#right mal with reference

[secondary-colorentimy]

todays doodles :3

[egophiliac]

still ruminating over Lost In the Book With Spooky Skeletons Part 1, so here's a selection of some of my favorite little bits! (...some more loosely paraphrased than others) (I just feel like Idia has no room to criticize in general, okay)

anyway, I'm sure we're just going to have a fun time celebrating Halloween and nothing bad is going to happen whatsoever! :)

[waywardwizzard]

Am I doing it right? This is how you do it, right??

[enbyboiwonder]

Fuck the Moonbrookians and their hubris in thinking they could build a whole-ass castle without a blueprint and then giving up halfway through, and fuck them for making the throne room too huge to actually count as a room and now I gotta fucking try and figure out what size it actually needs to be. I hated them during the chapter and I hate them after it. I’m sending all of them home as soon as I’m able.

[vanilleneo]

@anonymous: How do you feel about Jaune?

«i trusted that he wasn't going to stab me. beyond that?»

There must have been more of a reason for why she tried to reach out to him, but it boils down to self-preservation. She knows that Ruby likely would have listened, but she wasn't quite ready for that just yet. The rest of WBY were more likely to stab / shoot / punch the living daylights out of her than listen to her just yet. That left the white knight. 

«i don't know.»

unprompted

[kaibutsushidousha]

Basic summary of the news about yesterday's far-right terrorist attack so people outside Brazil are properly informed of the situation.

The culprit, Francisco Wanderley Luiz, was 59-year-old keymaker. In the most recent elections, he ran for congressman by PL (same political party as former president Jair Bolsonaro) and lost the popular vote.

A few days before the attack, he posted veiled threats on Facebook, and one very explicit message namedropping 4 public figures around Joe Biden's level of leftism, which he refers to as "the shitty commies" and telling "you icky old men have 72 hours to disarm the bomb in your houses. The game begins on November 13 17:48 and ends at the 16th" accompanied by a comical amount of bomb emojis.

After the threatening messages, the terrorist wrote the phrase "for shit statues, you use dynamite" on his house's mirror, put on a suit themed after The Joker and drove his car on a 24h10min trip from Porto Alegre to Brasilia. He arrived at the Supreme Court, made a thumbs up sign to a group of confused witnesses in a nearby bus stop, and walked toward the Supreme Court's statue.

He threw a bomb at statue, which bounced off Looney Tunes style and hit the terrorist's head, killing him instantly. No one was harmed by the terrorist attack except for the culprit.

According to acquaintances, the incident happened because the culprit was emotionally disturbed by his divorce.

Linked below is an excerpt from the culprit's TikTok, in which he uses a prophetic amount of explosion effect on his own face.

[ryebread0605]

Could you do a twisted wonderland x male reader with this scenario? I think it'd be so cool.

( I took the screenshot a few days ago or something but I cropped out the entire post and forgot the user of the one who posted this but it's on Tumblr. ૧(ꂹີωꂹີૂ) I'm very sorry )

Lmao I absolutely love this ask I am more than happy to do this request

You had been in this new strange world for a few weeks now. Many things were far different from your world, but there was one comfort you had. In your previous world, you worked often with the fae and this world seemed to have them as well. Although… one specific fae seems to have forgotten some of the key rules.

You didn’t want to upset him, sevens no, but your experience and knowledge of the fae told you exactly why you couldn’t give him what he wanted. He may look non threatening but many fae act that way to trick humans like yourself and you couldn’t take any chances.

“Malleus I know you don’t mean any harm but I can’t tell you”, you huffed out, sitting in the dorm lounge of Diasomnia with the housewarden hovering behind you, a sight that became much more normalized to the other students as they barely gave a second glance.

“Child of man, I simply wish to properly refer to you. I will not cause harm with the information”, his voice was smooth, if you didn’t know any better you would have long since given in but you were well versed in this.

“Malleus, you and I both know I cannot give you my name. I worked with fae within my original home, I know what I can and cannot say around fae.” The small tilt of the head he gave, a confused yet adorable expression, made you do a double take, “malleus… you do know right?”

“Child of man, why is it not a good thing to tell me your name? I simply would like to know how to properly refer to you” his voice sounded so confused and worried that you just sighed,

“Since Lilia seems to have forgotten to properly inform you… when a fae asks someone to give them their name that often means they want it quite literally.” His face turned from confused to shocked to defensive in seconds,

“I-I promise you I do not wish to steal your name! I simply want to know how to refer to you, child of man!” He was quick to defend himself, stumbling over his words as he tried to clear up the misunderstanding while you simply began to laugh.

“It’s alright mal,” you turned to him with a smile before getting on your tip toes and kissing his cheek, 

“I love the nickname you gave me more than my name. Just continue to refer to me as your child of man”

[mochinomnoms]

Oh? Pray tell, what do Jade, Mal and Azul enjoy so much about the period sex?

[cw] - period sex, implications of a breeding kink at the end

Referring to this post

*slams hands on desk*

Okay so they all have their own justifications other than they just think their partner is hot, and they're down bad. I like to think they all have a thing for servicing their partner, so starting from the bottom to the top:

Azul knows that he is needed to give you assistance. It's what he lives for! Anything you might need, it's his job to give, and give he does~ Azul is researching all the ways that can help with your symptoms, particularly cramps as it seems to be the most consistent pain. He finds that heating pads are the best, as well as general pain meds. However, you already have a bunch from Ortho and the nurse has you covered with meds. So what's an octomer to do? It's during his research that he discovers that orgasms can help with the pain. He thinks it's strange, if you're bleeding and shedding your lining, wouldn't having sex make it hurt? Even if he gave you oral, the blood would be everywhere and make a mess. Like him when he inks. He'd have to take you in the water, and probably be in his merform to make sure that any predators that sense your blood. You'd be pretty dependent on him, for protection and to feel good. Your pretty hair, billowing around your face as his arms wrap around your form, one of his tentacles massaging your insides ever so gently. Hmm, actually—From there, he's inviting you over to Octavinelle for the weekend, where he offers to show you a new cramp remedy he's learned about. You're surprised when he takes you to the dorm pool, and looks at you with a smug smile as he drags you in the water, offering his 8 limbs to sooth your cramps with a nice massage. It's a thoroughly enjoyable massage~

Malleus learns of this remedy from Lilia, who heard about it on his travels after a tryst with a cute human. He's so sweet to you (and only you) that he wants to do his best to help his human out. Malleus has no qualms about getting dirty, he can magic himself clean if needed, and he's still concerned about the fact that you're in pain. He's not sure what it is about orgasms that help with pain, but if it helps then he's happy to be of assistance! He doesn't want to stress you out more than necessary, so Malleus decides that eating you out is the best course of action. Malleus won't mention that you being more whiny and needy during your period, making you extra pilable and receptive, struck a particular nerve in him. He works you to your first orgasm, delighted at how extra sensitive you were as you easily fell about to his ministrations. The first time he does this, he pulled away to check on you, blood staining your thighs and his lips. You'd let out a low whine, arching your back as you opened your eyes to look at him, and smiled. A sweet, satisfied smile as you praise him for his gentleness and willingness to take care of you. He was taking care of you, like a mate should, and keeping you satisfied and happy. Malleus was a good mate, so in his mind, he should keep being a good mate so that you'll keep praising him. He dived right back in and left you squealing and shaking for the next few hours.

He likes to be depended on, he likes caring for things that need to depend on him. Jade likes to be in control, a mastermind that pulls the puppet's strings in the background. He likes things that are vulnerable to him and his whims, and this is no different with you and Jade. Granted, you're not a terrarium of his, you're his sweet little human, so he's not going to treat you as such. But, he still likes being a bit in control of your care and being needed by you. Jade loves when you're needy: he can care for you, love you, dazzle you so that he can never compare to any other love you may have. Not that he plans on letting you go anytime soon. Oh no, Jade may say he doesn't understand the appeal of the surface world like other merfolk, but make no mistake. Jade is enchanted by the differences between the human body and his own. Jade had made it his mission to thoroughly “research” human anatomy with you, and is delighted at how strange it is (he gets banned from touching you for a week for that statement). And you bleed roughly once a month? Do you know what that knowledge did to his brain? He's quite interested in learning how your period effects your body: do you get more sensitive, do you get more emotional, what does it do to you? Would you taste different? Feel different when he enters his length into you? Will you be more pliant to him, or more combative? It's just all so fascinating. Upon learning how your period effects your body, the pains you endure, he makes it his mission to make sure he can meet all your needs. Jade came up to you, unusually giddy one night, with a preposition. He takes you to bed, sending a begrudging Grim off to Heartslabyul, laying a towel underneath you, and getting to work to test out his hypothesis. Jade's face is covered in a mix of your juices and blood, both a sweet and metallic taste that is pleasing to his moray tongue, as he finished giving you your third orgasm of the night. Jade is licking his lips clean has he moves to place the tip of his cock against your entrance, rubbing against it as he leans down to whisper, “Do let me know in detail how this feels, I myself am particularly enjoying delightfully you taste. I imagine you'll feel just as good squeezing around me.” Happy to serve, Jade is concerned that you have to go through such pain once a month. He offers to help you get rid of it for at least 9 months, longer if you don't mind having a set of irish twins*, one after the other.

*irish twins are siblings that are born 12 months or less apart

Hehehe yummy, :p comments and reblogs appreciated!

[hanafubukki]

I binged your Lilia with a baby daughter and I couldn't get enough. Can you imagine if General Lilia gets yeeted into that timeline and he finds out that not only did his future self marry a human but also actually have a child with her. If current timeline Half Faces are already kinda rare so imagine from his time where he's at war with them. Also how Lilia's little girl interacting with her Papa (who isn't really her Papa but also isn't lmao) Also, MC who he is married to. I just wanna see his Tsun Tsun ass be flustered but confused lmao. Ok, thank youuu!

[referring to these posts: 1, 2, and 3]

Hello Anonie 🌺🌷🌻

I'm happy that you enjoyed them anonie! I had a blast writing them. 🌟💚

Ohhhh Anonie you guys know how to hit my weak spots 😂💕💜 Babies, General Lilia, time travel shenanigans oh my 🤣💚 You and me 🤝 wants to see General Lilia tsun tsun butt be flustered mwah chef kiss.

General Lilia being sent to the future is a curse and a blessing...depending on who you ask 😂 jkjk

Just thinking about it and I just?? Love the thought of General Vanrouge meeting a new born baby or up to a 1 year old. Something about him just holding her with these awkward hands just has me so soft 😩🥹

But then I also think our Lilia might be possessive and go ‘My Baby’ on him, even though that’s literally himself 🤣

I have so many thoughts sooo many on how General Vanrouge’s reaction to Malleus and Silver could go, and even Sebek. But more so on Malleus and Silver. Also his reaction to his future self too, you know??

In reverse, our Lilia’s reaction to his past self. It can go many ways as well. Depending on how General Vanrouge reacts. Papa instincts ✨

But we’ll skip that because this ask is about baby and General Vanrouge ✨✨

A part of me thinks that our Lilia is going to just yeet the baby at his past self. Deja vu right?? Don’t worry, he knows himself and knows the General will catch the little one.

After flicking Lilia on the forehead for his actions and letting Mal and Sil deal with him, you go to the General who’s frozen. He caught her of course, but he seems stumped on what to do.

You can’t blame him really. After being in war and seeing and dealing with what he has. This peace and quiet must be new, not to mention being in the future.

So you go to him and as gently as possible, making sure to not frighten him, move his hands so he’s more comfortably holding the baby.

Unknown to him, but his eyes softened as the little one curled into him while making cooing noises. You know your Lilia is taking a bunch of pictures.

“See? You’re a natural.”

He looks at you in disbelief but you can see the amazement in them too.

You tell him how he has no choice but to hold the baby now because she will cry if you move her from her new favorite spot. He flusters a bit at that.

Time goes on, General Vanrouge wears casual clothing and hangs up his armor temporarily after Lilia had a talk with him. His weapon is with him, you all understand why. His need to protect what’s his is engraved even though he doesn’t see it yet.

[Sometimes you see your Lilia looking at the armor. His eyes mixed with emotions. You simply lay your head on his shoulder; he kisses your hand]

The General gets attached to your daughter. She babbles at him and pulls at his hair. He tries not to flinch. For someone who was against raising kids, the General doesn’t say anything when your daughter stuffs his hair into her mouth or drools on him as she sleeps.

Lilia’s proud, “that’s my girl!” is often heard.

At one point, you take pity on him. You take a hairbrush, running it carefully through his hair before tying it in a high bun. You fondly roll your eyes at the pout your Lilia has before taking your daughter to feed. For the General’s sake, you chose not to comment on his flustered expression.

Our Lilia is repeatedly saying “spoilers” which irritates the General whenever he asks a question. You get why it’s frustrating but the scene is rather funny and your baby girl’s laughter agrees with you.

“I won’t have you ruining my future! I’ll have you know I wouldn’t change anything for the happiness I have now, so you have to be patient.”

Malleus and Silver both have the sweetest smile. They know exactly what he means.

The General watches how his future self acts. You can see the slight scowl and twitch of his eyebrow. He’s questioning his whole existence.

What surprises you is his question to you.

“Are you sure you want to be married to that?”

“Hey!”

You laugh softly, tenderly tucking a stray strand behind his ear, “Yes. He’s you, isn’t he?”

The smile you give him then has him falling deeper unbeknownst to him.

Anabskdkds okay, but why am I the one flustered now?? Qbskwjwjejr 😂💞🥰

Ahhhhh this was longer than I expected but I had so many ideas and I wanted to especially include that last one 🥹💞

Thank you for sending this in Anonie 😭💚 Currently screaming into a pillow and rolling in bed. Ahhhhh 💞💞💞💚💚

[anachronistic-falsehood]

the greats referring to themselves as "vyncent with ___" while they're in his body is. insane 2 me. like they Have names and from a meta standpoint i know the guys just didn't have names for them yet but like. this is virion's body. this is virion's life. they're trying their best not to impede on it because it's not Theirs. mal calls ram virion and ram immediately corrects him with "call me vyncent with a gun." like. virion isn't my name, that's the kid's. and you don't get to know mine because i'm not me right now, i'm just part of a whole and giving the kid a hand. we're all vyncent or some variation of him but he is virion. i don't get the privilege of using that name. chat i'm gonna throw up

[totally-not-niyah]

A Princess and a Pirate

A/N: This lil thing makes sense but also kinda doesn't? Uh- I was working on this many months apart so I probably forgot some stuff and had to come up with a lil sumn to replace but I think overall, the plot is pretty easy to follow...? IDK, ANYWAYS ENJOY-

Pairing: Harry Hook x Reader Word Count: 5k Warnings: refers to intentional harm? idk if that counts; OH! I usually write Harry with his accent, so that's why his dialogue may look weird, and then highkey a warning for this plot!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Ever since the barrier on the Isle had come down, inviting all the VKs to the wonderful kingdom of Auradon, things were changing around here. 

You had to admit, it was interesting and fun to see new people getting to experience what Auradon had to offer for the very first time, and meeting all of the Isle kids was pretty enjoyable.

Especially a certain group of pirates. 

You had heard about Uma and her crew through your sister, Audrey, who essentially heard about them through all of Mal’s prior ramblings about her, but you never got the chance to see her in person during the Cotillion, since you went off with Chad right before it started to pick your sister up from the Fairy Cottage. 

However, now that her and her crewmates were here and settling down in the land, you found yourself running into them around the school grounds, and frankly, you had quite a fascination. 

Specifically, a fascination with Harry Hook, Uma’s first mate. 

There was something about the son of Captain Hook that was just so…enticing. His eyes, his hair, his voice. The crazy thing is, you’d never exchanged words with him. Like, ever. Yet somehow, what started off as an innocent fascination turned into a full-blown crush.

Unfortunately, though, not everyone was as…open and welcoming to the new VKs as you were. 

There were still some royals and nobles (including your grandmother, Queen Leah) who felt that people like them didn’t belong in Auradon. To top it off, you were friends with one of them. 

For instance, Jania, who was the daughter of one of the men on Ben’s council, made constant little jabs and comments at the new arrivals, showing you a whole different side of her. 

“I give it a couple more weeks before they go and screw something up around here,” she mumbled as the two of you were walking from a class. 

“Well, they’re bound to make a mistake, Nia. They just got here,” you replied, confused to where the conversation was coming from all of a sudden. “They’re still learning the ropes.”

Jania rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right. You really think they’ll stay out of trouble?”

“You had trouble when you first started too, remember?” 

“At least I actually belonged here.”

You frowned a bit at the insinuation. “That’s not fair.”

“Whatever,” she scoffs. “ I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.” 

You do just that, seeing as you were right beside your locker, anyways. When she’s out of eyesight, you turn your body, letting out a gasp as you accidentally bump into someone and stumble. If it weren’t for them grasping your arms to steady you, you probably would’ve been on the floor. 

“Oh!” you stammer with wide eyes, immediately forming an apology on the tip of your tongue. “I’m so sorry!”

When you actually register who it was you bumped into, your eyes widen some more. 

It was Harry. 

“Aye, no worries, lass,” he says, amusement dancing in his bright blue eyes. “Yeh got some quick reflexes.” 

You laugh a bit, a mixture of both nerves and awkwardness, because how could you possibly fumble that bad? Eyes darting around a bit, you look for something to say, before realizing that there was a hook wrapped around one of your arms instead of his other hand that was holding you up. 

“I, uh… I like your hook. It’s very…shiny.” 

Harry tilts his head, a grin playing on his lips. “Thank yeh? No one’s ever said that ta me before.”

“Yeah,” you force another weird laugh as he straightens your body back up, giving him little finger guns. “And thank you for catching me.”

Not even a full five seconds later and you cringe. Why am I so lame about this? 

Instead of making an even bigger fool outta yourself, you purse your lips and quickly crouch down to pick up the books you dropped. The boy above you keeps his eyes trained on you, gaze flitting to the front of the notebook you now held. 

“Yer name is (y/n)?” he asks, examining the personalized decoration of the notebook that included your name. 

“Yep,” you nod, rocking back and forth. “You’re Harry, right? Uma’s friend?”

“Tha’s right,” he smiles, giving you a dramatic bow that just fits him for some reason, your brain concludes. “A pleasure ta meet yah.”

Matching his energy, you offer a polite curtsy. “And you as well.”

The two of you are staring at each other with little smiles before the sound of footsteps break the moment. You turn around, finding that Jania had returned, and she was currently eyeing Harry with a hateful gaze. 

“Hey, pirate boy,” she sneers, yanking one of your hands into hers. “Go and terrorize someone else, my friend doesn’t wanna talk to you.”

“Wha- hey, no, Nia, don’t-!” your confused protests fall on deaf ears as she continues to drag you away with her, and all you can do is look back and mouth an “I’m sorry” to Harry before you turn a corner. 

“I can’t believe you were talking to that guy, (y/n)!” She hisses. “Didn’t we just have a conversation about this?”

“What are you so worked up for?” you murmur, trying to regain your footing because it feels like she’s dragging you away even faster. “You saw him, he’s nice, he has a sweet smile, he wasn’t terrorizing anyone-!” 

“Are you even listening to yourself?!” Jania stops abruptly just so she can give you a stare full of disbelief and disapproval. “Those villain kids aren’t out for anything but themselves. I mean, just look at Mal. She’s going to be Queen now. And look what that did to your sister!” 

“Don’t bring Audrey into this,” you frowned, getting defensive over the fact that she was speaking your sister’s name in a conversation she didn’t even need to be a part of. “And please stop talking like that. You sound like my grandma.” 

“Well, maybe you should start listening to her for once,” she mutters under her breath. “Just stay away from them, alright?” 

That didn’t happen. 

Ever since that day, it was like the two of you kept on running into each other. Not that you were complaining. In fact, it was further fueling your attraction towards Harry. Whenever the two of you saw each other, you’d stop to say hi, maybe even have a brief conversation. And of course, you’d always hear Jania’s mouth about it, but it’s not like she could control your actions. 

One day, sometime during lunch, Harry spotted you sitting alone at a table, and decided to make his way over to you. 

“All by yerself?” He asks, grabbing your attention. 

“No,” you told him with a smile, sitting down your phone and sitting upright. “I’m waiting on someone. But you can sit till she gets here. If you wanna.”

He gladly accepts the offer, taking a seat next to you. 

“Let me guess, th’ one tha’ hates my guts?” 

Even though the look on his face shows that he’s only joking, you can’t help but feel sheepish. 

“Right,” you sigh. “I’m really sorry about that. She’s just a little…hard to soften up.”

“Are yeh bein’ nice about it?” he smirks. 

“…‘Lil bit.” The two of you share a laugh for a few seconds. “But to answer your question, no. I’m waiting for my sister.” 

His eyebrows lift slightly. “Yeh have a sister?” 

“Yeah,” you nod. “Audrey.” The realization clicks in Harry’s mind. 

“Aw, yer a Beauty kid~” he coos, resting his chin in the palm of one of his hands. “I ‘ave sisters too, actually.” 

“Really?” 

And so from there, he begins to delve into random tales with him and his sisters, even describing them for you so that you’ll know who they are if they ever pass by you around school. The stories have you so interested that you forget that your sister was supposed to be there until she actually showed up with both your lunches. 

She takes the spot next to you after Harry leaves you alone with her, waiting for a little while before speaking. 

“You like him, don’t you?”

The topic almost makes you choke on your food. 

“Hm?” 

“You. Like. Him,” she emphasizes, flicking you in the shoulder. 

“Where’d you get that idea?” You scoff. 

“Are you serious? As soon as I walked over here, you were just staring at him like-” she copies your attentive gaze, batting her lashes for dramatic effect. 

Rolling your eyes, you deny her claim, “ I didn’t even do all that.”

“But you do like him, right? You never said no.”

“I never said yes, either,” you retort. 

“You totally do, though,” she giggles. “I'm your sister. You can’t lie to me. I know these things.”

With a groan, you shake your head. “Fine. A little bit, yes.”

“A little?” 

“That’s all you’re getting,” you tell her, pushing her back with a laugh when she leans closer to you. “Get outta my face, Audrey!” 

=

Getting closer to Harry was fun. 

You found yourself constantly seeking him out, whether in school or in certain social settings, holding longer conversations with and getting to hang around both groups of friends with him, both yours and his. 

A favorite memory of yours in particular was when he sought you out after the sunset upon Auradon, so that you could join him in stargazing. 

“Yeh know, I’ve never actually really seen the stars before,” he comments as he sits beside you on the soft grass. 

“Really?” You said with surprise, to which he nodded. 

“It was a big dark cloud above the sky. Not much ta see like tha’.” 

“…Huh. And now that you can see them? What do you think of them?” 

He takes a moment to think before responding. “They’re…a lot brighter from ‘ere. Ye can even see the light reflecting off the lake.” 

“Uh-huh,” you nodded, noting how the sparkling dots of light twinkle in the water of the lake. You lean over a bit, getting a closer look when, all of a sudden, you feel water splash your side, making eye contact with a grinning Harry. 

“Hey!” Splashing him back, you watch him practically run away from the water, giggling along with you as a back and forth water war was waged. 

Once the two of you settled down, you started a game of creating your own constellations in the night sky, occasionally arguing about what they did and didn’t look like. As much as you would’ve liked to stay like that all night, the time of student curfew was approaching. 

“Thanks for this,” you said, smiling at him. “I had a lot of fun.” 

“Yeh don’ have ta thank me,” he replies, draping your sweater over your shoulders since it was getting cooler out. “I…like yer company.” 

“…I like your company, too.”

You’re gazing into his eyes, and he into yours. You can feel the way you both lean in, ever so closer to each other, until your faces are remotely close. Just when you feel the urge to make a move and go for it, you hear the clock chime, signaling that it was time to go. 

Pulling away slowly, you let out a soft exhale before smiling again, clutching the front of your sweater. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you murmurs. “Night, Harry.” 

“…G’night, darlin’,” he bids before you go your separate ways. 

The entire way back to your dorm, you’re grinning so hard your cheeks start to hurt. Even your sister and friend notice as they peep your giddy demeanor when you walk in. 

“Aahhhh, someone’s date went well~” Audrey squealed, clapping her hands. Jania was sitting beside her, dead silent but attentive. 

“It wasn’t a date, Audrey,” you chuckled, putting away your things. 

“That’s your opinion, anyways! Was it nice? Did you have fun? Did you two kiss?”

”Slow your roll! Yes, it was nice. Yes, I had fun. And we…almost kissed?” 

You can see the way her eyes light up, clearly invested in your first romantic experience. Jania, on the other hand, finally decides to say something. 

“Wait, wait, so this little thing of yours is getting serious?” 

“Uh…yes?” You say, unsure if that was even the right answer. Probably not. “No? Ugh, I dunno…he’s so sweet, you guys, and I really, really like him, but maybe I’m reading into this too much-?” 

“Better enjoy it while it lasts,” she mutters, getting up to go and lay in her own bed. 

Her words catch you off guard. “Huh? What does that mean?” 

“Nothing at all. Good night.” 

Both you and Audrey look at each other, not understanding what just happened, but shrug it off as she pats the spot across from her so that you can tell her everything that’s occurred during your time with Harry. 

The following morning, when you wake up, the first thing you notice is that it was only your sister in there with you, who was curling her hair in the vanity mirror. 

“…Where’s Nia?” You inquire, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. 

She looks your way, then towards Jania’s bed. 

“I have no idea,” she says thoughtfully. “She just said that she was getting an early start on the day.” 

You scrunch your face up. “That doesn’t sound like her at all, but hey, what do I know?” Yawning, you plop back down, trying to see if you could squeeze in another 15 minutes of sleep. 

=

During your first passing period, you’d taken Harry along with you to go see Ben in his office. Neither of you had addressed nor even slightly mentioned what happened last night, just going on as if it never happened. Which was good, because you didn’t think you could handle the awkwardness of a “hey, did we almost kiss?” conversation. 

You knock on the door, waiting for the green light before walking inside. 

“Hey, Ben,” you greet, placing a pamphlet down on his desk. “Someone dropped this off for you today.” 

“Oh, thank you,” he says, glancing up at you and doing a double take when he sees who’s accompanying you. “Did, uh, did you need something too, Harry?”

He shrugs and shoves his hands in his pockets. “I’m jus’ here f’her.” 

Your eyes drift over to a tray sitting on one of the spare tables. 

“Ooo, candied apples?”

“Yeah, someone dropped them off earlier,” he responds. “I didn’t get a chance to see who it was.” 

“Mm.” You were too distracted with the one you’d already picked up. 

“Hey! How do you always get into my stuff before I can?” 

“You weren’t even gonna eat these.”

”Maybe I was,” he retorted, and although you didn’t believe that because he almost never ate the treats that people would drop off for him (not because he didn’t like them, there would literally just be so many), you decided to play along anyways. 

“Fine, fine,” you sighed, looking down at the tray to examine all of them before picking one up from the middle, passing it to them. “Here, this one’s more red than the others. I think it’s more candy coating on it or something.” 

Ben laughs before tapping his apple against yours and taking a large bite out of it. 

“Harry, d’you want one?” You pick up another apple and offer it to him, but he declines your offer. 

“I don’t like those things,” he tells you. 

“Who doesn’t like candied apples?” Ben asks, happily chowing down on his. “They’re so good.” 

“No, the best kind are the ones they dip in caramel and peanuts,” you add, taking a small bite out of your own. “You have to try one of those.” 

“Oh, yeah, those-” Out of the blue, Ben just stops talking. You focus your eyes back on him, brows furrowed in confusion. 

“…What? What happened?” He shakes his head, trying to readjust himself. 

“Uh, nothing- sorry,” he says, but his words and movements are getting slower and slower. “I…don’t know what happened, I just…”

”Ben…?” You say, eyes soon widening in horror when his roll back and flutter shut, causing him to fall out of his chair. 

“Ben!!” Rushing over, you catch him just before his head hits the ground, patting his cheek to get him to regain consciousness. “Ben!!” 

Harry knelt down at your side, mouth agape because he’s just as confused as you as to what happened to the young king just that fast, but neither of you know what to do. 

“Somebody help!!” 

=

“And you’re sure that’s all that happened?”

“Yeah!” you told Belle, hands clasped together as you saw your friend lying unconscious. “H-he just ate the apple and then passed out.” 

When help finally came, Fairy Godmother was called, along with Ben’s parents, and close friends who were alerted like Audrey and Jania. Mal and her friends were in the middle of something when she was called, so she was rushing to get here now. 

Harry had stuck by your side the entire time, rubbing your shoulder comfortingly as you were now starting to panic. 

“May I see the apple?” Fairy Godmother asks. “Did you bring it?” 

“Yeah.” You reach into your bag, pulling out the apple by the stick it was secured upon, unraveling it from the napkin and passing it to her. 

She examines it thoroughly, turning it in all directions to search for anything out of the ordinary. “All the apples looked like this?” 

“...For the most part,” you murmur. “That one was a little darker than the others. It’s why I picked it out. I figured maybe it had more candy coating on it than the others.” 

Pursing her lips, she gives you a solemn look. 

“This apple was enchanted. It’s laced with a sleeping curse.”

Your eyes widen, the feeling of your stomach dropping almost making you stagger. 

“Oh, god,” you whispered, covering your mouth with your hands. “I fed Ben a poison apple, oh my god…”

“Easy, lass,” Harry said softly, gripping your shoulders. “It wasn’t yer fault.” 

“Yeah, (y/n), he’s right,” your sister agrees. “You couldn’t have known. Your intentions were good when you gave it to him.” 

“Were they?” Jania’s words have you looking over at her. “You deliberately picked out that apple, (y/n). Are you sure you didn’t have a trick up your sleeve?” 

“Wha… Jania, what are you talking about? I would never do something like that to Ben! He’s like a brother to me!” 

“Maybe then,” she argues. “But things can change after you start spending all your time with Auradon’s newest group of troublemakers.” 

You  furrow your brows just a bit, because you begin to see exactly where this is going. 

“Nia, they had nothing to do with this,” you state firmly, pointing to Harry, who seemed a little uncomfortable with the accusation. “He had nothing to do with this! Will you get that out of your head?”

“How do you expect me to?! He’s the only one out of the three of you that didn’t eat an apple!”

“Because he doesn’t like them! If I gave you something you didn’t like and you told me you didn’t wanna eat it, would that make you suspicious?” 

“This is different!” Jania insists, standing up from her chair. “You know villain kids have a track record with poison apples. He’s the perfect suspect!”

“When ‘ave yeh ever seen me touch an apple?” Harry asks, perplexed by the words coming out of her mouth. 

“It doesn’t matter! You know it’s true!”

“Okay,” you say frustratedly. “Let’s say maybe that is true. Why would Harry try poisoning Ben?”

“I don’t know! A power trick? God, Ben wasn’t even supposed to get to the stupid apple!”

“Oh, really? Why not?”

“Because you were supposed to eat it!!”

The outburst puts everyone’s actions on pause, struggling to grip onto what had just been said. 

When sense reforms in your mind, all you can work out is a small, “…Excuse me?”

Even now, Jania looks shocked by what’s come out of her mouth, covering it promptly as her eyes dart between each one in the room. 

“What did you just say?”

“I- nothing- I didn’t mean-” she stammers, shaking her head as she takes a small step back. ”I didn’t mean for that to come out.”

“No,” your sister stands as well, her suspicions beginning to rise as yours did. “But you sure meant for this to happen. And to my sister?”

“Aud, listen- I was only trying to help-” 

It’s obvious that the young girl is becoming anxious, fumbling to try and find a proper response. 

“It all makes sense,” you mumbled, mulling over her strange behavior in the past few days. She’d let go of your association with Harry for the most part, but you hadn’t thought anything of it, assuming she’d finally had enough of berating you over it. 

But now things have become clearer. 

The oddly vagueness of her words last night, when she said “enjoy it while it lasts,” the unusual morning disappearance, and the fact that she was more concerned with pinning the blame on Harry than she was about Ben’s unexpected state. 

Because it wasn’t unexpected. She had planned this all along. 

“You knew that I would try to get to them first,” you continued on as you looked at the one you thought was your friend. “And that I would’ve probably picked that exact apple. You wanted me to eat it so that you could find a way to make it seem like Harry was the one who did it. Didn’t you?” 

Her eyes widened, astounded that you had figured out every inch of her plan.  

You feel Harry’s grip tighten slightly on your shoulders, and when you glanced up, he seemed pretty agitated at the revelation. 

“...Yeh tried ta poison her? Just ta set me up?” 

“Yeah, okay!” Jania finally confesses. “It may seem bad to you, but-”

Audrey’s about had enough of it already. “Don’t start trying to make excuses! You tried to put my sister’s life in danger, and all for what? Because you have some unspoken grudge against someone she’s in love with?”

Woah. Pause. 

“I- Audrey,” you whisper, trying to get her to retract that statement in an instant. However, she’s too concerned with getting on Jania’s case, so you can only pray and hope everyone else was also too distracted to hear what was just said. 

Especially Harry.

“I made a cure!” Jania tries to defend herself. “She wouldn’t have been asleep forever, she would have woken up eventually-” 

“Eventually?!” 

“Oh, god,” you hold a hand to your mouth for a second, unable to find anything that could help stop the argument before it escalates any further. 

Even though, truthfully, you didn’t want to. Jania got herself into this mess. She deserves more than being yelled at, another person’s life was at stake here. 

“Don’t you know that cures to sleeping curses have never actually worked?” Your sister continues. “Ever! Your silly little ‘cure’ would’ve failed, and then what? Then my sister would have been cursed for who knows how long!” 

“No! No, it wouldn’t- why are you so mad? I- I was only trying to help!” 

At that point, you step forward, too. “Help? I never needed help, Jania. You keep saying how- how the villain kids shouldn’t be trusted, but you were willing to risk my life and ruin someone else’s to prove a point. And rather than worrying about if Ben was actually gonna be okay, you keep overlooking it like it doesn’t even matter!”

You look at the adults in the room, knowing they would have much to say as well. Ben’s father notices your eyes, clearing his throat. 

“There will be consequences,” he says. “This was both an act of injustice and carelessness. It will be handled accordingly.”

Jania keeps her head hung low, knowing there was nothing she could do or say to shy away from the consequences of her actions. 

“As for you, Harry, we’re terribly sorry about this incident. If there’s anything we can do to make up for it, please let us know.”

The boy nods, and right as the statement is made, Mal comes rushing through the doors, followed by all her friends. 

=

Two weeks have passed since then, and everything has been cleared up. 

Jania had been suspended for 4 weeks, a week for Ben’s endangerment, a week for your intended endangerment, a week for attempting to frame someone, and a week for the unpermitted use of dangerous magic. 

You and Audrey got to remove her as a dorm mate, and although the offer was made to request a new one, you both found it pretty nice to have the extra space all to yourselves one Jania’s bed was out of there. 

Ben was doing fine as well, Mal had woken him up and broken the sleeping curse like everyone expected, and he even said that the whole thing felt like a really great nap, so he wasn’t too upset. 

As an apology for all that had happened, you had invited Harry out for ice cream. You hadn’t really gotten a chance to say sorry for him almost being kicked out of Auradon just for hanging around you, and even though it technically wasn’t your fault, you felt the need to say it anyway. 

So while the two of you sat out on a bench in the castle courtyard, you laid the spoon down in your half eaten cup of ice cream, shifting awkwardly. 

“So, I, um…” you begin, pursing your lips as you try to form a complete sentence. “I don’t think I ever got the chance to apologize for…everything that happened. I knew Jania was making it out to be a big deal, but…I didn’t think she would take it that far.” 

He turns to you with a soft smile, shaking his head. 

“Yeh know there’s no need for an apology, right?”

Blinking, you let out a small huff of breath, staring back down at the delicacy. “Well, obviously not if I’m doing it.” 

Harry giggles, nudging your arm with his. “It wasn’t yer fault, I’m not mad. I like a bit o’ drama every now an’ then.”

“Only you,” you retort, unable to hold back the smile that pulls at your lips. 

But you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Right as you begin to settle down from your internal conflict, something hits you like a brick.

Your sister may or may have not revealed that you were starting to fall in love. With him. 

What should you do? Should you say something? Maybe bury it in a box and hope it never sees the light of day?

“Yeh know, it’s cute how yeh go from super talkative ta super quiet,” he remarks, interrupting your train of thought. 

“Sorry,” you say. “...We’re still friends, right?”

The look of confusion on his face shows that that was not the response he was expecting. 

“...Aye? Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Good.” Your head bobs along with your words. “Great. Yeah, no, I just… y’know, just clarifying.” 

Oh no, you were being super awkward again, like how you were when the two of you first met. 

Although this time, you might actually go dig a hole for yourself if you hit him with finger guns again. 

“This isn’t clarity enough?”

Groaning inwardly, you shove the spoon in your mouth. “No, that’s not how I meant it, just…give me a second to think.”

You can tell he wants to laugh again, but he tries not to for you, so you can spit all of this out. 

Finally, it spills, “I was just…hoping what my sister said the other day didn’t make things…weird?”

Honey, you’re making it weird!

He takes a moment to think back on what it was exactly that Audrey had said, and every second of silence makes you want to be dragged in front of a road. 

“…Ohhh,” he says, forcing down a grin. “Yeh mean when she said ye were in love with someone? An’ tha’ someone might possibly be me?”

It’s an obvious tease. He knew exactly what your sister said, he’s been quoting it word for word in his head for the past two weeks. 

You want to run away from this situation and never look this guy in the eyes again, no muscle in your body wants to actually move. 

“…Well, since we’re tellin’ secrets…” he sits down his ice cream, reaching a hand over to focus your eyes back on him before holding your face in his cool palms. “Guess wha’?”

Clearing your throat to settle the leaping in your chest, you bite, “…What?”

Harry’s eyes sparkle, which should’ve been your first indication that he was up to something. Still, you will yourself not to move, even as he leans ever so closer to your face, though not completely as he’s trying to gauge your reaction.

With no sign of rejection, he finally closes the gap between you, leaving you stunned for a moment as your lips are captured in a soft kiss. You soon melt into the feeling, hands abandoning the cup of ice cream on your lap in favor of grasping the front of his jacket. 

It feels just as magical as you’d imagined it when you thought it would happen all those nights ago. Although, you’re glad it’s longer to become reality. It makes the moment feel even more special, more meaningful. 

When the two of you pull away, his forehead rests against yours, a blissful silence wrapping around the atmosphere like a warm blanket, the warmth spreading through your chest. 

You can’t help but smile, looking up with eyes that shine just as bright as his do, unable to stop the giggling that bubbles in your throat, but soon, he’s laughing along with you. 

The two of you were an usual pair, but you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Just a princess and her pirate.  

[trashfr0g]

Have any headcanons about the Tourney team boys?

Herkie.

Aziz.

Ben.

Chad.

Jay.

Carlos.

Failed Tourney Team Member:

Bash.

I love talking about the lesser known characters.

YES I DO THANK YOU FOR ASKING I had a mini phase where I really wanted to see more of the tourney squad interactions - I even drew some comics!

Granted these are a BIT outdated (I have different number HCS for the boys too since I thought Carlos being 101 for the dalmatians was too cute!)

From left to right they're Herkie, Aziz, Jay, Chad, Ben, Taylor (son of Tarzan) on the floor, and Carlos waaaaay in the corner lol.

Now to get to the real meat! I'll keep it under the cut for dash clutter lol

First thangs first! The guy who made it into the pic despite not having speaking lines or book presence.

Taylor

- Son of Tarzan and Jane Porter, like I mentioned before, but he always introduces himself as the son of Jane (and grandson of Archimedes Q. Porter) because he genuinely believes that she's the famous parent. She's the one with a degree and book and college presentations after all! He gets seriously confused when people have no idea who he's talking about and laughs when they recognize Tarzan's name over hers. No matter how many times people tell him Tarzan's his actual famous parent he thinks it's a joke.

- He speaks the animal language, like his father. It gets him a few Disney Princess jokes from the rest of his teammates but it's all lighthearted! He's also really good at mimicking sounds like Tarzan. If Coach Jenkins ever loses his whistle he just has Taylor mimic the sound lol

- because he usually talks to animals he never realized that Dude started speaking English LMAO

- he has a sister named Janice who is EXTREMELY tech savvy and is basically the 'you don't UNDERSTAND ME' teen archetype who butts heads with her environmentalist hippie family. They both have 'K' as their middle name initial, Taylor's is for Kerchak and Janice's is for Kala.

- he won't put on a shirt unless absolutely necessary. He hates clothes in general but he keeps his pants on for everyone else's sake. His jersey number is 24 in reference to the original 24 books in Tarzan's series!

Herkie

- son of Hercules and Megara, of course. He's got the superstrength of his dad and the weak ankles of his mother 💔 his real name is Herakles, because that's less personally offensive to me and the nickname still works!

- he's not as witty as Megara but he has her sass in SPIRIT. He can pull a face and pose that conveys sarcasm better than any wisecrack could and it makes people remark that he's a lot like her, even though he doesn't have the vocab to back it up

- Phil is banned from Auradon Prep because of him. He would keep showing up at Herkie's games to heckle and ended up hurting a lot of fragile teen boy egos.

- he's got his own Pegasus named Peggy-Sue. Yes it's horrific, yes I think it's too descendants-core for me to change my mind about it. He and Aziz like to compete in flying races, horse vs carpet, and have exactly zero concepts of 'fear of heights' or 'motion sickness' between them.

- he and the rest of the Olympians figured out that Hades was Mal's father before she even knew he was her father. They just thought it was common knowledge, her outbursts and fake personas were too Hades-like for them NOT to connect the dots. Because of this personal villain connection he was one of the AKs that took a little longer to warm up to the VKs, but nobody else could figure out where his attitude was coming from lol

- his jersey number is 12, for the 12 Olympian gods and for the original Herakles' 12 tasks

Aziz

- son of JALADDIN *Lego spin* and one of the most easygoing guys on the team

- in my heart of hearts Jay ends up getting adopted by Jasmine and Aladdin so Aziz ends up as his adoptive brother

- Jordan is his absolute bestie and their ringtones for each other are Friend Like Me

- he LOVESSSSS stargazing! He's part of the astronomy club at AP but his favorite way to look at stars is to drag Carpet up as high as it'll go at night and just lay back in it. Herkie, as the only one with a height tolerance like his, likes to join him sometimes to see Hercules's constellation up close!

- he is EXTREMELY organized but not in, like, a purposeful way. Aladdin and Abu like to play little pranks on him and 'steal' his things without telling him (just to not lose their street rat edge) so he'd never know if he genuinely lost or forgot something or if his dad and monkey were messing with him. He now keeps a really detailed mental list of his stuff so if something's gone he knows they were behind it. This also meant that when Jay showed up at AP he was the first to notice that someone was snatching their things lol

- his jersey number is 40, for the 40 thieves

Tyrone

- son of Terpsichore from Hercules, the muse of dance! Like his mother and aunts he can travel through artwork, but usually stays away from it cuz he doesn't like the feeling of switching art styles lol

- he and Herkie are familiar with each other from growing up on Olympus together and also being the only dudes on the team to wear togas. It's STILL manly 💪😤

- in a meta sense, he's the one responsible for all the spontaneous dance numbers in Auradon working so well. His mom's the muse of dance so he always has the guys ready for when Ben wants to declare his love to random villain girls in song form after games

Li

- son of Chef Louis, and, since I hc him as being Best Bro from the School of Secrets web series, also Smee's great nephew! His mother is Smee's niece and she and Louis bonded over their sea-adjacent backgrounds. Mermaids stress them both out.

- He's always complaining that there's not enough Seafood in the cafeteria but Mrs. Potts won't hear it

- despite his parents' iffiness over sea creatures, he's good friends with Akio!

Akio

- son of Aquata, Ariel's nephew.

- too many of his cousins went to seaside academy so he decided to branch out! He always gets extra rough with training when he knows they're about to go up against the Mermen.

Emir

- son of Amal, Aladdin's ex-best friend from the Aladdin cartoon.

- After traveling the world on his journey of redemption, Amal settled near Auradon, so Emir has never been to Agrabah, much like Jay. He uses this as a point to relate to him when Jay admits knowing that it's where he's from, nationally, but not feeling particularly connected to it due to growing up on the Isle

- Emir and Aziz knew absolutely nothing about Aladdin and Amal's past but still ended up really close. It was due to their sons' closeness that Amal and Aladdin eventually discovered the connection and rekindled their friendship :)

William

- grandson of Wilhelmina Packard from Atlantis

- the other guys on the team try to bond with him but every second when he's off the field or out of class he's chatting loudly on the phone with his out-of-auradon buddies

- despite this, he's a really great team player and is super reliable! He does join their hangouts from time to time but is usually on the phone in the background yapping away (like his grandma lol)

Other Jersey number HCS

Jay - 03, for three genie wishes

Ben - 21, for the age his father was when the beast curse was lifted (/how old he would've been when the curse was sealed if Belle never showed up lol)

Chad - 00, midnight in military time but doubles as a laugh about his loserness

And that's all I got! The main guys are pretty fleshed out characters so I don't think they need my support haha. Thanks for the ask! This was really fun to do :D

[black-rose-writings]

'darklina's toxicity is fake'??? did you forget the part where he was a grown ass man grooming a teenage girl? but yeah no clearly that never happens in real life /s

They talked like twice before she ran off from the Little Palace and they were enemies from then on.

There was no sexual grooming. You could argue he was grooming her to become a queen, a leader, his equal, ie, he was teaching, preparing her for those roles, but there's no manipulation. Sure, he lies to her about stuff that directly involves her, because it's sensitive information and she proves herself untrustworthy over and over again, and they're also practically strangers.

Yes, there is a power imbalance in the relationship on account of the age gap, but I would actually argue that in the space of "immortalXteenager" relationships (which is a pretty common trope in YA fantasy), Darklina actually handles it better than most - Aleksander is aware of the dynamic and he's constantly trying to raise Alina up to his level, speed up her development as much as he can, because he's aware that she's not his equal, yet.

Now, for Alina's age, because I guess I have to write this out again.

Firstly, Alina (and Mal) is old enough to join the army and get married. Under her world's rules, she's an adult. Now, is she immature, sheltered and naive? Yes. But Aleksander specifically goes out of his way to get her to grow past that, rather than using it to get close (like he would if he was actually grooming or manipulating her in any way).

Alina's age is never stated in TGT, in fact Alina admits in her first actual conversation with the Darkling that she isn't sure of her own precise age due to orphanage brainwashing (we'll get back to that in a minute). Alina's age is only explicitly stated as 17 by Inej in SoC. Book!Inej never met Alina. She only knows of her through her legend, which could easily have been framed by the church to make her seem younger, an innocent virginal saint. I'm not taking Inej's word on this one.

We know Alina and Mal came to Keramzin when they were about 8, or at least Ana Kuya thought they were (we'll get back to that). Now, there are two instances where Alina refers to her life in Keramzin as a decade and half her life respectively. If we take those literally, that would make her either 18 or 16 when she left Keramzin, so either 19 or 17 during the events of TGT, though both could be rounded up or down. All the children at Keramzin celebrate their birthdays at the same time (on the duke's birthday) which makes Alina's precise age inherently uncertain. She is meant to be a fresh adult in SaB and the books treat her as such in TGT. Unfortunately, later books in the series tend towards infantalizing its characters, especially the female ones, and also making them super young (I am much more mad about an explicitly 16yo seductress Nina than I am about age-ambiguous-young-adult Alina wanting to have a quickie with a hot guy at a party, which is pretty much what the extent of her physical intimacy with Aleksander is).

Again, Alina is an adult by her world's standarts. 17 is as low as her age can go, but there's some things that suggest she is older than that. First of those being that decade line.

But also, we're starting from the assumption that Ana Kuya is right about Alina's age at when she arrives to Keramzin. Being underweight and underheight are common side-effects of long term or chronic illness (which Alina does suffer from). Alina, before she realizes her powers, is supposed to be small, thin and sickly from supressing her powers. People have talked about how weird it is for Alina and Mal to seemingly not know their age when they arrive at Keramzin, but if they really don't, for some reason (or, say, they don't believe them, because Alina is, canonically, underdeveloped for her age), it's completely plausible that Alina is 20 or older in TGT.

Also, taking from history, while boys as young as 12 could be part of armies in some aspects in the 1800s (they would only really do support/servant work until they were 16-or-so), draft age has usually been either 18 or above. In fact, during the time period that the Grishaverse is supposedly based on, the draft age in Tsarist Russia was 20.

IDK, nonny, calm down, maybe?

And as for that specific line("Darklina is fake/fantasy toxic"), what I meant is that in terms of tropes and genre, it's not meant to be realistic. It's dark fantasy, it's gothic romance, it's a kind of fairytale. The Darkling as a character is a fantasy character. As far as I know, there are no immortal shadow wizards spending centuries fighting for minority rights (though if you do know of any, let me know). Any toxicity of Darklina will be inherently abstracted through that fantasy. Malina lacks that abstraction, that greater purpose to it all. Mal is just a fuckboy whose ego can't handle his girlfriend having a better job than him and friends other than him. Malina's toxicity is mundane.

And, what's worse, it's the two cardinal sins of a fictional relationship: Boring and a hinderance to character development and the story as a whole.

Darklina, even at its most toxic, is constructive to the characters. It pushes the characters involved forward. Darkling and Alina are foils, they're constantly pushing each other forward, for better and worse. Mal is a brick and Alina is slowly drowning because of him.

[razzware]

i've been on the grind trying to make reference images for haunt the stage... i have made some battle portraits for mal also here you go. they're messy because i didn't want to spend a million years on something that was gonna be uber compressed down

the left is its standard portrait, based on siffrin's afraid battle portrait. right is the attack portrait where it doesn't actually attack but cries with the pose being from siffrin's damage portrait because it does not know how to actually fight physically in this au :) it just cries silently. it's a sadness. but it doesn't attack during its fight so i'm just saying it cannot fight at all (though it does have a craft type that becomes relevant later)

[cillianmurphysdimples]

A female Y/N / Cillian fanfic (Part Twenty Two)

Absolutely not based on anything real at all, all totally fictional, fanciful and all total bollocks.

Warnings for sexual references and language. Adult themes. Not suitable for under 18s.

We Got Issues

Part Twenty Two: Aran has his say, and Y/N and Cillian listen. But Cillian is able to ensure he hears his views too. Y/N struggles with the subject, knowing the young man is struggling too. Resolution may come, but why does she feel like she's standing in the depths of the secrets and lies alone? [Anxiety and deep family issues - mentions of abortion and domestic violence?]

@remembering-angels @dragonsneversharetheirtreasure @aesthetic0cherryblossom @meister95 @vivianleighwishesshewasme @meadowshelby @lavender-haze-01 @strangeions @watermeezer

I have referenced the bracket with domestic violence. I consider it domestic violence, but some of you may not. But just in case you share my view, I've put that little indicator there.

-------

“Right,” Cillian holds his hands out before him. You're all perched on stools at the island and looking at one another awkwardly. “How are we doing this, Aran?” You can hear his anxiety, and see it in the frequency of his tongue swiping over his lips.You look at the young man and wonder what he's thinking. He's not so readable as his dad is.

“I dunno.” Aran says quietly.

“Well, will I tell you anything or do you want to get your questions asked?” Cillian offers a choice.

Aran takes a deep breath. “I can ask what I want?”

“Anything you need to, son. I'm not going to hide anything.” Cillian insists.

Aran looks a little relieved for a moment, and then you wonder if he realises he now has a free pass. “When did you start seeing her?” Aran asks, and he doesn't look at you for a moment.

“Nearly a year before your Mum and me split up.” Cillian answers calmly. “But Aran, your Mum and me, we were going that way anyway. We did not split because I was seeing Y/N. I'd nearly made that decision by that point already, and it only got worse.”

“And the baby?” Aran asks, but he looks at you this time. “If he wasn't with Mum, would you have kept it?”

You shake your head, “I don't know. I can't give you an answer for that, because I don't know what would have happened if things were different.”

“Does Mum know any of it?” He asked, and you look to Cillian as Aran does.

Cillian shakes his head. “I don't think so: like I said, we were in bad shape, Aran. We would have snapped sooner or later. Things were not good. But when we broke it all off and decided to separate, I didn't mention Y/N. Mostly, I didn't mention her because there was enough shit under the bridge for your Mum and for me to end it. No new reasons were needed. I suppose I didn't see the point in fueling the fire.”

Aran looks at his hands, wringing together as his arms rest on the island, and he takes a few steady breaths. “Why, Dad?” he looks up at Cillian and you can see he's grappling. “If you wanted to split up with Mum, you should have. You should have left her before, not after.”

“I know,” Cillian nods, and you don't like the guilty look on his face.

“And did you know he was married, and that me and Mal existed?” Aran asks, turning to you again, and there's an edge to his voice.

Swallowing nervously, you nod your head. “I did.” You say quietly.

“You're an idiot,” he turns back on his father. “You got her fucking pregnant, Dad! Cheated on Mum and got her pregnant, that the biggest cliché there is, you know?” Cillian closes his eyes but let's Aran get out what he has to. “It's disgusting. It was disgusting enough when you were seeing her before the divorce was even sorted, it's ten times as bad knowing the truth of it.” He sniffs. “It's not just that, either, it's like…like you don't respect Mal and me, that you'd go shagging around making new kids and didn't even have the balls to be honest about it. And you left, Dad! Us, and Mum, for Y/N. You think dinners and lifts from school make it okay?”

“Aran,” you say gently.

“No, he said I can say what I need to. And it needs to be said. You're both disgusting. Sneaking and lying. You're liars.” Aran snaps back. “I thought I was okay and just needed to know, but it isn't okay. It's not okay because it feels like you lied to me.”

“You were thirteen when Mum and me split up, Aran. I wasn't going to sit you down and go over the specifics. But I did sit with you and Malachy, though, and I told you the truth - I did tell you the truth, Aran. We couldn't be together any longer, the rowing and the fucking silent treatment. Sure half the time I was away and would ring to talk to you boys, I'd be ignored entirely or she'd say youse were out or something. She started keeping you from me when I was right there, and the fights got worse when I'd be home.” Cillian explains himself as calmly as he can..”If I thought at the time I'd be helping you or Malachy by telling youse about Y/N, I would have. But it was enough pain for the two of ye that Mum and me couldn't be together anymore. I didn't want to make it any harder.”

“Would you ever have said anything, if I didn't find those?” Aran asks quietly.

Cillian shrugs one shoulder. “I don't know. Maybe when you were older. But I don't know, Aran. Maybe not. Sure what good is it doing for you now knowing? You're angry, and it's causing more trouble it need not have caused.”

“You said you didn't leave because of Y/N, so why did you only leave after you were seeing one another?” Aran asks, and he's calmer, and he looks at his Dad, then at you.

Cillian looks at you with a small smile, though his eyes are still sad and anxious, and then he looks back at Aran as he considers his sons question. “She helped me make the choice. Nothing she did, she didn't say leave her, she didn't tell me to get divorced - I don't mean it that way. But away from your Mum, and with Y/N, apart from missing you two or worrying about you two, I felt happier. There were no arguments, or being ignored, or threatened with the chance I'd lose the two of ye.*

“We heard it, you know?” Aran says and you frown.

“The arguments?” Cillian asks.

Aran nods his head, “Yeah. Sometimes.” you feel sad for him and for Cillian.

Cillian sighs sadly, “I'm sorry.”

“One time, we heard you telling her to stop something, that you didn't like it and then there was a noise and Malachy was gonna go out and I said no. And then Mum was crying and she was saying she was sorry. Did she hit you?” Aran asks.

Cillian shakes his head quickly, “No, Aran, nobody hit anybody. But there were a few nights she'd throw things, when she was angry. Sometimes I understood I'd made her angry, even if I hadn't meant to. Other times, she was just angry and I couldn't work it out. She wasn't happy either, Aran. It wasn't working, the two of us, but we were trying to get back to where we used to be, to keep things going well for the two of ye.”

“She slapped that Easter.” Aran says and you turn your face to Cillian slowly. “Uncle Páidi was there, Dad, you both were, like, bickering and he kept saying it wasn't right. Mal and I weren't stupid, Dad, we could see it and hear it. And we were outside and Páidi was going in and we looked up and the kitchen window and you shouted something and Mum slapped your face. So don't say she didn’t do it, Dad.”

Cillian takes a deep breath and he sort of rolls his eyes, almost like a shrug action but with his face, and you want to reach out and touch him but you don't want to upset Aran. “I don't…” Cillian sighs.

“I never saw you do it, and we didn't see her to it again either. But we always thought we knew when she did.” Aran says. “And that time you two had the fight after you got back from filing away somewhere. It was like days of doors slammed and,” he shakes his head and laughs sarcastically. He's seeing it all, in his mind, you know, and you feel for him. “And she put your case at the top of the stairs, and you went to Síle's for a week. You'd been gone ages, and you went again.”

“Jesus . Aran, I'm sorry.” Cillian says so gently, so quietly, he sounds lost and small. “We never wanted to hurt you or your brother, and I know I'm not painting your Mum out well here, but she didn't want you two hurting either. But I see that it has, beyond us just splitting up. And I wish we'd done it sooner because then you'd have been saved from that. Especially those last couple of years when I was barely there, working, staying elsewhere, fighting when I was there or the fucking silences, and then just being around until bedtime. I know you knew I would leave at night.”

Aran nods his head. “You used to come back about five in the morning.” He smirks.

Cillian smiles sadly, “Yeah,” he sighs.

“He'd stay with you, before he left at the end, when he wasn't at home?” Aran asks you.

You nod, “Yeah, right before the split he did. Yeah.” You offer him a small smile. “He talked about you and Malachy all the time, still does. He never wanted to be gone, be away from you. He just couldn't stay with your Mum any longer.” It's quiet for a minute. Nobody shifts, nobody speaks, and you wonder what the two of them are thinking. Then Aran speaks up again.

“Dinner, and driving us, Dad… it is good. It means we see you all the time.” He says, quietly. It's a sorry, you realise, and you see the small look of acceptance that crossed Cillian's face. “But I just, I wish you didn't lie. I wish you didn't…” he takes a deep breath. “...I wish you didn't have a fucking affair, Dad. That's just as bad as Mum slapping your face, you know? Youse could have just left each other, but you both hurt each other and you lied. And that's worse. And worse again is that you two were…and then you'd come home and be with Mum….”

Cillian shifts awkwardly and you cringe, knowing instantly what Aran is so agonisingly trying to say. “No, Aran…” Cillian holds out his hands. “No. Your Mum and me were not in the same room for over a year. I wasn't …bed hopping.” He almost laughs but neither of you find it funny.

Aran looks at you for a moment, and you feel exposed. You're glad he's asking what he wants, you think, and you're proud of Cillian for answering him honestly. But it still feels a lot, like removing a scab, and you're not sure the wound is ready. “I won't say anything.” He says. “But I think you should, to Malachy at least. Maybe you don't owe Mum that, I dunno, but Mal should know.”

Quiet falls again and you breathe through a wave of nausea once again. You get up from the stool and take a glass from the dish drainer, then fill it from the tap. With your back to Cillian and Aran, you sip the water slowly, fighting the feeling of a rising gag. You want to sit closer and hold Cillian, you want to rest your head on his shoulder and lace your fingers with his - and yet you don't, because you don't want to hurt his son.

“About the baby though,” Aran says suddenly. You freeze at the sink, then slowly turn around. “If you were going to leave Mum anyway, why didn't you just keep it?”

Cillian considered the question and licks his lips slowly, “It wasn't the right time. It wasn't fair to Y/N because I couldn't be with her right then, and it wasn't fair to you two or your Mum - because then I would have had to have told you all everything, and hurt you all. And it wasn't fair to me, either. I was in no place to be seeing to a wee one when you two were going to need me more with everything I knew was coming. It just wasn't the right time, for anyone.”

Aran frowns, “I don't know all about it, Dad, but you let her go on her own? Don't they like, kill the baby? I mean…”

“Aran,” Cillian shakes his head and then looks at you. Your chin quivers. “I wanted to be there, and I couldn't be. I'm not proud of myself, son, and I'm not going to excuse it. I wasn't there when she needed me and I'm going to regret that for as long as I live. But at the time I thought between working and protecting you and Mal from what was going on, hiding it, that I was doing the right thing. It wasn't.*

You feel your heart beating quicker at Cillian's admissions. Sure, he's said he's sorry so many times, but he's never been so willing to hold up his deficiencies like that before. You swallow hard, nausea and emotions swimming around your entire insides, and you keep your eyes on him.

Aran nods his head slowly. “Sorry you had to…do that.” He says, quietly, and you're not sure if he's saying it to you or to his Dad but you take it into your heart.

“How do you feel, now?” Cillian asks, his eyes fixed on his son.

Aran shrugs, “Think I understand it better. It doesn't make it better, or make what you did okay,” he shrugs again. “I mean you stayed together, yeah? You and Y/N. So it wasn't like a stupid thing that got in the way.”

“No, not at all.” Cillian says quickly. “And Aran I don't hate your Mum or anything; I could never have stayed but it was both of us that were causing the problem, it wasn't one sided. And we have you two - she's always going to be important. I just couldn't stay.”

Aran nods his head and you watch his expression. “I get that.” He says and you're surprised at the maturity, especially against his earlier clear anger. “Sometimes things just change.”

“Exactly.” Cillian nods slowly. “What doesn't change is how important you and Malachy are, you know that, yeah?”

Aran nods, “Yeah,” he whispers.

Cillian takes a deep breath. “And no matter what happens in this house, in this relationship, you and Mal are always going to be important. I might make more choices you're not entirely happy with, but it doesn't mean I'm doing it against you. You two aren't babies now, and you'll be away in your own homes with your own lives soon enough.”

“You say that like you're planning something,” Aran jokes nervously.

“I just mean that choices we might make in the future aren't meant to hurt you, but that it'd be choices for us and our life,” he gestures towards you. “Not for you and Malachy.”

Aran nods his head again, “I get it, Dad.”

“I love you two so much, and I'll be here whenever you need me.” He says with a catch in his voice. You study his face, wondering if this is the moment he cries. But he doesn't. “But I also love Y/N, and our life here matters too.”

“I know.” Aran says, and again he's quiet.

Cillian shifts on the stool. “Do you have anything else you need to ask, or anything you need to say?”

Aran looks at him for a moment, then at you, then back to his Dad. “No.” He says quietly.

“If you choose to tell your Mum and your brother, I can't stop you. But I'd prefer it if you didn't. And maybe soon, I'll do it.” Cillian says, and he sounds so diplomatic, so fair and even, and you're not sure why he isn't trembling you are.

“I won't,” Aran sighs. “What good would it do?”

You feel it to be a rhetorical question, and it throws you off when Cillian answers it. “None at all, Aran.” He swipes his tongue over his lips. He gets to his feet. “C'mere,” he says to him, opening his arms. “Give me a fucking hug.”

Aran scoffs but he gets off the stool and walks around to meet his father. You watch as they lock their arms around one another and you feel relieved for Cillian. His eyes are closed as he holds his son tightly. He's lightened by the talk, and you're glad. But you wonder where your arms of support are?

[theweeklydiscourse]

Scars of Co-Dependency: The Link Between Alina’s Repression and Mal

The first chapter of Shadow and Bone ends with a musing about the strength of Mal and Alina’s love.

Their determination to stay together is so strong that even the Duke takes notice. From the way this scene is framed, coupled with the context of how their relationship concludes, the reader is led to believe that this is the essence of their bond (and they would be correct in that assumption). Not because this scene is an example of ideal romantic devotion, but because it illustrates the codependency and stagnation that defines their relationship. Notice the phrasing of “The boy and the girl” which becomes a recurring motif throughout the trilogy. Even when Alina and Mal are older, they are still referred to with these terms even though they have long outgrown them. It’s a romantic framing device that characterizes their relationship as a quaint and simple dynamic straight out of a folktale, but it also represents the way that their relationship keeps them trapped in childhood. Their over reliance on one another keeps them stagnant and stunts their growth, this is particularly clear in Alina’s case where her physical growth is literally stunted by the repression of her powers.

Alina’s repression is undeniably linked to her relationship with Mal. This connection becomes impossible to ignore in Alina’s flashback to the day the Grisha examiners came to see her.

Alina almost instantly recognizes the truth within herself and panics. In this panic, she makes the choice to deny her powers to remain with Mal at the orphanage, knowing that if she embraced her power, it would mean leaving Mal. She actively suppresses her true self to stay with Mal and for years after that day, she is forced to cope with the consequences. Alina’s great sacrifice to stay with Mal is not rewarded by love, instead, she is met with more hardship. For example, Alina doesn’t seem to have many close friends aside from the ones that are already friends with Mal:

Alina’s appearance is sickly and thin, hence the insulting nickname. But her thinness also suggests a kind of starvation of the self. By denying her Grisha identity, she denies her body the nourishment it needs to be healthy and strong. Because her sickness is connected to her repression, it also extends to her relationship with Mal from which the urge to suppress first originated. In an exchange with Genya earlier in Shadow and Bone, Alina displays her insecurity about her condition.

Her insecurity, her fatigue, her sickness; it all circles back to the choice she made to stay with Mal. It is only after her revelatory flashback and the acknowledgment of her loneliness that Alina is able to make progress in her training and awaken her true strength. This progress is accompanied by her letting go of her attachment to Mal and freeing herself from that emotional burden. Alina says, “I'm sorry I left you so long in the dark.I'm sorry, but I'm ready now.” and reaches a breakthrough. One of the ways this manifests is in her physical appearance and maturing body.

Even though the remnants of her insecurity remain, the joy Alina feels cannot be dismissed. It is astounding that this is only able to happen once she lets go of her past with Mal and begins loving her true self. Her maturing body symbolizes her departure from that childhood connection that was holding her back, bringing her forward into adulthood. Once she begins loving herself and the qualities that make her unique, she can bloom. Mal’s connection to Alina’s repression and insecurity is RIGHT THERE and once you begin to really examine it, the link is difficult not to see.

In the Netflix adaptation, this connection is visualized through the cut on Alina’s palm.

In this case, Alina’s choice to stay with Mal is visualized through an act of self-harm. She intentionally cuts her hand to sabotage the Grisha exam, scarring herself in the process. The pain of cutting herself is a sacrifice to stay by Mal’s side and though some might consider that as a romantic act of devotion, I see it as further evidence of their flawed relationship. In both the book and the show, Alina harms herself and is doomed to a life of repression in service of staying with Mal.

This connection makes the ending even more baffling. It feels intentional that Alina is able to mature, find independence, empowerment, and new friends once she lets go of Mal, yet the ending suggests otherwise. The codependent nature of Malina is RIGHT THERE and yet the narrative never does anything to critique it and instead, chooses to romanticize it. It really makes it feel as though Bardugo favours Mal and his personal fulfillment over the empowerment of her heroine. So much so that she’s willing to wreck the progression of Alina’s character arc.