange, too intelligent to be what it claims to be. It could be normal. That would at least explain why so many sorcerers favored cats as companions.

He lets out a long and deep sigh to ground himself. He feels too old for these kind of shenanigans. If he were two centuries younger, he could certainly imagine getting a bit excited about the mystery behind the whole situation, but now he can't stop thinking about turning around and simply going home. There's still lots of work waiting for him at the keep. He hadn't planned for his trip to turn into something more, so while he does have his swords and potions with him - he always does - he thinks of the piled up laundry, the wobbly chair that that needs fixing and the weeds that grow between his tomatoes. There's definitely more than enough things that need his attention that aren't a cat that could turn monstrous at any time.

He should turn around and go home. He really should. But Daphne is a calm and steady presence behind him and the cat had been so nice. It had sat in his lap and purred, had even let him pet it. The least he could do is to check out whatever the cat wants him to see. What he does afterwards can be up for debate one he knows what's going on. The idea of owing an animal anything is a bit ridiculous, he knows, but he can't quite shake the feeling.

Having slowed down in his musings the gap between him and the cat has widened and it has no problem with making its displeasure known. He still doesn't understand how the mouser has such strong lungs. “I'm coming,” he answers out loud before catching himself in the act. Talking to it is an incredibly bad idea. It's really no secret that the wolves get attached to their animals fairly quickly. His oldest boys are the best example for it, their horses spoiled rotten. He has enough self awareness to know that he isn't much better in that regard, so he shuts his mouth into a thin line and follows the cat silently.

He tries to, at least. But he can't stop the curses from escaping his mouth when they round a corner and it suddenly becomes all too apparent where the cat is leading him. The mage tower stands eerily silent in the small clearing. It's not quite tall enough to look over the tree tops, but the witcher knows that most sorcerers like their homes bigger on the inside. No need to make the tower taller on the outside if it stays hidden this way. And hidden mage towers are never a good sign.

What strange is, is the silence. The tower doesn't look abandoned, but the traces of chaos in the air are faint enough to go unnoticed by his medallion. There's also no barriers. Not a single one that hides or protects the tower further. Whoever owned the place must have left recently and with no plans on coming back. It's either that, or-

The cat meows at him, pulling him out of his thoughts and directing his eyes to where it's sitting, bushy tail neatly placed around its paws. He's not sure how he could've possibly missed the giant crater in the ground. Big black scorch marks that have stopped smoking days ago cover the rocky ground. The grass is singed and it's a small miracle that none of the trees caught fire.

The mage's familiar looks at him wide-eyed and miserable and lets out a tiny mewl.

He's suddenly very aware of the fact that he can not leave it behind.

“Well... shit.”

[hermitw]

i want to hear more about your theory surrounding yuki, kenjaku, and todo if you don’t mind 😭

Haha omg I'll have to remember. It's mostly vibes but I'm good at making connections sooooo

The most solid evidence and vibes first: Todo had those false memories with Yuuji, just like Choso did. Todo also gets those with his celebrity crush but he doesn't try to force a relationship with her, he still has more of a sense of boundaries and reality there.

They are also pretty rough on even those closest to them, kenjaku manipulating his sons and allies into killing each other obv but Todo got his scar from Yuki's intense training, and Todo beats his classmates half to death for not sharing his taste in women (I do feel that it's not fair to make a lot of connections between her and todo since she did raise him to adopt her worse personality traits, like being weirdly intense about that question). But even before they met Todo was beating up older kids, and Yuuji was also beating up the school bullies so it seems to run in the fam.

Kenjaku and his relatives (known and alleged) also share the same sort of aloof insanity, not worried about the societal norms and going after whatever they want without worrying what anyone thinks. They're also very blunt and honest, whether it's about their back getting musty or wanting to be called brother, they don't have much of a filter. Choso and Yuki both showed up in Shibuya like, "what's up I'm not actually on your side." which is very much the way that Todo showed up at the exchange event.

I think its sus that Todo and Yuki just happened to meet each other and there was no context given about his family. Like they just let a young child disappear with some strange woman on a motor bike.

Kenjaku, Yuki and Todo all have this strong personality of doing whatever they want to, without hesitation in the face of authority. Yuki using her special grade salary to travel overseas and reject missions, Todo kicking the door (or was it the wall? I forget) down to leave the principal's meeting. Kenjaku...I don't even have to give an example there.

Also that frame when yuki and kenjaku fight (I'll attach it below) screams parent/child interaction to me.

Since then (today actually) I decided that Coach Takagi is Todo's other dad, he's probably trans and the theories of Rock Lee and Guy Sensei from Naruto are enough evidence to convince me tbh (also tenten I love her but this isn't about that). Coach Takagi is a chaotic rulebreaker, he's more problematic than the students, and I think Kenjaku would see that man and think he looks like fun. I think that Todo inherited some traits from him as well.

Sooooo we know that Kenjaku's motive for everything is that he's just playing a game, looking for a good time, something to be interesting or funny. We see this in the manga but to avoid spoilers, just look at the way he was always playing with the curses - soccer with Jogo's head, Life (as he was manipulating his sons into taking each other's lives ugh), mahjong etc. And they're always chilling in Dagon's domain at the beach, or the playground, it's very recreational (I used to think it was just games to psychoanalyze and vet his curse allies tbh).

All this to say that I 100% believe that he slept around. We know he was pregnant and maybe that's part of the reason why Yuuji is his favorite son.

Todo and Yuki are older than Yuuji - from before Kenjaku was in Kaori's body, so it works with the timeline.

I think that he would have not kept watch for any other potential offspring, but part of him hopes that more and stronger sorcerers or curse users will show up to make things more interesting. Actually, they could have grown to be the people he used like Junpei and Yuuji (that speech he gave at the end of the Shibuya incident). Edit: I think kenjaku was looking for descendents of the old three major clans, like Yuuta (who is also from Sendai) and likely hit Rika with his car.

Hope this made any sort of sense - I am currently rereading the manga again so if I come across more evidence I'll be sure to gather and reblog w that eventually!

[plottingalong]

Lesbians in Space Masterpost:

Happy Valentines! My favourite genre by far is one I like to call Lesbians In Space. This is the pinnacle of all human creation in my opinion. The only rules of Lesbians in Space is that there MUST be actual, real sapphics (at least one), and that space has to be somewhat incorporated. That's it. If you have more examples of this PLEASE tell me.

*there's also a list of honorable mentions for things that fit the vibe in my opinion but aren't as explicitly Lesbians In Space.

Books/Novellas

The Locked Tomb series (arguably THE lesbians in space series) by Tamsyn Muir. If you're on Tumblr you've probably heard of these but the first book is a murder mystery in a creepy space mansion.

The Teixcalaan series (A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace) by Arkady Martine. A poetry-obsessed ambassador from a space station subject to the whims of the Teixcalaan empire needs to unravel a plot and figure out wtf her predecessor was up to, while being assisted by a government agent.

The Serpent Gates Duology (The Unspoken Name and The Thousand Eyes) by AK Larkwood. Csorwe, an orc who was raised as a sacrifice to a god, is rescued by a shady sorcerer and pulled into his plot regarding world dominantion, abd then falls hard for a math nerd.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (with a non-binary/trans/gnc and sapphic mc). This book is a lot heavier in terms of trauma than the other things on this list, esp regarding slavery+neurodiversity+transphobia so yeah maybe check a list of CW but it's good!

The Necessity of Stars by E. Catherine Tobler (novella). Former UN diplomat deals with memory loss and aliens. Technically not as space-y as the rest of this list.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (novella). Two spies on two sides of a time-and-space war test each other's wits.

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (trans girl MC, side characters that are lesbians, technically it's not ALL in space but it's pretty dang space-y.) Evil lady teaches a young violinist in order to collect her soul, hijinks ensue.

Podcasts:

The Strange Case of Starship Iris. A doctor accidentally joins a group of space smugglers while uncovering a government conspiracy. Also has a trans guy and two nb characters.

The Pasithea Powder. After a war between two planets, two old friends, one an honoured war hero and the other a disgraced scientist, are pulled back together due to a government plot.

TV shows:

She-Ra (for kids). You know what this show is about. Cadet of the evil forces who's good at everything turns out to be the chosen one that fights for good against her former bestie.

Doctor Who s10- the Doctor's companion falls in love with a puddle that's a girl.

Honorary mentions:

Winter's Orbit- romance sci-fi, gay arranged marriage in space.

The Murderbot Diaries - series of novellas. queer side characters aside, Murderbot isn't human but definitely has an interesting concept of romance and gender that I find pretty dang queer.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin. The blueprint!!!! Local male ambassador (deragatory) goes to covertly visit a very cold planet where people are sex-less most of the time (and very interesting genders). The discussion of gender is fascinating in my opinion.

Wolf 359 (podcast). Pissed off crew of a wreck of a ship do their best to survive space and each other. (there's a canonical gay character but also Isabel Lovelace is a lesbian in my heart)

Among the Stars and Bones (podcast) a group of xenopaleantologists go dig up an ancient alien site. there's an important nonbinary main character.

[avelera]

Impressions on Jujutsu Kaisen S1-S2

(In no particular order)

(Because I felt like it)

So I got up to date on the anime Jujutsu Kaisen, mostly for lack of something to watch, and found it interesting. Partially because of its popularity (#1 on Crunchyroll in Dec. 2023). S2 is just about complete at this time and as others have remarked, there's a pretty big tone shift between S1 and S2.

As someone who spent their teen and college years enjoying Shounen series like Naruto and Bleach, who used to be much deeper into anime from about 2000-2010, it's interesting to see the way the Shounen genre has "evolved" from what I knew when I was more a part of the teen/early 20s target audience.

(Cut for spoilers beyond this point.)

First of all, it might even be a misnomer to call JJK purely shounen. The tone shift in S2 takes it to some pretty violent places. Places that seem in excess of, say, Naruto's peak violence. That said, I'm not entirely sure JJK deserves the genre of "seinin" exactly, because its plot structure is still pretty grounded in Shounen action/adventure.

Thing is, for all of the increase in violence, I'm not sure the issues the show actually deals with earn it the "seinin" or more "adult" designation just yet. JJK, so far at least, to me seems to struggle with being "about" something more than its premise. For example, the magical powers gained by the girls in Puella Magi Madoka Magica are at least a little bit about the struggles of being a young woman, about growing up, about grief and loss and love. A magical girl "becoming" a witch plays into a larger theme of loss of innocence.

At least as of the end of S2, JJK doesn't exactly have a thing that being a jujutsu sorcerer is actually "about". It's not really a coming of age parallel. It's not really about coming to terms with death (though a lot of death happens). It's still very much about the big fights that are happening. Absorbing Sukuna for Yuji Itadori isn't a metaphor or even lending to a metaphor for anything else except absorbing Sukuna.

This is totally fine by the way! Not everything needs to be "about" something bigger. But, for me at least, the "not being about something bigger" is what's keeping JJK at an A- instead of an A+.

JJK is also strangely lacking in worldbuilding. And I say strangely because it almost feels like it skips the worldbuilding because it's derivatively leaning on the worldbuilding done by other shounen anime. Like, "We don't need to explain how people can randomly jump from tree to tree or hover in the air while fighting, because Naruto already did that. You don't really want us to stop the narrative to explain how Yuji leveled up all these basic magical fighting abilities, right? So don't worry about how he can suddenly do all this stuff."

Literally, Yuji will gain an ability like Black Flash within the course of a single battle. In Bleach or Inuyasha, gaining that sort of ability would take an entire arc and lots of trial and error. So I have mixed feelings about JJK kind of just skipping him struggling to learn Black Flash for any length of time because yeah, that beat can get kind of tiresome in anime. We know they're going to learn the ability, so it's just dragging the process out to make it an entire arc.

But on the other hand, making the gaining of a new ability into an arc lends a certain gravity to the story. A sense of stakes and achievement. Yuji never really struggles to learn any new ability. He picks them up in the course of any given battle (or Sukuna drops in and bails him out).

So in a way, JJK is innovating on the Shounen genre by just skipping a lot of the base level fighting ability arcs and challenges, in order to cut straight through the biggest, most epic battles. There is no little kid level ninja school, our Naruto is fighting Orochimaru-level threats in the middle of S1.

Now, the way the story also innovates on throwing endgame level threats at the hero right away, instead of a bunch of trash to slowly build them up, is by having the bad guys not die in the fight. Bad guys often escape the battle to fight another day. Yes, trash battles happen, but endgame level villains are taking part with surprising regularity for the genre. Aizen from Bleach wasn't showing up for every side character battle that Ichigo fought against him in the lead up to their confrontations. And characters who were defeated didn't really show up again as antagonists, at least not in the Soul Society or Hueco Mondo arcs. They either became allies or they died. So JJK is different in this regard, in a way that's rather refreshing actually.

Now, to go back to worldbuilding, JJK was interesting to me because it started out very authoritative about its genre. It was very paint by numbers standard shounen but so confidently executed that it didn't feel boring. We had lots of shounen genre cliches, like the plucky protagonist with tons of power potential, his dark haired team member who is brooding, the secretly powerful goofy teacher, etc.

But how the JJK universe fits into our world is strangely lacking. Part of it feels purposeful. It's very laser focused on moving the story along. It doesn't really care to answer questions like, "How are these people getting paid?" and "Why is a school tasked with saving the world?" Like, it's basically X-Men rules, so it's fine.

But by contrast, Naruto's ninja villages were an entire ecosystem, we knew how ninjas fit into society and why everyone was doing what they did. We know how Bleach's Soul Society fits into the fabric of the universe. We know how My Hero Academia's world views heroes, a ton of My Hero time is poured into explaining how this world works. JJK... doesn't really bother to say how the world works outside of how it impacts the characters in this moment. It's the thing I find most curiously lacking of all it, and I'm just not quite sure what to make of it.

A few other random thoughts: JJK is fairly refreshing in that it's not totally reductive anime nonsense with regards to women, like having tons of panty shots or whatever. Men still tend to be the most powerful, and it's still a pretty shounen-standard ratio of 2 plot-relevant guys for every 1 woman. But it does view women as people for the most part, so I appreciate that.

But JJK does have some anime nonsense in the sense of people just randomly going "over 9000" with their ability or pulling abilities that no one knew about before that moment out of their ass. I think the show is at its best when it plants its foreshadowing a liiittle further in advance, like when Mahito accidently "touched" Sukuna in that first fight. Everything we needed to know to realize what was going to happen was seeded in advance, and it was a crowning moment of awesome as a result. But besides moments like that, there's a LOT of "Well that didn't work, because I have this secret ability that I'm going to reveal and explain right now!" It's a bit like watching little kids play with action figures in that respect of just randomly having the right tool at the right time.

That said, that sort of "little did you know, I had this secret weapon that easily defeats you that I'm just revealing now!" seems in general more accepted in Japanese storytelling, whereas in Western storytelling the "rule" is more that you need to seed Checkov's gun a lot sooner before you can use it. You can't pull the gun off the mantlepiece to use at the same time you reveal it, it feels cheap. But, since there is a cultural divide between me and the writer, I'm just going to note it as something that pinged me, rather than saying it's good or bad as such. I like foreshadowing that's done further in advance, but that could be a culturally-based preference on my part.

I'm curious where JJK will go next. The violence escalation makes me think either it's going to continue to escalate, or there will be an endgame option to undo all the damage by some magical means at a later date. I'm more than 70/30 thinking it's just going to continue to escalate, but we'll see!

[gaiusbunnymask]

rewatch commentary: the dragon's call

(look at this shot! I looks like a Renaissance painting)

"If I can't use magic, what have I got?"

Merlin arrives at Camelot feeling lost, inadequate and purposeless and I think that's what makes him vulnerable to Gaius and Kilgahrrah's ideas of destiny. EVEN if what the dragon is saying it's true, the timing is really suspicious.

He used to want recognition too, wanted to be someone. He thinks that his magic is the only thing that makes him special, that gives him power over bullies like Arthur, but since the world sees him as something strange and dangerous and rejects his existence, he wonders if he's a monster that shouldn't exist.

That's why it's so easy for him to believe everything the dragon tells him, because he wanted to have some higher purpose. He wanted someone to tell him he was born like that for a reason. It's the beginning of his tragedy.

"I saw how you saved Arthur's life. Perhaps that's his purpose."

Gaius' dubious beliefs/morality about purpose, destiny, and the purpose of Merlin's magic. He was on board with Merlin using his magic to protect Arthur even though he had reprimanded Merlin for using magic recklessly before, and that Arthur is the son of the man that started the Purge. He equals using magic for good to supporting the royal family, which is... not good actually.

My headcanon is that Gaius was/is against dark magic and the abuse of it, but the Purge did more than just condemn dark sorcerers and destroy objects with dark magic, and it turned into something he didn't expect and didn't fully support. Not saying he supported the Purge but he wasn't as pro-magic as Nimueh, for example. He may have helped others escape but he stayed in Camelot and served Uther for 20 years so that says a lot about him.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son!"

It seems to me that Mary Collins was a dark witch?? I'm guessing that practicing dark magic is what gave her that ghastly appearance (yes they also needed the audience to differentiate her from lady Helen because it was the same actress) but it says something about the state of magic in Camelot that most of the sorcerers we'll find later show the same signs of corruption.

Not saying Uther was right to attack all magic and all sorcerers for that, of course not, but Gaius did say that dark magic was running rampant before the purge, and honestly? It's not a surprise. If magic is a tool then people can use it to do bad things. This was probably what gave Uther leverage to carry on with the purge. Obviously the solution to that would be to have laws that condemn acts of dark magic that hurt people. But instead most dark sorcerers probably were able to lay low and hide whereas people like the druids and less powerful sorcerers where easy to capture and execute.

"When I came to this land this kingdom was mired in chaos."

Uther is a very very smart politician, at least on this episode. He beheads a sorcerer/the son of a witch, and right after the fact the announces a festival. This is a show of his power. It reinforces his authority and the idea that the persecution of magic is a good thing, that he's the savior of the land, the protector of the realm, for ridding it from the evil of sorcery. And since it's the anniversary of the capture of the great dragon, it also serves a a reminder.

"No, I'm his son, Arthur."

Arthur was not present at the execution of Mary Collins' son, nor is he there to welcome "lady Helen". Uther forced Morgana to attend but it seems that Arthur can skip it if he wants. I wonder why Uther allowed it? "Lady Helen" doesn't meet Arthur until the night of the banquet where she tries to kill him. I'm just wondering about Arthur, making it his mission to be absent from as many official occasions as possible.

It seems that he used to spend all his time training and bullying helpless servants. No wonder Merlin didn't recognized him as royalty the first time they met.

"He needed to be taught a lesson."

Merlin is very very impulsive. He falls for Arthur's taunts really easy, and he just got out of the dungeons! I think this is not the first time he put a bully in his place/taught them a lesson. He was at odds with the people in Ealdor, where it seems he used his magic more freely. If he was going around "taking bullies apart with one blow", no wonder Hunith was worried.

"The more brutal you are the more enemies you'll create."

Morgana's conversation with Uther was another scene I liked. It established the foundation of her character quite well. Her standing by the window staring at the chopping block for who knows how long it's a thought that haunts me.

It seems she copes by wearing pretty and scandalous dresses that make her look stunning.

Final thoughts:

I was surprised by how much I liked the episode. This is the third time I watched it and I didn't know I would find it enjoyable, but I did! the music, the cinematography, the script (its lovely plotholes ♥) the acting! (Eve Myles' performance was superb) the peak comedy! There was a lot of foreshadowing too. Merlin and Gaius, Merlin and Gwen, and of course Merlin and Arthur are great comedic duos. overall the first episode it's really fun.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Federalist Society v Corporate Personhood

There are lots of cleavage lines between “left” and “right” (“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect” -F. Wilhoit), and here’s a crucial one: the left knows its ideology arises from material reality, while the right claims otherwise.

The right likes to claim to be “rationalist,” grounded in the realm of ideas, not the material world. For example, the right says affirmative action is unfair, because policies should be “race-blind” and thus neutral. The left, meanwhile, says that offering the same chances to people regardless of whether they have the same material means to seize those chances is unfair, because it simply cements the dominance of the people who are already on top.

But all ideology is grounded in material reality. The things you think — and believe — arise out the material world you encounter. How could it be otherwise? Remember when David Cameron, as PM of UK, said that there was no room for social explanations for the London uprisings, insisting that it was down to “criminality, pure and simple”?

“Criminality, pure and simple” has no explanatory power. Where was the “criminality” the day before the uprising? Where did it go to, the day after? Is it a strange tide, driven by mysterious ideological currents in the aether? Is it a pollen that alights on poor people and sends them into the streets before it dissipates and lets them trickle back home?

It’s not just your beliefs that rise and fall based on your material circumstances — it’s also the salience of those beliefs. Racism is a complicated ideology, but at its core, there is something like the toddler’s revulsion of having their peas and carrots touch on the same plate: these things do not belong together.

This carrots-and-peas theory of racism came into focus for me reading NK Jemisin’s brilliant (anti)Lovecraftian novel The City We Became. Jemisin’s foils make it very clear that Lovecraft’s lurking eldritch terrors all boil down to a kind of “ewww, you got your peanut butter in my chocolate” tantrum:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/09/the-old-crow-is-getting-slow/#i-love-ny

(There’s a sequel to City coming out in a few weeks: The World We Make, and it’s getting terrific reviews!)

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nk-jemisin/the-world-we-make-the-great-cities/

Lots of people have some racist views, and they held these views before and after the 2016 election. Some people think the reason that we saw more racism in public during and after the Trump campaign is that Trump is a sorcerer that brainwashed your Facebook uncle, maybe with the help of Mark Zuckerberg’s mind-control ray.

But there’s a materialist explanation for what happened to your uncle and all those other avowed racists who flooded the public discourse after 2016: what changed wasn’t their racism, but the salience of their racism. Pre-2016, these people had lots of things on their mind: golf, Better Call Saul, elevated ice-cream sandwiches, their kid’s AP history problems, crossfit…and racism.

2016 (and beyond) is best understood as a re-ordering of these lists. The attention and focus that they once gave to crossfit shifted to racism, because Donald Trump told them that racism was the answer to their material complaints, while Hillary Clinton told them they had no material complaints (“America never stopped being great” is the stupidest political slogan, ever).

Racism is an ideology — a terrible one — but increases and decreases in racism track to material anxieties, not better argument. Trump didn’t make your uncle into an obsessive racism hobbyist with brilliant logic. He did it by linking your uncle’s material anxieties to racist explanations.

Leftists have an ideology — Steven Brust says, “if you think human rights are more important than property rights, you’re on the left; if you think property right are human rights, you’re on the right — but the left understands this ideology as connected to, arising from, and mobilized by the material conditions of its adherents.

The right, meanwhile, maintains the pretense that it is motivated by reason and principle, unwavering moral pole-stars that can trace a lineage from Roman times, or the Ten Commandments, or the US Constitution, unwavering and untouched by the material realm.

But the right is motivated by material conditions, too. As Corey Robin writes in The Reactionary Mind, the goal of the right is to create hierarchies in which the “best people” get to boss everyone else around. Christian Dominionists want to put men in charge of women and children; libertarians want to put bosses in charge of workers, imperialists want to put America in charge of other countries, racists want to put white people in charge of racialized people.

The ideology of the right drifts hither and yon based on the likelihood that a given principle will put “the best people” in charge of the rest of us. For 40 years, the American right insisted that monopolies were amazing, efficient organizations that should be encouraged as engines of progress and prosperity.

When tech monopolies used their market power to sew up all the public forums for discourse and then kicked off Donald Trump, Milo Yiannopoulos and Alex Jones, key figures on the right became highly selective trustbusters, dedicated to curbing the power of tech monopolies.

The ideological cover for this is thin to nonexistent: diehard Federalist Society types like Ted Cruz don’t even bother to try articulating a theory of “good” monopolies and “bad” monopolies. A “good” monopoly is one that helps Ted Cruz and his pals. A “bad” monopoly is one that gets in their way.

The latest ideological flipflop from the right comes in its relationship to corporate personhood. For a generation, the right has insisted that corporations are people, and, more importantly, corporations are the kinds of people who have free expression rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Spectacular cases like Citizens United (the right to unlimited secret political spending), Hobby Lobby (the right to withhold birth control based on their “beliefs”) and Masterpiece Cakeshop (the right to be free from “compelled speech”) all arise out of this theory of corporate personhood.

Then came the tech giants and their moderation policies, which resulted in lifetime bans for several prominent right wing figures. The right decided that this was ideological in nature: the platforms were banning their heroes because they were in the tank for progressives.

But it’s not true. Platforms’ moderation policies are also grounded in the material, not the ideological. Platforms don’t like drama and flamewars because it’s bad for business. It might drive “engagement” but most of their users actively dislike being engaged that way, and flamewars need expensive, close moderation to weed out things like doxing and swatting. Platforms don’t like drama and flames because they’re bad for business:

https://www.techdirt.com/2022/04/18/former-reddit-ceo-content-moderation-teams-dont-care-about-your-politics-they-just-want-you-to-stop-being-a-jerk/

It’s not ideological. They’re not in the tank for the left. If they were, then they wouldn’t have spent years deplatforming trans people, anti-racist activists, sex workers, indigenous rights activists, and others. Platforms aren’t anti-Alex Jones, they’re pro-shareholders, and Alex Jones is bad for their shareholders.

Let me be clear: “profit maximization” is a deeply shitty way to run any speech forum, much less one that dominates our discourse. As a leftist, I think that the human rights of sex workers and anti-racist and indigenous activists are more important than the property rights of Facebook and Twitter’s shareholders.

But the right can’t say that, which creates a conundrum. Corporate persons — Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Apple — want to exercise their free speech rights to block the right’s enfants terribles, because doing so will make more profits for their shareholders. The right has spent generations insisting on the primacy of profits and free speech.

How have they resolved this contradiction? They haven’t. They’ve just leaned into it. Texas’s HB20 — a law requiring online platforms to host content they object to, in the name of balance — insists that corporate free speech rights and the interests of shareholders must be subordinated to the rights of Alex Jones and Donald Trump.

The Republicans of the Texas legislature voted in this law. Governor Gregg Abbott signed it. Then, a panel of Fifth Circuit appeals court judges — dominated by GOP appointees — upheld it. Normally, appeals court judges have to explain how they resolve the contradictions between their rulings and other rulings, but not this time.

This time, the Fifth Circuit just made shit up. They inserted clauses into Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that literally don’t exist. They ignored Supreme Court rulings. They ignored the bedrock rule that interstate commerce is a federal matter and out of state hands. They just winged it.

If you want to get a sense of just how bananas the decision in Paxton (as this case is known) is, check out Mike Masnick’s brilliant, eye-watering breakdown in The Daily Beast, which goes chapter-and-verse through the incoherence, dishonesty and selectivity of the judges’ reasoning:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/judges-are-playing-calvinball-with-the-constitution-because-theyre-mad-trump-was-banned-from-twitter

Masnick compares the ruling in Paxton — and other recent rulings emanating from Federalist Society judges, like the Supreme Court’s Dobbs abortion rights ruling — to Calvinball, the game from Calvin and Hobbes whose rules change with every roll of the dice. In Calvinball, Calvin will land on a square that costs him his lead and he’ll shout out a new rule: “On Wednesdays, that rule is reversed and you take the penalty!” There’s no pretense of consistency or fairness.

It’s an apt analogy to the Federalist Society’s strange relationship to its own stated ideology, but not just because it’s arbitrary — but because it’s partisan. When Calvin shouts out a new rule, that rule isn’t unpredictable — it benefits him. Likewise when FedSoc judges wing it, they don’t just hive off in a random direction. They steer unerringly toward the advantage of the rich and powerful people who bankroll the Federalist Society. They have one principle: “There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”

HB20 is a nonsense. It correctly observes that tech platforms have too much power over our public discourse, sure, but its remedy for that — forcing tech platforms to carry speech they don’t want to host — is gibberish. Daphne Keller has an exciting proposal to illuminate just how bad HB20 would be in practice: give users unfettered access to every post, without any moderation, and then let them click a single button to opt into a moderated flow. She’s betting that nearly everyone would click that button (and I think she’s right):

https://law.stanford.edu/directory/evelyn-douek/moderated-content/

It’s absolutely true that tech platforms have too much power over our speech, but it’s not because of their ideology or their discrimination. It’s because of their power, which comes from their monopolistic control and lock in. They accumulated that power due to the ideology of the right, which was grounded in the material principle of making rich people richer by letting them form monopolies.

https://locusmag.com/2020/01/cory-doctorow-inaction-is-a-form-of-action/

The right got us into this mess, but they can’t get us out of it.

Image: Helfmann (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sockie_transparent.png

CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

Rion (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sock-puppet.jpg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[Image ID: An old Punch engraving caricaturing a seated judge at his bench, bearing a loopy, supercilious expression. The judge is operating two sock-puppets, one bearing the Facebook logo, the other bearing the Twitter logo. Behind the judge on the wall is the logo for the Federalist Society.]

[static-sulker]

Tavs as an Origin Character (Pt.2)

ANOTHER ONE. I CAN'T BE STOPPED. From both posting about my baby, as well as making more tavs

This next one is Reef Solrane. Assassin rouge/Great old one Warlock high elf, very chill man but also is very much blind.

also, first one here! Next one here

Reef Solrane is my silly adult man who is my friend. He is a lot more mature and less of a goofster but I do still see him as yippie cat. Like Sniper from team fortress two.

He was raised in Silverymoon and very much not like the happy cheerful place. He's not evil persay but he isn't very chipper. More like a gambler type of good person. Has the best intention He lost his sight early in his life, about 23 years old. He was cocky and persuasive and stole from the wrong traveler, who actually was a very famous and ill-tempered Wizard of the Sword Coast. He ended up getting cursed, loosing as much as he stole. Which was his left eye. Kinda harsh punishment. He then has to live with it for about years at this point. Grew to gain incredibly well hearing and works around his disability. The Wizard, Morden comes in every now and then to see if Reef as "proved himself worthy of seeing whats right." Later on in their life, about 200s maybe, they gain contact with a mystical being from the far realms who wishes to strike a deal. If he gives up his other eye, he'll gain power beyond his own comprehension. Reef was a bit of a hungry guy for power, so he accepted. He gained shaded Pince-nez glasses, that gave him what is practically truesight and enhanced power, with it being a conduit for the godly beings power. He did begin to have highly increased hearing and overall learnt how to know his surroundings far easier in a natural state as well. He then spent his time killing for hire and some petty thievery from his clients.

If he was an origin character, he'd have a pretty strange questline at first. He'd be found in the little beach area right after Shadowheart, searching for his glasses. If you help him, he'll thank you and become able to join your party. When you see them, they'll gain attention to your steps at a pretty quick pace and call to you, asking if your friend or foe. They will have their eyes jammed shut and quickly get up from the floor when you get close. If you ignore them with a failed stealth check or say foe, they'll grow aggressive and try and either attack or look for their glasses depending on your response. If you say you are peaceful and not wish to hurt them, they'll calm down and try and find his glasses. Once he joins you, his questline would be called "The Blinded Thief" and the first part of the quest is to find his glasses. When he does (Stolen by an Absolute member at the goblin camp) He gains access to his warlock spells.

He's a bit hungry for power as he literally is the prime example of "selling an arm and a leg" for the stuff but in this case it's his eyes. It's less of an Astarion hunger of bending people to his will, but more of a type of hunger to make sure he is never in a situation where he can lose more than he has. In this playthrough, I romanced Astarion and I think it's very funny how their dynamic works. Astarion is the type of flirt that uses his form and longing glances and smirks to get people under his command. Reef can't fucking see. So Astarion has to improvise and Reef is completely in the know how that Astarion is not used to it. I also think Reef is a very good example for Astarion of what greed and hunger for power can do to people. They are very epic fail together.

In his epilogue, he actually has three possible endings. The "third eye" ending (He bets more of his body away to get more power, specifically his arm), the "truesight" ending (He finds a way to take control of the being he uses for power and uses it for good) or "Open-eyed" ending (he gains his sight back after proving himself to Morden). In the third eye, it can only be gained by learning in the sorcerous sundries vault that his ancient helper can take more deals if he commits a sacrifice of another body part in his name. It could give the party the strength they need to defeat the brain. If he isn't persauded to not do it or in a situation of the game where he emotionally is better, then he will cut of his arm in the name of the being, gaining an etheral one during combat that does WAYYY more damage. During the epilouge, in this ending he'll already be looking for a way to do more and seems now to be like Astarion in less of a protection type of power but more for the sake of having the power. To gain the truesight ending, you can avoid the vaults information and go through a route where Reef beings a "better person". He'll end up becoming a treasure hunter with the help of his truesight and hearing. he's happier and working around his loss of sight and progressively trying to relax more. If romanced (you can't romance for the third eye, he'll break up the relationship due to his newfound "view of a new future for himself" when he finally cuts his arm off.) He'll be hunting for treasure wherever the two of you go, seeing you as "grounding" or "giving him just enough beauty just through words to make sunsets or starry not matter to blinded eyes.". In the "Open-eyed" route, he finds the book and doesn't do it, realizing he doesn't need the power (either by persuasion by romanced partner/ally, or being a better person and persuaded in a good route several times before the event.) After this , he will gain his sight again. Well, at least his left eye, the right is still gone because of the godly being. In this, he just is a wanderer, seeing the world with literally new eyes. He sees the world and tries to get used to the colors of everything again. If romanced, he travels the world with you and just takes in how beautiful you are <3

He's a bit less tricky to romance than Astarion, but isn't a cake walk. Anything that is overly cautious or maybe a few tricks on people who deserve it are very common. Normally avoiding Jaherias drink is a good example. Kinda like shadowheart.

Voice-lines - approval greetings

Low: ""Stop staring and go on out with it." "What?", "I can hear you fidgeting, out with it." "Yes?", "What is it?"

Neutral: "Hmm?" , "What is it?" , "Oh, hey. Didn't see ya there.", "What can I do ya for?", "Hey there, kid."

Medium: "Just the person I was thinking about." "Can I help you?" "I can hear you, do you needs something?", "Didn't expect to see you around here-well-I suppose hear you." , "Why hello, my trusted companion."

Romanced: "What can I do ya for, Love?", "Ah, theres the voice I know and love." , "Now your a sight for sore-ears? That didn't sound right...", "Hello, Love. Do you need something?

Third Eye: "Oh, it's you. Sorry I was stuck in my own head, can I help you?", "...Ah! Sorry, you surprised me. Yes?", "*muttering to himself on plans idk* I'm preoccupied but I am listening." , "Great god of old, grant me this-Oh, hi. Need something?" , "I'd shake your hand but It's...busy."

Broken up after Third Eye: "Hello, my past sliver of humanity." , "Oh, my little flame, you have returned." , "I sensed you were here, I didn't expect you to speak though." , "You seem awfully cordial with me. I applaud your ability to see my newest perfection."

Truesight: "You look different then I imagine." , "You were saying?" , "Apologies, It's hard to focus with the newly added vision." , "Anything you ask." , "What can I do you for, my trusted companion?"

Truesight, Romance: "You look stunning. Just as I thought." , "My Love! You are truly a sight for sore eyes. Eye, I suppose." , "Yes, Love?" , "Im listening. And seeing. Oh this is going to take awhile to get used to."

Open-eyed: "Oh, hello there!" , "My most trusted companion, and wisest. What can I do you for?" , "Are you alright?" , "Thank you for coming by and helping me. You truly are a good friend."

Open-eyed romance: "My love, thank you for staying to chat. And many other things..." , "What can I do you for, love? I am in your greatest debt after all.." , "The voice of my savior, what can I do you for?"

Misc lines-

Selected

"I heard that..." , "Wherever my feet take me." , "Let's get this over with." , "Let's get going, everybody." , "I didn't expect to enjoy a walk like this." , "Let's hope it's not rough terrain..." , "Let's do this professionally, alright?" , "Trained for this." , "Oh, hello there." , "Didn't expect this today..." , "What was that?" , "Walking in a new place is definitely harder than I imagined." , "Now thats a smart idea."

Selected (Combat)

"Taking the shot." , "Now isn't this just terrible for you." , "Ain't you surprised, ha!" , "Fighting is just muscle memory now." , "If I can hear you, it's too late." , "heard that..!" , "let's make this quick." , "You shouldn't have done that." , "By the ways of the old one, You'll be on the floor before ya know it." , "Not the best luck for you." , "Aim for the eyes." , "Oh, sorry mate. You got me on a wrong day. For you." , "Your blood will clean my blades." , "I like where this is going..."

Movement

"Thank goodness for truesight." , "Let's hope it's this way." , "Don't bump into a tree please..." , "Keep going." , "A nice jaunt." , "Let's hope for smooth terrain..." , "Keep up everybody! I need eyes ahead." , "Right on time." , "Easy." , "One foot in front of the other..."

Low health

"I need some help over here!" , "HEY! Somebody get over here and heal me!" , "I'd say the light was fading but-hells this is no time for jokes." , "Everything sounds...foggy.." , "That was too close..."

After Short rest

"A little shuteye was nice..." , "Time passed a little too fast." , "Back to the job." , "Welp, time to start moving again."

Character deaths

(Tav) "Oh hell, it can't be you!" , (Durge) "You can't die just yet, you have people to slay!" , (Astarion) "Astarion, don't you bleed out yet, we need you!" , (Gale) "GALE! Not yet, oh hells not yet." OR with low approval on Gale Origin "don't explode don't explode don't explode..." , (Shadowheart) "Stay here Shadowheart, we'll help!" , "KARLACH! You can't die out now!" , (Wyll) "The Blade can't break just yet!" , (Minthara) "You have so much more to do! For better or for worse, you can't die!" , (Halsin) "HALSIN! don't shrivel up now...!" , (Jaheria) "Jaheria! Don't give up yet!" (Minsc) "Minsc can't die! not now!"

I SPENT WAY MORE TIME ON THIS ONE GOOD GODS.

[stewardofningishzida]

Dr. Strange Meta-Fic Sequel!

PEOPLE! The Meta-Fic is back and strong as ever. So, here’s Chapter 1 of the sequel. Thanks to Trix, Tear, and PrettyWitch for sticking with us! Have fun and enjoy, everyone! TRIGGER WARNING: Cryptids, mention of blood, some horror elements, panic attack mention, language

Chapter 1:  Lingering Fragments

*It’s been 5 months since Stephen left. The world remained unaware of his visit, although strange sightings were constantly reported in the news. A glowing baby, a dodo bird, and HD photos of Bigfoot, to name a few. At first, we dismissed them as AI-generated images or possible side effects coming from the rift that Stephen and Wong had closed, but the latest picture of a chupacabra taken only 4 hours away from our town was too uncanny to ignore. I text the group.*

Me (text):  Hey…There’s been a lot going on and I don’t think we can ignore it anymore.  Should we try to check this chupacabra thing out and make sure nothing majorly wrong is happening?  I know it’s kinda far, but it’s closer than anything else reported.  What do you guys think?

Tear (text): It would be nice to confirm if this is all just more proof that AI is a curse, but I have to point out that there’s also the possibility that it could be real. If we do choose to go, we’ll need a plan for every single eventuality. I really don’t want a repeat of the mines.

Trix (text): No one needs a repeat of the mines.

PrettyWitch (text): I think we should go. I’ve been having weird flashes of some kind of monster lately, so it might not be such a bad idea.

Me (text):  Agreed.  I would like to not be caught off-guard and have one or more of us nearly killed.  Wait…Weird flashes, PrettyWitch?  Like visions or something?  You’re sure it’s not just nightmares from the weird news stories?

PrettyWitch (text): Maybe…I mean, I have been watching a lot of BBC Sci-fi and post-apocalyptic shows recently.

Me (text):  Hm.  Well…How vivid are these flashes and do they all have the same monster in them?  Like, describe these flashes.  At this rate, we should probably figure it out and confirm whether or not these ARE visions.  

PrettyWitch (text): Well, they usually start as an image that I swear I’ve seen before, almost like I’m having deja vu. Problem is, they’ve been coming more often and in weird ways. For example, sometimes I’ll feel off, like my body is reacting to this intense aura or something and then a few days later, something happens. It’s not always bad, but it’s been happening a lot recently. My mom’s even worried that something may be wrong with me. What’s funnier is that I’ve been seeing flashes of this monster whenever it happens, and the real kicker…I feel like I predicted we’d be having this conversation in a dream I don’t remember. In fact, I’m getting a sense of deja vu right now!

Me (text):  Weird…Also, seriously?  Erm…Okay then.  If this is what’s going on, taking into account everything else happening, then I suppose that these really might be visions.  Man…So much for the rifts being closed.  If we find that chupacabra during our search, then that all but confirms that they’re still open and actively spilling magical energy into our universe.  Which monster do you keep seeing, by the way?

Tear (text): Wong personally assured us he had closed them, though. With both him and Stephen gone, there shouldn’t have been any magical signatures luring other beings and monsters into our reality…

Trix (text):  These might not be from their universe but another one and that’s why we haven’t heard from them.

PrettyWitch (text): I keep seeing this dog-like creature. But its body is…longer than a dog’s would be. And it has these long, sharp claws and inhuman eyes.

Me (text):  Hmm…Well, Wong kinda said that the rifts would close on their own over time.  However, according to him, sorcerers traveling through the multiverse don’t usually stay longer than 24 hours.  Stephen was here for 2 weeks.  Even Wong said that it was unprecedented.  So, maybe the rifts are still closing or got torn open more because Stephen was stuck here for way too long?  Not sure.  As for the monster in the visions, that might be our beast.  If we find it.  What do you think, guys?  Recon mission?

PrettyWitch (text): Yeah. I’m all for that. 

Trix (text): I volunteer to be base camp!

Tear (text): …Guess there’s no helping it, then.

Me (text):  Okay.  Meet me in my driveway on Saturday.  If any of you have trail cameras, bring them.  We’ll also need plenty of water, sunscreen, and tough clothing that ventilates well so nobody gets overheated.  We also need a cooler.  I’m making a stop by the specialty butcher shop.  If it really is a chupacabra, we’ll need fresh goat blood.  That’s the only place I can think of to get it.  Maybe a few cups or small bowls to place in front of the cameras too.  That should work.  I’m hoping the thing doesn’t notice us and get aggressive.  If so, then the last things we may need are some baseball bats or any other weapons to get it off of us.  However, seeing as we aren’t Stephen and Wong, let’s try not to get noticed and shredded.  See you guys this weekend, Saturday morning.  I’ll get ready and wait by the car.  

PrettyWitch (text): Okay, but where are we gonna find fresh goat’s blood again?

Me (text):  The halal butcher shop downtown.  They sell goat meat there.  The local Indian restaurant nearby makes an amazing goat curry.  Anyway…Since the butchers process the meat, they should also have the blood.  

PrettyWitch (text): Oh okay.

Tear (text): Saturday it is, then. Be sure to bring as much protection as you can think of. Chupacabras have never attacked human beings, they usually prefer to creep and stalk only, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Trix (text): At least it isn’t vampires.

*After a few days of work and gathering materials, I grab the cooler from my garage, some bottles of water, a bottle of sunscreen, and various other supplies.  After putting them in the trunk, I wait for the group.  Tear is the first one to arrive.*

Me:  Hey, Tear.  Got as many supplies as I could.  Also found some of my old spare fencing armor.  It has a protective layer of kevlar sewn onto it.  So, it might come in handy.  It’s hot, though.  So, better to only put it on if things get really hairy.  

Tear: That sounds like a great idea. I asked my dad to lend me some of his tools and made these. *I pull from my trunk two baseball bats with long, thick nails hammered on their top end* I’ve watched enough zombie and horror shows to know they come in handy. Let’s just keep them hidden in case there are any road patrols… Oh! I also brought a few dog bite sleeves my uncle still kept after his stint as a trainer.

Me:  Good stuff.  Yeah…That stays in the trunk under the spare tire so it doesn’t look sketchy.  Okay.  Let’s think…Anything else?  Still have to wait for the others to arrive.  

*PrettyWitch is the next to arrive.*

Prettywitch: I’ve brought a couple of sleeping bags and a tent in case we need to camp out for the night. Oooh!!! I also brought some Hershey’s s'more packs if we want something sweet for later. And I think  I’ve got an Aero brand in here, too. And…a few books to read and some pen and paper for jotting notes on.

Me:  Awesome!  

*Trix arrives last.*

Trix: Sorry I’m late! Let’s get this started.

*Once we’ve packed everything into the car, we’re off.  It’s going to be a long drive into the desert.*

Me:  Everyone feeling okay still?  How are the nerves?  Oh!  Butcher.  Just a sec.

*I make the side stop to the butcher shop for the goat blood.  Trix and the others follow me in out of curiosity.  There are some tasty imported treats that we can buy there anyway.  The shopkeeper’s husband, Mr. Singh, is a recent immigrant.  So, his English is spotty at best.  He hangs back most of the time and talks to his wife in Punjabi.*

Mr. Singh (in Punjabi to his wife as he goes to get my order):  Goat’s blood?  What kind of request is that?  At least we recently processed some of the livestock…

*Trix frowns as she hears Mr Singh loud and clear compared to when he just recently talked to a customer hesitantly. She assumes he’s just shy and prefers to stay in the back but doesn’t note it as particularly odd.*

Me (noticing her expression):  Something up, Trix?

Trix: I don’t think so. But it looks like they have the goat blood for us. *Nods her head at Mr Singh discreetly.*

Me (oblivious):  All right.  I suppose I’ll go pay.

*Things go without any additional hitches.  Though I do notice that Trix looks a bit confused.  I didn’t notice anything different.  Mr. Singh always chats with his wife while working.  Though I have no clue what he’s saying.*

*Trix just frowns at a sudden headache and decides to just follow the others.*

*After a few hours, we arrive at the suspected site, a spot with limited pasture that is a few minutes away from the nearest farm.*

Me:  Okay.  So, first thing’s first.  Let’s lay low, keep quiet, and stay together.  Our first objective is to scope out some potentially good areas to place trail cams.  Here.  We can use my binoculars.  *I offer them.*

Tear: I think we should hone our cover story in case we run into anyone else. The press might be concentrating on stalking the farmers and locals, but the cryptid hunters might also be trying to make their way out here for their own investigations.

Me:  If anyone asks, then we’re wildlife biologists looking to see any potential predators causing problems.  That includes diseased coyotes and such.

Tear: *I hum in agreement* Mange is a rather nasty disease.

Me:  Yep.  The really bad cases often end up in wildlife rehab centers for a while.  Also, in case anyone gets suspicious, I can just blab some ecological jargon.  I still remember quite a bit from back when I was an environmental science major.  Just smile and nod.  Maybe point at a plant or animal and ask what it is and I’ll start talking about it.  That way, it makes us look like just a group of grad students.

Trix:  Just smile and wave friends, smile and wave. *She can’t help but meme at a time like this*

*I smirk at the joke.*

PrettyWitch: Sweet! I can pretend I didn’t graduate with a useless degree!

Tear: Alright, should be easy enough to fake. Let’s get this done quickly then before the heat gets to us. If we hurry, we can then nap until sundown so that we can spend the night surveilling our footage.

Me:  Onward, then.  *I put some sunscreen on and sling my backpack onto my back while also picking up the cooler full of blood.*

*We start looking around for any viable camera placement areas.  Any place we think might work gets a camera either strapped to a shrub or tied to a stake hammered into the ground.  I place a small cup of goat blood in front of each camera.*

Me:  That way, the sun’s heat warms it up and the smell can start to waft around.  Should tempt the thing more.  Whatever it may be.  Anyone see any potential issues with anything set up here?

Trix: Besides being outside? *Makes a face but is clearly joking at least a little bit.*

Tear: Other than attracting every animal that scavenges for carrion? We’re gonna have a long night ahead of us…

PrettyWitch: Oh yeah…Not to mention all the bugs and stuff that’s gonna try and eat us alive.

Me:  Will help to rule anything else out, I guess?  Most stuff doesn’t usually go for blood only.  So, since there’s no meat, maybe they’ll just cruise by or sniff.  If this IS a chupacabra, then they’ll really want that blood.  Ergh, yeah…I’m kinda glad I picked up some canned coffee.  Triple shot espresso.  That should do the trick.  Heh…I don’t have a problem at all!  *I half-joke.  Admittedly, I’m quite dependent on caffeine.  More than once, I’ve been caught bouncing off the walls after several cups of tea or coffee.*  We should take turns watching the cameras and surroundings.  That way, nothing can catch us by surprise.  Who wants to do the first shift camera and who wants to be the first sentry watching our surroundings?  That way, 2 of us rest and 2 of us are active at any given time.  *I think for a moment.*  Ehh…I can do sentry duty for the first shift since I was the one who had us all come out here.  Just need one other person to cover the camera footage.  Sound fair?

Prettywitch: Sure. I’ll be the first camera watcher, then. I wanna see if I was right or not.

Me:  All right.  Tear, Trix, you guys can rest for now.  We’ll wake you up either if something happens or our shifts end.  Deal?

Tear: Deal. Just remember not to charge in and go investigate on your own if anything does happen. Wake us all first.

Trix: I absolutely will not be running towards any monsters.

Me:  I’ll be careful.  Not liking the idea of getting jumped by anything in the dark.  If any of us sees anything, we’ll holler to wake the others.  I’ll patrol our campsite with my machete.  I carry it in my hiking bag anyway to help cut small branches for kindling.  Can wear my fencing jacket to protect my torso.  In the dark, it looks enough like a normal coat for people not to notice.  The kevlar in it should make sure nothing can get to me too easily.  Let’s set up camp and then Tear and Trix can get some sleep.

*We set up the tent out of sight of the road and farm so we’re harder to spot.  I put a few of my old field guides, a calculator, and a notebook in the tent just in case someone comes around and starts asking questions.*

Me:  Again, if anyone asks, we’re wildlife biologists.  Good?

Tear: *I nod.*  Don’t wander off too far.

Me:  I’ll be sticking to the perimeter of camp.  If I get too close to any of the bait or cameras, it might not show up.  So, I’m not going to disturb them.  *I open the canned coffee and drink it.*  There’s more if you guys want it.  I bought 4 cans.

*When night falls, I hand PrettyWitch the phone with the camera feed, put on my gear, grab the machete, and head out while Tear and Trix settle down to sleep.  I’m very quiet with only the soft padding of my footsteps to be faintly heard.*

Prettywitch: *Is currently walking around with a camera in one hand, and a bottle of pepper spray in the other. The whole time she’s thinking she’s glad she never saw “Blair Witch” or she’d be even more freaked out than she is now. Pulls out her phone to text Steward.*  Hey; I just remembered I didn’t have time to research Chupacabras before we got here. What am I supposed to be looking for, exactly? Not appearance wise, just more like signs to look out for.

*I text PrettyWitch back*

Me (text):  Chupacabras go for blood as a main food source.  So, if the thing starts eating or licking up the blood from the cups, that might be a sign.  Also, if you hear animals screaming from the farm, it might be an ongoing attack.  They mutilate livestock.  I put the cups of blood right in front of the cameras as bait.  So, hopefully the cameras will show it coming over to feed.  I can hear your footsteps, by the way.  You don’t have to patrol.  It’s just a wireless camera feed on the phone.  That way, it’s easier on you and you can concentrate on the screen.  

PrettyWitch (text): Alright. But I’m keeping the pepper spray with me!

*The first shift passes fairly uneventfully.  So far, only a curious opossum has come by to sniff at the bait.  I head back towards the tent to wake up Trix and Tear so we can switch shifts.  However, I hear PrettyWitch call us.*

Prettywitch: Uh…Guys! You might wanna come see this.

Me:  Huh?  *I hurry up and get over there.*

Tear: *I wake up and blearily look at the time in my phone’s screen before shoving at Trix next to me* I think that’s our cue to change shifts… *I yawn and clamber out of my sleeping bag, instantly missing its warmth*

Trix: “Please tell me that nothing has happened.”

PrettyWitch: Well, that’s what I’d love to tell but, um…Yeah… *She holds the camera to Steward so she can see the footage.*

*I look at the camera feed and my expression gets more and more shocked as I watch.*

Me (quietly):  Oh shit…That’s not good.  That is REALLY not good…

*I try to text Stephen again.  Though I know that it most likely won’t work.  It certainly hasn’t worked the other times I’ve tried.*

Me (text, to Stephen’s phone):  We have a problem.  If you ever get this message, please help.

*The same red exclamation point shows up as usual.  I curse under my breath.  Then, I look back at the camera.  There’s…something…staring right back at us.  It isn’t just looking at the bait or the camera.  It seems like the thing is looking directly at US.  The creature has a dog-like face with eerie, blank eyes.  Its frame appears to be a hunched-over humanoid with spines along its back.  Not to mention the long claws at the ends of thin, skeletal fingers.  There is an uncanny sort of intelligence in its gaze.  I can feel a chill running down my spine.*

Tear: *Peeking through the flap of our tent, I see you huddled over the phone and look back at Trix.* Looks like we did get something… *We move over closer so that we can look at the footage over PrettyWitch’s shoulders and my blood instantly chills* That, my loves, is no mangy dog…

Trix: Welp. That’s a big fat nope from me.

PrettyWitch: Yeah. Same.

Me (mouthing this silently at the group):  What the hell are we supposed to do now?  

*I take several screenshots to save as more evidence.  In the time that I do that and the files save, the creature has disappeared.  We hear a faint rustling near the camp.  It’s dead silent.  Now, not even the crickets are chirping.  I give the group a look.  I know EXACTLY what’s going on.  This is the very same silence that I encountered that day I was stalked by a mountain lion while hiking a few years back.  I know precisely what it’s doing.*

Trix (Absolutely about to have a panic attack): We let it have the goat blood and call park rangers to helicopter us the fuck out of here. That or we pull off a miracle and do Stephen things out of nowhere. 

*Since this isn’t any state or national parkland, we don’t have that option.  So, I quietly gather my friends close to me and clutch my machete tightly, ready to defend us if needed.  When I hear more rustling close by, I turn on a flashlight and aim it at the nearby scraggly shrubs in an effort to deter it.*

Me (growling):  Fuck.  Off.  *I’m in defensive mode right now.*

Tear: Nope, staring it down is not gonna work. *I grab at Steward’s shoulder and pull the entire group back into the tent before zipping the flap back closed.* We need lights and tons of music. Loud music. Make it believe there’s more of us here than there is and it won’t dare to approach.

Trix (actively sobbing): We better not be the next Blair Witch project or I am gonna haunt the shit out of all of you.

Tear: *I give Trix a small smile, as shaky as it is, trying to comfort her.* It might stalk around a bit, but Chupacabras have never attacked people before. Damn, it is ugly though.

PrettyWitch: Tell me about it!

Me (quickly to resolve the situation):  Okay.  Radios and phones on, people.  *I turn on the portable radio to blast some rock music.  “Helter Skelter” by The Beatles blares from the speakers.*

*Trix is still sobbing but follows the instructions.*

Tear: *I open Spotify and set up a podcast before moving our belongings into vaguely shaped lumps to cast shadows over the tent walls* Different voices means more people, right? If any humans come to ask, we just thought it was a good idea to bring booze to our research trip.

Me (pretend whining, though just to add to the noise and make it sound like we’re a group of research students):  Guys…Our PI is gonna kill us!  We gotta keep it down!  *I’m playing along while also watching for any signs of more trouble.  Meanwhile, I help Tear move a few more items to make more convincing silhouettes.*

Tear: Has it looped back to any of the cameras yet?

*PrettyWitch checks the cameras, the tension still high.*

PrettyWitch: *Shakes her head*  Doesn’t look like it.

Tear: Shoot, it must still be over on this side then… *I take in the inside of our tent* Trix, the flap on the window next to you keeps coming off the velcro. Can you keep it fixed somehow?

*Trix tries to help but is shaking a bit too much to keep a hold of things. As she digs through our supplies for some tape, she drops her flashlight and it startles her for a moment before she picks it up. She looks up to find the Chupacabra staring at her through the uncovered slit of the mesh window. It is sitting less than a foot away, close enough that our light reflects off its white eyes. Its sharp teeth are on full display due to what we can now see is a terrifying lack of lips. Trix screams.*

***To be continued***

[vampiricsheep]

For the Tav QA 4+7 from the general section and 11 from the romance >:3c

ooo ty! Going with ram as my og tav

4.What sort of general actions raise or lower their approval?

Raise:

Respecting the strange ox's privacy and privacy in general. Breaking wyll's pact or telling him to get out of it. Telling anyone who tries to bind you to an oath/contract to fuck off. Telling Ethel about the worm (but also rescuing her captives). Finessing your way out of fights. Defending other party members. Showering him with compliments (that aren't back-handed). Helping out astarion with his stuff and defending the moonmaiden gfs. Like post-horns wyll, you can gain approval for tactful compliments and showing you see him for who he is behind the features, not because of them.

Lower: prying into people's secrets, including his own and shadowheart's. Warlock lines and actions - you actually start with lower approval when recruiting him if you have a fey patron. Helping Thaniel. Insulting his appearance. Asking him to use the astral tadpole (you actually cannot persuade him to do it at all.) Taking oaths/contracts and persuading your other companions to respect and obey their gods no matter what. Anything regarding kidnapping and slavery.

7.Do they have their own personal quest that spans the course of the game? Can it take different branching paths depending on the choices the Player Character makes?

His lifelong goal has been to become truly normal without need for disguise and to shed his ties to his mother's patron. This adventure runs pretty counter to the goal of normalcy, but it gives him an opportunity to embrace himself instead of steeping in self-loathing. If the player is encouraging to him and reassures him that he doesn't need his disguise around them, you can sway him towards acceptance and he will get stronger as a result (maybe even a bit of wild magic?). If the player consistently prods at his insecurities or has very low approval in general, he will become pretty set on this goal. He'll seek out sorcerous sundries in act 3 for tomes and charms related to transmutation. If he goes through with that he'll gain some powerful spells (a once per short rest polymorph for example) but seem...kind of hollow.

That's all act 3, though. Act 1 is discovering his secret, which can happen if he dies/gets downed or walks through the sussur antimagic field. After that happens you'll see the disguise self buff on him when he's glamoured; previously it was only visible when he cast the spell to look non-tiefling. (Disguise self is always prepared - you cannot remove it from the prepared list.) Once the secret is out, he can use his tail's scythe attack as a bonus action for 1d6 slashing damage with a chance to inflict bleeding.

11.What are Tav’s plans for the future?  Do they propose to the PC, or is marriage not something they're interested in?

If you let Astarion ascend, it becomes his spawn after the next long rest (if you don't take the bite) or the long rest after your bite. After that...Ram's plans for the future are pretty much "do whatever Astarion wants," though he would prefer that you kill the brain and not try to control it (which is what ascended astarion encourages). Otherwise, he has a lot of "figuring out who he wants to be" to do. He won't propose - not because he doesn't want that kind of promise, but because he's not ready for it. (Yes, this runs counter to his spawn route, but diverging paths have divergent outcomes.)